Rapid Responses to:

NEWS: Susan Mayor Hormone replacement therapy quadruples risk of breast cancers BMJ 2008; 336: 116 [Full text]

Rapid Responses: Submit a response to this article

Rapid Responses published:

Absolute risk please, please

Anthony N Glaser   (19 January 2008)

Neuromuscular syndrome; an adverse effect of hormone replacement to remember

Elias Ragi   (21 January 2008)

Its an eye opener

M.A.M Hussain Shakir   (18 February 2008)

Absolute risk please, please 19 January 2008
Anthony N Glaser, Family practitioner Summerville, South Carolina, USA Send response to journal: Re: Absolute risk please, please	Does the editor of the BMJ read these news articles? If she does, please practice what you preach in this week's editorial: "Absolute risk please". Without it, this article is pretty meaningless! Competing interests: None declared
Neuromuscular syndrome; an adverse effect of hormone replacement to remember 21 January 2008
Elias Ragi, Consultant Clinical Neurophysiologist Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, EX2 5DW Send response to journal: Re: Neuromuscular syndrome; an adverse effect of hormone replacement to remember	Editor, BMJ In 19 January BMJ’s News, two articles warn of the increased risk of breast cancer from hormone replacement therapy. This response is to bring to attention another adverse effect of hormone replacement: a neuromuscular syndrome that mimics various neurological diseases, or the thoracic outlet syndrome, and lead to unnecessary surgery. The syndrome is described in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Healthcare 2007:33(2); 135). This was in April last year and some readers of this week’s BMJ News may still not be aware of it. Elias Ragi MBChB FRCP DPhil(Oxon) Consultant Clinical Neurophysiologist Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital Exeter EX2 5DW Competing interests: None declared
Its an eye opener 18 February 2008
M.A.M Hussain Shakir, GP Registrar - ST3 Ayelsbury scheme - Oxford Deanery VTS Send response to journal: Re: Its an eye opener	This article once again confirms how much general practitioners should be aware of patients on Hormone Replacement Therapy and advising them on its implications such as breast cancer in the long term use. This article throws new light that a minimum of three years is adequate for patients to have significant risk of breast cancer with Hormone Replacement Therapy. We may need more studies with numbers suggesting its absolute risk but this study should be taken as an eye opener. It will be interesting to find out how this risk changes when a first degree relative is diagnosed with breast cancer while a patient is on Hormone Replacement Therapy. Competing interests: None declared