HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY IN WOMEN WITH PREVIOUS BREAST-CANCER

As breast cancer is known to be a tumour sensitive to the effects of e ndogenous oestrogens, clinicians are reluctant to prescribe hormone re placement therapy (HRT) to women with a history of previous breast can cer for fear of stimulating disease recurrence, and it is currently co ntraindicated in this group of women. However an increasing proportion of breast cancer patients are requesting the use of HRT to relieve th e symptoms of oestrogen deficiency, which are also a common side-effec t of adjuvant therapy for breast cancer Observational data on the use of HRT in breast cancer survivors has not demonstrated an increase in disease recurrence, but uncertainty will continue in the absence of da ta from prospective, randomized trials. This review aims to demonstrat e why it is ethical and scientifically important to undertake such stu dies.