Cancer in the older woman: diagnosis and prevention

Progestogens should be added to estrogen replacement therapy, not only to prevent endometrial cancer in women with a uterus, but also to reduce the risk of breast cancer in some women. Smoking should be discouraged to reduce the risk for both lung cancer and heart disease. Recommendations should be made to increase fiber intake to lessen the risk for carcinoma of the colon. Reducing fat intake also decreases risk for colon cancer, as well as carcinoma of the breast. Postmenopausal bleeding must be investigated for early diagnosis of endometrial cancer and, when endometrial hyperplasia is the finding, it should be treated with progestogens to prevent adenocarcinoma. The progestogen challenge test is recommended for all women with a uterus, and if bleeding occurs, the progestogen should be continued for 13 days each month. Use of mammograms and other diagnostic modalities should be increased to make the earliest possible diagnosis of breast cancer.