HRT for Treatment of Symptoms but not Chemoprevention Asian Pacific J Cancer Prev, 4, 275-276 COMMENTARY

Given that the hormone therapy was associated with decreased risk of colon cancer and hip fracture, are there women who are at high risk for these conditions who might have a net benefit with hormones? A woman with a family history of colon cancer has a risk of the disease that is approximately twice of women with no such family history. According to the rates of disease and the relative risks found in the WHI, the estimated harm is lower among such women, but the net effect is still about 1.4 serious adverse events per 1000 women per year (Grady, 2003). The annual increase in risk of serious adverse events associated with postmenopausal hormone therapy is relatively small, but why should women take any risk at all? Until recently, it has been argued that many women feel better when they take hormones. This statement was laid to rest by a recent study by Hays et al (2003) which provided clear evidence that hormone therapy did not result in better quality of life among elderly women without menopausal symptoms. In a recent issue of JAMA, three further reports from the WHI randomized trial present results on the effect of treatment with 0.625 mg of conjugated estrogen and 2.5 mg Hormone Replacement Therapy for Symptoms but not fo