[Estrogens--a breast cancer risk?]

Breast cancer is nowadays one of the most frequent cancers in female subjects. The highest risk factor is aging. Early age at first full-time pregnancy is in many studies associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer. Other risk factors are obesity, early menarche and late menopause. According to recent epidemiological studies and a reanalysis of all prospective studies longtime ERT and HRT are also associated with a slightly higher incidence of breast cancer. This higher incidence is, however, very limited and not associated with a higher mortality because only low grade, slowly progressing, receptor positive cancers are increased.