The UK's Telegraph (1/7, Smith) reported that University of Minnesota researchers have "found that women who used" hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) "were at lower risk of" colorectal "cancer than women of a similar age who had never used the hormones." Investigators explained in their analysis published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention that the "size of the reduction varied according to what HRT regime women were on, how long they took it for, and whether they were using it at the time of the study." After analyzing data on nearly 57,000 postmenopausal women, the team noted that "women who had used estrogen-only HRT had a 17 percent reduced risk of colorectal cancer over those who never used it, current estrogen users had a 25 percent reduced risk, and those who had been on it for more than ten years had a 26 percent reduced risk." Although "it is not known exactly how HRT has an effect on the cancer risk," some surmise "that hormones may play a role in decreasing levels of insulin-like growth factors that fuel some cancers."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/4161172/Menopause-treatment-reduces-risk-of-bowel-cancer.html