Recent studies have concluded that a large number of women who have undergone hormone replacement therapy to cure hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause, have an increased risk of contracting lung cancer.

According to latest reports from the Women’s Health Initiative study, using progestin and estrogen might increase the possibility of death in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

The study revealed that needless causalities can be avoided if the combination of smoking and hormone therapy is prevented in such patients. As a result, researchers advise women to desist from using tobacco while on hormone therapy.hrt

The study showed that continuous use of progestin along with estrogen might also increase the potential of heart disease, blood clots and breast cancer.

It also concluded that the risks involved in hormone therapy might reduce its benefits to an insignificant level. Despite these findings, some women still prefer this therapy in United States.

Some observers pointed out that the incidence of fatal and nonfatal cancer among women increased substantially after the Women’s Health Initiative discontinued its operations.

In an effort to identify a co-relation between the use of combined hormone therapy and the increase in the reported number of patients diagnosed with lung cancers, the researchers studied several years of WHI data.

Based on analysis of the data, the researchers concluded that combined hormone therapy increased the risk of lung cancer and that the risk was even greater in the case of the patients who were smokers.

It was found that an average patients on placebo outlived those on combined hormone therapy and that this was particularly so when the patients were also smokers. Moreover, the study clarifies that combined hormone therapy has no impact on the risk of contracting small cell lung cancer.