Very interesting finding. The only thing is that worrisome is that women might be told by their doctors that, if they've had a hysterectomy, it's ok to estrogen only indefinitely. What's more, these findings may be construed to mean that ANY type of estrogen reduces breast cancer. It is very possible, based on a number of studies, that estradiol may in fact be more dangerous than Premarin, a mixture of many different estrogens, some of which are not natural to women. So there is the chance that Premarin is "weaker" than estradiol and therefore causes a washout effect by blocking a woman's natural estrogen. Or Premarin may directly kill cancer cells in women with hysterectomy through a "binge" effect since the surgery itself causes a prolonged, low-estrogen environment that cancer cells may have adapted to.
It is still vitally important to remember that estrogen by itself does pose other serious risks, namely stroke, blood clots, abdominal aortic anuerysm and dementia (all according to the WHI). So this therapy is not safe to use over the long term, regardless of its effects on breast cancer.
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Jonathan Raymond of DC 1:58PM March 07, 2012