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Hormone Therapy Not Linked to Higher Breast Cancer Risk in BRCA Carriers, Study Finds

Researchers call for randomized trials after observing fewer cancers in users.

Overview

  • The matched prospective analysis created 676 pairs of BRCA1/2 carriers who did and did not use menopausal hormone therapy and was presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
  • Over a mean 5.6 years of follow-up, 87 breast cancers occurred in the MHT group versus 128 in matched nonusers.
  • Estrogen-only regimens were associated with a 63% lower likelihood of breast cancer, and none of 43 women on conjugated estrogen plus bazedoxifene developed cancer during follow-up.
  • Results did not differ significantly between carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants.
  • Investigators emphasized the observational design and small subgroup sizes and urged personalized menopause management alongside future formulation-specific randomized trials.