Menopausal hormone therapy does not increase lung cancer risk

Women using hormone therapy for menopause symptoms did not have a greater risk for lung cancer than their untreated peers, and may have had lower risk with higher HT dosage and duration, according to study data published in Menopause.

“Reports regarding the association between HT and the risk of lung cancer development have been inconsistent,” Chia-Chen Wu, MD, from the division of thoracic surgery at Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center in Taipei, Taiwan, and colleagues wrote. “Some have reported that HT increases lung cancer risk, others have indicated a reduced risk and several have reported no significant effect.”

This nationwide population-based matched cohort study included data from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database from 38,104 postmenopausal women older than 45 years who used HT between 2000 and 2015. The women were matched with 152,416 similar women who were not using HT.

During 16 years of follow-up, researchers observed no significant difference in lung cancer development between women prescribed HT and those who did not use HT (0.866% vs. 0.95%). When adjusting for age and other variables, there was still no association between HT and lung cancer development among postmenopausal women (adjusted HR = 0.886; 95% CI, 0.666-1.305; P = .433).

In subgroup analysis, lung cancer risk was lower among women who used HT when the HT cumulative dosage was 401 mg or higher (aHR = 0.633; 95% CI, 0.475-0.93; P < .001) or when therapy duration was 5 years or longer compared with women who did not use HT (aHR = 0.532; 95% CI, 0.33-0.934; P < .001).

According to the researchers, these findings verified results from a 2002 study that reported no increased lung cancer development risk among women using combined HT in the setting of the overall population of Taiwan.

“Our results provide valuable information about the risk of lung cancer development and HT, which is critical for treatment planning for postmenopausal women in clinical practice,” the researchers wrote.

Reference:

• Despite misconceptions, hormone therapy may actually reduce risk of lung cancer. www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/press-release/hormone-therapy-and-lung-cancer.pdf. Published March 1, 2023. Accessed March 1, 2023.