New WHI Data Show No Increased Risk of Breast Cancer

CHICAGO - A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that in the estrogen-alone sub-study of the Women's Health Initiative, conjugated estrogens did not increase breast cancer incidence in postmenopausal women.

The authors of "Effects of Conjugated Equine Estrogens on Breast Cancer and Mammography Screening in Postmenopausal Women With Hysterectomy" (JAMA. 2006;295:1647-1657) concluded that treatment with Conjugated Equine Estrogens (CEE) alone for 7.1 years did not increase breast cancer incidence in postmenopausal women with prior hysterectomy.

However, the authors noted, treatment with CEE increases the frequency of mammography screening requiring short interval follow-up.

The …