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Women who use hormone replacement therapy combining estrogen and progestin may have a higher risk of lung cancer than non-users, a new study finds

Whether hormone replacement therapy (HRT) itself is to blame is not certain, researchers say. But the findings add to the complicated mix of potential health effects of HRT.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, looked at new lung cancer diagnoses among more than 36,000 women ages 50 to 75 who were followed over six years. During that time, 344 women developed the cancer.

Overall, researchers found, the risk was greater among women who had used HRT containing estrogen and progestin (a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone) compared with women who had never used HRT.

The link was strongest among women who had used combination HRT for 10 years or more; compared with non-users, they were almost 50 percent more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer, even with factors like age and smoking history considered.

Among women who had used the hormones for one to 9 years, the increased risk of lung cancer was not significant in statistical terms.

Read more at Reuters