Hormone therapy and the risk of breast cancer

Taking combined hormone therapy may increase your risk of developing breast cancer. Here are some important findings:

• Taking combination hormone therapy showed a rare increase of absolute risk of less than one additional case of breast cancer per 1000 person years of use.

• There was a nonsignificant reduction in breast cancer seen in women with hysterectomies on estrogen only therapy.

• If you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer you should not take systemic hormone therapy.