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Coombs, M.D., and colleagues of the New South Wales Breast Cancer Institute.

If that woman uses a combination hormone replacement regimen, she increases her risk by 1.59% at 10 years (7.69%) and by 2.82% (8.92%) at 15 years.

But if she takes just estrogen, the risk increases by just 0.45% at 10 years to 6.55% and by 0.81% to 6.91% at 15 years, according to the report published online in BMJ.

In either case, the increased risk is considerably less than the 24% increased population-based risk reported by the Women's Health Initiative for women taking Dr.

Coombs and colleagues arrived at the individual risk assessment model by calculating the latest Australian data on use of hormone replacement therapy as well as breast cancer incidence in Australia and extrapolating those data to estimates of proportion and duration of use, i.e.

no use, less than 1 year, 1-5 years, six to 10 years, and 10 or more years for the entire Australian population by five-year age groups.

In Australia, 11.7% of women ages 18 to 80 use hormone replacement, with use peaking at ages 55 to 59.

Two-thirds of the women use hormones for at least five years.

At the same time, 11,000 ne...

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