Dispute over HRT safety claims, breast cancer group says

A debate over the safety of hormone replacement therapy has been triggered by an announcement from the International Menopause Society, that millions of women have been unnecessarily discouraged from using the treatment. Sarah Cant, policy manager of the UK charity, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "we know that taking HRT regularly can slightly increase the risk of developing breast cancer. However, UK experts have said for some time that for women with severe menopausal symptoms the benefits of short-term HRT outweigh the risks."

A 2002 report from the Women's Health Initiative was credited with halving the number of women in the UK using the therapy, consisting of either combination estrogen and progestin or estrogen alone. The WHI claimed that there was an increased risk of both breast cancer and heart disease from HRT. According to the Daily Telegraph, UK general practitioners often refuse to prescribe the treatment on safety grounds, following the 2002 disclosures.