[Treatment of menopause and cancer of the breast: epidemiological aspects]

Abstract

Because the proportion of postmenopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy is increasing, the relationship between oestrogens replacement therapy and breast cancer risk has important implications. Epidemiologic evidence of this relationship remains controversial. The available data highlight: a significant relative risk of breast cancer 1) after at least 15 years of oestrogen use, and 2) in women with a family history of breast cancer or a personal history of benign breast disease. Most of these studies examine the association between breast cancer risk and equin conjugated oestrogen administered alone. In France, natural oestrogens are usually given associated with progestins. The consequences of oestrogen and progestin combinations on the risk of breast cancer need to be further evaluated.