A 52-year-old woman presents to the clinic reporting hot flashes, night sweats, and irregular periods over the past 8 months. She asks about hormone therapy (HT) to manage her symptoms. During the health history, she reveals she was treated for estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer 3 years ago and has been cancer-free since. Which response by the nurse is most appropriate?
- Explain that hormone therapy is contraindicated given her history of estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer and discuss non-hormonal symptom management options.
- Encourage the patient to start progestin-only therapy, as it does not carry the same risks as estrogen.
- Reassure the patient that low-dose estrogen therapy is safe since she has been cancer-free for more than 2 years.
- Advise the patient to wait until she has been cancer-free for 5 years before considering hormone therapy.