According to a recent article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, women with lung cancer who have taken hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may have a significantly poorer overall survival than those who have never taken HRT.
Researchers from Nebraska, North Dakota, and North Carolina recently analyzed data involving women who had been diagnosed with lung cancer. This review included nearly 500 women; 76% of whom had been diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 24% of whom had been diagnosed with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Histories of family incidence of cancer, smoking, HRT, and other variables were evaluated to detect possible associations with patient outcomes.
Overall, women who had taken HRT previously (defined as HRT with estrogen alone, progesterone alone, or estrogen plus progesterone) for at least 6 weeks, had significantly reduced overall survival compared to women who had never taken HRT. Taking factors into account such as the stage (extent of spread) of cancer, treatment, and age, overall survival was 79 months for women who had never taken HRT, compared to only 39 months for those who had previously taken HRT. The reduction in survival associated with HRT appeared more pronounced among women with a history of smoking.