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CNN Live Today

Daily Dose

Aired November 29, 2002 - 11:21   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A major medical trial on hormone replacement therapy was halted this summer when researchers determined that the combination of estrogen and progesterone may actually increase the risk of breast cancer and heart disease. So how much damage was done to women who've been taking the hormones for years? Well, CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with details in our daily dose of health news. A new study out.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: A new study out that will hopefully help women make the decision, do you take hormone replacement therapy or not. This summer when that big study came out, a lot of women said, OK, so I'll go off of these drugs but what damage was done while I was on them? Is it long lasting? Am I still at an increased risk of getting breast cancer even though I stopped taking the drugs. Well, this study that just came out tried to answer that question. And the answer says -- the answer is no. The answer says once you stop taking the drugs, your risk goes back down to normal. So that's good news for women who were worried, did I do damage for these years I was on them. The answer is no, once you go off of them, there doesn't appear to be damage.

LIN: Give us some perspective. I mean, originally in the study when these women were on the replacement hormones, I mean, what were the risks for increased heart attack or breast cancer?

COHEN: Right. The increased risk for breast cancer, which is what this new study is about, what they found in the original study done this summer was that if you took 10,000 women and put them on these drugs for one year, you would have an extra eight cases of breast cancer because of the drugs, again, 10,000 women, an extra eight cases of cancer because of the drugs. Obviously that's eight too many, but some women say, you know what? My symptoms of menopause are so bad, they're so uncomfortable, the drugs work so well for me, I'm willing to take that risk. Everybody's different.

LIN: Should they factor in family history as well? I mean, if you have a history of breast cancer or heart attack in your family, that's got to be information you've got to process for yourself too.

COHEN: Absolutely. If you have a woman whose mother, aunt, and sister died of breast cancer, she probably would not be willing to take that increased risk of breast cancer. It just wouldn't make sense. If you have a woman who had no family history of breast cancer, she may decide that it is worth taking the risk, if her menopause symptoms are very bad. And the same would hold true of heart disease. And that's why it's such an individual decision. A, are you a risk taker? Do you want to take this risk? How bad are your menopause symptoms? And, C, what is your family history of these various diseases?

LIN: Right. Right. And you're not going to be on hormone replacement therapy for the rest of your life, only the period of menopause, right?

COHEN: Correct.

LIN: How long is that period typically.

COHEN: Well, it's different for different people. Some women stay on these drugs for just a couple of months. Other women decide that they want to stay on them for many years. It really depends. With this new piece of evidence that the risk goes down for breast cancer when you stop taking the drugs, it may make some women say, you know what, my symptoms are so bad, that I'm just going to take these for, let's say, six months to help me through these symptoms, and then I'll get off of them. So that I'm only taking a risk really for six months.

LIN: And there's some replacements now, too, and dietary supplements that can help, as well.

COHEN: Exactly. Some women might say, you know what, I've got the symptoms, I've got the hot flashes, they make me feel uncomfortable, I don't like them, but they're not keeping me up nights. I can still go to work. Mine aren't so bad. Maybe I'll just try eating a lot of soy. Eating a lot of soy has been shown to have some benefit. I'll take black cohash. Black cohash is an herb that has shown some benefits for menopause. Some people say they don't work as well as the hormones. But they also don't seem at this point to have the same risk as the hormones. So there are some alternatives you can try.

LIN: Peace of mind is worth a lot, isn't it?

COHEN: Yes, it sure is.

LIN: All right, thanks, Elizabeth. Interesting study.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 29, 2002 - 11:21   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A major medical trial on hormone replacement therapy was halted this summer when researchers determined that the combination of estrogen and progesterone may actually increase the risk of breast cancer and heart disease. So how much damage was done to women who've been taking the hormones for years? Well, CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with details in our daily dose of health news. A new study out.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: A new study out that will hopefully help women make the decision, do you take hormone replacement therapy or not. This summer when that big study came out, a lot of women said, OK, so I'll go off of these drugs but what damage was done while I was on them? Is it long lasting? Am I still at an increased risk of getting breast cancer even though I stopped taking the drugs. Well, this study that just came out tried to answer that question. And the answer says -- the answer is no. The answer says once you stop taking the drugs, your risk goes back down to normal. So that's good news for women who were worried, did I do damage for these years I was on them. The answer is no, once you go off of them, there doesn't appear to be damage.

LIN: Give us some perspective. I mean, originally in the study when these women were on the replacement hormones, I mean, what were the risks for increased heart attack or breast cancer?

COHEN: Right. The increased risk for breast cancer, which is what this new study is about, what they found in the original study done this summer was that if you took 10,000 women and put them on these drugs for one year, you would have an extra eight cases of breast cancer because of the drugs, again, 10,000 women, an extra eight cases of cancer because of the drugs. Obviously that's eight too many, but some women say, you know what? My symptoms of menopause are so bad, they're so uncomfortable, the drugs work so well for me, I'm willing to take that risk. Everybody's different.

LIN: Should they factor in family history as well? I mean, if you have a history of breast cancer or heart attack in your family, that's got to be information you've got to process for yourself too.

COHEN: Absolutely. If you have a woman whose mother, aunt, and sister died of breast cancer, she probably would not be willing to take that increased risk of breast cancer. It just wouldn't make sense. If you have a woman who had no family history of breast cancer, she may decide that it is worth taking the risk, if her menopause symptoms are very bad. And the same would hold true of heart disease. And that's why it's such an individual decision. A, are you a risk taker? Do you want to take this risk? How bad are your menopause symptoms? And, C, what is your family history of these various diseases?

LIN: Right. Right. And you're not going to be on hormone replacement therapy for the rest of your life, only the period of menopause, right?

COHEN: Correct.

LIN: How long is that period typically.

COHEN: Well, it's different for different people. Some women stay on these drugs for just a couple of months. Other women decide that they want to stay on them for many years. It really depends. With this new piece of evidence that the risk goes down for breast cancer when you stop taking the drugs, it may make some women say, you know what, my symptoms are so bad, that I'm just going to take these for, let's say, six months to help me through these symptoms, and then I'll get off of them. So that I'm only taking a risk really for six months.

LIN: And there's some replacements now, too, and dietary supplements that can help, as well.

COHEN: Exactly. Some women might say, you know what, I've got the symptoms, I've got the hot flashes, they make me feel uncomfortable, I don't like them, but they're not keeping me up nights. I can still go to work. Mine aren't so bad. Maybe I'll just try eating a lot of soy. Eating a lot of soy has been shown to have some benefit. I'll take black cohash. Black cohash is an herb that has shown some benefits for menopause. Some people say they don't work as well as the hormones. But they also don't seem at this point to have the same risk as the hormones. So there are some alternatives you can try.

LIN: Peace of mind is worth a lot, isn't it?

COHEN: Yes, it sure is.

LIN: All right, thanks, Elizabeth. Interesting study.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com