Hormone Therapy Poses a Higher Risk for Breast Cancer in Some Women

Hormonal treatments to reduce the symptoms of menopause can increase women's risk of breast cancer. Yet a new study finds that this risk isn't the same in all women.

Various factors including their race, body mass index (BMI) and breast density can all play important factors when it comes to the benefits of hormone therapy.

Researchers examined close to 1.65 million postmenopausal women ages 45 and up, finding that lean women as well as those with denser breasts were more likely to see problems regarding hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and their breast-cancer risk.

Underweight and normal-weight participants who had a BMI that was lower than 25 that also used HRT had a 35 percent increased risk of breast cancer compared to those who did not use HRT. Those with a BMI rate over 30 were not affected by the hormone use, according to the study.

Women who used HRT with extremely dense breasts also had a 40 percent increased risk compared to those without the hormones.

Race also played a factor in whether or not HRT could increase breast cancer risk. For instance, white and Hispanic women who used HRT showed a 20 percent increased risk of breast cancer compared to participants who did not. Yet the same findings were not seen in black women who did or did not use the hormone therapy.

As breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States, a disease that may be caused by a combination of genetic, hormonal and environmental factors, the National Cancer Institute shows that in 2013 alone, there will be approximately 232,340 new cases of female breast cancer and nearly 40,000 women will die from this health problem.

More information regarding the study can be found via the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.