New debate on use of HRT by menopausal women

New research from the US has reignited the debate on the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by menopausal women. Researchers from the University of Texas have found rates of the most common form of breast cancer dropped 15% from August 2002 to December 2003.

That happened to be when widely publicised research suggested that HRT increased the risk of breast cancer and the authors are suggesting there is a strong connection.

But some experts say the study has serious limitations. They say the study did not specifically consider whether there was a causal relationship between the drop in HRT usage and the drop in breast cancer rates, but only inferred it. There may be other factors that have affected the population in the United States that could impact on risk and maybe HRT is part of that story but perhaps not the whole story.

The finding of the US study may not reflect a drop in breast cancer incidence, but reflect detection of the disease.