FAQ: C-HRT and Cancer



 

Frequently Asked Questions:
Combination Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer

1. The Women's Health Initiative and the Million Woman Study proved a definitive link between combination hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer. What causes this link?  The addition of synthetic progesterone to regular estrogen treatments appears to alleviate the risk of uterine cancer. However, additional synthetic progesterone seems to trigger the greater risk for breast cancer. In simplest terms, progesterone helps to protect 'below the waist', but combined with estrogen it seems to endanger women 'above the waist'.

2.  Is Breast Cancer caused by combination hormone replacement therapy more dangerous than 'naturally occurring', or idiopathic, breast cancer?  YES.  The use of combination hormone replacement therapy has led to an 'epidemic' of breast cancer cases worldwide. It has led to significant increases in:
  • Invasive lobular breast cancer
  • Hormone positive ductal breast cancer
The issue is where the cancerous tumor appears in the breast. Ductal tumors are easier to detect at an early stage because they can be felt through physical examinations and reflect more accurately on mammograms. Invasive lobular tumors are much more difficult to detect, since the tumors are behind other parts of the breast. Invasive lobular tumors are often detected in a much later and more advanced stage than ductal tumors. A study by the University of Washington in 1999 established that combined hormone replacement therapy more than doubled the chances of invasive lobular breast cancer. A 2003 study by the University of Washington confirmed that synthetic progesterone (progestin) caused almost all the increases in risk for both lobular and ductal breast cancer, with the risks steadily increasing with the duration of exposure to progestin. The longer you take combination hormone replacement therapies, the greater the risk of breast cancer.

3.  Can combination hormone replacement therapies really be that dangerous? Aren't they still on the market?  Not exactly. The previous misinformation behind hormone therapy was a woman could take hormone replacements from menopause straight through to the end of her life with no ill effects. However, the results of the Women's Health Initiative completely altered that line of thinking. The current theory is that hormone replacement therapies should be used only on a temporary basis to treat menopausal symptoms. Wyeth has altered the formula for Prempro and released Prempro lite, with the tag line 'Go Low With Prempro'. The 'new' Prempro contains half the dosage of the original drug, is designed to treat only menopausal symptoms and be used for short periods. So while combination hormone replacement therapy is still on the market, it is not the same type of medications that were previously available.

4.  Who Can Be Held Responsible for Damages Caused By Combination Hormone Replacement therapy?  The manufacturers of many of the combination hormone replacement therapies have come under fire for the drugs' dangerous side-effects. For example, Wyeth, makers of the most popular combination hormone replacement Prempro, may be liable for the damages caused by Prempro because:
  • Wyeth decided not to perform long-term clinical studies to evaluate the safety of Prempro before it was placed on the market
  • Wyeth marketed the drug with insufficient warnings and failed to revise the warning label in the face of mounting evidence of side-effects
  • Wyeth over-promoted the drug and made claims about its effectiveness for treating health issues like heart disease and osteoporosis without sufficient data to support those claims
It's natural to assume that drug companies like Wyeth had tested the safety of combination hormone replacement therapies before releasing them to market. Unfortunately, that's not the truth. You aren't alone, however millions of women were promised drugs that were not only safe but effective in fighting a wide range of potential ills.

If you or a loved one have used Prempro, and Provera or another combination hormone replacement therapy and have developed breast cancer, it's time to talk to a lawyer and protect your legal rights. Please contact us immediately at 800-966-4999 and see why our law firm has recovered over $100 million on behalf of our clients.
 
Schwartzapfel Partners
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