Journal of the National Cancer Institute
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Oct 2006
Endogenous steroid hormone concentrations and risk of breast cancer among premenopausal women.
Higher levels of endogenous sex steroid hormones are associated with increased risks of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Data for premenopausal women are sparse, in part because of the complexity of measuring hormone levels that vary cyclically. We prospectively evaluated associations between plasma sex hormone levels and breast cancer risk among premenopausal women in a case-control study nested within the Nurses' Health Study II. ⋯ Levels of circulating estrogens and androgens may be important in the etiology of premenopausal breast cancer.
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Oct 2006
Comparative StudyMenopausal hormone therapy and ovarian cancer risk in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study Cohort.
Recent studies offer conflicting data on risks of ovarian cancer in users of menopausal hormone therapy. Some findings of increased risks associated with unopposed estrogen use are based on older studies of women with intact uteri, and small sample size and incomplete exposure information have limited the data on estrogen plus progestin associations. ⋯ Long durations of use of unopposed estrogen and of estrogen plus progestin, especially sequential regimens, are associated with increased ovarian cancer risk. These data expand the range of possible risks associated with menopausal hormone therapy.