Women who are considering taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to control the symptoms of menopause may want to consider a more natural alternative after a new study revealed that the drugs can increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence.
Scientists were already aware that HRT increases the risk of breast cancer in women who have not previously had the disease.
However, the latest study suggests that use of HRT among breast cancer survivors increases the risk of the disease returning by 14.2 per cent.
Writing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers from King's College London revealed that the results "indicate a substantial risk for a new breast cancer event among breast cancer survivors using [HRT]".
Dr Kathy Pritchard, an expert at the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto, concluded in an accompanying editorial that "the harmful side-effects of HRT have finally been clearly demonstrated".
A number of natural alternatives are available to women, including evening primrose oil, soy isoflavones and extracts of sage.
Women who are considering taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to control the symptoms of menopause may want to consider a more natural alternative after a new study revealed that the drugs can increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence.
