SynthesisSystematic reviews2016
Progesterone vs. synthetic progestins and the risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Systematic reviews, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 104 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of menopause hormone therapy, exercise, and their combination on bone mineral density and mental wellbeing in menopausal women: a scoping review.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2025Pooled it
- Clinical practice guidelines for the care of girls and women with Turner syndrome.European journal of endocrinology · 2024Guideline
- Risk-Reducing Salpingo-Oophorectomy and the Use of Hormone Replacement Therapy Below the Age of Natural Menopause: Scientific Impact Paper No. 66 October 2021: Scientific Impact Paper No. 66.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2022Guideline
- Estrogen-progestin therapy causes a greater increase in spinal bone mineral density than estrogen therapy - a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials with direct randomization.Journal of musculoskeletal & neuronal interactions · 2017Pooled it
- Breast effects of oral, combined 17β-estradiol, and progesterone capsules in menopausal women: a randomized controlled trial.Menopause (New York, N.Y.) · 2020Trial
- Evaluation and Treatment Options for Abnormal Uterine Bleeding in Premenopausal Patients With a History of Breast Cancer.O&G open · 2026Review
- The impact of hormone replacement therapy on cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women: a narrative review.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Review
- Hormonal Contraceptive Formulations and Breast Cancer Risk in Adolescents and Premenopausal Women.JAMA oncology · 2025Article
- Estradiol and Micronized Progesterone: A Narrative Review About Their Use as Hormone Replacement Therapy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Association of lifestyle factors with breast cancer incidence: An overview of systematic reviews.Chinese journal of cancer research = Chung-kuo yen cheng yen chiu · 2025Article
- Review
- Hormone replacement therapy perspectives.Frontiers in global women's health · 2024Article
- Care after premenopausal risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy in high-risk women: Scoping review and international consensus recommendations.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2023Article
- Review
- Molecular characterization of breast cancer cell pools with normal or reduced ability to respond to progesterone: a study based on RNA-seq.Journal, genetic engineering & biotechnology · 2023Article
- Advances and challenges in studying the tissue-resident T cell compartment in the human female reproductive tract.Immunological reviews · 2023Review
- Using menopausal hormone therapy after a cancer diagnosis in Ireland.Irish journal of medical science · 2023Review
- HRT in Women Undergoing Pelvic Clearance for Endometriosis-A Case Report and a National Survey.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- The impact of 17β-estradiol on the estrogen-deficient female brain: from mechanisms to therapy with hot flushes as target symptoms.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023Review
- Vasomotor Symptoms During Menopause: A Practical Guide on Current Treatments and Future Perspectives.International journal of women's health · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundUse of menopausal hormonal therapy (MHT)-containing estrogen and a synthetic progestin is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. It is unclear if progesterone in combination with estrogen carries a lower risk of breast cancer. Limited data suggest differences between progesterone and progestins on cardiovascular risk factors, including cholesterol and glucose metabolism. Whether this translates to differences in cardiovascular outcomes is uncertain. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize the existing evidence about the effect of progesterone in comparison to synthetic progestins, each in combination with estrogens, on the risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular events.
methodsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Scopus through 17 May 2016 for studies that enrolled postmenopausal women using progesterone vs. synthetic progestins and reported the outcomes of interest. Study selection and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers. Meta-analysis was conducted using the random effects model.
resultsWe included two cohort studies and one population-based case-control study out of 3410 citations identified by the search. The included studies enrolled 86,881 postmenopausal women with mean age of 59 years and follow-up range from 3 to 20 years. The overall risk of bias of the included cohort studies in the meta-analysis was moderate. There was no data on cardiovascular events. Progesterone was associated with lower breast cancer risk compared to synthetic progestins when each is given in combination with estrogen, relative risk 0.67; 95 % confidence interval 0.55-0.81.
conclusionsObservational studies suggest that in menopausal women, estrogen and progesterone use may be associated with lower breast cancer risk compared to synthetic progestin.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.