Today's Medical News From Newspapers, TV, Radio and the Journals.

Customized Briefing for Dr. Jarir Nakouzi

Study indicates HRT may increase a woman's risk of dying from lung cancer.The Los Angeles Times (9/21, Maugh) reports that, according to a study published online Sept. 19 in The Lancet, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) "nearly doubles a woman's risk of dying from lung cancer." Researchers analyzed data from the Women's Health Initiative. The investigators "found that 109 women who received the estrogen and progestin treatments had been diagnosed with lung cancer, compared with 85 in the group that received a placebo -- a modest 23 percent increase in incidence." This "difference was more dramatic when they considered deaths." Among those "receiving hormone therapy, 73 women died, compared with 40 in the placebo group, a 71 percent increase."

        The Washington Post (9/21, Huget) "The Checkup" blog reported that "women already at high risk of lung cancer, by virtue of their being current smokers or former long-term smokers, should take that risk into account when considering HRT."

        HealthDay (9/19) reported that, in an accompanying editorial, Apar Kishor Ganti, MD, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said the study's findings "seriously question whether" HRT "has any role in medicine today."