While hormone therapy was once a popular way to treat menopausal symptoms such as , many patients stopped the treatment for fear of an increased risk of cancer.
A new study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference suggests that while the number of reported cases of cancer has decreased 7 percent, a change in hormone therapy accounts for only 3 percent of the reduction. Scientists are currently looking into what makes up the other decreased instances.
Researchers feel that because many women heard results from a 2002 Womens Health Initiative (WHI) report that indicated hormone therapy was related to breast cancer, they stopped their at-home treatment.
The scientists are still looking for other possible reasons for the decrease in breast cancer, however they are quick to point out that this does not mean women should start the therapy again.
“This does not mean that women should start taking hormones again, but there appear to be additional factors that have contributed to the decline in breast cancer,” said study leader Dr. Brian Sprague.