Hormone Replacement Therapy, SULT1A Gene and Risk of Endometrial Cancer

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also called menopausal hormone therapy, helps relieve symptoms of menopause such as such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Prolonged use of HRT can increase risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Each woman's risks can vary depending upon her genotypes, health history and lifestyle.

Endometrial Cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive system. Risk of endometrial cancer increases with weight, inactivity, age (>60) and High-Glycemic-Load Diets.

One study evaluated whether risk of endometrial cancer was associated with the genotypes involved in steroid hormone metabolism and the duration of HRT use.1 It concluded that among women with long-term use (>3 years) of estrogen replacement therapy or combined hormone replacement therapy, the risk of endometrial cancer may be associated with functionally relevant genotypes that regulate steroid hormone sulfation - such as CYP1A1*2C, SULT1A1*3 and SULT1A1*2 allele (3.8 times increased risk)

Related to:
HRT, Estrogen, Estrogen sulfation genes