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" Long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may cause breast cancer among some women, a major study suggests.  The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, followed a large group of women over a 30-year period in order to assess the link between oestrogen-only HRT and breast cancer.  Oestrogen-only HRT is typically reserved for postmenopausal women who have undergone hysterectomies, due to a known link between the treatment and womb cancer.  During the 30-year study period a total of 934 cases of breast cancer were found among the women, and of these, 708 were in women who had used oestrogen-only HRT while 226 were not associated with HRT.  The study also found that the longer women used oestrogen therapy, the greater their risk of developing breast cancer, with those who had taken the hormone for more than 20 years at a significantly greater risk of cancer development.  Taking oestrogen for fewer than ten years, however, appeared to have no affect on the likelihood of developing breast cancer.  &amp;quot;In conclusion, we found that oestrogen therapy was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer with longer-term use,&amp;quot; wrote Dr Wendy Chen, lead author of the report.  &amp;quot;Women who take oestrogen therapy for prevention or treatment of osteoporosis typically require longer-term treatment and should thus explore other options, given the increased risk of breast cancer with longer-term use,&amp;quot; she added.  The findings go against the results of previous research, which has found no link between oestrogen-only HRT and breast cancer, although a link is known to be present with HRT using a mix of hormones. However, medical experts insist these findings should not dissuade women from seeking HRT as a short-term alleviator of menopausal symptoms.  \u00A9 Adfero Ltd "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/conditions/cancer/news/a13683/oestrogen-only-hrt-linked-to-breast-cancer/>