A whole set of war has been initiated by a review that appeared in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care. The review, which is led by Professor Samuel Shapiro from Cape Town Medical School, South Africa, has concluded that the Million Women Study (MWS), which is said to be one of the biggest studies till date, was irrelevant.

The study, which was done in 2003, has said that the Hormone Replacement Therapy is not safe for women as it could double the risk of breast cancer among women. This scare got so prevalent at that time that approximately one million women in Britain opted out from the HRT. Not only patients, but even doctors had apprehensions about the treatment.

Cancelling the review findings, the lead researcher of MWS, Professor Dame Valerie Beral, said that the study is not wrong. The review authors’ work has been influenced by the HRT manufacturers. He further affirmed that there are as many as 20 additional studies which have raised similar concerns about the HRT.

The review co-author, Dr. John Stevenson, who is the consultant metabolic physician at Imperial College, London, has affirmed that the HRT is extremely safe and suits the pocket of British women as it is the most economic treatment in the NHS.

He also refuted the claims that the HRT is linked with breast cancer. He said that there is no such connection and the MWS design was faulty and so was his findings. Supporting Stevenson, Shapiro said that the study has misjudged the potential of the HRT and has not been able to show reality on many fronts.

Stevenson said, “So much damage has been done by frightening women off HRT, in terms of reducing their quality of life, preventing bone loss and fractures and improving the risk of cardiovascular disease”.