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Role of Estrogens and Progestogens in the Etiology of Breast and Endometrial Neoplasia

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The Menopause and Postmenopause

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Abstract

Attempts have been made for many years to associate hormones, particularly estrogens, with endometrial and breast cancer. Some of the early reports were based on a higher incidence of endometrial cancer in young women with the polycystic ovary syndrome1. Other studies associated adenocarcinoma of the endometrium in postmenopausal women with estrogen-secreting ovarian tumors2. Interest was renewed in the mid-1970s when several reports implicated estrogen replacement therapy for postmenopausal women with an increased risk of endometrial cancer3–11. Even the sequential oral contraceptives have been suggested as a cause of uterine malignancy in young women12–16. Whether estrogen is causally related to breast cancer has been debated for many years. However, recent reports have not been able to incriminate estrogen replacement therapy for postmenopausal women as a cause of breast cancer17,18. It has been speculated for many years that oral contraceptives might cause breast cancer19. However, efforts to link birth control pills to mammary malignancy have been totally unsuccessful20–25. Because of the estrogen-cancer controversy that arose in 1975, retrospective data concerning estrogen use was obtained for that year at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center and a prospective estrogen survey was initiated early in 1976. Information obtained from these continuing studies for the 4 years 1975–8 is reviewed in this report26–34.

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Authors
  1. R. Don Gambrell Jr
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cattedra di Patologia Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Univeristà di Roma, V. le Regina Elena, 324-00161, Roma, Italy

    N. Pasetto

  2. Istituto di Farmacologia, Università di Milano, Via Vanvitelli, 32-Milano, Italy

    R. Paoletti

  3. Department of Health, State of New York, Roswell Park Memorial Institute, 14263, Buffalo, New York, USA

    J. L. Ambrus

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© 1980 MTP Press Limited

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Gambrell, R.D. (1980). Role of Estrogens and Progestogens in the Etiology of Breast and Endometrial Neoplasia. In: Pasetto, N., Paoletti, R., Ambrus, J.L. (eds) The Menopause and Postmenopause. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-7230-1_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-7230-1_28

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-011-7232-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-7230-1

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