OncoMenopause News & Research Updates
HERmedicine Founder Dr. Lisa Larkin Co-Authors Landmark Review on Menopause in Cancer Survivors
A new peer-reviewed article co-authored by HERmedicine founder Lisa Larkin, MD, FACP, MSCP, IF, alongside Mary Jane Minkin, MD (Yale) and Maryam B. Lustberg, MD, MPH (Yale), is now available in Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America.
Menopause in Cancer Survivors offers a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for managing menopause across cancer types — from gynecologic and breast cancers to hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and beyond. The authors address the nuanced distinctions between hormone replacement therapy in young survivors with treatment-induced premature menopause and menopausal hormone therapy at the expected age of menopause, a distinction that matters enormously for clinical decision-making.
Key topics covered include:
MHT considerations across specific cancer types, with updated guidance by tumor subtype
The evolving evidence on vaginal estrogen safety — including the February 2026 FDA labeling update removing the breast cancer contraindication for local vaginal estrogen products
Newly FDA-approved neurokinin antagonists (fezolinetant, elinzanetant) as targeted nonhormonal options for vasomotor symptoms
Risk-stratified counseling frameworks for breast cancer survivors, moving away from categorical prohibition toward individualized shared decision-making
The long-overlooked health consequences of untreated premature menopause in young survivors
The authors note that despite well-documented health risks and significant quality-of-life impact, most young female cancer survivors still do not receive adequate menopause management — the gap this Consortium was built to close.