Breast Cancer Rate Drops as Menopause Hormone Therapy Declines

Major breast cancer news, linking decreased breast cancer rates to a drop in menopause hormone treatment, is sweeping news outlets.  Here is what some major players are saying: New York Times reports: Rates of the most common form of breast cancer dropped a startling 15 percent from August 2002 to December 2003, researchers reported yesterday. The reason, they believe, may be because during that time, millions of women abandoned hormone treatment for the symptoms of menopause after a large national study concluded that the hormones slightly increased breast cancer risk.  Detroit Free Press reports: Metro Detroit women's health specialists readied themselves Thursday for more confusion and questions about hormone replacement therapy, with news linking a surprising drop in breast cancer to lower use of the hormone drugs taken for menopause symptoms."We will be hearing from the same 10 to 20% of patients who react to every report in the news media that is negative, and they ask, 'Does this say you have put me at increased risk of cancer?' " said Dr. Ronald Strickler, chief of women's health services at the Henry Ford Health System.MSNBC reports: SAN ANTONIO - In a startling turnaround, breast cancer rates in the United States dropped dramatically in 2003, and experts said they believe it is because many women stopped taking hormone pills. The 7.2 percent decline came a year after a big federal study linked hormone replacement therapy used at menopause to a higher risk of breast cancer, heart disease and other problems. Within months, millions of women stopped taking estrogen and progestin pills. LA Times reports: U.S. breast cancer rates dropped 7% in 2003 after millions of women stopped taking hormone drugs for symptoms of menopause because the drugs had been linked to an increased risk of developing the disease, researchers said Thursday.The sharp decrease was driven by a slide in the type of breast cancer that needs the hormone estrogen to grow, which accounts for 70% of all cases of the disease....