Association of the Joint Effect of Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy and Cancer in African American Women: The Jackson Heart Study
2011

Menopause, Hormone Replacement Therapy, and Cancer in African American Women

Sample size: 3202 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Brenda W. Campbell Jenkins, Addison Clifton, Wilson Gregory, Liu Jiankang, Fortune Melody, Robinson Kiana, White Monique, Sarpong Daniel

Primary Institution: Jackson Heart Study Coordinating Center, Jackson State University

Hypothesis

What is the joint effect of menopause status and hormone replacement therapy on cancer risk in African American women?

Conclusion

Menopause is independently associated with cancer risk, while hormone replacement therapy does not show a significant association.

Supporting Evidence

  • 73.7% of participants were postmenopausal.
  • 22.6% of participants reported using hormone replacement therapy.
  • 5.9% of the sample had prevalent cancer cases.
  • Menopause was significantly associated with cancer (p < 0.0001).
  • Hormone replacement therapy was not significantly associated with cancer (p = 0.6402).
  • Postmenopausal women not on HRT had higher odds of cancer compared to premenopausal women.
  • Breast cancer represented 22.6% of all cancer cases in the sample.
  • Family history of cancer was significantly associated with cancer risk.

Takeaway

This study looked at how menopause and hormone therapy affect cancer risk in African American women, finding that menopause increases the risk but hormone therapy does not.

Methodology

The study used data from the Jackson Heart Study, analyzing the relationship between menopause, hormone replacement therapy, and cancer prevalence among African American women.

Potential Biases

Potential biases may arise from self-reported data on cancer history and hormone use.

Limitations

The study had a small number of cancer cases, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.

Participant Demographics

Participants were African American women aged 35 to 84, with a mean age of 56 years.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p < 0.0001

Confidence Interval

95% CI: 1.15, 3.38

Statistical Significance

p < 0.0001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.3390/ijerph8062491

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