The International Menopause Society Press statement:
Decline in breast cancer is not just because of hormone therapy

On week 7 December, 2009, the American Association for Cancer Research issued a press statement entitled 'Decline in breast cancer: not just because of hormone therapy'. This statement was reporting the work of Dr Brian Sprague, of the University of Wisconsin. The full press release can be found at: http://www.aacr.org/home/public--media/aacr-press-releases.aspx?d=1682

The conclusions of this statement were as follows:

• WHI results led to decrease in hormone use.
• Women experienced steep decline in breast cancer.
• Only part of that decline can be attributed to hormone use.

The International Menopause Society issued the following statement:

Dr David Sturdee, President of the International Menopause Society, said: "Dr Sprague's finding that factors other than the decline in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use are the major contributors to the drop in breast cancer cases is an interesting result. It seems to support what we have been saying for some time - that the effects of HRT on breast cancer have been overstated. We will need to wait until we see the full paper from Dr Sprague before commenting further, but for now we welcome this report as a contribution to a more balanced debate on the issue of how best to treat women going through a difficult menopause."

The International Menopause Society is the main international society representing clinicians who treat the menopause.
It can be contacted via Tom Parkhill, +44 (0)131 208 3008; email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
See the IMS website at http://www.imsociety.org/.

Content Updated 12 December 2009