Another concern is that many of the experts who have commented on the study have not yet had a chance to read the research. Instead, says Dr. Donnica Moore, president of the Sapphire Women's Health Group, experts have commented only on news releases that summarize the research.
Moore, who says she has not yet obtained a copy of the research, says this could result in the public receiving inadequate information on the validity of the link between HRT and breast cancer.
"I'm in no way an apologist for HRT," Moore says. "But there are many, many factors involved here, and the vast majority of women with breast cancer have never touched an estrogen pill.
"Like most surprising scientific studies, this research raises more questions than answers," says Moore.
Experts note, however, that although they believe the results of the latest study may be questionable, previous research does show a link between HRT and breast cancer.
"It makes sense to look at reduction in HRT use as one of the potential contributing factors," says Lillie Shockney, administrative director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center. "It has been hoped that with the announcement several years ago of its link to breast cancer that it would be less frequently prescribed, especially for high-risk women."
"I suspect there is indeed some positive benefit from the decreased emphasis on combination HRT, which years from now will in fact contribute to a true decline in the incidence of breast cancer," Lichtenfeld writes in his blog. "I do not believe the sudden drop in breast cancer incidence is because 11 percent of breast cancers in some of the postmenopausal women have suddenly disappeared and no longer exist."
