In another media scare around the world, reports are out that HRT use can cause lung cancer.   Seems like more researchers poring over the old WHI data looked at women diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer and found that among them those that used HRT had a worse prognosis than those that did not. But of those with a worse prognosis it was smokers and former smokers than were effected the most.  

So does HRT cause lung cancer?  No.  Apparently, it’s just not a good idea if you have lung cancer to use PremPro.  But everyone knows Prempro is not a good idea anymore.   For that matter is it not a good idea to smoke either given it brings on early menopause not to mention … lung cancer.

But worse than scaring us about getting lung cancer if we use HRT,  we have one doctor extrapolating the new WHI findings to natural estrogen made by our very own bodies!.  We’ve already had the breast cancer industry try and tell us estrogen causes breast cancer and now we have some doctors trying to tell us is causes lung cancer?  Did God really design women’s bodies to kill them?  Apparently some like to think so.

And who would have thought the voice of reason would come from the Prempro people themselves?  According to this article, Wyeth spokesman Dr. Joseph Camardo ”pointed out that women use HRT much differently now than during the period of time the federal study was conducted and that the same risks may not apply with the new patterns of use. Women now start HRT at the age range of 51 to 54, and take the hormones for an average of two years. During the period of the Women’s Health Initiative study, the average age at which women began HRT was 63 with the therapy continuing for more than five years.”   Good point.  Wonder why the lung cancer people missed that one?

And it is interesting that a later (data-wise) 2004 study focusing solely on this issue drew the opposite conclusion. 

When will the media stop making sound bites out of serious issues?  They already overdid the reaction to the WHI findings contributing to the study to be halted.  Do we really need more scare tactics that might prevent women using HRT just to sell advertising?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 at 12:20 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.