Estrogens and Risk of Breast Cancer-Reply

Abstract

In Reply.— Drs Lemon and Foley incorrectly cite the data from our report and overstate our conclusions; however, we agree with their recommendation that further research is needed to clarify the risk of breast cancer among women who have used estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). First of all, the total numbers of cases and controls included in our analysis were 1369 and 1645, respectively, not 942 and 1117 as cited by the authors. Second, 56 cases and 81 controls used ERT for at least ten years; 114 cases and 154 controls first used ERT at least ten years ago. Finally, in our report, because of the widespread use of ERT 1 and the inconsistencies and limitations of available data (including our report), we urged further study of the effects of long-term and high-dosage use and emphasized the importance of identifying subgroups of women who may be at increased risk of breast