Higher cancer risk for slim women during HRT menopause medication
WOMEN of a healthy weight are more likely than obese women to get breast cancer when using hormone replacement therapy to alleviate menopause symptoms, a study claims.
White and Hispanic women with a low or normal body mass index, or weight-to-height ratio, have a 20 per cent increased risk of the disease when undergoing HRT.
Those with lower-density breasts, containing a lower proportion of fat, also have a higher risk when undergoing the treatment.
Black and obese women and those with breast tissue composed mostly of fat face minimal risk, according to the US study. Researchers at the University of Chicago analysed 1,642,824 mammograms, which included 9,300 breast cancer cases, from menopausal women.
Now they hope their findings can provide extra information to help doctors and patients decide whether or not to go ahead with treatment.
Researcher Dr Mary Beth Terry, of Columbia University, said: “It will inform appropriate use of not only HRT but also other medications.”