Estrogen replacement therapy in breast cancer survivors.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) adversely affected outcome of breast cancer survivors. METHOD A prospective descriptive study of all breast cancer survivors who requested ERT because of intractable menopausal symptoms. All patients presented voluntarily as gynecological outpatients and were all given oral continuous opposed ERT: 20 premarin and medroxyprogesterone and four tibolone. RESULTS Twenty-four patients who had previously been treated for breast cancer 8-91 months prior to their initiating ERT have been observed for 24-44 months. There were 15 patients with stage 1, eight with stage 2 and one with stage 4 breast cancer. The mean age of the patients at commencement of ERT was 48 years (range 42-61). Two patients had a biopsy of a suspicious breast nodule: both of which were benign. There have not been any recurrences to date. CONCLUSION Breast cancer survivors did not have their outcome adversely affected by ERT during an observation period of 24-44 months.