A new study of women having hormone therapy after menopause found a link between a certain type of treatment and higher rates of breast cancer before the age of 55.

A new study has found that women undergoing hormone therapy for menopause may face varying risks of breast cancer depending on the type of treatment. The research focused on women under 55 and distinguished between those who still have their uterus and those who do not. 

Women who received estrogen alone, typically after hysterectomy, showed a reduced risk of breast cancer. In contrast, those who took both estrogen and progesterone, usually because they still have their uterus, experienced a slight increase in breast cancer risk. Experts emphasize that hormone therapy remains an effective treatment for menopausal symptoms, and decisions should be made in consultation with healthcare providers, considering individual risk factors.

Study finds link between hormone therapy and breast cancer

In this morning's Health Watch, a new study of women having hormone therapy to treat menopause symptoms found a link between a certain type of treatment and higher rates of breast cancer before the age of 55. CBS News Medical Contributor Dr. Celine Gounder is Editor-at-Large for Public Health at KFF Health News. Good morning to you, and I have to take a breath now because I know a lot of women watching are having whiplash hearing that headline because they've been told one thing, told something else, and now we're back into this sort of nebulous area because the devil is really in the details. So break it down for us. This is another great example of science evolves. We heard a lot about that during COVID. This is another example of that, where there was a study that was published in the early 2000s called the Women's Health Initiative Study, where they looked at hormone replacement therapy, but what distinguishes that study from this new one that was just published is the age of the women in the study and how long it had been since menopause before they started hormone replacement. So in that study, the women were significantly older, 60s, 70s, and they may not have started hormone replacement therapy until 10 or so years after going through menopause. This newer research is focused on what actually happens in real life, which is women who go through menopause in their 40s or 50s start treatment around that age, and what are the risks and benefits in that setting. So what are the findings? Break it down for us. So what they found, they were focused on women under the age of 55, and they broke it down into two groups, women who still have their uterus, so have not had a hysterectomy, versus women who do not have a uterus anymore. And so for the women who do still have a uterus, you have to give estrogen plus progesterone together. Estrogen alone will cause thickening of the uterine lining, which can cause a different kind of cancer, what we call endometrial cancer, so you have to give the combination. In women who no longer have a uterus, you can give estrogen alone, and so it does matter here. What they found is estrogen alone reduced the risk of breast cancer. It's the progesterone that appears in the women who need to take both. There seems to be a slight increase in risk in breast cancer if you also took progesterone. All right, so the study also found that there's another type of hormone therapy that may actually lower the risk of breast cancer. Tell us about that. Yeah, so that's the estrogen alone, and I think this is going to be surprising to a lot of people because a lot of women think that you'll take estrogen and that's actually going to increase your risk of breast cancer, and that's not what we found in this study. And I think the really important takeaway here is that hormone replacement therapy can be very safe. It is effective. In fact, it is the most effective treatment for a lot of perimenopausal symptoms, and you really need to sit down and talk to your doctor, depending on family history and other things, what is the appropriate thing for you. Yeah, important news at the right time. Thank you so much. Thank you very much. Dr. Gounder, always great to have you. Thank you.

Video captured by a BBC News crew shows French police slashing a boat filled with migrants trying to cross into the U.K. The crackdown comes ahead of a summit this week between the French president and British prime minister.

London

French police slashing migrants’ boat in crackdown

President Donald Trump's Justice Department and FBI released a memo concluding that there is no evidence Jeffrey Epstein had a "client list." The FBI confirmed that more than 1,000 victims were harmed by Epstein.

Washington

FBI: Epstein investigation turned up no 'incriminating client list'

The death toll from the devastating floods in Texas has risen to at least 90 as rescue workers continue to search for dozens of missing people. At least 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic in central Texas died in the floods.

Kerrville

At least 90 people killed in Texas floods

A shooter is dead after opening fire at a U.S. Border Patrol building in McAllen, Texas, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said. CBS News' Shanelle Kaul has the latest updates.

McAllen

Shooter killed after opening fire at U.S. Border Patrol building

Israel’s military launched airstrikes early on Monday targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The strikes followed a suspected Houthi attack on a ship in the Red Sea.

Sana'a

Middle East Conflict

Israel strikes Yemen ports held by Houthi rebels

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with U.S. President Trump at the White House on Monday. The two leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing conflict in Gaza and a potential ceasefire with Hamas.

Netanyahu set to meet Trump at White House amid ceasefire optimism

U.S. President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on global tariffs announced in April is nearing its expiration, and the White House warned that steeper tariffs could roll out at the beginning of August.

Global Tariffs

White House warns higher tariffs could roll out August 1

Erin Patterson, the Australian woman accused of killing three relatives with a meal of death cap mushrooms baked in a Beef Wellington lunch, has been found guilty of three counts of murder and the attempted murder of the lone survivor.

Morwell

Australian woman found guilty in ‘mushroom murder’ trial

Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp along the Guadalupe River, has confirmed that at least 27 campers and counselors died in the devastating floods that hit the Texas camp.

Hunt

Camp Mystic confirms 27 campers, counselors killed in floods

President Donald Trump called Elon Musk's plans to form a new political party "ridiculous," launching new barbs at the tech billionaire.

Trump criticizes Musk's new 'America Party' as feud grows

Rescuers are searching for more than 40 people still missing, after flooding in the US state of Texas. The death toll has risen to at least 82, including 28 children - many of them from a summer camp. President Donald Trump has declared the area a disaster zone.

Death toll from Texas floods rises to 82, dozens still missing

BRICS leaders set to discuss key global political issues, but questions over the bloc’s cohesion arose as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin opted to skip the summit.

State of Rio de Janeiro

BRICS group slams tariffs, Iran conflict at summit in Brazil

The search for missing children from a girls' summer camp hit by flash floods in Texas entered a third day on Sunday, as rescuers faced the threat of more flooding and the death toll in the region reached at least 67.

Texas officials face questions over flood warnings

Search and rescue missions continue in Kerr County, Texas, after severe storms caused deadly flooding that has killed dozens of people. More than 20 children from the nearby Camp Mystic are still missing, officials say.

Texas campground owner describes flash floods: "It was just chaos"

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he has formed a new political party after falling out with U.S. President Donald Trump over the "One Big Beautiful Bill."

Elon Musk launches 'American Party'

Israel has sent a delegation to Qatar for new indirect talks on a possible hostage and ceasefire deal despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the changes requested by Hamas to a previous proposal were "unacceptable."

Doha

Israel, Hamas delegations resume truce talks over Gaza in Doha

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei received an enthusiastic welcome at a mosque in Tehran as he made his first public appearance since the start of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.

Tehran

Iran's Supreme Leader makes first public appearance since war started

Search-and-rescue operations are expected to continue as the death toll continues to rise from Friday's flash flooding in central Texas, with authorities confirming at least 50 deaths so far, 15 of those children. Among the missing are girls from a Christian summer camp.

Death toll rises as search for Texas flood survivors continues

Rescuers are searching for survivors of a flash flood that hit central Texas on Friday, leaving at least 43 people dead, including 15 children. Authorities in Texas are now facing questions about whether they issued proper warnings in advance of rain-fuelled flooding.

Death toll from Texas flooding rises to 43

Experts link the rising frequency and intensity of heatwaves in Europe to climate change, warning that such extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common.

Athens

Firefighters across Europe battle wildfires

Rallies on the streets of Tel Aviv were held as the Israeli security cabinet reportedly gathered to discuss Hamas' response to a potential ceasefire-hostage deal.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Tel Aviv rally calls for the release of the remaining hostages

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday (July 5) that his latest conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump this week was the best and "most productive" he has had to date.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Zelenskyy says latest Trump call the 'most productive' yet

The unemployment rate for new college graduates has recently surged. Economists say businesses are now replacing entry-level jobs with artificial intelligence. Ali Bauman has the story.

Cambridge

Unemployment surges as employers replace new hires with AI

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is sending a delegation to Qatar on Sunday for talks on a possible ceasefire deal. Hamas calls the latest response "positive." Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Saturday killed at least 14 in Gaza.

Renewed momentum for Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza

The deadline is fast approaching for countries to make new tariff agreements with the U.S. or face a higher rate. The Trump administration is putting them on notice.

Trump turns attention to trade after major legislative win

The funeral proceedings of the late football players Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva took place in the church of Gondomar in their hometown in the east of Porto. Family members, teammates and coaches joined thousands of mourners to pay their final respects.

Gondomar

Thousands gather to bid farewell to Liverpool's Diogo Jota

McMahon's most recent projects included Netflix's whodunit "The Residence" and the Nicolas Cage drama "The Surfer," which premiered earlier in the year at SXSW.

Melbourne

Australian-American actor Julian McMahon dies, 56

Diplomatic efforts are ongoing as U.S President Donald Trump looks to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Israel has previously accepted the US proposal, meanwile Hamas has "submitted a positive response" to the mediators.

Israeli hostage negotiation team to fly to Doha to hold talks with Hamas

A forestry worker injured in a wildfire in the western Turkish province of Izmir has died from his injuries, raising the death toll in recent days from the fires to three, as emergency crews also continued to battle a blaze in a province bordering Syria.

Hatay

Turkiye’s wildfires declared national emergency

Search and rescue operations continued overnight after flash floods slammed central Texas, killing dozens, officials said. More than 20 children are still missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls camp hit by the floods, the Kerr County sheriff said.