Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after breast cancer treatment - Results from an observational study.

Purpose: The total number of breast cancer survivors - including pre-menopausal women - is growing. Amenorrhoeic periods due to adjuvant breast cancer treatments are prolonged and secondary treatment side effects are increasingly experienced during lifetime, Hence, the question concerning the use of HRT after breast cancer treatment is of keen interest. Method and Material: In an observational study 185 breast cancer patients were included from whom complete documentation was available. 64 patients received HRT after or simultaneous with adjuvant breast cancer treatment, 121 died not. use HRT during the study period. Results: Most patient and tumour characteristics, surgical, radiation and adjuvant chemo- and/or (anti-)hormonal therapies did not differ significantly. In a 60 months surveillance period differences in the number of deaths and recurrences as well as the disease-free (DFS) or overall survival (OS) were not significant between both study groups. Conclusion: Results of this study agree with other pilot studies on the administration of HRT in breast cancer survivors. The studies do not indicate an increased risk due to HRT application. However, results from randomised prospective trials should be awaited before modifying the management of the individual breast cancer patient.