Mammographic breast density, hormones, and growth factors during continuous combined hormone therapy

Peter Conner, Gunilla Svane, Edward Azavedo, Gunnar Söderqvist, Kjell Carlström, Thomas Gräser, T Gräser, Friedrich Walter, F. Walter, Bo von Schoultz
Fertility and sterility · 2004 · vol. 81(6) , pp. 1617–1623 · doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2004.02.096 · PMID:15193485 · W2034400253
article OA: bronze CC0 ⤵ 4 in-corpus citations
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This study investigated the effects of continuous combined hormone therapy on mammographic breast density, estrogen, progesterone, and IGF-1 levels in postmenopausal women.

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Abstract

ObjectiveTo study the effect on mammographic breast density of two different continuous combined regimens for hormone therapy.DesignRandomized clinical study.SettingUniversity hospital.Patient(s)Postmenopausal women without any previous history of breast disorder.Intervention(s)The women received either estradiol valerate/dienogest or estradiol/norethisterone acetate. Mammograms and venous blood samples were obtained at baseline and after 6 months.Main outcome measure(s)Change in mammographic breast density. Correlations with levels of hormones, growth factors, and binding proteins.Result(s)An increase in mammographic density was recorded in approximately 50% of the women, and there were no differences between treatments. Increased density showed a positive correlation with estradiol, estrone, and sex hormone-binding globulin and showed a negative association to free T. Among hormonal factors, levels of free T were the most important for predicting increased density.Conclusion(s)Continuous combined hormone therapy with different progestogens has a marked impact on the breast.

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