In relatively healthy women , combined continuous HT significantly increased the risk of venous thrombo-embolism or coronary event ( after one year 's use ) , stroke ( after three years ) , breast cancer and gallbladder disease .
Long-term oestrogen-only HT significantly increased the risk of venous thrombo-embolism , stroke and gallbladder disease ( after one to two years , three years and seven years ' use respectively ) , but did not significantly increase the risk of breast cancer .
The only statistically significant benefits of HT were a decreased incidence of fractures and ( for combined HT ) colon cancer , with long-term use .
Among women aged over 65 who were relatively healthy ( i.e. generally fit , without overt disease ) and taking continuous combined HT , there was a statistically significant increase in the incidence of dementia .
Among women with cardiovascular disease , long-term use of combined continuous HT significantly increased the risk of venous thrombo-embolism .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS HT is not indicated for the routine management of chronic disease .
We need more evidence on the safety of HT for menopausal symptom control , though short-term use appears to be relatively safe for healthy younger women
BACKGROUND Hormone therapy ( HT ) is widely used for controlling menopausal symptoms and has also been used for the management and prevention of cardiovascular disease , osteoporosis and dementia in older women .
This is an up date d version of the original Cochrane review first published in 2005 .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of long-term HT on mortality , cardiovascular outcomes , cancer , gallbladder disease , cognition , fractures and quality of life .
Lung cancer among postmenopausal women treated with estrogen alone in the women's health initiative randomized trial.
BACKGROUND In the Women 's Health Initiative ( WHI ) r and omized controlled trial , use of estrogen plus progestin increased  lung cancer mortality . We conducted post hoc analyses in the WHI trial evaluating estrogen alone to determine whether use of conjugated equine estrogen without progestin had a similar adverse influence on lung cancer . METHODS The WHI study is a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled trial conducted in 40 centers in the United States . A total of 10 739 postmenopausal women aged 50 - 79 years who had a previous hysterectomy were r and omly assigned to receive a once-daily 0.625-mg tablet of conjugated equine estrogen ( n = 5310 ) or matching placebo ( n = 5429 ) . Incidence and mortality rates for all lung cancers , small cell lung cancers , and non-small cell lung cancers in the two r and omization groups were compared by use of hazard ratios ( HRs ) and 95 % confidence intervals ( CIs ) that were estimated from Cox proportional hazards regression analyses . Analyses were by intention to treat , and all statistical tests were two-sided . RESULTS After a mean of 7.9 years ( st and ard deviation = 1.8 years ) of follow-up , 61 women in the hormone therapy group were diagnosed with lung cancer compared with 54 in the placebo group ( incidence of lung cancer per year = 0.15 % vs 0.13 % , respectively ; HR of incidence = 1.17 , 95 % CI = 0.81 to 1.69 , P = .39 ) . Non-small cell lung cancers were of comparable number , stage , and grade in both groups . Deaths from lung cancer did not differ between the two groups ( 34 vs 33 deaths in estrogen and placebo groups , respectively ; HR of death = 1.07 , 95 % CI = 0.66 to 1.72 , P = .79 ) . CONCLUSION Unlike use of estrogen plus progestin , which increased deaths from lung cancer , use of conjugated equine estrogen alone did not increase incidence or death from lung cancer
In relatively healthy women , combined continuous HT significantly increased the risk of venous thrombo-embolism or coronary event ( after one year 's use ) , stroke ( after three years ) , breast cancer and gallbladder disease .
Long-term oestrogen-only HT significantly increased the risk of venous thrombo-embolism , stroke and gallbladder disease ( after one to two years , three years and seven years ' use respectively ) , but did not significantly increase the risk of breast cancer .
The only statistically significant benefits of HT were a decreased incidence of fractures and ( for combined HT ) colon cancer , with long-term use .
Among women aged over 65 who were relatively healthy ( i.e. generally fit , without overt disease ) and taking continuous combined HT , there was a statistically significant increase in the incidence of dementia .
Among women with cardiovascular disease , long-term use of combined continuous HT significantly increased the risk of venous thrombo-embolism .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS HT is not indicated for the routine management of chronic disease .
We need more evidence on the safety of HT for menopausal symptom control , though short-term use appears to be relatively safe for healthy younger women
BACKGROUND Hormone therapy ( HT ) is widely used for controlling menopausal symptoms and has also been used for the management and prevention of cardiovascular disease , osteoporosis and dementia in older women .
This is an up date d version of the original Cochrane review first published in 2005 .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of long-term HT on mortality , cardiovascular outcomes , cancer , gallbladder disease , cognition , fractures and quality of life .