Women taking oestrogen-only HRT, or a newer form of the therapy called Tibolone, are at an increased risk of the disease, compared with women who have never taken HRT. The risk is slightly reduced in women taking a combination of oestrogen and progesterone compared with those who have never taken HRT.
To confuse the issue even further researchers say that this does not mean that women should opt for the combined pill, because earlier research shows that this type of HRT poses a greater breast cancer risk than Tibolone or oestrogen-only HRT.
The fact that breast cancer is commoner than endometrial cancer means that statistically the balance is tipped in favour of the oestrogen-only or tibolone therapies and only further underlines that no form of HRT is without risk.
The study shows that about three out of every 100 women on combined HRT will develop either breast or endometrial cancer within five years compared to 2?? per 100 who take oestrogen- only HRT or tibolone, and about 1?? per 100 who do not take any form of HRT.
Valerie Beral, the director of the Cancer Research UK epidemiology unit, and lead author of the study, says the results will create a dilemma for women who want or need to use HRT.
The use of combined and oestrogen-only HRT has dropped during the past three years but the figures for the use of Tibolone have remained static and it is now the most common brand of HRT prescribed to women in the study.
John Toy, medical director of Cancer Research UK, advises that women should take HRT for medical need only and for the shortest time possible and says it is crucial that the effects that drugs can have on our bodies is clearly understood. Toy says that women, and the doctors who treat them, must be given all the information they need before making a decision to take HRT.
The study is published in the current edition of the Lancet.
thelancet
One example of a successful healthcare spinout company resulting from an industrial/academic collaboration is Mirada Solutions. The origins of the company lie in a spin out from the University of Oxford, which was initially funded by Oxford University and private angel investment from Lady and Sir Martin Wood, with subsequent VC investment.
Mirada Solutions produces clinical software for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and molecular imaging for clinical and pharmaceutical R&D use. Mirada??™s products focus on the early detection of neurological diseases and cancer, and in the development of new applications in pharmaceutical research, disease monitoring and therapy. Mirada is now part of the CTI Molecular Imaging group of companies (NASDAQ: CTMI) following acquisition in late 2003.
Dr Chris Behrenbruch, President of CTI Mirada Solutions said, the UK is becoming an increasingly rich environment for academic-industry collaboration and the creation of new, highly innovative healthcare businesses. Creating a climate for innovation not only requires access to the best minds and clinical practitioners, but a mutual understanding of the intellectual property, regulatory and commercialisation issues associated with commercialising university and institutional R&D.
He adds, Medicine is no longer just about doctors. It is about partnerships between engineers, physicists, biologists and chemists - all with a strong desire to collaborate.
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