Estrogen lowers breast cancer risk in some women

LONDON (AP) — Women who take estrogen after menopause appear to have a lower risk of breast cancer even years after they quit taking the hormone, according to a new analysis of a landmark study.

The results are reassuring news for women who have had hysterectomies and use the pills to relieve hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause, the researchers and other doctors say.

Previous observational studies have suggested a possible connection between estrogen and breast cancer.

The new research found women who had a hysterectomy who took estrogen-only pills for about six years were about 20 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who didn't take the hormone, and the benefit lasted for at least five years. The study was published online today in the journal, Lancet Oncology.