HT decreased risk for colorectal cancer in postmenopausal women

American Association for Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting

Postmenopausal hormone therapy use was associated with a 28% lower risk for colorectal cancer in older women when compared with women who did not use exogenous estrogens.

“In our large, prospective study, use of HT seemed to be beneficial with respect to reducing colorectal cancer risk,” David Limsui, MD, fellow in the department of Gastroenterology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said in a press release.

Limsui presented the data at the American Association for Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting in Denver.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic examined data on 553 women (aged 55-69) with colorectal cancer included in the 1986 Iowa Women’s Health Study. Participants reported use of oral contraceptives or HT at baseline.

Although oral contraceptive use was not associated with incident colorectal cancer, an overall protective effect against colorectal cancer was found among women taking postmenopausal HT.

These findings are in line with previously published results, such as data from the Women’s Health Initiative, which concluded in 2004 that combination HT (estrogen and progestin) reduced a woman’s risk for colorectal by about 40%, according to the researchers.

However, “we still do not know how estrogen compounds work in cancer prevention, which is intriguing,” Limsui said.

For more information:

Limsui D. #4871. Presented at: American Association for Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting; April 18-22, 2009; Denver.