ABSTRACT
The recent collaborative re-analysis
demonstrated that the small increase in the
risk of developing breast cancer associated
with HRT exposure disappears completely
within 5 years of it being stopped.27 In
conjunction with case reports of breast
tumour regression following withdrawal of
HRT,40,41 this suggests that HRT promotes
the growth of pre-existing breast cancers
rather than initiating carcinogenic change in
the breast. There is no evidence at present,
however, to suggest that HRT stimulates
exclusively the growth of ER-positive disease.
