Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:01:3
David Goodhue - AHN Reporter
New York, NY (AHN) - As more women in the United States are choosing not to take postmenopausal hormones, the rate of a known risk factor for developing breast cancer has also declined, according to a recent study.
Researchers with the Elmhurst Hospital Center in New York said in a statement that hormone therapy is associated with a precancerous condition known as atypical ductal hyperplasia. They said that doctors are seeing a drop in the rate of the condition as more women are opting not to take hormones to treat postmenopausal symptoms.
The condition happens when abnormal cells grow in the milk ducts of the breasts. Previous research has suggested that women with the condition are at a three- to five-fold increased risk of developing breast cancer.
The study is published in the journal, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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