Archive: Study Reveals Link Between Breast Cancer Decline and Decreasing Use of Hormone Therapy

Karla Kerlikowske

For a report on a National Cancer Institute study showing a significant drop in breast cancer rates in women who had stopped postmenopausal hormone therapy, KGO-TV interviews Karla Kerlikowske, MD, lead author of the study. Kerlikowske, a staff physician at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and a professor of medicine, epidemiology, and biostatistics at UCSF, notes, "Previous research has indicated a link between a drop in hormone therapy and a decrease in breast cancer rates, but this is the first study to demonstrate that link among a cohort of women undergoing routine screening mammography." The new research shows the use of estrogen and progestin dropped by 38 percent between 2002 and 2003. "We saw a drop in the agent that causes breast cancer, and then with that, a decline in invasive cancer and importantly, estrogen-receptor positive cancer," says Kerlikowske, pointing to a clinically significant 13-percent decline, which translates to a decrease of about 17,000 breast cancers a year. Declines in Invasive Breast Cancer and Use of Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy in a Screening Mammography Population Karla Kerlikowske, Diana L. Miglioretti, Diana S. M. Buist, Rod Walker, Patricia A. Carney Journal of the National Cancer Institute, published online August 14, 2007 Abstract | Full Text | Full Text (PDF) Related Links: Breast Cancer Study Reveals Stunning Findings KGO-TV (ABC), August 14, 2007 Study Finds Breast Cancer Decline Linked to Decreased Hormone Use UCSF News Release, August 14, 2007