Are you confused about hormones and breast cancer? While the relationship between estrogen and breast cancer is not crystal clear, doctors generally agree that estrogen does not cause breast cancer, although it may cause an existing cancer to grow.

What do we know about hormones and breast cancer? First, we know that breast cancer increases with age. 8 out of 10 breast cancers are in women over 50, whether or not they take estrogen. Another risk factor is a woman's lifelong exposure to her own hormones; the longer she produces estrogen, the more likely she is to develop breast cancer. Women are at lower risk for breast cancer if they got their periods late, have not become overweight, or go through menopause early.

Over the last 25 years, more than 50 studies have evaluated hormone therapy and breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, these studies varied widely in design and have inconsistent results. The most encouraging data come from an outcomes study: menopausal women who took estrogen and got breast cancer lived an average of 2 years longer than menopausal women who did not take estrogen replacement and did not get breast cancer.

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Created: 10/5/2000  -  Donnica Moore, M.D.