Estrogen and Breast Cancer: A Warning to Women

In 1940, an American woman's lifetime risk of breast cancer was about 1 in 20. In 1996 it is 1 in 8. This new edition of the ground-breaking Estrogen and Breast Cancer chronicles the evidence linking the alarming rise in breast cancer to the parallel increase in the use of estrogen products, especially the Pill and hormone replacement therapy.
Carol Ann Rinzler recounts the continuing attempt to "cure" menopause and provide contraception with hormones. She details 30 years of studies showing estrogen to be a potential carcinogen and lays out a fascinating account of the known link between estrogen and breast cancer. A new chapter raises serious questions about the integrity of clinical drug trials and the accuracy of the information coming out of the American research community.
Estrogen and Breast Cancer spotlights a critical dilemma of modern medicine: how to balance a drug's benefits against its risks. Rinzler urges women and their doctors to re-think the routine use of hormones for contraception and menopause. She avoids a blanker condemnation of estrogen, asking instead that doctors tailor prescriptions to the woman, based on her medical history and risk factors for breast cancer. Finally, she calls for a more informed public debate, demanding that healthcare professionals reveal the true risks of estrogen to the women they treat.