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Dramatic fall in Breast Cancer rates points finger at HRT again
In a startling new analysis, presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in December 2006, breast cancer rates in the USA have plunged 7 per cent in just one year, 2003; the year after millions of women stopped taking menopause hormones following a major study showing the dangers of synthetic oestrogen HRT and especially mixed synthetic oestrogen/progesten HRT. The well-documented 2002 study had shown increases after just 5 years on HRT of 27 and 100 per cent respectively for breast tumours, further worsened by data showing risk of heart problems. Many post-menopausal American women simply stopped taking the drugs.
The 7 per cent annual decline is massive when taken in the context of a normal 2 per cent annual increase in the USA in breast cancer a similar figure to the growth rate in the UK, where 2.2 million women were taking HRT in 2002.
Lead Researcher, David Berry, of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston said, ’When I saw it, I couldn’t believe it’. Yet cases dropped most dramatically in the 50+ age group, the prime target for HRT business, and the decline was biggest for tumours where growth was fuelled by oestrogen, the type most affected by hormone use. The decline was universal in every single cancer registry across America.
’There is absolutely no question of statistical fluke or error. It’s a big deal amazing really’, said another member of the research team, this time from UCLA Medical Center.
The decline means that 14,000 less women developed breast cancer out of a usual total of 200,000 in the US. In the UK the figures would be approximately 3,000 out of a current annual total of 42,000.
The results have also been confirmed in a separate study, this time by the American Cancer Society, where at least two thirds of the decline was attributed to lowered HRT usage. 2004 data will be released in April 2007.
(Ed: We reported the 2002 study, and the introduction of on-pack health warnings for HRT in the USA. We reported the Boston Nurses Study, which finished almost 10 years earlier involving 177,000 women, where HRT had been linked not merely to Breast cancer increases, but to other oestrogen-driven cancers such as cervical. Although some mischievous people do try to put a positive spin on these hormone drugs, we are quite clear. None of our staff would take HRT at any cost. In our opinion, it is madness. We totally agree with the German Health minister who described HRT as the ’new thalidomide’. One day in the future, cancer experts will be turning round to doctors exclaiming ’ you mean once upon a time you gave women extra cancer fuelling hormones and you were surprised when they developed more cancers?!’ Oestrogen is a known driver of cancer; taking more is rather like pouring petrol on a lighted match. Of course, there are other ways of increasing your oestrogen levels but you can cut most of those out too see our book ’Oestrogen the killer in our midst’ for more details).