P4-10-09: Hormone Replacement Therapy: A Benign Breast Disease's Risk?

Abstract

Abstract Background Use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been associated with increased risk of breast cancer. However relations between use of HRT and benign breast lesions remain contradictory (1-3). Our goal was to investigate whether HRT and its duration use are associated with benign breast lesions. Materials & Methods From 2001 to 2007, 2708 patients with a non palpable breast lesion were referred to our breast care center. Radiological abnormalities were screened either by breast ultrasound mammography, or MRI. Of those, 1 329 patients had a biopsy in our Radiology Unit. We focus on the postmenopausal women (n=739). Clinical data including HRT use extent were reported. Patients with previous history of benign breast disease or malignancy were excluded. Results The analysis was performed on 739 patients. Biopsies yielded a benign result in 414 (56%) of them (fibroadenoma n=71, blunt duct adenosis n=94, fibrocystic disease n=92, epithelial hyperplasia n=56, others n=101), high risk lesions in 57 (8%) (atypical ductal hyperplasia n=28, atypical lobular hyperplasia n=19, lobular carcinoma in situ n=10) and malignancy in 268 (36%) (not studied here). For the 471 patients with benign or high risk breast lesion, the median age was 59 years, 80% had at least one pregnancy and 27% had a family history of breast cancer. Among these 471 patients, 47% of them had used an oral contraceptive and 53% of them a HRT, with a mean duration of use of 2 years. The HRT use was not significantly associated with the type of benign or high risk breast disease. No association was observed either between breast disease and duration of HRT (less or more than 7 years respectively).Older age was significantly correlated to atypia or carcinoma (median age at diagnosis 59 y.o in benign lesions, 60 y.o in high risk lesions and 62 y.o in malign lesions, with significant difference) (p<0,0001). Conclusion In this study of postmenopausal women, HRT and its duration use were not associated with the type of benign or high risk breast lesion. Although a lack of statistical power may be invoked to explain the results, we are called to believe that the magnitude of an effect of HRT use is small, if ever it exists. 1. Finkelde DT, Kitchen PR, Hayes PR, McKinlay MR, Henderson MA 2001 Symptomatic benign breast disease and hormone replacement therapy. Breast 10:127–130 2. Gayet A, Esteve J, Seradour B, Piana L, Jacquemier J 2003 Does hormone replacement therapy increase the frequency of breast atypical hyperplasia in postmenopausal women? Results from the Bouches du Rhone district screening campaign. Eur J Cancer 39:1738–1745 3. Rohan TE, Miller AB 1999 Hormone replacement therapy and risk of benign proliferative epithelial disorders of the breast. Eur J Cancer Prev 8:123–130 Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-10-09.