hormone replacement therapy

hormone replacement

The Lancet

In the latest post-hoc analysis of the Women's Health Initiative trial, Rowan Chlebowski and colleagues (Oct 10, p 1243)1Chlebowski RT Schwartz AG Wakelee H et al.Oestrogen plus progestin and lung cancer in postmenopausal women (Women's Health Initiative trial): a post-hoc analysis of a randomised controlled trial.Lancet. 2009; 374: 1243-1251Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (239) Google Scholar highlight lung cancer as a new harmful effect of hormone therapy, further worsening the risk profile of this treatment among postmenopausal women. However, adverse effects such as cancer, especially breast cancer, occur after long-term use of hormone therapy. Hormone therapy still remains the most effective treatment for postmenopausal symptoms, and new guidelines now recommend that women be prescribed the lowest effective dose of hormone therapy for the shortest possible duration. In this context, cancers represent a minor part of the potentially fatal events due to hormone therapy and venous thromboembolism, including pulmonary embolism, becomes the main adverse effect of short-term hormone therapy use. Nevertheless, this enhanced potential for thrombosis could be restricted to oral oestrogen use. Indeed, recent data2Scarabin PY Oger E Plu-Bureau G Differential association of oral and transdermal oestrogen-replacement therapy with venous thromboembolism risk.Lancet. 2003; 362: 428-432Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (664) Google Scholar and a meta-analysis3Canonico M Plu-Bureau G Lowe GD Scarabin PY Hormone replacement therapy and risk of venous thromboembolism in postmenopausal women: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ. 2008; 336: 1227-1231Crossref PubMed Scopus (421) Google Scholar have shown that oral but not transdermal oestrogens would increase the thrombotic risk among postmenopausal women. Additionally, a large prospective cohort study4Canonico M, Fournier A, Carcaillon L, et al. Postmenopausal hormone therapy and risk of idiopathic venous thromboembolism: results from the E3N cohort...

Lung cancer and hormone replacement therapy