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Hormone Replacement Therapy Increases the Risk of Breast Cancer a
Author(s) -
COLDITZ GRAHAM A.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1997.tb48598.x
Subject(s) - breast cancer , menarche , medicine , menopause , hormone , cancer , family history , risk factors for breast cancer , oncology , hormone replacement therapy (female to male) , obstetrics , physiology , gynecology , testosterone (patch)
Established risk factors for breast cancer predominantly act through hormonal pathways. The major exceptions are (1) family history, which accounts for approximately 6 percent of the cases of breast cancer in the United States 1,2 ; (2) radiation, particularly in adolescence, which accounts for a small fraction of all cases of breast cancer, 3,4 and (3) personal history of benign breast disease, which may include precursor lesions in the pathway to breast cancer. 5 Age at menarche, parity, and age at first birth, as well as age at menopause are related to risk of breast cancer. 6 In addition, among postmenopausal women, relative weight and use of postmenopausal hormones increase risk of breast cancer. 7 This paper reviews the evidence that these factors may act through hormonal pathways or cell division in response to cyclic hormonal levels.