| May 2007 · Vol. 19, No. 05 UPDATE
NEW DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE CHANGING PATIENT CARE
MENOPAUSE
A closer look at WHI data on hormone therapy and breast cancer risk is reassuring, and a new paradigm for osteoporosis treatment is on its way
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Fast Track
Among women who had never before used hormones, the use of combination HT did not increase the risk of breast cancer
Bone-turnover marker data do not suggest progressive suppression of bone remodeling with continued use of bisphosphonates
The risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw in bisphosphonate users is much lower than the risk of fracture, and most lesions heal when treatment stops
It may be appropriate to stop bisphosphonate therapy for a time in women who are not at high risk of fracture
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Andrew
M.
Kaunitz,
MDProfessor and Assistant Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Fla.
Dr. Kaunitz serves on the OBG Management Board of Editors. Michael
McClung,
MDFounding Director, Oregon Osteoporosis Center, and Associate Professor of Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Ore
ObGyns and their patients are the beneficiaries of a steady stream of scientific data on issues relating to menopause. In last year’s Update, I focused on the question of whether menopausal hormone therapy (HT) increases the risk of breast cancer.1 Because breast cancer continues to top the list of women’s concerns, I will use this year’s Update to assess what we have recently learned about HT and breast cancer, and to explore the latest data on nonhormonal management of vasomotor symptoms.
I am delighted that Dr. Michael McClung, an internationally recognized expert in skeletal health, has agreed to review current evidence on the prevention of osteoporotic fractures in menopausal women in the latter part of this article.
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