Group’s recommendation shuts UC Irvine study

Deirdre Newman

UC IRVINE -- Part of a nationwide study that tracks the effect of

hormone replacement therapy on a variety of cardiovascular diseases and

bone fractures was halted Monday because of an increased risk of

cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.

UC Irvine is one of 40 centers around the country participating in the

Women’s Health Initiative, a comprehensive, government-funded study for

more than 160,000 post-menopausal women. The study began in 1995.

The hormone replacement therapy is one of three major parts of the

study and was designed to gauge the effect of estrogen and progestin. An

estimated 6 million women throughout the country take this combination to

treat such menopausal symptoms as hot flashes and night sweats.

The other two parts of the study examine the effect of calcium and

vitamin D on bone fractures and certain cancers, and the effect of a

low-fat diet on cardiovascular disease and cancer of the breast and

colon.

The study was curtailed when the Data and Safety Monitoring Board, an

independent group, determined that the risk of the combination outweighed

the benefits. On May 31, it recommended that the study stop. At UCI, 379

women are affected and will be closely monitored until the end of the

study in 2005, said F. Allan Hubbell, chairman of the Department of

Medicine.

While the study showed that the risks of hormone replacement therapy

are severe, there are some benefits, including a decreased risk for colon

cancer and hip fractures, Hubbell said.

“What I would recommend is that women talk to their doctors if they

have menopausal systems and review any risk factors they might have,”

Hubbell said. “Many women may choose to take the small risk if their

symptoms are severe. Taking the medication long term -- we would

recommend against that.”