Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41721900›Full record

SynthesisJournal of neuro-oncology2026

Hormone therapy and the risk of central nervous system tumors in women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Vladia Falcao, Luis Henrique Rios Moreira Rego, Pedro Bartkevitch Rodrigues, Francisco Cezar Aquino de Moraes

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of neuro-oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Vladia FalcaoState University of Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, 69065-001, Brazil. vladialfalcao@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-8447-7960
Luis Henrique Rios Moreira RegoState University of Piaui, Teresina, Piaui, 64078-213, Brazil.
Pedro Bartkevitch RodriguesUniversity of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, 33146, USA.
Francisco Cezar Aquino de MoraesUniversity of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 05508-220, Brazil.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHormone therapy is widely used for contraception, disease treatment, and as hormone replacement therapy in women. Many studies have attempted to establish the relationship between the use of exogenous hormones and the development of CNS tumors; however, the results remain inconclusive.

objectivesThe objective of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the association between hormone therapy use and the risk of developing central nervous system (CNS) tumors, particularly meningioma and glioma.

methodsPubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched for studies reporting the association between hormone therapy use and CNS tumor risk. The outcomes analyzed were overall risk for CNS tumors, meningioma, and glioma, described as odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs). Statistical analyses were performed using R (version 4.4.2), with a significance level of p < 0.05.

resultsThe analysis of the 19 studies involving 2.398.681 patients demonstrated a significant association between hormone therapy use and the overall risk of CNS tumors (OR = 1.69; 95% CI, 1.28–2.23; p < 0.001; I² = 98.5%). Subgroup analysis revealed an increased risk for the development of meningioma (OR = 2.10; 95% CI, 1.52–2.91; I² = 98.6%), whereas for gliomas the exposure may not be associated with an increased risk (OR = 0.90; 95% CI, 0.64–1.27; I² = 84.9%). The overall risk of CNS tumors was also expressed using hazard ratios (HR = 1.18; 95% CI, 0.97–1.45; p = 0.097; I² = 71.0%), showing an insignificant trend favoring non-use of hormone therapy, with an increased risk observed for meningioma (HR = 1.59; 95% CI, 1.09–2.32; I² = 72.8%), while based on the analyzed data, hormone therapy use may not appear to increase the risk of glioma development (HR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.86–1.16; I² = 36%).

conclusionThis meta-analysis suggests that exogenous hormonal therapy is associated with an increased risk of central nervous system tumors in women, driven predominantly by meningioma risk. No consistent association was observed for glioma.

Indexed as

Central Nervous System NeoplasmsHormone Replacement TherapyFemaleHumansMeningiomaRisk FactorsCancer riskCentral nervous systemHormone therapyMeta-analysisWomen

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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.