HRT poses womb cancer fears, says study

FEARS were raised yesterday over the safety of a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) pill that is licensed in Ireland.

Researchers found that the synthetic HRT pill, Livial - used to control the symptoms of menopause - doubled the risk of womb cancer, compared with conventional treatments containing a combination of hormones.

The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) last night confirmed that Livial was licensed here. It is one of the top 100 most frequently prescribed drugs for medical card-holders.

The latest scare was raised in Britain yesterday.

The findings confirmed that there is an increased risk of womb cancer when using HRT products.

However, an IMB spokesperson said: “The warnings associated with the granting of the licence are quite strong.

“Women on HRT should regularly visit their doctor and stay on a low dosage for a short time.”

General Medical Services Payments Board figures showed more than 23,000 prescriptions were written in 2003 for Livial, costing €421,791.

Livial, which contains the steroid drug tibolone that mimics the activity of various hormones, is the most popular brand of HRT among post-menopausal women in Britain following earlier fears about the effects of conventional treatments.

Previous studies showed combination HRT posed a much greater breast cancer risk than Livial.

When breast and womb cancer rates are looked at together, the overall risk is higher for women taking the combined treatment.

The new findings come from the Million Women Study, led by scientists from Cancer Research UK and Oxford University, which also highlighted the raised breast cancer associated with HRT.

The Irish College of General Practitioners has urged women not to panic or make significant changes to their medication.

Therapies which combine oestrogen and progesterone have been linked to higher rates of breast cancer, an increased risk of heart disease, blood clots and strokes.

The study, published yesterday in The Lancet medical journal, found that six women out of every 1,000 taking Livial developed womb cancer over a five-year period.

The findings compared with between two and three women per 1,000 for those on combination treatments.

Dutch pharmaceutical firm Organon, the makers of Livial, is in talks with regulatory bodies about what advice to give patients and doctors.