Estrogen Replasement Therapy in Postmenopausal Women and Breast Cancer

Low levels of endogenous estrogens in postmenopausal women lead to several clinical problems. Some of these problems can be resolved by estrogen replacement therapy. The role of estrogen therapy in increasing the risk of breast cancer has not been well known yet. So, it was decided to study this controversial issue. In this study, 122 postmenopausal women, ranging in age from 46 to 61 years, were evaluated. They were divided into three groups. (1) 55 cases who received hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for 1-3 years (study group) (2) 55 individuals who did not receive HRT (control group) (3) 12 cases with known breast cancer. In el! of them, serum levels of estradiol was measured in the same laboratory, with the same method. The serum estrogen level was higher in the first group (75.62%, P