Women undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be 70 per cent more likely to die from lung cancer, according to new findings.

The recently published analysis of over 16,000 women compared women taking the combined oestrogen and progestin pill to a placebo group.

Of those who went on to develop lung cancer, the study found that women undergoing HRT had a higher risk of dying than those who were not.

However these findings were only seen in women aged over 60. Importantly, women undergoing HRT were not more likely to develop lung cancer than the placebo group.

The US authors of the research said that women with a history of smoking, “should be made aware of this additional hazard” when considering hormone therapy.

The results come from further analysis of a US study of women aged 50 to 79, which was stopped early in 2002 after it found those who took the combined HRT were at greater risk of breast cancer, stroke and clots in the lungs.

The shock findings saw the sales of HRT drugs plummet by 40 per cent world wide. This has since led to a 6.7 per cent reduction in the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia after 20 years of steadily increasing rates of the disease.

Current Australian guidelines recommend that women who take HRT for menopausal symptoms take the lowest effective dose for the shortest time period to alleviate symptoms.
Yet despite further negative findings of the new study, the International Menopause Society (IMS) has not condemned the use of the drug.

“HRT is safe for healthy young women in the 50-59-year age group, but older women should be dealt with individually and take greater care. The findings of this paper support this advice. Like all clinicians, we would urge women of any age not to smoke,” said Professor Amos Pines on behalf of the IMS.

Lung cancer expert Mick Pavlakis, head of medical oncology at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital, added that further work was needed to confirm the findings.

Director of the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre Dr Helen Zorbas said that women should be aware that there are both benefits and risks associated with the use of HRT.

“Women who are considering starting HRT should discuss their decision with their general practitioner based on their individual background risk, the severity of menopausal symptoms and the success of other treatments,” she said. “Those who are currently taking HRT should review their needs every six to 12 months, in consultation with their GP.”