Updates

The incidence of colorectal cancer has been reported to be lower in Asians than in Caucasians, even though rapid increases in Asian countries, particularly in Japan, have been noticed [1,2]. Higher soy food consumption by Asians than by Caucasians has been thought to be one of the possible reasons for the difference. A recently published… Read More

A recent report from Koomen and colleagues in the Annals of Oncology [1] has reopened the discussion on the association between the development of cutaneous melanoma (CM) and hormones.  The paper reports on a case–control study conducted in the Netherlands using two databases: PHARMO, a pharmacy database recording all prescriptions on an individual basis, and… Read More

A recently published study is part of a larger research project on postmenopausal sarcopenia and the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and physical activity [1]. Fifteen 54–62-year-old monozygotic female twin pairs, where one twin in each pair was receiving HRT and the other twin was not, were recruited from the Finnish Twin Cohort. This… Read More

Using a case history of a patient with classical menopausal symptoms, Martin and Manson have recently reviewed in brief the recent data and controversies over hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and discussed hormonal regimens (oral, transdermal) and dosage, duration of therapy and alternative treatment options [1]. The main motif of the article is safety, namely, how… Read More

In a recently published investigation [1], Calle and colleagues selected a large cohort of postmenopausal US women (n = 67,754) from the 97,786 female participants of the prospective study Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort. This cohort was established in 1982 by the American Cancer Society. Women aged 50–74 years were mailed self-administered questionnaires from… Read More

The Raloxifene Use for The Heart (RUTH) trial results were published in 2004 [1]. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study which recruited 10 101 women above the age of 55 years (mean age 67.5 years), with established coronary artery disease (CAD) or at high risk for CAD. Women were followed for a median period… Read More

Kenemans and colleagues have recently reported the effects of tibolone, as compared to placebo, on risk of recurrence in breast cancer patients with climacteric complaints [1]. During 2002–2004, in the prospective multicenter LIBERATE trial, as many as 3148 women, after surgery for confirmed breast cancer and with vasomotor symptoms, were randomized to receive either tibolone… Read More

Considerable uncertainty exists regarding optimal intakes of calcium. This is reflected in markedly different recommended daily intakes in various countries [1]. A recent paper reports a study which was carried out in the United States among 4958 community-dwelling women and 5003 men aged 20 years or more [2]. According to the results, a higher calcium… Read More

Obesity is an established and modifiable risk factor for urinary incontinence, but conclusive evidence for a beneficial effect of weight loss on urinary incontinence is lacking. In a recently published study by Subak and colleagues [1], 338 overweight and obese women, with a mean age of 53 ± 11 years, and with at least ten… Read More

The Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) was an ancillary study to the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) that investigated the impact of hormone therapy on risk for dementia in women 65 years of age and older [1,2]. Among naturally menopausal women (n = 4532), the hazard ratio for probable dementia among women receiving conjugated equine… Read More