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Comparing Cancer Risks and Mortality between Phytopharmaceuticals and Estrogen-Progestogen Medications for Menopausal
Tsai-Bei Lin1, Chia-Chi Hsieh2,3, Chun-Hsiang Wang4
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bao Hua Tang Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, Tainan 701033, Taiwan.
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 26, 2024
Summary
Phytopharmaceuticals significantly reduced cancer and mortality risks compared to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in postmenopausal women. Specific formulas like Bupleurum and Peony showed notable benefits, suggesting phytopharmaceuticals as a safer alternative to HRT.
Area of Science:
- Integrative oncology
- Pharmacovigilance
- Women's health
Background:
- Postmenopausal syndrome is often treated with estrogen-progestogen medications (hormone replacement therapy or HRT).
- Long-term risks associated with HRT, including cancer and mortality, warrant investigation into alternative therapies.
- Phytopharmaceuticals, plant-derived medicinal products, are increasingly explored for menopausal symptom management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the long-term risks of overall cancer and all-cause mortality between phytopharmaceutical users and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) users in postmenopausal women.
- To identify specific phytopharmaceutical formulations associated with reduced health risks.
- To evaluate the potential of phytopharmaceuticals as a safer alternative to HRT for postmenopausal symptom management.
Main Methods:
- A 1:2 matched cohort study utilizing Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) from 2000-2018.
- Inclusion of 12,087 eligible patients, comparing phytopharmaceutical-only users (n=4029) with HRT-only users (n=8058) after a ≥6-month washout period.
- Statistical analysis using adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) with 95% confidence intervals to assess cancer and mortality risks.
Main Results:
- Phytopharmaceutical users exhibited significantly lower risks of overall cancer (aHR: 0.60 [0.40-0.9]) and all-cause mortality (aHR: 0.40 [0.16-0.99]) compared to HRT users after >180 days of use.
- Bupleurum and Peony Formula was specifically associated with reduced risks of overall cancer (aHR: 0.57 [0.36-0.92]) and all-cause mortality (aHR: 0.33 [0.11-1.05]).
- These findings suggest a favorable long-term health outcome profile for phytopharmaceutical use.
Conclusions:
- Phytopharmaceuticals may represent a viable alternative to HRT for managing menopausal symptoms, potentially offering reduced long-term health risks.
- Specific phytopharmaceutical formulas, such as Bupleurum and Peony Formula, demonstrate promising safety and efficacy profiles.
- Further randomized controlled trials are recommended to validate these observational findings and solidify the role of phytopharmaceuticals in postmenopausal care.
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