Breast cancer blog from bcancer.com Bcancer.com     Time [GMT +0] : 09 Sep , 05:59:15 | Home | Login | News   30 Jun 2006   02:54:33 am Connection Between Biological Clock And Cancer Dartmouth Medical School geneticists have discovered that DNA damage resets the cellular circadian clock, suggesting links among circadian timing, the cycle of cell division, and the propensity for cancer. Their work, reported June 29 in Science Express, the advance electronic publication of Science, implies a protective dimension for the biological clock in addition to its pacemaker functions that play such a sweeping role in the rhythms and activities of life. "The notion that the clock regulates DNA-damage input and that mutation can affect the clock as well as the cell cycle is novel," says Jay Dunlap, professor and chair of genetics at DMS. "It suggests a fundamental connection among circadian timing, cell cycle progress, and potentially the origins of some cancers." Dunlap is a co-author of the paper with DMS colleagues, Jennifer Loros, professor of biochemistry, graduate student Christopher L. Baker, and former students Antonio M. Pregueiro and Qiuyun Liu. The team of Loros and Dunlap were among to first to delineate the intricate web of clockwork genes, proteins and feedback loops that drive circadian rhythms, working chiefly in the classic genetic model organism Neurospora, the common bread mold. One gene (period-4) was identified over 25 years ago by a mutation that affects two clock properties, shortening the circadian period and altering temperature compensation. For this study, the researchers cloned the gene based on its position in the genome, and found it was an important cell cycle regulator. When they eliminated the gene from the genome, the clock was normal, indicating that the mutation interfered in some way with the clock, rather than supplying something that the clock normally needs to run. Biochemically, the mutation results in a premature modification of the well understood clock protein, frequency (FRQ). The investigators demonstrated that this was a direct result of action by an enzyme, called in mammals checkpoint kinase-2 (CHK2), whose normal role is exclusively in regulating the cell division cycle. CHK2 physically interacts with FRQ; the mutation makes this interaction much stronger. However, a mutant enzyme that has lost its activity has no effect on the clock. Normally CHK2 is involved in the signal response pathway that begins when DNA is damaged and results in a temporary stoppage of cell division until the damage is fixed. The researchers found that the resetting effect of DNA damage requires the period-4 clock protein, and that period-4 is the homolog, the Neurospora version, of the mammalian checkpoint kinase. Moreover, the clock regulates expression of the period-4 gene. This closes a loop connecting the clock to period-4 and period-4 to the clock and the cell cycle. The clock normally modulates expression of this gene that encodes an important cell cycle regulator, and that cell cycle regulator in turn affects not only the cell cycle but also the clock. Recent evidence in mammalian cells shows that other cell cycle regulators physically interact with clock proteins. Loss of at least one clock protein (mammalian period-2) is known to increase cancer susceptibility. The coordination of the clock and cell division through cell cycle checkpoints, supports the clock's "integral role in basic cell biology," conclude the researchers." Their work can help advance understanding of cancer origins as well as the timing of anti-cancer treatment. Category : General | Posted By : Janet | Comments[35] | Trackbacks [0] 27 Jun 2006   10:17:42 am Chest X-rays May Be Risky In BRCA Carriers Getting plain chest X-rays may be a dangerous thing when it comes to women who may have inherited the breast cancer associated genes (BRCA) that would increase the risk of breast cancer. A recent study involving women with genetic mutation that is known to predispose to breast cancer have found that having a routine chest X-ray could double or even triple the risk of having a breast cancer. These findings come from Dr. David Goldgar and colleges of University of Utah School of medicine. Their research findings are published in the latest issue of Journal of Clinical Oncology. The findings from the study are entirely clear-cut and it is not yet clear what kind of chest X-rays causes greatest risk of breast cancer. The study population included women who have BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, which are, know to increase the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. "The results from this study raise potentially significant clinical considerations," Goldgar writes. "The absolute risk of breast cancer by age 50 years is in the order of 40 percent in BRCA1 carriers and 15 percent in BRCA2 carriers." Researchers evaluated 1,600 women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations and assessed the effect of ever having a chest X-ray especially before the age 20. Goldgar's team found that women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 who reported having a chest X-ray were 54 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than those who had never had one. Exposure to X-rays prior to age 20 was associated with 2.5-fold increased risk of breast cancer compared to those women who never had chest X-rays done. Researchers believe that women who have BRCA mutations have impaired capacity for repairing damage caused by ionizing radiation such as X-rays and this may be the reason for increased risk of breast cancer in this group of women. Mammograms were specifically excluded from the study. Category : General | Posted By : Janet | Comments[47] | Trackbacks [0] 23 Jun 2006   10:06:36 am Cadmium Exposure And Breast Cancer Risk Level of cadmium present in women's body might have a role future development of breast cancer in women as per findings from new research. This research finding suggest that women who have high levels of cadmium in their urine may be twice at risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who have low levels of cadmium in their urine. It is not clear at this point if the cadmium is the direct cause of increase in beast cancer risk. It is possible that cadmium might be an innocent marker of another risk factor or a combination of risk factors. Cadmium is a heavy metal and has been listed as one of the carcinogens (cancer causing materials). Animal studies have shown that higher cadmium levels in the body might lead to development of cancer, but till now no human study has shown a clear link between elevated cadmium levels and cancer. This suggests that further studies are needed to determine if these elevated levels are really what is causing the increased risk of breast cancer. These new findings come form a group of researchers lead by Dr. Jane A. McElroy at the Environmental Protection Agency and University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center in Madison. These researchers made measurements of urinary levels of cadmium in 246 breast cancer patients and compared these levels to 254 age-matched controls. These subjects were kept in contact by telephone to see if any of these women had breast cancer risk factors. The final results of the study are reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. These findings show that women with cadmium levels above a certain cut-off level determined by the investigators were 2.29-times more likely to develop breast cancer compared to those women with lower levels. This cadmium factor remained even after adjusting for known risk factors. Researchers do not know how cadmium leads to the development of breast cancer, but initial evidence suggest that cadmium might be acting through estrogen which is a well known risk factor for breast cancer. Cadmium is released into the environment from various mining and metal processing operations, burning fuels, making and using phosphate fertilizers, and disposing of metal products. People living near industries that might be dealing with any of these processes might be exposed to cadmium. If the findings of these researchers are confirmed in larger studies then regulations aimed at tighter regulation of environment to decrease cadmium could be enforced Category : General | Posted By : Janet | Comments[29] | Trackbacks [0] 22 Jun 2006   10:00:32 am Getting To The Bottom Of Breast-cancer Migration In a never stopping attempt to defeat breast cancer scientists have moved a step closer to understanding how breast cancer spreads to other parts of the body, thanks to research published this week. Recently researchers from the University of Manchester have discovered a protein potentially involved in the spread or "metastatic progression" of tumors. These researchers say that their findings could lead to new approaches to treating breast cancer as blocking the protein's actions has the potential to stop cancerous cells migrating. "What we have identified is a new role for a protein called LPP," explained Professor Andrew Sharrocks, who headed the research team. "Until now, this protein was only thought to function at the cell periphery but we have shown that it works in conjunction with another protein - PEA3 - in the cell nucleus." "PEA3 has already been implicated in the spread of breast cancer but we have found that the LPP molecule is essential for the correct function of PEA3." "If we can target the LPP protein and stop it from working in cancerous cells, we have a possible new route to therapy." This research report that was published in the scientific journal Molecular and Cellular Biology, may have significant implications for other cancer systems. "Benign tumors remain in one part of the body and are relatively easy to treat through surgery," said Professor Sharrocks, who is based in the University's Faculty of Life Sciences. "But metastases - malignant cancers that spread to other parts of the body - can be much more problematic. "Our research is potentially fundamental to all types of cancers and has the potential to offer alternative therapies to stop cancers spreading to other organs in the body." News of this scientific breakthrough comes as the University announced Breast Cancer Campaign funding for two other research projects worth nearly 300,000 pounds. Dr. Andrew Gilmore, also in the Faculty of Life Sciences, has been awarded a grant of 146,000 pounds to examine in more detail a process that is called "anoikis." Anoikis is a term used to describe the process whereby the body ambushes and kills roving cells that have gone "AWOL" and are moving around the body without permission - like breast-cancer cells that spread from the breast to form tumors in other parts of the body. Current breast-cancer treatments have been designed to kick start the anoikis process and kill these rogue cells. But the cancer cells are clever and learn how to avoid being destroyed, which means these treatments no longer work and patients often see their breast cancer return. Dr. Gilmore said: "Understanding more about how the body's natural defenses work and why breast-cancer cells can avoid them will help develop new drugs that can kill invasive cells that have become resistant to standard treatment." A further 143,000 pounds has been awarded by the charity to Dr Keith Brennan, again in Life Sciences, to uncover how a group of proteins called Notch are able to protect breast-cancer cells from dying. "Notch proteins appear to shield breast-cancer cells from the body's natural defenses and also from being destroyed by chemotherapy," said Dr. Brennan. "This research will help to uncover exactly how Notch proteins have this effect and whether inhibiting their action may be one way of making chemotherapy treatments more effective." Pamela Goldberg, Chief Executive of Breast Cancer Campaign, added: "The spread of breast-cancer cells to other areas of the body is the single most important factor in breast-cancer mortality. "When breast-cancer cells become invasive they become less responsive to treatment and the disease becomes more difficult for a clinician to manage. "Both these studies could help to develop new drugs which kill breast-cancer cells before they have an opportunity to spread." Source: Category : General | Posted By : Janet | Comments[17] | Trackbacks [0] 16 Jun 2006   09:42:55 am Lignans' For Breast Cancer Protection A high intake of plant lignans could reduce the risk of breast cancer for pre-menopausal women by 78 per cent, says new research from Germany that adds significantly to the current body of science. Plant lignans, from sources such as flax seed, whole grain cereals, berries, vegetables and fruits, are metabolised in the colon by microflora into enterodiol and enterolactone. Lignans are well-known phytoestrogens - active substances derived from plants that have a weak oestrogen-like action that have been linked before to breast health, as well as benefits for postmenopausal women. The new study, published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention (Vol. 15, pp. 225-232), reports that women with high plasma levels of enterolactone (above 12.96 nanomoles per litre), linked to high lignan intake, was associated with a 58 per cent reduction of breast cancer risk. "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate both calculated enterolactone on the basis of food intake and data from biomarker measurement (plasma enterolactone) in relation to breast cancer risk," wrote lead author Regina Piller from the Technical University of Munich. Read more: Image credit: wheatmontana.com Category : General | Posted By : Janet | Comments[19] | Trackbacks [0] 23 May 2006   09:54:49 am Weight Training Does Not Cause Lymphedema Those breast cancer survivors who have had their lymph nodes removed and who practiced slow, progressive weight training does not have increased risk of developing lymphedema according to a recently published study. Lymphedema is the buildup of lymphatic fluid under the skin, which usually occurs in women who had undergone mastectomy. This study is reported in the May 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. In this study, Kathryn Schmitz, an assistant professor in epidemiology at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, and his colleagues studied 23 breast cancer survivors who had had their lymph nodes removed and underwent weight training twice a week and 22 breast cancer survivors who had had their lymph nodes removed and did not lift weights. Scientists found there was no difference in arm circumference between the exercise group and the control group, meaning that there is no increased incidence of lymphedema. Moreover the exercise group had fewer symptoms of lymphedema than the women in the control group. "While current clinical guidelines say that this type of exercise may be harmful, our research indicates that it is indeed safe," Schmitz said, adding, "More research is needed to know whether exercise prevents lymphedema, but there are physiologic reasons to think that it might." Joseph Feldman of the Lymphedema Treatment Center in Illinois said that because the study tracked women for only six months, he would advise his patients to avoid lifting weights heavier than five pounds until a study spanning several years is conducted, the Times reports (Berger, New York Times, 5/18 ) Source: Image courtesy of Vascularweb.org Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[29] | Trackbacks [0] 22 May 2006   12:41:03 pm Obesity Linked To Breast Cancer As per a new study, women who gain weight in adulthood face a higher lifetime risk of all types of breast cancer even if they do not take hormone replacement treatment after menopause. Reported in the July 1, 2006 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study reveals that the greater the weight gain as an adult, the greater the risk for all histological types, tumor stages, and grades of breast cancer, especially advanced malignancies. The most extremely obese women were up to three times more likely to have regional or distant metastases than women with less weight gain. The study is the first to investigate the relationship between weight gain and type of breast cancer. Breast cancer risk is linked to increased lifetime levels of circulating estrogen. Fat tissue increases circulating estrogen, thereby adding to the risk. Prior studies have shown, though, that the risk can be affected by other factors. Postmenopausal women who take hormone replacement treatment actually mitigate the effects of obesity on cancer risk. Moreover, current weight as defined by body mass index is not as important as a woman's weight gain from the age of 18. While there is much literature on the risk of obesity and breast cancer, there is no data on whether that risk is specific for the type of breast cancer. Led by Heather Spencer Feigelson, Ph.D., M.P.H of the American Cancer Society, scientists investigated the risk between weight gain and type of invasive breast cancer among 44,161 postmenopausal women who were not taking hormone treatment. The scientists found that the greater the weight gain, the greater the risk for all types, stages, and grades of breast cancer. Compared to women who gained 20 pounds or less during adulthood, women who gained over 60 pounds were almost twice as likely to have ductal type tumors and more than 1.5 times more likely to have lobular type cancers. The risk for metastatic disease increased for all women who gained weight, with the risk greater than three-fold for women who gained over 60 pounds. As expected, weight gain increased the risk of estrogen receptor positive tumors, but not of tumors that did not present estrogen receptors. Dr. Feigelson and her colleagues conclude that "these data further illustrate the relationship between adult weight gain and breast cancer, and the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight through-out adulthood." Source: Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[30] | Trackbacks [0] 19 May 2006   10:10:23 am What To Eat And Not To Eat? I was reading this morning an article published online by the daily mirror U.K. This article is interesting because it lists what you should eat and not eat to prevent occurrence of breast cancer. This article is written by Dr. Michelle Harvie and goes on to explain various beverages and food that you may eat or avoid. Here is the summary of the recommendations. Alcohol Do not over drink and stay within recommended daily intake of alcohol. If you are consuming alcohol take folic acid supplements. Tea Drink black and green tea since they contain antioxidants. Fats Focus on monounsaturated fats, which are abundant in olive oil, avocados and nuts. Also take food rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, found in oily fish, flax seed oil, walnuts and soy oils. Dairy Consume only low fat dairy products. Soy products Consume soy products in moderation as a part of health eating plan. Do not substitute soy products for food items. Vegetables Eat plenty of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Pulses and spices Include peanuts, turmeric, onions, apricots, berries, pears, cocoa, cherries, figs, pomegranates and beetroot in your diet. Wholegrain Chose healthy wholegrain food materials like whole meal bread, whole wheat based cereals, rye crisp bread and potatoes boiled or baked in their skins. Avoid highly polished food. Meat Get the right balance of fish and meat in your diet. Avoid overcooked or charred meat, chicken and fish. For full reading of the article you may visit the daily mirror site. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[29] | Trackbacks [0] 17 May 2006   10:11:42 am Statins Do Not Increase Breast Cancer Risk If you are on statin drugs to lower your cholesterol, you can relax now. A new study has suggested that women who are on statin drugs to lower cholesterol levels are at no increased risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who are not taking statin drugs. Statin drugs are very popular group of drugs used for lowering cholesterol level with an annual sale of $12.5 billion. Some previous studies have indicated that use of statin drugs might increase the risk of breast cancer. This new study contradicts these older reports. In addition the new study suggests that certain formulations of statins might actually decrease the risk of developing breast cancer. In this study which is published in the latest issue of Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers analyzed medical records of more that 156,000 postmenopausal women to reach this conclusion. About 7.5 percent of the women in this study population was using statin drugs. During the period of six years covered by the study, about 4,300 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Researchers noted that there is no significant difference in breast cancer incidence between women who used statin drugs and those who never used them. Women who were taking a particular formulation of statin known as hydrophobic statins actually had 18 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to those who were not taking any statins. Hydrophobic statins include Zocor (Simvastatin) and Lipitor (Atorvastatin). Authors Dr. Jane Cauley and colleagues of the University of Pittsburgh conclude that while this study provides sufficient proof of safety of statin drugs in terms of breast cancer risk, the breast cancer lowering effect of hydrophobic statins needs further confirmation by additional studies. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[3] | Trackbacks [0] 09 May 2006   10:11:14 am Long-term Estrogen Therapy Increases Breast Cancer Risk Long-term use of estrogen-only pills is associated with marked increase in the risk of breast cancer as per findings from a recently published research. This result comes from a study of nearly 29,000 nurses and it showed that those women who take estrogen alone pills for at least 15 years run a significant risk of developing breast cancer. Those who took the estrogen alone pills for less than 10 years appears to have no increased risk of breast cancer. This should be a good news for women who wants to use estrogen alone pills for a short time since there is not significantly increased risk of breast cancer associated with short term use of estrogen alone pills. Many women take short-term estrogen alone pills to relive menopausal symptoms including hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy using a combination of estrogen and progesterone was once very popular among American women. When a study published in 2002 showed significant increase in the risk of breast cancer, stroke and heart attack associated with postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy, millions of women stopped the treatment. The option of estrogen alone pills is available only for women who had hysterectomy. A previous study has shown that use of estrogen alone pills may be associated with increased risk of strokes and memory problems but has found that using estrogen alone pills for seven years is not associated with increased risk of breast cancer. The study findings are published in the latest issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[30] | Trackbacks [0] 01 May 2006   09:53:19 am Artificial Light May Increase Breast Cancer Risk Recently researchers have identified one more factor that may increase the risk of breast cancer, prolonged exposure to artificial light. Researchers have found that women, who work in nightshift, have increased risk of breast cancer compared to women who work during regular working hours. Researchers are speculating that prolonged exposure to artificial light may be the cause of increased breast cancer incidence in the group of women who work in nightshifts. They also acknowledge that other factors like socio-economic status and stress of and strain of working in the night shift may also be contributing to the increased risk. However researchers believe that the disruption circadian rhythm resulting from the odd working hours is to be blamed for increased risk of breast cancer. Disturbances in the circadian rhythm, which is the biological clock within us, causes chronically low levels of melatonin, which is a hormone that is made in our body during dark hours of the day. It has been shown in the past that melatonin has the properties of tumor suppression. Naturally scientists assume that the increased incidence of breast cancer in women who work in nightshifts could be related to chronic low levels of melatonin caused by lack of exposure to darkness. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School have recently found that women who work in the nightshift may have elevated levels of estrogen hormone compared to women who work during regular hours of the day. In a study done by the same group of researches have found that those women who regularly works in the nightshift have 1.5 fold increased risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who work in the regular hours of the day. This study results are based on observation of 78,000 nurses for a period about 10 years. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[29] | Trackbacks [0] 28 Apr 2006   09:34:36 am Clues To Breast Cancer From Stem Cells Stem cells and how to boost them is hot on the research agenda. But stopping them could be critical too, as evidence implicating stem cells in cancer is mounting. In the human breast, up to 20 per cent of all tumours are now suspected to originate in stem cells. Now scientists from the Icelandic Cancer Society and the Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland have grown three-dimensional breast cell cultures to reveal unexpected subtleties about these stem cells that could explain why they spawn malignancies. These stem cells, Valgardur Sigurdsson remarked during the EuroSTELLS Conference in Venice, Italy (19-21 March), could become targets for cancer treatment, leading to new therapies that wipe out cancer at its source. The hope is that they might also become useful tools to test new drugs. "People have long suspected there should be a stem cell population in the human breast gland," said Sigurdsson who is part of the ESF-funded team led by Thorarinn Gudjonsson. A 'virgin' breast, before pregnancy, is very different to a fully functioning, milk-producing breast. With lactation, the breast becomes fully differentiated, and once this stage is over, it involutes. This cycle of proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis also happens in every menstrual cycle and in a more dramatic form during pregnancy. "This caught our attention, and has driven our research," Sigurdsson pointed out. Breast cancer almost always occurs in the luminal epithelial compartment, which is also where milk is produced. Perhaps it is not surprising then, that stem cells reside in this compartment. In 2002, Thorarinn Gudjonsson, successfully isolated cells from the human breast with stem cell properties. Gudjonsson immortalised these cells and grew them in three dimensional matrix that mimics the real, living tissue. Biologists have long relied on 2-dimensional cell cultures as the basic tool of their trade. But there is a big difference between a flat layer of cells and culturing cells in three-dimensions. The Icelandic researchers, realizing just how much a cells context matters, used the 3-D cell culture pioneered by Mina Bissell, at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. "We can build up a 3-D breast structure similar to what you have in vivo," says Gudjonsson. "You can analyse cell-cell interactions and signaling pathways in these cells during morphogenesis and in cancer progression." The Icelandic researchers are now focusing their efforts on how endothelial cells convey signals to stem cells in normal breast formation and in cancer. In collaboration with another Icelandic research team, the Gudjonsson lab is now unraveling the role of tyrosine kinase receptors and their downstream signaling events. The benefits of these 3-D assays are manifold. "This is a useful system for drug screening and testing new drugs as well as for understanding cancer progression," says Gudjonsson. Image credit: Northwestern University Source Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[30] | Trackbacks [0] 24 Apr 2006   09:30:02 am Many Breast Cancer Survivors Ignore Future Mammograms New research findings show that mammogram rate among breast cancer survivors is dropping. Breast cancer survivors have significantly high risk of developing a second breast cancer in the same breast or the other breast. Researchers have found that during the five year study period, only one in three women in this high-risk population had received regular annual mammograms. These findings are published in the June 1, 2006 issue of CANCER, which is a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study showed that the most significant factors predicting who got screening mammogram included being seen by a gynecologist or primary care physician and having been treated with breast conserving surgery. Women with a past history of breast cancer face a three-fold increased risk of a malignancy in the other breast. Recommendations for follow-up of these women include annual mammograms for early detection of new breast cancer. In breast cancer survivors, mammography has been shown to detect tumors at early stages, when treatment is more successful. Currently available studies show that mammography is underutilized by the general population and by Medicare beneficiaries who survived breast cancer. However, there not much information on how often survivors with managed care health insurance are screened and how non-financial factors impact its use. Chyke A. Doubeni, M.D., M.P.H. of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and colleagues reviewed mammography use in 797 women over the age of 55 who had been treated for breast cancer. Their objective was to identify patterns of mammography utilization in women when health insurance coverage is not a factor. The researchers found that in the first year after treatment, 80 percent of women had received a screening mammogram. At the fifth year of follow-up, only 63 percent had received a mammogram that year, and only one in three women (33 percent) had received a mammogram each year over the five years. Women who were being cared for by their gynecologist or primary care physician were the most likely to have mammograms in the fifth year. While the impact of physician specialty in mammography screening has been demonstrated in the general population, this is the first report of this association in breast cancer survivors. In addition, older women, particularly those with other medical conditions, and those with late-stage tumors were significantly less likely to have a mammogram. The study indicates regular mammography for breast cancer survivors declines steadily within five years of treatment. "Efforts are needed to increase awareness among healthcare providers and breast cancer survivors on the value of follow-up mammography," say the authors. Source Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[32] | Trackbacks [0] 21 Apr 2006   09:59:55 am Pregnancy, BRCA And Breast Cancer Risk Researchers have previously established the fact that a full term pregnancy offers protection from breast cancer. It was not very clear till now if full term pregnancy offers the same level of protection to carriers of BRCA mutations. Some researchers have even suggested that pregnancy may increase breast cancer risk in women who are genetically predisposed to developing the disease. A new European study shows that a second full-term pregnancy provides protection from breast cancer to carriers of BRCA mutations. If a woman with BRCA mutation has a child, each additional full-term pregnancy would reduce her breast cancer risk by 14%. Researchers have found that this benefit is limited to women over 40 years of age. Researchers say that this finding may not be of much significance in terms of public policy for prevention of breast cancer since it would be unreasonable to tell a woman to get to decrease the risk of breast cancer. Also compared with other interventions available to women with BRCA mutations, the relative benefit obtained by early pregnancy is small says Douglas F. Easton, PhD, of Cambridge University. Late pregnancy is a recognized risk factor for breast cancer. A woman who delays her first child birth till age of 35 has about twice the risk of developing breast cancer during her lifetime compared a woman who gives birth before the age of 20. In the current study the researchers researcher Nadine Andrieu, of the Institut Curie in Paris, and colleagues retrospectively analyzed data from 1,601 women with BRCA mutations enrolled in an international study. About half of these women had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Researchers found that having one child was not associated with a significant decrease in the risk of breast cancer. But as mentioned above each additional full term pregnancy was associated with a 14% reduction in the risk of developing breast cancer in women who were 40 and older. The risk reduction level was the same for carriers of both BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 mutations. This study is available in the April 19 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[28] | Trackbacks [0] 20 Apr 2006   09:50:05 am Black Lean Women Face Dangers From Hormone Replacement Increased risk of breast cancer associated with hormone replacement therapy is well known and has been discussed in this column before. Now a new study has shown that Black women have an increased risk of development of breast cancer when they take replacement hormones compared to Caucasian women. The research also found that, and that the risk is greater for leaner women. Most of the previous studies that have linked increased breast cancer risk to the use of hormone replacement therapy were done on Caucasian women, hence this information regarding Black women was not available. The chief investigator, Dr. Lynn Rosenberg of Boston University and colleagues investigated the association between breast cancer and hormone therapy using data from the Black Women's Health Study. In this study data from 32,559 women 40 years of age or older was used. Researchers have shown that among these women 615 have developed breast cancer. Rosenberg and colleagues found that use of hormone replacement for 10 or more years is associated with a 58 percent increased risk of development of breast cancer. Interestingly they found that women lean body with history of hormone replacement of 10 years or more had three times the risk of breast cancer. Researchers suggest that heavier women may be producing more estrogen from fat tissue and may be less affected by taking estrogens than leaner women. SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[16] | Trackbacks [0] 19 Apr 2006   10:09:15 am No Increased Breast Cancer Risk With Silicone Implants? Do silicon breast implants predispose to breast cancer? This topic is controversial with proponents on both sides bringing arguments to justify their stand. No adding a new twist to this controversy, a large Industry sponsored Swedish study has shown that use of silicone implants is not associated with increased risk of breast cancer. This study, which followed nearly 3,500 women for as long as 37 years, is notable because of its size and its longevity. The study's lead author Joseph McLaughlin suggests that, women with breast implants should feel reassured with the results of this new study. McLaughlin is president of the International Epidemiology Institute, in Rockville, Md. Use of silicone implants for cosmetic purposes is currently banned in the United States mainly because of the concern regarding complications related leak from the implant. Despite the ban the debate over safety of silicone implants continued with new arguments on both sides of the controversy stemming from newer research findings. U.S. Food and drug administration is currently considering removing the ban on silicone breast implants since the alternative of saline implant is associated with significant complications. Women groups and politicians argue that leaking of silicone implants could lead to various health hazards including immune system disorders, arthritis, lupus and cancer. In this new study American researchers combed through the database of 3,486 women who received breast implants for cosmetic reasons between 1965 and 1993. The study followed the women until the end of 2002, an average of 18.4 years after they received the implants. Their findings appear on the latest issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Among the study population only 53 women developed breast cancer, compared to 71.9 cases that would have been expected in the general population. There were 180 total cancers in women with the breast implants, slightly fewer than the 193.1 that would have been expected. Researchers say that the lower incidence of breast cancer among breast implant recipients is related to their life style. Recipients of breast implants are often thin, and have their first child at a younger age compared to the general population. Since overweight and late age at first childbirth are recognized risk factors for breast cancer, this may explain the observation of lower breast cancer incidence in implant recipients. The study found that women who received breast implants were more likely to develop lung cancer compared to general population. The researchers think this is because the Swedish women with implants were more likely to smoke. The study was sponsored by Dow Corning, a manufacturer of breast implants.One expert questioned the connection. "They have this financial vested interest, which we all know can influence things," said Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center for Women and Families. "They're trying to put this to rest and say, 'See we knew it, this product is perfectly safe.'" Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[28] | Trackbacks [0] 14 Apr 2006   12:03:15 pm Estrogen-alone HRT Does Not Increase Breast Cancer Risk New research is suggesting that estrogen may not be as bad it was thought in terms of breast cancer risk. Researchers have found that estrogen-alone hormone therapy does not increase the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. This result comes from an updated analysis of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Estrogen-Alone Trial. These results are in apparent contrast with previously reported WHI Estrogen plus Progestin Trial, which found an increase in breast cancer if use exceeds 5 years. These new research findings are published in the latest issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). These investigators followed postmenopausal women who were taking estrogen-alone hormone replacement over a period of 7 years. Over this period, women who were taking estrogen replacement actually had fewer breast cancers compared to those women who were taking placebo. While women who were taking estrogen-alone hormone replacement had an incidence rate of 28 per 10,0000 participants per year, women who were taking placebo had an incidence rate of 34 per 10,000 participants per year. The difference in rates of breast cancer (6 per 10,000) between the groups was not statistically significant, meaning it could have occurred by chance. The new analysis also found that participants taking estrogen had 50 percent more abnormal mammograms compared to those women who were taking placebo. Obviously an abnormal mammogram does not necessarily mean cancer as it was shown in the study results. This WHI Estrogen-Alone Trial was stopped at the end of February 2004 because of an increased risk of stroke and no significant effect on heart disease. The trial also found that estrogen increased the risk of blood clots in the legs, reduced the risk of hip fractures and had no significant effect on colorectal cancer. A separate report on the WHI memory study found estrogen increased memory problems. The WHI Estrogen Plus Progestin study was stopped in 2002 because of an increased risk of breast cancer and because, overall, risks from use of the hormones outweighed the benefits. The combination therapy increased the risk for heart attack, stroke, and blood clots but also reduced the risk for hip and other fractures, and colorectal cancer. When the WHI Estrogen-Alone Trial findings were published in April 2004, the effect on invasive breast cancer was uncertain. At that time, 218 cases of breast cancer had been reported among all estrogen study participants and there was no in-depth analysis yet of the cancers. The new report provides a more detailed analysis of 237 invasive breast cancers and of the mammograms in the two study groups. Please be aware that currently estrogen-alone (without progestin) hormone replacement is only recommended for women without a uterus. Women with a uterus who take estrogen have an increased risk of endometrial cancer, and that was the reason for the recommendation to take estrogen combined with progestin. "This finding underscores the need to individualize treatment for menopause symptoms based on a woman's medical history and her risk profile," said WHI Project Officer Jacques Rossouw, M.D. Stanford University's Marcia Stefanick, Ph.D., the study's lead author says "What is clear now is that, overall, postmenopausal women without a uterus who choose to take estrogen-alone do not have an increased breast cancer risk, at least over the first 7 years of treatment. This is clinically relevant, but women who are taking estrogen should also be aware that they will likely need more repeat mammograms and more breast biopsies," she said. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[29] | Trackbacks [0] 12 Apr 2006   08:48:01 pm Looking For Participant For An Online Survey Of Cancer Blogs https://wintis.mowsey.org/survey/ Deborah S. Chung, Ph.D. who is Assistant Professor at University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications has contacted me about an online survey for cancer patients. This is a study about cancer blog use by cancer patients. The purpose of this study is to describe characteristics of cancer blog users and their motivations for visiting cancer blogs. In addition, this study hopes to assess behavioral changes after using cancer blogs and to draw associations between everyday use of media and use of cancer blogs. This study will help cancer information seekers and healthcare providers alike understand how blogs as a new communication tool may potentially help cancer patients seek information and/or communication. The information collected form this survey will be accessible only to the researchers. No personally identifiable information will be collected, and information will be presented in aggregate form. The survey will be collected on a server with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) capabilities, which is one of the best providers of Internet security available, but there is always a risk that a third party may intercept the survey answers. There are no foreseeable risks associated to this study. However, if you feel uncomfortable answering the survey questions, you may choose to skip a question or withdraw from the study at any time. You may participate in the study by visiting this website. When you access it, participants will get a message regarding the validity of the certificate. I was asked to to tell you to proceed by hitting the continue button. If you have questions, you may contact the principal investigator, Deborah Chung, at the University of Kentucky, School of Journalism and Telecommunications, 215 Grehan Building, Lexington, KY, 40506, or dchung@uky.edu. If you have any questions about your rights as a volunteer in this research, contact the staff in the Office of Research Integrity at the University of Kentucky at 859-257-9428 or toll free at 1-866-400-9428. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[34] | Trackbacks [0] 10 Apr 2006   09:39:41 am New Insights Into In Situ Breast Cancer Image: LCIS In situ lesions, such as DCIS and LCIS, are early stages of cancer of cancer hat have not yet invaded adjacent tissue. US statistics show seven-fold increase in the incidence of in situ breast cancers like DCIS and LCIS since 1980. This increase in incidence is thought to be related to early detection of breast cancer, because of mammographic screening and biopsies. A new study from researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle identifies new patterns and risk factors for invasive and non-invasive breast cancer that may influence how patients are treated. These findings appear in the May 15th issue of the Journal, CANCER, which is a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study shows that patients with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) are actually at higher risk of developing advanced stage tumors than previously thought. In addition, the study reveals new facts about ductal carcinoma in situ. Women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who are under 50 years old, African-American or Hispanic are at increased risk of developing advanced stage invasive tumors. The significance of these confined lesions in the course of breast cancer continues to be explored. Current research indicates that DCIS and LCIS clinically have different courses and prognoses, and consequently, should have different treatments. Oncologists recommend surgery for DCIS, considered a precursor to same breast invasive cancer. In contrast, observation after biopsy is recommended for uncomplicated LCIS, which is thought to have little invasive risk but may be a risk factor for later breast cancer. A few small studies have suggested that LCIS has a risk for same and contralateral invasive tumors, prompting some to recommend bilateral mastectomy in high-risk patients. Researchers led by Christopher I. Li, M.D., Ph.D. reviewed data from 37,692 DCIS and 4,490 LCIS patients from 1988 to 2002 to identify demographic and tumor characteristics that are risk factors for invasive disease and the pattern of invasive disease that DCIS and LCIS develop. One notable finding is that LCIS patients were at greater risk than DCIS patients for invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), suggesting LCIS to be a precursor lesion to ILC, rather than simply a risk factor. Specifically, LCIS patients were five times more likely to develop ILC and slightly less likely to develop invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) compared to DCIS patients. The authors also found that LCIS patients had higher rates of ipsilateral invasive breast cancer, but similar rates of contralateral invasive breast cancer, compared to DCIS patients suggesting that "localized treatment for LCIS may be warranted." Among DCIS patients, women under 50 years old as well as Hispanic and African-American women were at greater risk for advanced stage invasive breast cancer, which is a more lethal form of the disease, than older and Caucasian women. Possible risk reduction strategies, conclude the authors, include increasing the recommended frequency of "screening women diagnosed with DCIS at a young age" and "improving the follow-up and screening of black women and Hispanic white women with DCIS." This study has potential impact not only on in situ treatments but also risk stratification and follow-up recommendations for women with early stage breast cancer. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[29] | Trackbacks [0] 07 Apr 2006   09:50:14 am Pain Medications To Fight Breast Cancer I have written previously in this column about the benefits of commonly used pain medications belonging to the group of COX-2 inhibitors in prevention of breast cancer. Now results from a new, five-year study is showing that regular use this popular group of prescription pain relievers may reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 71 percent. In addition, these drugs may also benefit in the prevention of prostate, colon and lung cancers. These study findings were reported in the recent annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. The researchers have found significant chemopreventive effects against breast cancer with the regular use of Cox-2 inhibitors and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The study was conducted by Dr. Randall Harris, professor and director of the Center for Molecular Epidemiology and Environmental Health in The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Randall Harris and colleagues conducted a large case-control study of Cox-2 inhibitors and studied their impact upon the four leading types of cancer in the United States: breast, lung, prostate and colon cancer. COX-2 inhibitors are non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs that specifically block the COX-2 enzyme pathway that is often activated in inflammation, cancer, heart disease and other disorders. Harris and his colleagues studied the use of celecoxib (Celebrex), rofecoxib (Vioxx), regular aspirin, low-dose aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen among 323 women with breast cancer from 1999-2004. They discovered that women who used Cox-2 inhibitors on a regular basis had much less breast cancer. Specifically, they found that those who used celecoxib or rofecoxib for at least two years appeared to benefit the most, experiencing a 71 percent reduction in risk of breast cancer. Ibuprofen use over the same period was associated with a 64 percent reduction, while regular aspirin offered a 51 percent reduction in risk of the disease. On the other hand, acetaminophen, which has a negligible effect upon COX-2 activity, and low-dose aspirin provided no significant change in the risk of breast cancer. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[31] | Trackbacks [0] 06 Apr 2006   12:03:16 am Does Soy Food Prevent Breast Cancer? May be soy containing food would decrease your risk of developing breast cancer, maybe not. A recent study has shown that soy foods may be associated with a small reduction in risk of breast cancer but meta-analysis (collecting analysis of different studies) does not uncover enough benefits to recommend use of soy supplements Because some studies have suggested that soy contains chemicals that may help ward off breast cancer, increasing numbers of women are using soy supplements as a potential tumor preventive. Although a new meta-analysis of all available epidemiological studies finds that soy intake may be associated with a small reduction in the risk of breast cancer, there are a number of inconsistencies and limitations in the studies examined. As per researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine these inconsistencies and limitations in the soy studies preclude a recommendation for women to take soy or soy supplements as a breast cancer preventive measure. The research team's findings appear in the April 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. "Soy supplements contain high levels of isoflavones, such as genistein, that have estrogenic properties, while in soy foods isoflavones are just a part of the package. Estrogens make the breast tumor cells grow," says co-author Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, Ph.D., a professor of oncology whose laboratory at Lombardi has long studied the role of food-based estrogens in cancer prevention. "We found that soy food intake was associated with a reduced breast cancer risk. However, we have no idea what soy supplements might do," she adds. Related posts: Women Confused Over Soy Breast Cancer Link Adding Confusion To The Soy Breast Cancer Link Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[5] | Trackbacks [0] 04 Apr 2006   11:18:08 pm Get Your Vitamin D To Prevent Breast Cancer Image: Food rich in vitamin-D Even though some doctors may argue that exposure to sunlight may increase the risk of skin cancer, now there is evidence from research to say that exposure to sun may decrease your risk of developing breast cancer. Two new studies have shown that women who get lots of vitamin D are less likely to develop breast cancer. These new studies add stronger evidence to the already existing medical information that, plenty of vitamin-D may prevent breast cancer. One of these studies have found that women who have high levels of vitamin D has about 50 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer. The second study from Canada has shown that women who spent time outdoors or got a lot of vitamin D from their diets or supplements (especially as teens) were 25 percent to 45 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than women compared to women who have lower levels of vitamin-D. Exposure to vitamin D at the time breasts are developing, particularly around adolescence is very important as per the lead researcher Julia Knight of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. I am not advocating over-exposure to sunlight for prevention of breast cancer. Moderate amount of sun-exposure is helpful in creating enough vitamin-D stores in the body. This could be supplemented by vitamin D intake. It's may be important to make sure that you or your daughter has adequate vitamin D stores in the body during the teen-age years. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[46] | Trackbacks [0] 04 Apr 2006   10:54:43 pm Breath test for breast cancer Imagine about a breath test that will make a diagnosis of breast cancer. That's exactly what the researchers from University of Michigan are planning to develop. They have the idea, and applied and won a federal research grant worth $447,000, just to develop this new breath test for breast cancer. The researchers are planning to use the a technology called switchable surface technology Joerg Lahann has developed in the past. He developed this technology while he was a post-doctoral student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This technology combined with the knowledge that breast cancer-marking molecules known as metabolites are present in the breath and urine has prompted the researchers to develop this new breast cancer breath test. The researchers believe that if they could put these molecules in a screening platform, they might be able to develop a non-invasive, quick and inexpensive over-the-counter breast cancer screening test. This 3-year research funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Defense program. Source: United Press International Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[32] | Trackbacks [0] 03 Apr 2006   02:09:57 am Genes That Predict Breast Cancer Outcome Researchers from Mayo Clinic have found that expression of two novel genes within the tumors of women with early stage breast cancer may allow identification of women who are and are not at risk for early relapse or cancer-related death. Results of the study are published in the April 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research. "The HOXB13 and IL17BR gene profile was previously discovered as a potential marker of relapse in hormone-receptor positive breast cancer treated with tamoxifen," says Matthew Goetz, M.D., who co-led the project with James Ingle, M.D. and Fergus Couch, Ph.D. "Our new study shows that the marker is only useful for identifying women with a higher risk in the setting of lymph node-negative breast cancer." The study, which was conducted by researchers at Mayo Clinic, Harvard Medical School and Arcturus Bioscience, tested whether the expression levels of two genes within women with early stage breast cancer affected the outcomes of women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. The research team examined tissue from 206 postmenopausal women enrolled in a prospective study conducted by the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG). They tested the level of gene expression of HOXB13 and IL17BR from paraffin-embedded tumors and found that the 2-gene expression ratio was an independent marker of early breast cancer relapse or death in lymph node-negative breast cancer. "We believe that these findings are clinically important and corroborate the accumulating laboratory data which suggests that the HOXB13 gene is critically involved in breast cancer metastases," says Dr. Goetz. "Further research is needed to determine whether more aggressive or additional treatments will improve the outcomes of women identified to be at high risk by means of this marker." Source: Mayo Clinic Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[33] | Trackbacks [0] 22 Mar 2006   12:57:16 pm Brca Testing May Miss Some Cases Genetic testing for breast cancer is far from perfect. Recently researchers have found that genetic testing for BRCA mutations may fail to give a positive result despite the presence of an abnormality12 percent of the time. Experts are not surprised by this high rate of error in BRCA detection. They say that the testing has never been perfect and expressions hope that this finding would stimulate development of a more acquired test for detection of BRCA mutations. Genetic breast cancers constitute about 5% to 10% of all patients with breast cancers. Most of them inherit abnormalities in the genes called BRCA1 or BRCA2. Women who inherit one of these abnormalities may have about an 80% chance of getting breast cancer in their lifetime. These women also have high risk of developing ovarian cancer. In a study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the researchers provide the results of their analysis. The study involves genetic material from 300 women with at least four cases of female breast cancer, ovarian cancer and/or male breast cancer in their families. All of the women tested negative for mutations in their BRCA genes. Using a highly specific technique known as MLPA, the researchers found that the genes of 52 women were mutated, including 35 who had changes on their BRCA gene. The MLPA test is not currently clinically available in the United States. Researchers are urging to make is test commercially available in the United States. They're also urging the researchers to develop more accurate genetic tests for BRCA mutations. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[69] | Trackbacks [0] 21 Mar 2006   01:06:04 pm Breast Cancer Outcome Varies Among Ethnic Groups According to a new study, African American women are more likely to die from breast cancer and minorities in general do not receive the best treatment for the disease compared to white women. This study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, highlights the issues involved with racial and socioeconomic aspects of breast cancer. The study has found and even after adjusting for socioeconomic differences, African-American are 20 percent more likely than white women to die of breast cancer. A second study found that women in minority groups, including Hispanics, are half as likely to get complete follow-up treatment for the disease. "Even after controlling for socioeconomic status and disease stage, African American women were 19 percent more likely to die from breast caner than white women," said Lisa Newman, Director of the Breast Care Center at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor who led the research. The second study, conducted at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, found that minority women with early-stage breast cancer had double the risk of white women of failing to receive radiation, chemotherapy or hormonal therapy following breast cancer surgery. The likelihood of not getting proper follow-up treatment among whites was 16 percent, much lower than the 23 percent for Hispanics and 34 percent among blacks. Researchers found that women from minority groups were indeed more likely to have other illnesses and had less insurance than white women, suggesting that these factors could influence a physician's decision to prescribe treatment and a patient's ability to actually receive treatment. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[27] | Trackbacks [0] 20 Mar 2006   01:29:52 pm Breast Asymmetry Predicts Breast Cancer Those women who have asymmetry of the breasts may have a higher chance of developing breast cancer compared to those women who have symmetrical breasts as per new research findings. In a study published in the Journal Breast Cancer Research shows that asymmetry of the breast could be used as an independent predictor of breast cancer. Those women with asymmetry of the breasts have a 1.5 fold increased risk of developing breast cancer for every 100ml difference in breast asymmetry compared to women who have symmetrical breasts. Study leader Diane Scutt from the University of Liverpool, UK and her colleagues studied the mammograms of 252 women who did not have breast cancer at the time of the mammography, but later on developed the disease. The control group consisted of 252 women matched for age who underwent mammography at the same time, but did not develop breast cancer. The results show that, at the time the mammography was done, women who went on to develop breast cancer had higher breast volume asymmetry than controls. The authors found that the relative odds of breast cancer increased by 1.5 for a 100ml increase in absolute breast volume asymmetry, after adjusting for other potential risk factors. They conclude that breast asymmetry is a significant independent predictor of breast cancer, and could be a reliable indicator of future breast disease. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[63] | Trackbacks [0] 17 Mar 2006   01:22:04 pm Towards Early Detection Of Breast Cancer Detecting small amounts of proteins in the blood is very important in the diagnosis of many diseases including breast cancer. Now researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have developed a revolutionary new technique for detecting small amounts of proteins in the blood. This technique is expected to improve accuracy of many tests including blood tests aimed at early detection of breast cancer. This technique may also help in the detection of other diseases such as, Alzheimer's disease, prion diseases, and possibly psychiatric diseases, since protein detection using this technique relatively easy and more accurate compared with the current methodology, including the widely used ELISA (enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay). The new method is called FACTT, short for Florescent Amplification Catalyzed by T7-polymerase Technique. This technique is 100,000 times more sensitive than the commonly used ELISA. "The current ELISA tests can only detect proteins when they are in high abundance," says Zhang. "But the problem is that many of the functional proteins - those that have a role in determining your health - exist in very low amounts until diseases are apparent and cannot be detected or measured at early stages of medical pathology. It was important to develop a technique that can detect these rare molecules to detect abnormalities at an early stage." Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[52] | Trackbacks [0] 16 Mar 2006   01:37:58 pm Ginseng May Improve Breast Cancer Outcome Researchers from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center have found that Ginseng, one of the most widely used herbs in traditional Chinese medicine, may improve survival and quality of life after a diagnosis of breast cancer. These findings come from a recent epidemiological study, led by Xiao-Ou Shu, M.D., Ph.D., and is published online in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Ginseng is a slow-growing perennial herb whose roots have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years. The two main classes of ginseng - red and white - have different biological effects, according to traditional Chinese medicine theory. White, or unprocessed, ginseng is used over long periods to promote general health, vitality and longevity. Red, or processed, ginseng provides a much stronger effect and is used for short periods to aid in disease recovery. Both varieties of ginseng contain more than 30 chemicals, called ginsenosides, which have anti-tumor effects in cell culture and animal studies, suggesting that the herbs may provide specific benefits to cancer patients. In fact, ginseng use has been increasing among cancer patients in recent years, particularly in women diagnosed with breast cancer. Shu and colleagues found that before diagnosis, about a quarter of patients (27.4 percent) reported using ginseng regularly. After diagnosis, that percentage jumped to 62.8 percent, the researchers found. They also found significant improvements in both survival and quality of life measures in patients who used ginseng. "When patients used ginseng prior to diagnosis, they tended to have higher survival," Shu explained. "Ginseng use after cancer diagnosis was related to improved quality of life." Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[24] | Trackbacks [0] 13 Mar 2006   12:45:32 pm Grape Juice May Inhibit Breast Tumors A recent study has indicated that Concord grape juice may inhibit the formation of breast tumors in laboratory rats while also reducing the amount of DNA damage to mammary glands. This new study appears in the latest issue of Cancer Letters. Investigators looked at the early stage of cancer development and observed that consuming Concord grape juice would suppress the growth of breast tumors in laboratory mice. They also found that Concord grape juice reduced damage to the DNA of the mammary gland. The study was led by Keith Singletary, Ph.D., Professor of Nutrition, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois. He says that in a related previous study, they saw a similar effect in what they call the promotion stage, which is a later stage of cancer development. Singletary claims that taken together, these results are very interesting merit additional study. Concord grape juice contains various Active ingredients including phytochemicals. These can block the initiation stage of tumor formation. Cancer develops over an extended period of time in at least two stages - initiation and promotion. The initiation, or early stage of cancer, may occur when there is damage to a cell's DNA resulting from a variety of factors including the exposure to carcinogens or to oxygen free radical species. The promotion stage occurs when these "initiated" cells are then stimulated to reproduce faster than surrounding normal cells. When this study results are combined with the previous one, which showed effect on the later stage of cancer development, Concord grape juice appears to have significant suppressive effect on both stages of cancer development. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[63] | Trackbacks [0] 10 Mar 2006   01:25:08 pm How Landmines Are Related to Breast Cancer? You might be wondering what in world landmines have to do with breast cancer. I am going to tell you today how the technique of landmine detection could be used in breast cancer detection. This is a radical new idea to screen for breast cancer and uses microwave radar technology to detect early breast cancer. Researchers are hoping that this would save thousands of lives. It's all happening in UK. Bristol-based Micrima Ltd, a spin-out from Bristol University, has received a £150,000 investment from NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) to help the company develop this innovative technology. This is part of a funding round worth £475,000 with co-investment from private investors and Sulis, the University Challenge Fund managed by Quester. As you all know, at this mammography remains the main screening technique for breast cancer worldwide. Each year 1.5 million women are screened for breast cancer in the UK. Mammography is best suitable for women over 50 when breast tissue is less fibrous. The new method involves no radiation but instead uses a radar technology and is suitable for screening younger women. This new technique absolutely has no health risks. Micrima's microwave radar technology is poised to revolutionize breast screening as it can offer a quick method of imaging which may help avoid unnecessary and expensive biopsies. The company's innovative technology was originally developed for detecting buried landmines. The similarities between mine detection and breast screening are striking. Both involve the discovery of a discrete object whose electrical properties are different from the surrounding medium. At microwave frequencies, tumors contrast well with normal breast tissue. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[31] | Trackbacks [0] 07 Mar 2006   01:18:51 pm Breast Cancer Fundraiser At Muskoka Resort The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation is hosting a fundraiser to raise awareness and funds for the Research and Treatment of Breast Cancer. Severn Lodge has been officially chosen as the location for the event, which is called "Getaway for the Cure". This event would provide participants with the unique opportunity to have a fun-filled weekend at one of Ontario's upscale premier waterfront resorts while helping Fight against Breast Cancer. The "Getaway for the Cure" weekend has been scheduled for June 2nd to 4th, 2006, and has a number of renowned guest speakers who are involved in Cancer Research and care. This weekend is expected to have a mix of breast cancer awareness programs and a chance for supporters to have some fun. This is the second annual Cure Weekend for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and would consist of a series of fundraisers and activities including raffles, company donations, and Breast Cancer Bracelets. In addition, a portion of each reservation package goes towards the Fight against Breast Cancer. Festivities include a Muskoka beach party, nightly entertainment, spa sessions, wine tasting, boat cruises, sea plane rides, hand writing analysis, belly dancing, horseback riding, and hiking. Renowned guest speakers Bryan Farnum and Dr. Alvin Pettle will be making presentations at the event. Severn Lodge is one of the few remaining classic Muskoka Resorts in Ontario. The lodge has all the modern conveniences and upscale accommodations that the wealthy enjoy during the summer months, while still maintaining the ambiance and history of Muskoka. For more information: Visit www.severnlodge.on.ca Or call 1 800 461 5817 There are a variety of packages available starting at $299 per person, including two nights accommodation with two breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners. Attendees are asked to each sell a minimum of $100 in raffle tickets and $20 in Pink Cancer Bracelets to help generate Funding for Breast Cancer Research. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[23] | Trackbacks [0] 06 Mar 2006   12:59:39 pm Revolutionary Blood Test To Detects Breast Cancer Biomarker Technologies has announced the launch of a new clinical trial to evaluate a revolutionary blood test that may change the way we detect breast cancer. In previous clinical trials this test was shown to be very effective in detecting breast cancer. It's accuracy in detecting breast cancer was shown to be significantly higher than that of mammograms. This new method of breast cancer detection is based on evaluation of blood for various cancer related biomarkers. These biomarkers are specific proteins having concentrations that are measurably different in patients with breast cancer. The BT Test is a first-of-its-kind blood diagnostic that detects the presence of breast cancer at the molecular level. Researchers are planning to enroll 430 women referred for biopsy and 125 women referred for other types of cancer, and 300 healthy subjects into the study. Investigators expect that be study will be completed in four months. Collection of blood samples is expected to begin during the early part of March 2006. "This clinical study will move the BT Test forward in its FDA approval as first a supplementary and then a stand-alone screening tool for early breast cancer detection," said William Gartner, CEO and President of Biomarker Technologies. "With fewer false negative and false positive diagnoses, this cost-effective blood test may not only offer vastly superior early-detection capabilities in routine examinations, but may also help patients avoid unnecessary needle biopsies." Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[21] | Trackbacks [0] 01 Mar 2006   01:36:11 pm Antiperspirant Breast Cancer Connection Photo: antiperspirants containing aluminum (courtesy of Northwest Kidney Centers) Does regular use of antiperspirants increase your risk of developing breast cancer? The claim that antiperspirant may cause breast cancer have been in circulation in the Internet and popular press for some time, despite the fact that there are no good clinical trial data to substantiate this claim. Now to fuel this argument a new study has suggested that, chemicals contained in antiperspirants could break through the skin and mimic estrogen. Since estrogen has a central role in the causation of breast cancer this new finding may suggest a new link between use of antiperspirants and breast cancer. Doctors and researchers are urging to have more research before a definite conclusion is drawn on this issue. It is worth noting that one of the best studies addressing this issue, which was published in 2002, found no link between antiperspirant or deodorant use and breast cancer risk. In this study researchers compared antiperspirant usage patterns among roughly 800 breast cancer patients and a similar number of women without the disease. These researchers found no link between antiperspirant use and cancer and believe that this matter should be closed. Not all researchers agree this matter should be closed. Dr Philippa Darbre, from the University of Reading, calls for further study to evaluate whether antiperspirants could increase the risk of breast cancer. She says that antiperspirants are a major source of human exposure to aluminum. These products are often sprayed into the armpits concentrating exposure near to the breast. Dr Darbre said there is evidence that accumulation of aluminum and cadmium may also be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. Now with new finding that antiperspirants may act like estrogen, more research should be performed to exclude the link between antiperspirants and breast cancer. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[24] | Trackbacks [0] 28 Feb 2006   01:49:19 pm Sheryl Crow Undergoes Breast Cancer Surgery The famous rocker Sheryl Crow has recently undergone surgery for breast cancer as per reports published on her web site. The report says Sheryl Crow had "minimally invasive" surgery for breast cancer and would now proceed to have radiation therapy, Sheryl Crow who is now 44 years old is no stranger to cancer. Her ex-fiance, Lance Armstrong had survived testicular cancer and her good friend Melissa Etheridge had survived breast cancer. Sheryl Crow has worked for the cause of breast cancer before and had participated in performances to benefit breast cancer fight. Several celebrities have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Melissa Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2004 at the age of 43. I have written previously about Melissa Etheridge and how she courageously appeared at the Grammys after chemotherapy, showing off her baldhead. Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer at age of 36. Singer Anastacia was diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age of 29 and is now lobbying for insurance companies to pay for mammograms in younger women. Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 44. She had a radical modified mastectomy and has been cancer-free for 14 years. Even though it is sad that many celebrities are getting diagnosed with breast cancer, there is a good side to this. Simon Chapman who is a professor University of Sydney calls this benefit 'Kylie effect' in a recent Medical Journal of Australia. Celebrity diagnosis of breast cancer has led to increased awareness of breast cancer. Many more women are coming forward to have mammograms because of this increased awareness of the disease caused by celebrity diagnosis of breast cancer. Crow has early stage breast cancer and is probably cured with surgery. Her prognosis is excellent, according to her announcement. "I am inspired by the brave women who have faced this battle before me and grateful for the support of family and friends," she said. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[49] | Trackbacks [0] 27 Feb 2006   01:24:02 pm Obesity And Estrogen Related To Breast Cancer Obesity and estrogen breakdown products may play a significant role in the development of breast cancer, among those women who never used hormone therapy, as per findings published in the International Journal of Cancer. Dr. Francesmary Modugno, of the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues, studied the effects of obesity and say "Hormone therapy and body mass index (BMI) have been associated with postmenopausal breast cancer..... Because estrogen metabolism may affect breast cancer risk and can be altered by weight and hormone therapy, it might play a role in the hormone therapy-BMI-breast cancer associations." These researchers reached this conclusion after analyzing data from women enrolled in the Observational Study of the Women's Health Initiative. They compared levels of two estrogen metabolic products, in 200 women who developed breast cancer and in 200 women who did not. The researchers found that in women who used hormone therapy, there was a modest but significant increase in breakdown products of estrogen. In this group of women, there was no association among BMI, estrogen metabolism and breast cancer risk. On the other hand in the group of women who did not use hormone therapy greater BMI and higher levels of estrogen breakdown products were individually and jointly associated with increased cancer risk. The study showed that women with high BMI and high estrogen breakdown products had 3.5-times more likely to develop breast cancer compared to their counterparts. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[51] | Trackbacks [0] 22 Feb 2006   01:32:35 pm Green Tea May Reduce Breast Cancer A new met-analysis shows that drinking five cups of green tea a day may reduce your risk of developing breast cancer by 22 per cent. This meta-analysis used the same data that was used for analysis by the FDA. The FDA has concluded that there is very little science to support the claims that green tea decreases the risk of cancer. Various previous epidemiological and laboratory studies have linked green tea to reduced risks of breast, lung, prostate and ovarian cancer. As a result of these studies, sales for green tea have been steadily increasing in Europe and US. Tea contains a compound called polyphenol, which is claimed to offer protection from cancer. While green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, black tea contains only 3 to10 per cent polyphenols. This meat-analysis is, published in the current issue of on-line journal Carcinogenesis. The study draws its conclusion for green tea from three cohort and one population-based study for green tea, while five cohort and eight case-control studies were analyzed for a link between black tea and breast cancer. The researchers say that green tea users had approximately 20 per cent statistically significant reduction in risk of breast cancer. There was no such protective effect detected with black tea. Indeed, the results were contradictory: the cohort studies showed a small increased risk of breast cancer, while the case-control studies showed a small decreased risk. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[41] | Trackbacks [0] 17 Feb 2006   12:04:49 pm COX-2 Inhibitors May Cut Breast Cancer Risk Those who use the popular painkillers belonging to the group of COX-2 inhibitors and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) regularly may derive substantial benefit in terms of breast cancer protection from the therapy, as per the research report published in the journal BMC Cancer. Popular COX-2 inhibitors include Celebrex and Vioxx. Vioxx have been recently removed from the market due to the concerns of increased risk of heart attack associated with this drug. The Lead researcher, Dr. Randall Harris and colleagues from the Ohio State College of Medicine and Public Health in Columbus studied 323 breast cancer patients and 649 cancer-free controls to come to this conclusion. They observed a 71 percent reduction in the risk of breast cancer with the use of selective COX-2 inhibitors, such as Celebrex and Vioxx, for 2 years or more. Benefits were also observed for those who use ibuprofen and regular full dose (325 mg) of aspirin, but the amount of benefit was less compared to use of COX-2 inhibitors. There were no significant benefits observed with the use of acetaminophen, which has negligible COX-2 activity, or with low-dose (81 mg) aspirin. Dr. Harris, says that this leads stronger evidence for the theory that COX-2 overexpression may lead to breast cancer and opens up potential avenues for chemoprevention and possibly therapy with selective COX-2 blocking agents. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[61] | Trackbacks [0] 15 Feb 2006   11:54:53 am New 3-D Breast Scanner To Replace Mammography Photo: Martin Tornai, Ph.D., associate professor of radiology and biomedical engineering at Duke University Medical Center with the 3-D breast scanner (photo credit Duke University Medical Center). Researchers at Duke University have created a new type of breast scanner that will dramatically improve their ability to visualize small tumors while also reducing radiation exposure to one-tenth that of normal mammograms. This may also provide relief from the often-painful experience of breast compression that is involved in the traditional mammograms. These new scanner uses computed tomography (CT), which is the same technique used in obtaining a CT scan of the chest, but with a unique variation: it provides a three-dimensional image of the breast. The new scanner is capable of rotating around the breast to obtain a complete image of the breast, from the nipple to the chest wall. On the other hand, traditional mammograms provide only a two-dimensional image and they compress the breast, thereby distorting the image and causing discomfort for many women. The Duke researchers have successfully demonstrated their new CT scanner can detect lesions as small as 5 mm in artificial breast models and in cadavers. Current threshold of detection of soft tissue tumors in mammograms are estimated to be around 1 cm, which is about the size of a marble. However mammogram can detect far smaller micro-calcifications, which could be indicators of disease. The Duke scientists expect that this scanner would be ready for use within two years and is in the process of developing a start-up company to commercialize the device. Traditional mammography fails to detect some tumors because it is two-dimensional and thus projects a flattened image of the breast. The compression and two-dimensional image cause overlapped tissues to obscure some tumors. With 3-D imaging, the breast is fully depicted and the contrast between normal and cancerous tissues would be more apparent. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[50] | Trackbacks [0] 14 Feb 2006   01:30:43 pm Basal-like breast cancers (BLC) Image credit Universe-review Have you ever heard of basal-like breast cancers? Honestly I have never heard of this sub-type of breast cancer till today. Apparently it makes about 15% of sporadic breast cancers. The term sporadic breast cancer is used for those breast cancers that develop without any prior history gene mutations like BRCA1 or BRCA2. Sporadic breast cancers differ from breast cancers associate with genetic mutations. BRCA related breast cancers generally do not express the estrogen receptor and do not overproduce HER2 protein. Basal-like breast cancers behave in this fashion like BRCA1 related breast cancers and generally do not express the estrogen receptor and do not overproduce HER2 protein. Basal-like breast cancer is considered to be an aggressive form of breast cancer. As per reports from a newly published study, abnormalities of X chromosome contribute to the development of both BRCA1 related breast cancer and normal BLC. Researchers had previously shown that loss of the inactive X chromosome (Xi) occurs in BRCA1 mutation-carrying breast cancers. Now researchers have found that, like BRCA1-associated cancers, most sporadic BLC have consistently lost the Xi and displayed a higher than normal number of apparently active X chromosomes. These tumors also showed increased expression of a small, but specific, subset of X chromosomal genes. Interestingly, since all sporadic BLC analyzed displayed normal BRCA1 genes and gene expression, it was hypothesized that BLC have acquired defects in genes other than BRCA1 that contribute to some of the same cellular pathways as those that are defective in BRCA1-associated cancers. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[38] | Trackbacks [0] 13 Feb 2006   12:54:11 pm Why More Women Develop Breast Cancer In The Spring Scientists have observed that woman generally tend to have diagnosis of breast cancer in spring and summer months compared rest of the year. They believe that this is due to the fact that women are more aware of their body in these months due to skimpier clothes in the warmer weather. This would make them more aware of their body and in turn they examined themselves more often. Researchers in Manchester combed through the records of 9,500 women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer in the North-West since 2001. They evaluated the date of diagnosis of these women. These researchers were surprised to find that rates of breast cancer detection soared by about 25 per cent between April and July. It is to be noted that these women's cancers were not detected through the National Screening Programme which involves screening mammogram for those women who are aged more than 50 but were younger women who had gone to their general practitioner because of their own concerns about breast cancer. This interesting study was lead by Professor Gareth Evans who is an oncologist and consultant in medical genetics at both Christie Hospital-and St Mary's Hospital in Manchester. Source: Daily Mail; London (UK) Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[48] | Trackbacks [0] 10 Feb 2006   12:40:14 pm Biopsy is Still Best Despite development of several techniques, biopsies remains the best technique to determine if a woman has breast cancer after she has had an abnormal mammogram or physical examination, as per findings from a new research. Four other alternate methods, namely ultrasound, MRI, PET scan and scintimammography are just not ready to replace the gold standard of biopsy. Dr. Jay Brooks, from the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in Baton Rouge, La., says: "If there's a suspicious area in the breast, it should always be biopsied to rule out that it is not cancer. These other tests can give you reassurance, but if there is a high clinical suspicion that there could be cancer in the breast, no non-invasive test should ever dissuade the individual from having a biopsy." This superior results associated with biopsy in comparison with the four previously mentioned techniques were released by AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program. The procedure of biopsy involves removal of a sample tissue from the suspected area of the breast. This sample is analyzed under the microscope for evidence of cancer cells. Other prognostic factors like hormone dependency of the tumor and her2 gene expression are also determined at the time of laboratory evaluation. Statistics show that only about 20 percent of women undergoing biopsies actually have breast cancer. AHRQ's came to this conclusion after analyzing 81 existing studies and the authors concluded that, these newer techniques tests weren't as effective as a biopsy. These noninvasive tests would missed about 4 percent to 9 percent of cancer cases in women at an average risk for breast cancer, and probably more among women who are at a higher risk for the disease. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[245] | Trackbacks [0] 08 Feb 2006   01:08:25 pm Low-fat Diet Is Not The Solution For Breast Cancer A large study that included 48,835 women followed over 8 years indicates that a diet low in fat, but high in fruit, vegetables and grains, does not significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. These research findings are published, in the latest issue of JAMA. Researchers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Ross L. Prentice, Ph.D., and colleagues examined the effect of a low-fat diet on the incidence of breast cancer over a period of eight years. This study included a dietary modifications consisting of consumption of a reduced amount of fat and of an increased amount of vegetables and fruits and grains. These women, who were aged 50 to 79 years, were randomly assigned to the dietary modification intervention group or the comparison group, who were not asked to make dietary modifications. These women were followed up for a period of eight years. Overall, 35 percent of women in the intervention group and 3.66 percent women in the comparison group developed invasive breast cancer during follow-up period. Researchers conclude that among postmenopausal women, a low-fat dietary pattern did not result in a statistically significant reduction in invasive breast cancer risk over a period of an 8-years after starting dietary modification. However, this is not the end of argument regarding diet and breast cancer risk. Cancer specialists argue that these women may have started this low-fat diet too late in their life to derive any benefit. Average age of patients participated in the study was 62 years. The researchers also point out that these women did not reduce the intake of fat as much as the diet demanded. Most of these women remained overweight during the course of the study, a major risk factor for cancer and heart problems.. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[51] | Trackbacks [0] 07 Feb 2006   03:18:35 am Proteins That Work With Estrogen To Promote Breast Cancer Some new proteins may work in partnership with estrogen to promote breast cancer. Researchers have identified a group of proteins that may work in partnership with estrogen to increase the risk of breast cancer. One such protein known as c-MYC is known to be associated with increased risk of cancer. However this is the first time a protein is the shown to interact with estrogen to increase the risk of breast cancer. The study was conducted by researchers from Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. They are trying to answer the puzzling question of how estrogen can turn on some genes and turn off others during cancer progression. Researchers, Ramana V. Davuluri and colleagues have found that estrogen may interact with seven different partner proteins to increase the risk of breast cancer. These new findings could lead to development of potential new drug targets and may now open the doors for new tests to identify breast-cancer patients with tumors that are likely to become resistant to hormonal therapies such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors. This new research is published in the recent issue of the journal Molecular Cell. This study stands out of the crowd, because of the fact that the study used microarray technology and mathematical modeling to predict which cell proteins work with estrogen to contribute to breast cancer development, and then used more traditional experimental biology to verify one of the predictions. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[42] | Trackbacks [0] 30 Jan 2006   01:37:21 pm COX-2 Inhibitors Decrease Risk Of Breast Cancer Use of selective COX-2 inhibitors on a regular basis may decrease your risk of developing breast cancer as per new research findings. Researchers say that regular use of COX-2 inhibitors like celecoxib (Celebrex) and rofecoxib (Vioxx) may reduce the risk of development of breast cancer by a71 percent. The COX-2 inhibitors are a group of drugs which has activity in blocking the enzyme COX-2, which is an enzyme involved in the inflammation pathway. Many common drugs like aspirin, and ibuprofen has the capacity to block COX-2. Selective COX-2 inhibitors are a newer group of drugs, which can selectively inhibit COX-2 enzyme, while sparing COX-1 enzyme, thereby reducing gastrointestinal toxicity. Examples of selective COX-2 enzymes include celecoxib (Celebrex) and rofecoxib (Vioxx). This new research finding regarding risk reduction associated with the regular use of selective COX-2 inhibitors is published in the journal BMC Cancer. Researchers also found that non-selective COX-2 inhibitors, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, also reduced the risk of breast cancer. This research comes from Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, Columbus, Ohio. Researchers Randall Harris and colleagues, collected data on 323 breast cancer patients with invasive breast cancer shortly after their diagnosis. They matched the patients for age, race and county of residence with 649 control individuals with no personal history of cancer. Harris et al.'s results show that selective COX-2 inhibitors, as a group, were associated with a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer when taken daily for at least two years: a daily dose of 200 mg celecoxib reduced the risk of breast cancer by 83% and a daily dose of 25 mg rofecoxib reduced the risk of breast cancer by 64%. Readers should be aware that rofecoxib (Vioxx) has been recently withdrawn from the US market due to increase risk of cardiac diseases associated with this drug. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[24] | Trackbacks [0] 19 Jan 2006   01:28:48 pm Who Uses The Online Breast Cancer Support Groups? You might be familiar with our breast cancer support group located at this site. I am mentioning about this because of some interesting research done in this field and I was reading about it this morning. Researchers in a new study are examining, who is more likely to make full use of online support groups. Their findings are a bit surprising in the fact that, contrary to traditional wisdom, age, income and educational level did not matter when it came to utilization of online support forum. This study was conducted by researchers at the Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research from University of Wisconsin-Madison. The study found that a significant number of women with diagnosis of breast cancer are indeed participating in such online forums and support groups and their numbers are fast growing. This new research reveals the characteristics profiles of women who are more likely to get involved in such support forums if barriers to computers and Internet access are removed. In this study 144 women who were recently diagnosed with breast cancer were provided free computer hardware, Internet access and training in how to use an online health education and support system, which they were able to use for six months. The researchers then examined who was most likely to use the online support groups. Socioeconomic status of the study participant generally did not have much effect on participation of the online support. Women who were more active in these forums tend to have higher energy levels, more positive physician-patient relationship, and fewer concerns about breast cancer recurrence. They also had a higher perception of support from their family. The study showed minorities are not fully utilizing the benefits of the breast cancer support forums that are available on the Internet. Women frequently wrote about their disease and expressed their inner fears in these online forums. They expressed concerns that breast cancer might cut short their time to enjoy family and be around for important milestones as their children are growing older. This closer tie with family was apparent in psychological make of the woman who has breast cancer. Closer a woman felt to her family or larger social network, the more she feared her potential separation from them as a result of breast cancer. Our breast cancer support group is located at the following page Breast cancer support group Image credit: Lung transplant association Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[62] | Trackbacks [0] 18 Jan 2006   02:53:30 am Adding Confusion To The Soy Breast Cancer Link Please read this post before you read the current post. Postmenopausal women, who have relatively high levels of estrogen in their body might get help from eating a diet rich in soy. Soy contains, natural plant estrogens or isoflavones, and this may help protect postmenopausal women from developing breast cancer, as per reports from a new study. Postmenopausal women who have relatively low levels of estrogen may not derive the same benefit from eating soy compared to women who have relatively high levels of estrogen in the body, but the researchers are saying that, soy may provide vitamins and other nutrients and soy is not harmful for breast cancer. Charles E. Wood, an instructor of pathology at Wake Forest University who is one of the investigators of this study say that, isoflvones could block the adverse effects of estrogen on the breast tissue and this can lead to a decreased risk of breast cancer. There is an ongoing debate about the risks and benefits of soy in the scientific community and this study just adds fuel to the current controversy and debate. Wood say that there is a lot of confusing information out there some citing an increased risk of breast cancer with the consumption of soy. Wood say that most population studies have found that women who consume lots of soy are less likely to develop breast cancer, however, isoflavones from soy, which have a structure similar to estrogen, have been found to stimulate breast cancer cells grown in the laboratory. My comments: I am now totally confused. Is soy helpful or harmful? Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[68] | Trackbacks [0] 16 Jan 2006   01:17:58 pm Those Extra Pounds Cause Poor Outcome In Breast Cancer Those extra pounds on your body may work against you in many ways including the outcome in breast cancer. Previous studies have shown that there is a relationship between overweight and increased risk of dying from breast cancer. Now a new study from China shows, women who are overweight have a poorer outcome in breast cancer compared to those women who have a more lean body structure. The authors of the study say that prevention of overweight is a priority for general population as well as for those have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The research team includes Dr Xiao-Ou Shu from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and his colleagues from the US and China. They reported these findings in the current issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. This large study included 1,455 Chinese women who were followed for roughly five years after being diagnosed with breast cancer. While most women were still alive after five years, those who were overweight at the time of diagnosis or soon afterward had a poorer survival rate. At the time of reporting 80 percent of overweight women were still alive, and this compares with 6.5 percent survival among the leanest women and 84 percent survival among those who were slightly heavier but still in the normal weight range. Shu said, in general, moderate exercise and a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains are key to improved survival. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[12] | Trackbacks [0] 13 Jan 2006   01:15:53 pm Kylie Minogue Now Free Of Cancer Doctors say that Kylie Minogue has completed her chemotherapy and at this time has no evidence of cancer in her body, as per reports from a British newspaper Sun. Kylie was exhaustively examined by doctors in Paris at the end of her six month course of chemotherapy and was given this cancer free certificate. However, Minogue has to start a course of daily radiation treatment to prevent the recurrence of the breast cancer. Paris is the home to her partner Olivier Martinez, who is a French actor. Kylie has elected to have chemotherapy treatment in Paris after having a partial mastectomy in Melbourne, Australia in last May. Minogue has now returned to Australia to celebrate her newly found freedom from breast cancer. "She is thrilled and relieved. It's been a tough few months and there have been times when she felt very weak and very down," as per the Sun newspaper. "For the past couple of months she has been feeling very positive and healthy. She has put a bit of weight on and has been feeling confident about the future", the paper adds. As per the repots from Sun, Kylie Minogue had her last course of chemotherapy on December 18 and received final test results last Friday, which showed no evidence of residual cancer. Minogue, who is Australia's biggest pop star, is now living in London and is selling an estimated 40 million records worldwide. Read also this related post Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[45] | Trackbacks [0] 04 Jan 2006   01:22:37 pm Statins Have No Breast Cancer Protective Effect It was widely believed by the scientific community until now that the popular group of cholesterol lowering drugs called statins, have a protective effect against cancer. Previous studies have shown that these drugs may protect you from various cancers including breast cancer. Now this belief is being shattered by the publication of two large studies which showed no cancer protective effect for this popular group cholesterol lowering drugs. It's interesting to note that Sherin has posted another study with the same negative findings in October 2005. This study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine studied 79,000 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study. This study suggested that the beneficial effect of statins on breast cancer observed in experimental studies may not be applicable to humans. Now two more studies have shown that statins offer no protective effect against developing or dying from cancer. A new meta-analysis of 26 studies involving 87,000 patients has concluded that statins do not lower the risk of developing cancer or dying from cancer. Statins had absolutely no impact on cancer as per the article published in Journal of the American Medical Association. In another study organized by the American Cancer Society, researchers, reviewed data on more than 130,000 patients from the United States and found that statins have no effect on colon cancer. The findings from this team of researchers are published in the latest issue of Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Category : General | Posted By : Janet | Comments[16] | Trackbacks [0] 04 Jan 2006   01:03:57 am BRCA1 mutation? Drink Coffee! Recently I was seeing many benefits associated with coffee in the recent medical news releases. I have recently read about the benefits of coffee in prevention of colon cancer. I was reading this news about benefits of coffee in prevention of breast cancer today. This new research by Dr. Steven A. Narod, of the University of Toronto, Ontario showed that women who have BRCA1 gene mutations might benefit from drinking coffee with respect to the risk of development of breast cancer. These researchers studied 1690 high-risk women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations from 40 clinical centers in four countries. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the average lifetime coffee consumption. Women with BRCA mutations who drank 1 to 3 cups of coffee daily had 10 percent reduction in the risk of breast cancer, women how drank 4 to 5 cups of coffee had 25 percent reduction in breast cancer and those women who drank 6 or more cups of coffee had a high 69 percent reduction in the risk of breast cancer. Amazing to think about it, right? Another surprising finding evolved from the research. They found that the protective effect of coffee was mainly limited to BRCA1 gene mutation carriers and most of the BRCA2 gene mutation carriers did not have significant benefit from drinking coffee. Investigators say that coffee is an important source of phytoestrogens, which may have protective effects against cancer. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[15] | Trackbacks [1] 23 Dec 2005   05:02:37 am Breast Cancer in Lower Inner Quadrant Does it really matter which part of the breast you develop cancer? Researchers say yes. Researchers from Switzerland recently reported that women with early breast cancer in the lower inner quadrant (the lower part of the breast, closer to the center of the body) are twice as likely to die of their cancer as women with cancer diagnosed in other parts of the breast. Researchers speculate this could be due to undetected spread of the cancer to the lymph nodes of the internal mammary chain (lymph nodes near the center of the chest). These lymph nodes are difficult to be evaluated for the presence of cancer. These researchers analyzed information about 1411 women with stage I breast cancer diagnosed between 1986 and 2002. In addition to tumor location, researchers collected information about patient age, tumor size, and whether or not the woman received chemotherapy. By 10 years after diagnosis, 93% of the women were still alive. Women whose tumors were located in the lower inner quadrant of the breast had twice the mortality rate (11%) of women whose tumors were located in other parts of the breast. The risk of death among women with tumors in the lower inner quadrant of the breast remained significantly higher, even among those who underwent chemotherapy. The researchers suggest that the higher risk of death among women with tumors in the lower inner quadrant of the breast may be due to mistaken lower staging (underestimation of the extent of the cancer), leading to under-treatment. They recommend that women with tumors in the lower inner quadrant of the breast undergo sampling of the lymph nodes of the internal mammary chain. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[66] | Trackbacks [4] 19 Dec 2005   01:04:18 pm Unacceptable Wait For Breast Cancer Treatment I was reading this disturbing report from Scotland this morning. It says that most women with breast cancer have to wait inline for treatment and sometimes the wait may be up to nine months. Facts and figurers published today show the full extent of the problem facing Scottish women. The longest delay was at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where a woman referred for urgent care by her GP waited 276 days or nearly 40 weeks before treatment. At three other hospitals, patients waited for four months or more for starting treatment. Charity Breast cancer organizations are expressing concern regarding this huge delay in starting breast cancer treatment. Lorraine Dallas, head of the charity Breast Cancer Care Scotland, said: "These apparently huge variations in the time that patients with urgent referrals are being forced to wait for treatment in Scotland are simply unacceptable. The article does not give details to know that these patients had early stage breast cancer or metastatic breast cancer. While a delay of nine months of treatment for metastatic breast cancer could be criminal, a delay of nine months treatment in early stage breast cancer could be nothing less than gross neglect. Early stage breast cancer patients should be started on adjuvant treatment within one to two months of completing surgery. While socialized medicine has its benefits, it brings with it long and sometimes unacceptably prolonged waiting for essential medical treatment. The Scotland government has to wake up from slumber and act to lessen the miseries of these unfortunate women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[27] | Trackbacks [0] 15 Dec 2005   01:04:12 pm Diary Products Prevent Breast Cancer Consumption of low-fat dairy products may reduce the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, as per a new study by the American Cancer Society study, which is published in the latest issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention. Researchers reviewed data from more than 68,000 women to come to this conclusion. The found that those who consumed at least two servings of mostly low-fat dairy products a day had up to a 20 percent less risk of postmenopausal breast cancer than women who ate the least amount of dairy products. "Our findings suggest that dairy products, composed mainly of low-fat sources, or some component within these foods are associated with a small but significantly lower risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women," study leader Marji McCullough, a senior epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society, said in a prepared statement. "Work is still needed to more clearly identify what may be the responsible factors. And while we controlled to the best of our ability for other possible explanations, it's certainly possible women who consume low-fat dairy products have other health-related behaviors that could also lower the risk," McCullough said. She also cautioned women to be careful about how they interpret the study's findings. "It is important to keep in mind that some dairy products, like whole milk and many types of cheese, have a lot of saturated fat, which we know can increase the risk of heart disease and possibly other cancers. Also, many diary products have growth factors such as insulin-like growth factor I, which have been shown to promote breast cancer cell growth," McCullough said. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[26] | Trackbacks [0] 09 Dec 2005   10:34:20 pm Your Life or Your Baby? Which one is more important, your own life or life of unborn baby? It's a difficult question and different women may view it differently. It may be an ethical dilemma for many mothers when it comes to a choice between your life and the unborn baby's life. I was wondering when does the bonding with the baby occur? Is it at the time of conception or more closer to the birth of the baby? I don't know the answer to this question. I was thinking all about these when I was reading a remarkable piece of news form Britain. A British-based Filipina mother who found out she had cancer after becoming pregnant sacrificed her life for her unborn baby by refusing an abortion and chemotherapy as per reports. Bernadette Mimura - known as Milai - sacrificed her own precious life avoiding the potentially life-saving treatment for breast cancer because doctors told her it would kill the child. The 37-year-old, who lived near Stockton-on-Tees, northeast England, with her British partner, Adam Taylor, survived long enough to see the birth of their son, Nathan. But soon after seeing him baptised, she was transferred to a hospice and died about a week later. Priest Alan Sheridan, who performed the baptism, told, "Bernadette said the most important thing was the birth of her baby and she would not do anything to harm him". Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[64] | Trackbacks [0] 09 Dec 2005   09:48:42 pm Mobile Phone To Screen Breast Cancer What about using your own mobile phone, instead of the painful mammogram and expensive MRI to screen for your breast cancer. May be it sounds like science fiction, but may not be any more...... A researcher from Israel has developed a technology, using which you can turn your mobile phone to a breast cancer detection tool. This is done by simply installing a new software and adding an inexpensive infrared camera. The developer of this new technique says that this is highly effective technique to detect breast tumors, and claim that this is much superior to the routine self-breast examination women usually perform monthly. The image obtained from the breast scan can be immediately transferred to a medical facility, where it can be analyzed for presence of abnormalities. The infrared cameras used for this technique uses two techniques, one is to compare the temperature of the breast tissue at different parts of the breast and the other is to analyze the oxygen flow to different areas of the breast. Israeli mobile phone company, Cellcom, is currently working to integrate the infrared sensor technology into the cameras currently built into many mobile handsets. An Israeli psychologist has reportedly developed a radical new technology which would enable an ordinary mobile phone to diagnose breast cancer and various type of heart disease. I agree that it is far away for this technology to replace the routine mammograms, but judging by the pace at which technology is growing, it won't be too much time before this or a similar convenient technology would replace the painful mammogram. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[31] | Trackbacks [5] 08 Dec 2005   01:15:21 pm Watch Out For Other Cancers And Leukemia It is unusually cold here for the time of the year. December has only just started, and it has been snowing heavily as if to put the whole year's worth of snow in one week. Lying in my bed I can hear the sound of wind blowing outside. The temperature outside is 10 below with the wind-chill. They say we have a crazy weather because it could be warm on one day, but can transform to below zero within the matter of hours. It's one thing for the temperature to change gradually, but when it changes so rapidly it is difficult to get adjusted. If I have a choice I would like to I like to hibernate when it is cold like that, but then I may have to wait until the weekend. As I was taking my breakfast this morning, thinking about the topic for today, this news item about increased risk of other cancers in women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer came to my attention. It is not a surprising finding, given the fact that these women are subjected to the double torments of chemotherapy and radiation. Also it is possible that these women are genetically susceptible to other cancers in addition to breast cancer. Women who are carriers of BRCA mutations have increased risk of a host of other cancers including ovarian cancer. As I have written in one of my previous blogs, one in about 500 women who received chemotherapy for breast cancer may develop leukemia. The study I am talking about is a huge Danish study, involving 525,527 patients with breast cancer in 13 cancer registries in Europe, Canada, Australia and Singapore. This study found an almost 6-fold increase in the risk of developing cancers of the connective tissue of the thorax and upper limbs, suggesting toxic effects from past radiation. Incidence of leukemia was higher, and so was the risk of endometrial cancer. While it is known that tamoxifen increases risk of endometrial cancer, the current study suggests that the increased incidence may not be entirely related to tamoxifen, because this risk was high even before 1975, when tamoxifen was rarely used. Colorectal, kidney and postmenopausal breast cancer appear to share obesity as a risk factor, while ovarian cancer and breast cancer seem to have a genetic predisposition in common. The study found an excess of ovarian cancer already within one year of breast cancer diagnosis, along with an increased risk of breast cancer after ovarian cancer. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[30] | Trackbacks [0] 05 Dec 2005   01:22:59 pm The Brain And Light Connection To Breast Cancer Do you sleep with lights on? I can't sleep with lights on, but I have seen some of my friends sleeping with lights on. A friend of mine once told me that she is afraid of darkness and would always sleep with lights on. If you sleep with lights on may be it's better to change this habit because researchers say that exposure to bright light during sleep can promote breast cancer growth in women. The researchers claim that this is the first study that provides evidence for connection between the biological activity and development of cancer in humans. Researcher David Blask and colleagues from Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown collected blood samples from female medical students and tested with breast cancer cells growing in rats. Researchers say that the increase in breast cancer cell growth is related to melatonin production. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland, which is a pea-size structure located at the center of the brain. Melatonin is produced at night during a normal sleep and this helps to regulate our sleep-wake cycles. This hormone production is responsible for the biological clock inside you. Blask says that breast cancer tumors are suppressed when exposed to melatonin levels during the normal night sleep. A woman who work night shifts and sleep during the day doesn't make enough melatonin to inhibit breast cancer. So if you are sleeping with lights on, then try to sleep without lights, and if you are sleeping with lights off try to completely darken your bedroom to preserve your share of melatonin. Blask said that he focused this research on breast cancer because breast cancer cells, like prostate cancer cells, are known to be sensitive to melatonin. Blake's findings are due to be published in the forthcoming issue of the journal Cancer Research, one of the top cancer publications in the world. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[29] | Trackbacks [1] 03 Dec 2005   07:12:58 pm Passive Smoking May Increase Breast Cancer Risk I always hated the smell of smoke and get really irritated if someone smokes near me. I just cannot stand the smell of cigarette smoke. I hate going to public places where smoking is allowed and the whole place stinks with the smell of tobacco. I was little lazy this morning and was late to get up from that most pleasant part of my sleep, which is in the early hours of the day. I can afford the luxury of little pleasures like this because of the weekend. I stayed in the bed watching the leafless trees outside my bedroom still studded with the honey drops of due and snow. Finally I forced myself up, had a brunch and started on my computer. I was thinking what I am going to write today and saw this article on the dangers of passive smoking. I thought I would share the news with you. You don't have to be smoking to be exposed to the dangers of smoking. If your husband, boyfriend, roommate or anyone close to you smoke, then you may be exposing yourself to the dangers of smoking including risk of development of breast cancer and lung cancer. This is not just my opinion. Dr. Kenneth C. Johnson, of the Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, examined the association between breast cancer risk and passive and active smoking in an analysis of 19 published studies. His findings are published in the International Journal of Cancer. In short the researchers found that long-term regular exposure to passive smoking was associated with an overall 27-percent increased risk of breast cancer among women who had never smoked. Next time someone smokes near you, you have one more reason to move away from that person. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[42] | Trackbacks [1] 02 Dec 2005   01:26:05 pm Why Breast Cancer Clusteres In Some Areas? I have spent last weekend visiting an old friend of mine. We spent much time talking about our past years when we were together. We walked together near the Great Lakes watching the shimmering lights reflected in the blue lake water. The shy moon was peeping out of the rain clouds as if waiting for the right time to come out. We talked about our older days together. Those were happier days and I can only think back about those days with nostalgia. As we were talking our conversation aimlessly drifted in many directions, both relevant and irrelevant. You know how it is when we meet an old friend and start talking about our old days together, which we wish would come back to us, but knowing very well that they won't. Anyhow to get to the topic we were talking about my blog and breast cancer. She told me the area in which she live appears to have high incidence of breast cancer and asked me why breast cancer clusters around some places. I told her it could very well be some environmental factors like pollutants that may be causing the breast cancer clusters in her area. It seemed to me the most logical answer at that time. Looks like I am wrong. A group of researchers say that it is the affluent lifestyle, which is clustered around some areas not the common environmental toxins to be blamed for these breast cancer clusters. This is the conclusion from a series of long-term studies in the United States. Some regions have pockets of higher than expected cases of breast cancer, most scattered across the industrially developed U.S. northeast around the Great Lakes, as well as in the San Francisco Bay area of California. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute investigated possible links to breast cancer among women living in three of the so-called hot spots - Long Island, N.Y., Cape Cod, Mass., and Marin County, California, where incidence of the disease is far greater than nearby areas or the country as a whole. Researchers have found no evidence to link the increased incidence of breast cancer to environmental pollutants or toxins. "In areas of affluence, women are more likely to have a late age at first birth, fewer children," says Deborah Winn, chief of clinical and genetic epidemiology at the NCI and lead author of the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project, noting that giving birth at an earlier age and having many children are known to help protect women from developing breast cancer. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[34] | Trackbacks [0] 01 Dec 2005   12:44:35 pm Sperber Loses Her Life To Breast Cancer Wendie Jo Sperber, who starred opposite Tom Hanks on TV's "Bosom Buddies" has lost her life to the breast cancer. Tom Hanks had described her as "a walking inspiration" after she contracted cancer, she was only 46. It was a prolong battle for Sperber since the diagnosis of breast cancer in 1997. She fought for eight long years but finally succumbed to this miserable disease and died on Tuesday. She died quietly hat home. Sperber was a native of Los Angeles and had appeared in dozens of television shows and movies, including all three "Back to the Future" films. Sperber also had acted in Steven Spielberg's "1941," Robert Zemeckis' "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," and Neal Israel's "Moving Violations" and "Bachelor Party." Her television credits include "Murphy Brown," "Private Benjamin," "Will and Grace" and "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter." After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, Sperber became an advocate for cancer care. She worked hard to promote the cause of breast cancer and breast cancer awareness. In 2001, Sperber founded the weSPARK Cancer Support Center, which provides free emotional support, information and social activities for individuals and families affected by cancer. Sperber helped unveil and promote a breast cancer stamp for the U.S. Postal Service in 1998. "The memory of Wendie Jo is that of a walking inspiration," Hanks said in a statement. "She met the challenges of her illness with love, cheer, joy and altruism. We are going to miss her as surely as we are all better for knowing her." Sperber is survived by a son and daughter, her parents, two sisters and a brother. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[35] | Trackbacks [0] 30 Nov 2005   12:50:55 pm Novartis Issuing Warning Regarding Use Of Femara Femara (Letrozole) should not be used in women to help them to become pregnant since it may lead to birth defects in infants. This is the latest warning on Femara. Manufactures of Femara noted that some researchers in Canada are using Femara to induce ovulation in women who have difficulty in getting pregnant triggered the company to issue such warning. Femara (Letrozole) is FDA approved for the treatment of hormone receptor positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. The drug is not effective in the treatment of pre-menopausal women with breast cancer since it works as an inhibitor of aromatase enzyme, which is the main enzyme responsible for estrogen production in postmenopausal women. It was reported that some doctors have prescribed Femara as a fertility-promoting agent since it suppresses estrogen and can promote ovulation. Swiss drug manufacturer Novartis is sending letters to fertility doctors worldwide to reiterate a warning that the drug should not be given to women who may be pregnant, said spokeswoman Kim Fox. The U.S. label on the drug already warns that it has been associated with birth defects. Health Canada, the country's health care agency, issued the warning jointly with Novartis to fertility specialists, gynecologists and obstetricians. In its letter in Canada, Novartis said it is "aware that Femara is being used to stimulate ovulation in women who are infertile, or unable to become pregnant, as a treatment to increase their chances of becoming pregnant." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not taken any action, but a spokeswoman said the agency was reviewing the matter. Novartis plans to send a letter to U.S. fertility specialists by the end of the week, said Fox of Novartis. It is unknown how many women have been prescribed the drug as a fertility treatment. Doctors in many specialties sometimes prescribe drugs for uses not approved by health regulators, believing the drug can still serve to treat a condition. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[64] | Trackbacks [0] 27 Nov 2005   08:46:47 pm High-risk African American Women Should Undergo BRCA Testing BRCA mutations are those genetic defects that increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. There are two variants of BRCA gene called BRCA1 and BRC2. A woman carrying one of the BRCA Genetic mutations may have up to 80 percent risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. Many are unaware of the fact that just like their counter part Caucasian women, African-American women, who have a strong family history of breast cancer, or ovarian cancer may have BRCA mutation. More than one quarter of high risk African American women who are screened for these mutations turn out to be positive as per a recent study. This finding support genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA1 mutations in high-risk African American families, study investigators report in a recent issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). "Ten years after BRCA1 and BRCA2 were first identified as major breast cancer susceptibility genes, the spectrum of mutations and modifiers of risk among many ethnic minorities remain undefined," Dr. Olufunmilayo I. Olopade from the University of Chicago Medical Center and colleagues note in the article. This is particularly true of African Americans, in whom there is a high incidence of breast cancer at a young age. According to Olopade and colleagues, young age at diagnosis of breast cancer and a family history of breast and ovarian cancer are "the most powerful predictors of mutation status and should be used to guide clinical decision making." The message is clear and simple: BRCA genetic testing should not be restricted to Caucasian women, Women of all ethnic backgrounds with a family history of breast cancer should be screened for BRCA mutations. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[50] | Trackbacks [2] 24 Nov 2005   05:50:00 pm Tomato May Not Protect You From Cancer May be you are planning to eat lots of food today and this may include tomatoes, but do not think that your tomato will protect you from cancer or breast cancer. There is not enough proof that consumption of tomato or tomato products would lead to decreased incidence of cancer as per the US FDA. Subsequently producers of tomatoes, tomato sauce and dietary supplements containing lycopene, the substance that makes tomatoes red, will not be allowed to advertise claims to the effect that tomato and tomato products would reduce the risk of cancer. However the companies may suggest limited link between tomatoes and a lowered risk of prostate cancer, as per the agency. FDA also rejected proposals to advertise lycopene alone which is available in supplements, as having cancer-related benefits. FDA made these rulings in response to petitions from American Longevity, which makes supplements and other health products, and the Lycopene Health Claim Coalition, a group that includes ketchup manufacturer H.J. Heinz Co. American Longevity says that lycopene in tomatoes reduces the risk of a number of cancers, including prostate, colon and breast cancer. The company offered a number of published studies in support of their arguments. Heinz, meanwhile, only sought a connection between tomatoes and prostate cancer, company officials said. The FDA authorized the following for use on product labels: "Very limited and preliminary scientific research suggests that eating one-half to one cup of tomatoes and/or tomato sauce a week may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. FDA concludes that there is little scientific evidence supporting the claim." American Longevity contends it has a free-speech right to make the statements, which are governed under two-year-old regulations allowing qualified health claims on some products where the science is less than universally accepted. "The FDA decision greatly misleads the American consumer," said Steve Wallach, general manager of American Longevity, in a statement. "The American public is entitled to the whole truth and we will do all we can to prevent FDA from keeping this scientific information from the American people. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[29] | Trackbacks [2] 23 Nov 2005   06:55:11 am New Technique To Detect Breast Cancer Early Image courtesy of Neomatrix There is a new technique out there to detect breast cancer at very early stage many years before the level of detection of mammogram. You and I would agree that early detection of breast cancer could be a matter of life and death. I am talking about a machine that can extract fluid from the nipple and send it to the pathologist to analyze for pre-cancerous cells. I would not be surprised if this machine in future would end up being part of a woman's regular breast health exam. This machine has a fancy name and is called HALO and the test itself is called HALO nipple aspirate fluid test or simply HALO-naf for those of you who like shorter terms. It consists of suction cups, which are placed on the breasts. An electric pump is used to collect aspirate form the nipple, much like a breast-feeding pump. The collected fluid will be sent to a pathologist to analyze for pre-cancerous cells. The pathologist reads the nipple fluid much like a pap smear. The HALO-nef is able to pick up breast cancer 6 to 8 years prior to a mammogram. The HALO-naf however should not be used for diagnosing breast cancer, which needs a good biopsy or needle aspirate form the breast. HALO-nef should be used only for screening purposes to detect abnormal cells. "I see the future of my breast pap test being part of my yearly exam along with a mammogram from this point on" says Dr. Christine Pellegrino from Montefiore Medical Center. Dr. Pellegrino agrees. "We're going to see over the next few years that this is going to become part of women's routine health maintenance." Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[55] | Trackbacks [1] 22 Nov 2005   01:49:24 pm About Smoking, Hormone Replacement And Breast Cancer It was only yesterday evening, I walking through the darkened allies of downtown Chicago. The streets were dark as if there is no more light to drain from the overlying neon lamps. The city was windy as it is always, and the cold wind clung to my skin penetrating the chocolate colored sweater I was wearing. In one of the dark corners of the Madison street, shadowed by the nearby towering buildings, a group of young women were sitting on the steps of an old worn-out building and smoking. Only that morning I read about this new study in breast cancer, which says that long-term smoking is associated with forty percent increase in the risk of breast cancer. Smoking is the main risk factor for lung cancer as well, where the risk is substantially higher. Eighty to ninety percent of all patients with lung cancer are smokers. Smoking is also associated with increased risk of heart attacks and chronic lung diseases. The study I was reading suggested that women who smoked 11 "pack years" (that means one pack of cigarette a day for 11 years or half a pack of cigarettes a day for 22 years and equivalents) face a 30 percent to 40 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer as compared to women who've never smoked. This new study comes form Christopher I. Li and colleagues at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and is published in the Cancer Causes and Control journal. There is also another interesting twist to this finding: women who are long term smokers and also users of combination hormone-replacement therapy (estrogen plus progestin) have their risk of breast cancer increased by an astounding 110 percent: that is more than double that of women who've never smoked or taken HRT. "Ours is one of the only population-based studies of its kind to focus on the association between smoking and breast-cancer risk in older women between the ages of 65 and 79. Those who did smoke had much longer histories of smoking than women in previous studies, so we were able to look at the effects of long smoking durations on breast-cancer risk," said Li, an assistant member of the Hutchinson Center's Public Health Sciences Division. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[74] | Trackbacks [0] 21 Nov 2005   01:48:17 pm IBM Building Breast Cancer Database IBM is building a massive database of mammograms that is accessible to both patients and doctor. More than one million mammography images have been placed in this data base by IBM and partner i3 Archive. The program was developed under the auspices of the University of Pennsylvania. This project called, the MyNDMA (National Digital Medical Archive) is a federally funded project that gives doctors and researchers access to patient records, thereby paving the way to faster diagnosis and treatment. IBM used its grid computing technology with two IBM eServer xSeries systems in the configuration. Stored on IBM EXP300 Storage Expansion Units, the data has been cataloged and indexed using IBM's DB2 Universal Database. "Using powerful algorithms, this data can be analyzed to identify abnormalities in an individual patient or evaluated against a larger data set to help researchers understand common traits of the disease, hopefully leading to a cure," said Derek Danois, i3 Archive president, in a statement. The MyNDMA project enables women across the U.S. to have access to the system and their records, in the process making it possible for them to have more control over their care. For instance, a patient could have easy access to her records when visiting a new doctor for a second opinion. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[12] | Trackbacks [0] 20 Nov 2005   09:36:51 pm Women With Large Bra Size More Likely To Get Breast Cancer New research from Harvard University suggests that larger bra size that a woman wear may be associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Women who wear D-cup bra size at a young age are at higher risk to develop premeno-pausal breast cancer, as per this study. These findings are the result of analysis of 90,000 women who had normal weight but had a D-cup at the age of 20 and found that these women were significantly more likely to go on to develop the cancer than those wearing an A-cup. Researchers say that this finding provide evidence to the theory that increased mammary gland mass is associated with increased risk of developing breast cancer among women with normal and lean body mass. The findings from the study are published in the International Journal of Cancer. These results confirmed the findings of previous studies that showed that pre-menopausal women who did not wear bras had half the risk of breast cancer compared to bra users. The authors suggest that women who did not wear support were more likely to have smaller breasts. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[28] | Trackbacks [0] 19 Nov 2005   02:37:06 pm No Breast Cancer Risk From Prozac, Zoloft Researchers were long worried ever since rodent studies showed a relationship between drugs belonging to the SSRI group (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) that treat depression (like Prozac, Zoloft) may increase the risk of breast tumors in human as well. But contrary to the findings in rodent studies, recent evidence suggest that SSRIs do not increase the risk of breast cancer. These findings were published in the recent issue of American Journal of Epidemiology. "Physicians can feel confident that the evidence has accumulated that use of SSRIs for four to five years does not increase the risk of breast cancer," Dr. Patricia F. Coogan, from Boston University, told reporters. The scare of SSRI related breast cancer first came into limelight n 1992, when it was reported that (Prozac) accelerated the growth of mammary tumors in rodents at doses equivalent to those used to treat people. Coogan and her associates previously conducted a hospital-based, surveillance study that suggested a 1.8-fold increased risk of breast cancer among SSRI users, based on data obtained up to 1996. The current study updates the earlier data with more subjects and follow-up through 2002. "These findings provide assurance that use of SSRIs for durations of four to five years does not increase the risk of breast cancer," Coogan concluded. "However, these results do not address the risk of taking these drugs continually for decades," she added. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[15] | Trackbacks [5] 17 Nov 2005   01:41:07 pm Exercise Reduces Breast Cancer Risk It would take only few minutes of your life per day to maintain a good exercise program. It will keep you fit, will maintain your figure and may keep you away from developing breast cancer. I have written about the benefits of exercise in this column before, but now I can't resist writing more on this topic because there is more and more evidence out there showing that a maintaining a good exercise program may reduce your risk of developing breast cancer. New research shows that a few hours of exercise each week would reduce your risk of breast cancer regardless of your race. Numerous previous studies have shown benefits of exercise in the Caucasian women, but this data was not available for African American women. A recent study, from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California published in the recent issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, has just shown the same. "A growing body of evidence has linked recreational activity to lowered breast cancer risk, but we really haven't known whether that lowered risk applies to all subgroups of the population," says study lead author Leslie Bernstein, Ph.D., AFLAC Chair in Cancer Research and professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School. "This study indicates that exercise may be just as much a modifiable risk factor among black women as it is among white women." Bernstein and her colleagues interviewed 4,538 black women and white women between ages 35 and 64 who had been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the mid-1990s, and matched them to 4,649 women without breast cancer. Of the 4,538 women with breast cancer, 1,132 (about 25 percent) reported no exercise activity since age 10. Of the 4,649 women who had not had breast cancer, 1,083 (about 23 percent) reported no exercise activity since age 10. Women exercising at least 1.3 hours a week on average since age 10 had about a 20 percent lower risk of breast cancer than women who were inactive. This relationship held true for both black women and white women. Researchers saw the relationship even after controlling for other factors such as body mass index and reproductive history. However, physical activity did not decrease breast cancer risk among women who had a family history of breast cancer, suggesting that hereditary factors might interfere with or overpower the beneficial effects of exercise. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[30] | Trackbacks [0] 16 Nov 2005   01:36:40 pm Placental Weight Associated With Breast Cancer Risk Weight of the placenta in two consecutive pregnancies may be directly associated with the risk of breast cancer as per a new study published in the Journal Of American Medical Association (JAMA). Women with higher placental weight in prior pregnancies are at increased risk of developing breast cancer, as per this study. "Our finding of a positive association between placental weight and breast cancer risk may reflect that exposures to elevated levels of hormones influence the risk of breast cancer," Dr. Sven Cnattingius, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and colleagues note in the report. Hormonal factors play an important role in the development of breast cancer, the authors explain. "The role of estrogens in breast carcinogenesis is well established, and serum estrogen levels are at least 10 times higher during pregnancy compared with other times of life," they add. The study included 314,019 women who delivered a single infant between 1982 and 1989 and were followed until 2001 or until breast cancer developed or death occurred. During follow up, 2,216 women (0.7 percent) developed breast cancer, of whom 2,100 (95 percent) were diagnosed before age 50 years. The investigators found that the risk of breast cancer was significantly greater in women with placentas weighing between 500 and 699 grams in their first pregnancy and at least 700 grams in their second pregnancy compared with those who had two consecutive pregnancies with placentas weighing less than 500 grams. The risk of breast cancer was doubled among women whose placentas weighed at least 700 grams in both pregnancies. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[58] | Trackbacks [0] 11 Nov 2005   12:50:00 pm Simple Blood Test To Detect Breast Cancer Recurrence Anyone who knows enough about breast cancer would agree that more sensitive and specific testes are needed to detect breast cancer recurrence at an early stage. Now researchers are nearing that dream as they are encouraged by a new study that describes a biomarker that may just do the same. (Image courtesy of Washington University in St. Louis) This exciting work comes from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and they have shown that mammaglobin, a protein secreted by breast tumor cells, can readily be detected in the blood serum of patients with metastatic breast cancer using an inexpensive, reliable clinical test. A test for mammaglobin holds significant promise for catching metastatic tumors early," says study co-author Timothy P. Fleming, Ph.D., research associate professor of surgery at the School of Medicine and a researcher with the Siteman Cancer Center. "Compared to the few other known biomarkers linked to breast cancer, mammaglobin is the best. The protein is found in breast tissue and is secreted by most breast tumors." In this study, which is published in Clinical Cancer Research, 56 women without breast cancer and 26 women with metastatic breast cancer were tested using mammaglobin detection. The women without breast cancer were found to have a steady, low level of mammaglobin in their blood. In contrast, the women with metastatic breast cancer had on average much higher readings of mammaglobin than the baseline level, providing the potential to distinguish cancer-free patients from those with recurrent breast tumors. In addition, about 80 percent of all breast cancers examined, regardless of the type of tumor or stage of development, tested strongly for mammaglobin while normal breast tissue had significantly less mammaglobin. Prostate, colon, lung and ovarian cancer tissues did not test positive for mammaglobin. Mammaglobin levels in blood serum can be readily obtained with a test called ELISA, an inexpensive clinical test often used to measure protein levels in fluids. The test detected even very low concentrations of mammaglobin in blood serum and maintained accuracy over a 1,000-fold increase of mammaglobin concentration. "When we studied it further, we saw that the gene is predominantly active only in breast tissues and realized it would be an important marker for breast oncology research" says study co-author Watson, associate professor of pathology and immunology and director of the Multiplexed Gene Analysis Core and Tissue Procurement Core at Siteman. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[13] | Trackbacks [0] 10 Nov 2005   12:58:27 pm About Inflammatory Breast cancer Hi everyone I am writing about inflammatory breast cancer today. Inflammatory breast cancer is a less common type of breast cancer in which breast cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast. Blockage of the lymph vessels may lead to redness, swelling and warmth in the breast. The overlying the breast may show color changes and may appear pink, purple, or bruised, and it may have ridges or appear pitted, like the skin of an orange (called peau d'orange). Inflammatory breast cancer is a fast growing form or breast cancer and these changes often occur quickly over a period of weeks. Lymph glands in the armpit may be often swollen in cases of inflammatory breast cancer. Often there may not be any tumor that can be felt by hand and nothing may be seen on a mammogram. The diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer is based on the results of the biopsy and the doctor's clinical judgment. Inflammatory breast cancer is a very aggressive subtype of breast cancer in which the cancer cells often spread to other parts of the body earlier compared to the usual type of breast cancer. A woman with inflammatory breast cancer usually has local treatment in the form of radiation therapy and or surgery to remove or destroy the cancer in the breast and systemic treatment in the form of chemotherapy and or hormonal therapy to control or kill cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body. Systemic treatment is generally given before surgery and/or radiation therapy. In some cases, local treatment may be followed by additional systemic treatment with hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, or both. Some women also may have biological therapy (which stimulates the immune system to fight the cancer). The following are some of the symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer: Swelling of the breast Redness of the breast Inversion of nipple Orange skin like appearance of skin of the breast (peau d'orange) This may be associated with itching of the breast Ridges and thickened areas of the skin Bruises that do not go away Nipple discharge, which may be bloody Pain in the breast Change in color and texture of the skin around nipple (areola) Warmth in the breast Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[36] | Trackbacks [0] 09 Nov 2005   01:59:34 pm About Those Women Who Refuse To Come For Follow-ups Women who are 75 years or older and have six or more children are more likely to have no follow ups after a positive breast cancer screening test, or a visit to a medical provider for breast cancer symptoms. "What is surprising is that these women who declined the recommended follow-up procedures were getting regular medical care and had a number of clinical visits prior to cancer diagnosis," says Sheila Weinmann, PhD, with Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore. "Results of this study showed that refusal was not associated with socioeconomic status or race," says Joyce Gilbert, MPH, formerly a researcher with Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in Hawaii. Gilbert, now with Kaiser Permanente's Care Management Institute, says that, "the nature of refusal is not yet fully understood." Researchers found the most frequently documented reasons women refused follow-up care included denying there was a problem or having a fatalistic view of their medical prognosis. Others expressed fear of further diagnostic tests and surgery and fear of discomfort from a mammogram. Most refusals occurred at a clinical visit but some also took place during mammography appointments or during follow-up telephone calls. Sixty-one percent of the refusers had breast cancer symptoms noted in their medical chart sometime within the three years before breast cancer diagnosis. The study looked at medical records of 1,347 women age 50 and older who had been diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer and an equal number of women with early-stage breast cancer. Seven percent of the women refused a health provider's advice for a follow-up procedure sometime during the three years before diagnosis. The women refusing breast cancer follow-up services were almost twice as likely as non-refusers to be in the late-stage group. This study was conducted by Sheila Weinmann and colleagues from Kaiser Permanente. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[54] | Trackbacks [110] 06 Nov 2005   02:17:57 pm More About Alcohol And Breast Cancer It's a known fact that moderate to sever alcohol intake may increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. A new study has found that this increased risk mainly comes in the form of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, but not ER-negative, breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Many previous studies have shown this association between alcohol and breast cancer, but this association between alcohol consumption and hormone receptors were previous unknown.. Alicja Wolk, Dr.Med.Sc., of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues evaluated data on alcohol consumption collected from 1987 to 1990 and again in 1997 from 51,847 postmenopausal women in the population-based Swedish Mammography Cohort. By mid-2004, 1,188 breast cancer patients were identified. Alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of ER-positive tumors, regardless of progesterone receptor (PR) status, but there was no association with ER-negative tumors. The absolute rate of ER-positive breast cancer was 232 cases per 100,000 person-years among women in the highest category of alcohol consumption compared with 158 per 100,000 person-years among women in the lowest category. The researchers also observed an interaction between alcohol intake and the use of postmenopausal hormones on the risk of ER-positive/PR-positive tumors. Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[45] | Trackbacks [0] 05 Nov 2005   03:37:14 pm Bill Clinton Initiates Breast Cancer Fund Bill Clinton is initiating a breast cancer fund in honor of his mother, who died of breast cancer in 1994. This breast cancer fund known as Virginia Clinton Kelley Fund will be part of the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund. The new effort will educate and train breast cancer survivors to influence research and expand access to care, Clinton said. Clinton said that his mother Kelly had a very upbeat attitude and never thought of herself as dying from the disease but living with it. "She was totally at ease with her own mortality and yet ferocious in fighting against the disease" he said. Kelley underwent treatment for breast cancer in 1990 including mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation but died four years later, at age 70. "Basically, we're going to train people to do what she did by second nature. We're doing better with breast cancer but we've still got a long way to go." "The fact that I survived made me feel an even deeper sense of obligation to spend whatever time I've got left on earth doing what I can for other people to make sure they have a chance to live a full and rich life," Clinton said. "Every day is a gift," he added. "I guess I'm more conscious of that than some people are because I came so close to having a serious heart attack." The fund named for Kelley will encourage "high-risk" research like the early studies that resulted in Herceptin, which has become the symbol of targeted therapy for breast cancer. It is to be noted that the scientist who led its development of Herceptin had trouble getting funding and Virginia Clinton Kelley Fund will address such issues. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[15] | Trackbacks [0] 30 Oct 2005   01:50:41 pm Breast Cancer Awareness Month Coming To Close As the breast cancer awareness month (October) is coming to a close most hospitals and breast cancer related organizations are taking extra efforts to make women aware of the statistics, risks factors, newer diagnostic methods and treatment options for breast cancer. At this time let me take some time to discuss some of the key issues involved in the breast cancer awareness. Breast cancer continues to be a major health problem among women in the United States and across the globe. American Cancer Society estimates that 215,990 women and 1,450 men will have the diagnosis of breast cancer by the end of this year. An estimated 40,110 women and 470 men will die from breast cancer this year. We have seen marked increase in the incidence of breast cancer over the last few years but finally now the incidence of breast cancer is leveling off in white women (data not available for other women). Prevention is the best strategy against breast cancer. There are several proven risk factors that may increase the risk of breast cancer. This includes postmenopausal estrogen use, use of excess alcohol, smoking, high fat diet and lack of exercises. Since prevention is not always possible early detection is very important in breast cancer. If detected at very early stage and treated properly, you may expect to have a 5-year survival of 98 percent. Breast cancer usually affects women who are older than 50 years, and more than 75 percent of all breast cancers occur in this age group. African American women generally have a higher rate of breast cancer mortality compared to Caucasian women. African American women aged between 30 and 69 have the highest breast cancer mortality rates. For women ages 70 and over, mortality rates are highest among white women. Only about 5 percent of all breast cancers have a demonstrable inherited genetic abnormality like BRCA mutation, but diagnosis of breast cancer in a first degree relative increases your risk of breast cancer. All women should start self-examination of the breast at age 20 and should start screening with mammogram at 40. Women who have increased risk of breast cancer may start screening at an earlier age. As the breast cancer awareness month is coming to a close let's learn the key points about breast cancer and discuss with our friends. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[35] | Trackbacks [0] 27 Oct 2005   10:39:37 pm Mammogram Does Save Lives - New Proof There has been an ongoing bitter debate regarding the value and effectiveness of mammogram screening in terms of saving lives. Researchers have argued for and against this issue in the past. Some experts said that mammograms were unlikely to be very effective and that it was a waste of money and resources to have every woman 40 and older have one each year. Other experts said that mammograms were crucial and that without screening to find cancer early, the treatments would not be nearly as effective. Now a new study finds that the screening mammograms contributed to a pronounced drop in the death rate from breast cancer. There has been a marked increase in the number of women getting mammograms over the last one to two decades. More than 80 percent of women aged 40 and over now get routine mammography screening. In this new study, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and published in the latest issue of New England Journal of Medicine, concludes that 28 to 65 percent of the sharp decrease in breast cancer deaths from 1990 to 2000 was because of mammograms. The rest of the decrease in deaths was because of powerful new drugs used to treat breast cancer. Dr. Russell Harris, a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina and a member of the United States Preventive Services Task Force, which issues medical practice guidelines, said the new finding means that women can feel confident that the screening plays a role in preventing breast cancer deaths. He and others had cautioned that before deciding to be screened, women should weigh the risks of mammograms, like false positives and being treated for tumors that would not have spread had they been left alone. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[47] | Trackbacks [0] 26 Oct 2005   12:43:17 pm Melissa Etheridge: Her Fight With Breast Cancer Rocker Melissa Etheridge is one of the most recognizable and popular performers in the world. She was courageous enough to come to Grammy Awards with her beautiful bald head and she won so more fans and admirers at that time compared to any other time in her life. Melissa rocked out to Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart" and showed the world that being bald from chemotherapy was nothing to be ashamed of. Melissa said in Organic Style magazine, "People said I was courageous because I went on the Grammy's with no hair. For me, it was just the best decision....I didn't see it as an act of courage. Melissa Etheridge is now sporting a short blonde haircut, that she plans to keep that way. Melissa is touring to support her new greatest hits album, The Road Less Traveled. Since the cancer diagnosis Melissa Etheridge has made some major changes in her life. She was quoted in Organic Style as saying, "When I was told I had breast cancer last October at 43, I began to change from the very second I got the diagnosis. I started listening to my body, and I became more aware of everything. With cancer, you start looking at your whole life and cutting the dark things out of it. I often say that cancer is a gift in that way. My family (partner Tammy Lynn Michaels, daughter Bailey Jean and son Beckett) is the number-one priority. They are absolutely more important to me than anything else." Melissa also reports that she loves yoga now and does it every day. And she watches what she eats, but she doesn't use food to reward or deny herself anymore. Melissa has two new songs on her greatest hits album. She will donate all proceeds from "I Run for Life" to breast cancer charities. She performed her version of Tom Petty's Refugee and two songs inspired by her cancer - the ballad This Is Not Goodbye and the anthem I Run for Life. Etheridge will donate all of her record royalties for I Run for Life to breast cancer charities. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[46] | Trackbacks [0] 25 Oct 2005   12:32:05 pm Statin Use Does Not Decrease Breast Cancer Risk Previous studies have suggested that statin drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol levels may protect against cancers of the breast, colon, pancreas, esophagus and liver. This may not be true at least in the case of breast cancer as per a new study published in the latest issue of journal Archives of Internal Medicine. These results are observed after analysis of data from 79,000 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study. "In the present study, the largest to date, no association was observed, even with more than four years of (statin) use," wrote study author Heather Eliassen of the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. There were 3,177 incident cases of invasive breast cancer in the 12-year study, including 1,727 in the analysis among statin users. Neither current nor long-term use of statins nor other lipid-lowering drugs were associated with breast cancer risk, the researchers report. There was no association between reported total serum cholesterol levels and breast cancer risk in either pre-menopausal or post-menopausal women. "In summary, the results of this study suggest that the beneficial effect of statins on breast cancer observed in experimental studies may not be applicable to humans," the authors conclude. "We also found no associations of general lipid-lowering drugs and serum cholesterol levels with breast cancer risk. Further study is warranted to evaluate the associations of longer durations of statin use and specific types of statins with breast cancer risk." Popular statins include Pfizer Inc.'s Lipitor, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s Pravachol and Merck and Co. Inc.'s Zocor. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[14] | Trackbacks [199] 24 Oct 2005   12:35:06 pm No To Routine Testing of BRCA In The General Population Every patient who has been diagnosed with breast cancer or ovarian cancer should not be recommended to receive genetic testing for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. This is the new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force. The Task Force Recommendations were published in the recent issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The story is different if the patient has a strong family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, since this would put them at ha higher risk for a BRCA mutation. Women with highest risk of BRCA mutations include Ashkenazi Jews with a first or second-degree relative having breast cancer or ovarian cancer. Women who have multiple family members who had breast cancer, ovarian cancer or both may also be at a high risk of having BRCA mutations. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[66] | Trackbacks [0] 23 Oct 2005   03:29:54 pm Is It Prime Time For Scintimammography Yet? Scintimammography is a breast imaging technique in which a functional image of the breast is obtained using a radioactive isotope such as sestamibi or tetrofosmin. The first series using this technique was published by Khalkhali and colleagues in 1994. It was stated at that time that scintimammography is very sensitive and would be able to differentiate between non-cancerous and cancerous lumps and would be able to decrease the rates of un-necessary biopsies. Despite these very encouraging results suggesting that scintimammography could be a useful adjunct to mammography, the precise role of this technique in the algorithm of breast cancer diagnosis and its specific clinical indications are still being debated and are not definitively assessed. These issues were addressed by Mathieu and colleagues in a recent publication that appeared in The latest issue of Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Mathieu and colleagues after evaluating the available data conclude that scintimammography is a useful complementary test in breast cancer diagnosis when other imaging methods are inconclusive. In an accompanying review Schillaci comments that scintimammography is not the magic bullet for breast cancer diagnosis, but neither only a false promise. Nevertheless, probably only the development and large availability of dedicated high-resolution cameras will allow scintimammography in some precise clinical applications to readily become routine. (Picture courtesy of Siemens Medical) Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[70] | Trackbacks [202] 18 Oct 2005   12:43:11 pm Marriage Will Not Affect Your Breast Cancer Outcome Prognosis of your breast cancer does not depend on your marital status. If you have early stage breast cancer treated with lumpectomy and radiation, your out come would be same regardless of the fact that you are single, married or divorced. Past research had suggested that there might be some difference in the outcome between married women and single women but the latest research contradicts these findings. These research findings were presented at the 47th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Denver by Dr. Shelly B. Hayes, who a chief resident in the radiation oncology department at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. Hayes' study involved 2,143 women with early stage breast cancer treated with both lumpectomy and radiation at Fox Chase Cancer Center between 1984 and 2003. The research team found no statistically significant association between marital status and relapse-free survival. "Marital status alone wasn't significant as an independent predictor of outcome in terms of freedom from cancer," Hayes said. Age, on the other hand, was found to be predictive of relapse-free survival, with women younger than age 40 doing worse than women over 70, despite similar tumor characteristics and treatment factors. It is interesting to note that in a similar study involving men treated with radiation therapy for head and neck cancer showed improved survival in men who were married. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[15] | Trackbacks [4] 16 Oct 2005   07:34:54 pm Kylie Fighting Her Breast Cancer Kylie Minogue's family have been speaking about her battle with breast cancer. The Australian singer was diagnosed last May and has been undergoing chemotherapy. She is currently living in Paris with her boyfriend Olivier Martinez. Her family say she is weak and emotionally drained, but battling as hard as she can. Read more about Kylie Minoque Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[32] | Trackbacks [5] 13 Oct 2005   12:28:17 pm Low Income Women Neglect Mammograms A woman's decision to take a breast cancer screening depends on various factors like cost of living, education, employment opportunities, access to health care and other factors. A new CDC study shows that low-income women and those without a high school diploma living in major metropolitan areas are much less likely to receive a mammogram as recommended for breast cancer screening. Annual mammograms are recommended as a part of breast cancer screening for all women over age 40. Women at high risk for breast cancer, such as those with a family history of the disease, are advised to start breast screening earlier. In the study, researchers looked at the percentage of women who reported having mammograms in nationwide 2000 and 2002 surveys and compared it with area-based information, for 35 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. The results showed that women with annual incomes under $15,000 were significantly less likely to have had a mammogram compared with more affluent women living in urban areas. The study showed that low-income women living in more affluent areas were less likely to undergo breast cancer screening compared with low-income women who lived in poorer areas. In addition, women without a high school education were also less likely to have had a mammogram than women with more education. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[66] | Trackbacks [0] 12 Oct 2005   12:34:10 pm Unraveling The Racial Difference In Breast Cancer Survival Given the same stage of breast cancer, African Americans have much lower survival rates compared to Caucasians. Several explanations have been given which includes lower socioeconomic status, a lack of access to medical care and inferior treatment. According to a recent study published in the latest issue of the Journal of American Medical Association, at least part of this racial difference could be due to increased incidence of other medical disorders in African American women. In this study, the researchers followed 900 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer over a period of 10 years. Of these 264 were African Americans and 642 were Caucasians. Sixty two percent of African American patients died during the follow-up period, compared to 50 percent of Caucasians. More African American patients than Caucasians died of breast cancer (25 percent and 18 percent respectively) as well as other causes (37 percent and 32 percent respectively). On average, African American patients had more additional illnesses like high blood pressure and diabetes (86 percent and 66 percent respectively). "The presence of other health problems accounted for most of the difference in deaths between African-Americans and whites," said David Nerenz the lead investigator. "African-Americans were more likely to die of something else other than breast cancer, but also from breast cancer." "The study is a reminder to us that even with the diagnosis of breast cancer, women are whole human beings and they continue to have other health problems. It's important for us not to lose sight of other health conditions and focus only on the breast cancer," he said. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[76] | Trackbacks [259] 11 Oct 2005   12:15:50 pm Folate Modifies Breast Cancer Risk Caused By Alcohol The link between heavy alcohol use of alcohol and an increased risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women is fairly well established. Now there is evidence to suggest that dietary folate intake may modify the effect of alcohol consumption on breast cancer risk. Folate is a member of vitamin B family. B vitamins help the cells to repair the DNA damage occurring naturally due to wear and tear of living. This includes the damage caused by heavy consumption of alcohol as well. If the cells do not receive adequate folate, there is an increased risk of damage caused by alcohol to escape the normal regulatory control of the body and turn cancerous. Facts you shold know about alcohol consumption and breast cancer: Alcohol consumption is a well-known risk factor for breast cancer Its adverse effect on breast cancer is one of the most consistent findings among the many hypothesized dietary risk factors Studies confirm a linear dose-response relation between alcohol consumption and risk of breast cancer Folate is a B vitamin necessary for the production of red blood cells and the synthesis and normal methylation of DNA The role of folate in colorectal carcinogenesis has been widely studied, and an inverse dose dependent relation has been found Some studies have also reported an inverse association between folate intake and risk of breast cancer The protective effect of folate on breast cancer is more pronounced for heavy drinkers These findings suggest that folate and alcohol act in opposite directions in breast carcinogenesis and may interact with each other. Source: BMJ 2005;331 (8 October) See also Think twice before you drink your next glass of wine Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[30] | Trackbacks [0] 10 Oct 2005   12:30:06 pm Dramatic Improvements In Breast Cancer Survival Last one or two decades have shown unprecedented improvements in breast cancer survival rates as per reports prepared by epidemiologist Professor Michel Coleman at Cancer Research UK. This report was prepared from data obtained from Office for National Statistics on breast cancer diagnoses between 1971 and 2001. "These data are highly encouraging" Coleman said. Almost 80% of women aged between 50 and 69 will survive at least 10 years after diagnosis of breast cancer, the report predicts. Data from the early 1990s shows just 59% of women in that age group survived for 10 years after breast cancer diagnosis and just 48% survived for 20 years or more. Women, who are aged between 50 and 69, have an even better prognosis, with 72% chance of surviving for the next 20 years Professor Coleman said survival rates for younger are increasing as well, though trends show less dramatic improvement than in older age groups. In the early 1990s, women diagnosed before the age of 50 had a 60% chance of surviving for 10 years and a 50% chance of surviving for 20 years. Those survival rates are predicted to increase by between 13% and 14% to 73% and 64% respectively for women diagnosed during the first few years of this century. "They will also encourage women to go for mammography since women with screen detected cancers fare particularly well" said professor Tony Howell, Cancer Research UK consultant medical oncologist. For more information visit Cancer Research UK My comments: I am an optimist and believe that breast cancer will be conquered and defeated in the next one or two decades. The key to success is early detection and mammogram plays a vital role in this regard. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[21] | Trackbacks [259] 08 Oct 2005   11:57:39 am Use Less Invasive Tests For Breast Cancer Diagnosis (Photograph of Melvin J. Silverstein courtesy of University of Southern California.) An international panel of breast cancer experts convened by the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California is recommending newer, less invasive diagnostic methods in place of more invasive procedures for diagnosing breast cancer. In a new consensus paper published in October issue of Journal of the American College of Surgeons, the panel of 23 leading surgeons, radiologists, pathologists and oncologists said minimally invasive needle breast biopsies and sentinel node biopsies should be performed more routinely than they are. Experts said that open surgical biopsies should almost never be done, though it is estimated that nearly one-third of the 1.7 million breast biopsies performed in the U.S. are performed this way. "New technology has changed the face of breast cancer," said Melvin J. Silverstein, consensus panel chairman, professor of surgery and chief of breast services. "We can do things much less invasively than ever before, and doctors and women need to take advantage of these advances whenever they can," said Silverstein. The following are the recommendations of the panel: Needle biopsy should be the procedure of choice for the diagnosis of image-detected breast cancer Needle biopsy can result in significant cost savings too Vacuum-assisted needle biopsies are preferred for microcalcifications, because of their high accuracy and more complete tissue removal than conventional needle biopsies. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is the "preferred method" for accurately staging image-detected breast cancer Sentinel lymph node biopsy, can result in fewer complications, faster recovery and a lower probability of lymphedema compared to axillary node dissection MRI of the breast is a useful additional technique in younger patients with suspected breast lump. Read more.. Surgeons are encouraged to be trained in oncoplastic surgery, the combination of plastic surgery and cancer surgery, to help avoid poor cosmetic results and breast conservation Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[14] | Trackbacks [0] 05 Oct 2005   11:53:21 am Women Confused Over Soy Breast Cancer Link If you wish to learn about soy protein breast cancer link there is lot of information out there. If you read some of them you understand that soy protein decreases your risk of breast cancer but if you read further you get confused and would start wondering if soy protein would actually increase your risk of breast cancer. It is very important that a clear, consistent message is needed on the benefits or risks of eating soy. Researchers from the Fox Chase Cancer Center sent out a soy consumption self-assessment questionnaire to 893 women, who were first- and second-degree relatives of cancer patients. Of the 452 respondents, 32 percent were classified as soy consumers. Of these, 45 percent reported a reduction in cancer risk as a reason for their consumption. Twenty-two of the non-soy eaters (7 percent) said they avoided soy because of a potential association between the phytoestrogens in soy foods and breast cancer. The researchers concluded, "a subset of women may be consuming soy for misguided reasons or non-proven health benefits. It is important for health professionals to deliver clear messages about the health benefits, if any, of soy." The JADA study notes three recent studies that have reported an inverse relationship between soy intake and breast cancer risk. However others have suggested that high levels of intake might actually increase breast cancer risk in US women, especially amongst those already considered to be at risk. The only FDA-approved claim relating to soy is the 1999 unqualified health claim linking consumption of soy foods to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. To add to confusion the Solae Company recently announced that it has temporarily withdrawn its qualified health claim petition on the soy-cancer risk reduction link. Solae said that it still believes the science supports the claim, but that it wants to make some improvements to its claim in the light of recent decisions that have been handed down. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[67] | Trackbacks [0] 04 Oct 2005   01:00:43 am Cancer Patients Urge for Emotional Research People who are diagnosed with cancer undergo a great deal of emotional turmoil. Initially it is so hard to think about anything except the diagnosis. Emotional support can go a long way towards supporting newly diagnosed cancer patients. Discussing about cancer helps the patient cope with his new emotions. Cancer patients are urging for the need for increased research and research funding to find out the issues surrounding the disease other than scientific and medical factors. A nationwide study carried out by cancer charity Macmillan asked people affected by cancer what the issues were that they see as a day-to-day priority, and it found that the practical, social and emotional factors of the disease were often most important. The Macmillan Listening Study found that the most important factor in need of research in the eyes of sufferers was, "the impact cancer has on life, how to live with cancer and related support issues". Also of importance was the study of the psychological consequences, the impact of a positive attitude, how pain is best controlled and whether diet can affect it, the use of complementary and alternative therapies and investigation into the provision of information to patients. Professor Jessica Corner, Director for improving cancer services at Macmillan Cancer Relief said: "This is the first-ever study to consult people affected by cancer on their beliefs about cancer research and involve them from the outset. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[17] | Trackbacks [0] 30 Sep 2005   12:34:45 pm Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis diagnosed with breast cancer It is sad to note that even educated and well informed people like congresswomen are missing their mammograms. Fifty five year old Republican congresswoman has recently announced that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She represents Fredericksburg and surrounding localities in Virginia. Davis said there was no history of any kind of cancer in her family, and she had not been getting regular mammograms. "I'm healthy as a horse," Davis said. "I never get sick. I didn't go, and that was a mistake. "We're all so busy, and I stay so busy, I put myself on a back burner instead of the front. I encourage every woman to get checkups and take care of themselves. I'm thankful mine has been caught, and optimistic that I will be fine." "I am convinced I will bounce back and get through this," Davis said "I'm going through something so many women go through. I think it might even make me a better member of Congress." Davis said she rarely gets ill, and this will be an opportunity for her to gain first-hand insight into the nation's health-care system. Davis said she discovered a lump in her left breast and had a mammogram last week. The mammogram was followed by an ultrasound examination, a breast MRI and biopsy. Doctors at the George Washington University Medical Center are recommending chemotherapy, likely followed by surgery and possibly radiation, she said. We are all busy with our life, but no one is busy enough to miss her mammogram, especially on the eve of the breast cancer awareness month. More pictures Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[38] | Trackbacks [0] 29 Sep 2005   12:42:43 pm Smoking Increases Risk of Breast Cancer Keep your cigarette pack aside. It would not only increase the risk for lung cancer, but also may increase the risk for breast cancer as well. If you use hormone replacement therapy (HRT), be aware that combination HRT with smoking may actually double your risk of developing breast cancer. Older women who have smoked for 11 or more "pack years" face a 30 percent to 40 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer as compared to women who've never smoked, according to new findings from Christopher I. Li, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. " Pack years" is a term usually used to quantify the amount of smoking. One pack year is the amount of exposure you would get from smoking one pack of cigarette for one year. You may get the same one pack year by smoking 2 packs a day for six months or 4 packs a day for three months. So 11 pack years basically means the exposure to smoking obtained by smoking one pack a day for 11 years or 2 packs a day for 5.5 years or any other combination. The researchers also found that if a long-term smoker also uses combination hormone replacement therapy their risk of developing breast cancer goes up by 110 percent. "We found a 30 to 40 percent increased risk of breast cancer among women who were current or long-term smokers, women who started smoking at a younger age and also women who started smoking before their first full-term birth," Li said. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[68] | Trackbacks [0] 28 Sep 2005   04:18:23 am Confused About Breast Cancer? October is the breast cancer awareness month and at this time it is important for all of us to realize that women are not well informed about breast cancer. Women may have lot of misunderstanding and faulty believes when it comes to breast cancer. A recent Australian survey sheds light into the fact that there is lot work for all of us who are engaged in making awareness of breast cancer a major goal in life. The Australian survey showed that, one in three Australian women mistakenly believe drinking alcohol poses no risk for developing breast cancer. Almost a quarter of those surveyed believed wrongly that being overweight posed no risk for developing the cancer and only half knew a woman's risk increased as she aged. The research was conducted by Helen Zorbas from the National Breast Cancer Centre surveyed 3000 women aged 30 to 69 for the purpose of studying about breast cancer awareness. "What is concerning is that, there are some basic facts that we probably all presumed that women do know and in fact, an alarming number don't know some of this information," Dr Zorbas said in an interview. "It's potentially putting lives at risk." Dr. Zorbas emphasizes that women should know about the early symptoms of breast cancer. The most commonly detected symptom of breast cancer is a lump in the breast. Other symptoms can include nipple discharge, changes in the size or shape of the breast or nipple, changes in the skin of the breast such as puckering, redness or dimpling and unusual pains that fail to go away. I have found a website that is especially informative in this regard and this is located below: Breast cancer symptoms Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[38] | Trackbacks [3] 26 Sep 2005   12:48:46 pm Breast Cancer Risk Higher In Left-handed Women Are you a premneopausal woman who is left-handed? If the answer is "yes" then let me tell you not to miss your next mammogram appointment. As per research findings from University Medical Center in Utrecht in the Netherlands left-handed women are more than twice as likely as right-handers to suffer from breast cancer before reaching menopause. Their findings are published in the recent issue of British Medical Journal. The researchers speculate that there is a shared origin early in life for both left-handedness and developing breast cancer, possibly exposure to hormones in the womb. The research leader Cuno Uiterwaal and his colleagues studied 12,000 healthy, middle-aged women who were part of a breast-screening program. They found that the risk of breast cancer is increased by 40 percent if both pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women are taken into consideration. On the other hand if only the pre-menopausal women are considered the increased risk was actually doubled. About 8 percent to 9 percent of women are left-handed. But the scientists said the findings should not alarm them. "Although the underlying mechanisms remain elusive, our results support the hypothesis that left handedness is related to increased risk of breast cancer," the researchers added. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[46] | Trackbacks [1] 25 Sep 2005   01:16:16 pm Breast Reduction Surgery May Reveal Pre-malignant Lesions Breast reduction surgery may reveal unexpected findings that may increase women's risk of breast cancer. It is estimated that up to twelve percent of breast reduction patients may have abnormal pathologies that would indicate a higher risk of breast cancer development in future. These findings are from a study that was present at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) in Chicago. In addition, the authors found that, it is cost effective to screen breast reduction specimens from patients of all ages, not just those over 40, the age when routine screening mammography is recommended. Plastic surgeons who perform breast reductions routinely have the removed tissue tested for abnormalities. While the screening of each patient may detect breast cancer early, it also escalates the overall cost. In this study, 12 percent of the 300 patients tested, ranging from 14 to 73 years old, had abnormal pathology reports indicating either a pre-malignant lesion or a lesion that puts the patient at an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Of those with an abnormal outcome, 28 percent were deemed moderate or high risk, placing them at a significantly higher threat than the general population for developing breast cancer. Two of the 10 high-risk patients were less than 40 years old. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[13] | Trackbacks [3] 23 Sep 2005   11:56:14 am Melissa Etheridge Partners With Ford to Fight Breast Cancer The Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge has partnered with Ford to fight against breast cancer. She is releasing a new single through a Ford website to help raise funds for breast cancer research and awareness. Melissa Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. She wrote "I Run For Life" about her battle with the disease and continuing support of women who are afflicted. For years, Melissa Etheridge has inspired and empowered with her musical sensibility and strong persona. Now she is using her talents to educate and support women in the fight against breast cancer, a disease she has struggled with for the past year. With the support of Ford Motor Company, Etheridge will release a new song to raise funds to support breast cancer charities. The single, titled "I Run For Life," will be available for 99 cents through iTunes on http://www.fordcares.com/ The download price will be donated to breast cancer research and awareness. "I Run For Life" chronicles Etheridge's struggle with the disease and her courageous fight towards recovery. The song's title is a reference to the Komen Race for the Cure, a worldwide race series attended by more than 1 million breast cancer survivors and supporters to help raise funds for breast cancer awareness and research. "When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, it was a devastating blow to me and my family, but I knew I had to fight," said Etheridge. "Ford approached me to help with their breast cancer awareness efforts, and I was ecstatic to lend my music as a weapon to fight the disease. Writing songs was part of my therapy, and I hope women everywhere will be inspired by the music and lyrics." Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[68] | Trackbacks [3] 22 Sep 2005   12:11:27 pm Breast Cancer Cases Level Off and Deaths Drop Finally we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. For the first time the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer is not increasing any further in the United States. This number has been increasing steadily for the last 25 years and it has nearly leveled off. Another good news is that, the number of women dying of breast cancer was declining over the last several years and it continue to decline. These findings are from the latest breast cancer figures released by the American Cancer Society. The steady decrease in breast cancer death rates since 1990 indicates that we are making progress in terms of early detection and timely treatment of breast cancer. American Cancer Society estimates that a total of 211,240 cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed this year and another 58,490 women will develop non-invasive, or in situ, cancers. About 40,000 women are expected to die from breast cancer this year. Mortality rate is declining by more than 2 percent a year, or more than 25 percent since 1990. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[53] | Trackbacks [2] 21 Sep 2005   12:09:58 pm Strong Family History Doesn't Increase Ovarian Cancer Risk You may be having a strong family history of breast cancer, but that doesn"t mean that you have an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Women who have BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations have an increased risk of both breast cancer and ovarian cancer, but not women with strong family history of breast cancer, who do not possess BRCA mutations. BRCA mutations are associated with increased risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer and these women may have up to 45 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer in her lifetime. By comparison only about 1.8 percent of women without an inherited BRCA abnormality get ovarian cancer. It's known that up to 50 percent of families with a strong history of breast cancer don't have mutations in either BRCA1 or BRCA2. In the latest study, researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City studied 199 families that experienced multiple cases of breast cancer, but whose members were not identified as BRCA mutation carriers. Their findings are reported in the recent issue of Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the researchers concluded that the women in the study group weren't at any increased risk of ovarian cancer compared to women without a family history of breast cancer. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[39] | Trackbacks [1] 20 Sep 2005   02:36:19 am New Molecular Pathways for Recurrent Breast Cancer Researchers at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia have discovered a genetic pathway that is involved in the recurrence of breast cancer and identifies a potential target for development of new anticancer therapeutics. In a study published in the September issue of Cancer the researchers have provided insight into the molecular and cellular events that lead not only to tumor development, but also to recurrence of the disease. A mouse model of breast cancer was used for the study and the findings are particularly significant as they are substantiated in human breast cancer samples. The researchers show that recurrent mammary tumors in the mouse model display characteristics of a cellular transition that was previously linked with breast cancer and also exhibit increased levels of the transcriptional repressor called Snail. Snail was sufficient to induce this cellular transition in primary breast cancer cells and to promote mammary tumor recurrence in mice. Further, genetic screening of human breast cancer samples revealed that high levels of Snail expression strongly predicted decreased relapse-free survival in women with breast cancer. This study suggests that Snail may play a role in the progression of human breast cancers. "While it is not possible to confirm a causal role for Snail in human breast cancer recurrence until drugs are available to inhibit this pathway, we believe that treatment of patients with pharmacologic agents that block Snail expression or function may be a promising approach to preventing breast cancer relapse. Snail may thereby represent an important target for a new generation of cancer therapeutics directed against specific molecules involved in breast cancer recurrence," explains Dr. Chodosh. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[47] | Trackbacks [2] 18 Sep 2005   12:11:38 pm Digital mammogram better for screening some women Digital mammography is the technique of doing mammography using the digital technology. Compared to conventional film mammography, digital mammography has an added advantage that the physician can zoom in suspicious areas of the picture. A new landmark breast cancer screening trial shows that digital mammography detected more cancers - up to 28 percent more - than screen film mammography in women 50 and younger, premenopausal and perimenopausal women, and women with dense breasts. However, there is disagreement with these finding. A previous trial, conducted by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network showed no difference between digital and film mammography in detecting breast cancer for the general population of women. The results are reported in the recent issue of New England Journal of Medicine. A total of 49,528 women enrolled at 33 clinical sites were included in this analysis and is one of the largest breast cancer screening studies ever performed. Even though a previous study showed no advantage for digital mammogram over conventional film mammogram, the current study demonstrated that in a subgroup of women digital mammogram performs better. Because of its size and rigor, the study provides some of the best data gathered on the diagnostic accuracy of mammograms. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[37] | Trackbacks [9] 16 Sep 2005   12:27:40 pm Researchers Cure Breast Tumors in Mice Using Vaccine (Credit for the photograph: Paul Neeson, PhD, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.) Researchers from Pennsylvania School of Medicine were able to cure breast tumors in mice using an experimental cancer vaccine. Using a cancer vaccine based on the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, they were able to eradicate completely, breast tumors that were present in mice. This vaccine works by boosting an immune response against tumor-associated antigens. In this exciting research led by Yvonne Paterson, PhD, delivered the tumor-associated antigen HER-2/Neu to immune cells. HER-2/Neu is over-expressed in about 20 to 30 percent of all breast cancers. These cells eventually enlist killer T cells to seek out and destroy the tumor cells that display the HER-2/Neu molecule. "We found that we can stop the tumor from growing out to 100 days, at which time we stopped measuring since this is a long time for experiments of this type," says Paterson. "The tumors stopped growing or went completely away." Researchers have published their findings in the latest issue of The Journal of Immunology. "The problem that we encounter is that often by the time a patient presents with cancer, they've developed immune tolerance to the tumor antigen, particularly when the antigen is expressed at low levels on normal tissue as with Her2/Neu," explains Paterson. "So how is the body to mount a strong enough immune reaction?" In general, bacteria are good at inducing both innate and adaptive immune responses, activating such immune cells as macrophages, dendritic cells, and T cells. This helps jump-start the immune response to break tolerance. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[51] | Trackbacks [0] 09 Sep 2005   12:10:06 pm Daily stress may decrease the risk of breast cancer Stress is a part and parcel of the life of a modern woman. In these days you experience stress everywhere. At workplace you experience high levels of stress to keep up your performance, at home the additional responsibility of looking after the family and raising the children bring an enormous amount of stress to the life of a modern woman. We hear all the bad things that stress can do to you. It increases the risk of ulcers, and increases the risk of heart attack. Stress is bad for you, and it can make you exhausted. But now scientists say that there is at least one good side to daily stress in women's life. They say that daily stress decreases the risk of developing breast cancer in women. They found that, higher the day-to-day stress level, lower is the risk of developing breast cancer. This information is published in the recent issue of British Medical Journal. Researchers from Denmark studied 6,689 women over a period of 18 years to come to this conclusion. They speculate that stress might decrease the production of estrogen, which is a risk factor in breast cancer. However they caution that this is an unproven theory, which needs further investigation. It is to be noted that this study findings contradicts two previous studies from Finland and Sweden, the former found no link between daily stress and breast cancer while the latter found a direct association with higher risk. Researchers said that part of the reason for the apparent discrepancy might be that the current study only looked at first-time incidence of breast cancer while the previous studies looked at all cases. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[53] | Trackbacks [0] 08 Sep 2005   12:12:54 pm Breast Cancer and African American Women Breast cancer is the leading cancer site in African American women. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among African American women, (exceeded only by lung cancer). Even though incidence of breast cancer is slightly lower in African American women compared to Caucasian women, mortality rate from breast cancer is 28 percent higher in African American women compared to Caucasian women New research findings suggest that African-American women who carry the 10398A mitochondrial DNA allele are 60 percent more likely to develop invasive breast cancer compared to African-American females without this genetic marker. There were no apparent implications for 10398A mitochondrial DNA for breast cancer in white women. This study was headed by Jeffrey Canter, M.D., M.P.H., of the Center for Human Genetics Research at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee and the research data is published in the September 1 issue of "Cancer Research." The mitochondria, located outside the nucleus, are the cell's energy-producing factories. Unlike chromosomal DNA, the mitochondrial DNA is passed to offspring exclusively from the mother. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[35] | Trackbacks [1] 06 Sep 2005   12:31:38 pm Predicting the behavior of breast cancer Researchers are working hard to find newer and newer ways to predict the behavior of breast cancer. The newest addition is a test involving the lymph nodes, looking at the immune cells. This may be the best way to predict whether breast cancer has spread and will be likely to recur, as per the researchers. Currently, the best way to predict whether breast cancer is likely to come back is to search for involvement of lymph nodes near the breast. But Dr. Peter Lee and colleagues at the Stanford University School of Medicine say that perhaps examining the immune cells in those lymph nodes might be a better way to predict the cancer's spread. "Immune changes in the lymph node almost perfectly predict clinical outcome, much better than any other prognostic factor that is available today," Lee said This prediction has important treatment implications. Patients whose tests suggest an aggressive cancer could receive extra treatment to try to kill any stray tumor cells. Lee and colleagues said that the test was accurate in predicting 33 patients whose cancer returned. Within five years of the initial diagnosis, 33 of the 77 patients had their cancer return. An imbalance in immune cells was seen in the 33 women whose breast cancer came back before five years, Lee said. The women whose lymph nodes had a normal immune cell balance had an 85 to 90 percent chance of being disease-free after five years. The group with an "unfavorable" immune profile had less than a 15 percent chance, Lee's team reported. Lee hopes to develop a simple test that could help determine which women could benefit from more aggressive therapy, and which could be spared undergoing costly and toxic treatments unnecessarily. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[35] | Trackbacks [0] 31 Aug 2005   12:23:36 pm I didn't know men could get breast cancer too George Scriven could not believe his own ears when his physician told him that he has breast cancer. He could hardly breath, and he was in a state of shock and disbelief. It sent him reeling and, as he fainted in the clinic, his doctor ran to catch him. Last December Jeff, from Birmingham, became one of the 300 men who are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in UK. Jeff had a full mastectomy and lymph node dissection. He is currently taking tamoxifen and has no evidence of breast cancer. "My doctor grabbed me before I landed on the floor, and lay me on the couch to recover from the shock," says Jeff, now 48. "He told me that many men react like that - it's such a jolt to the system." Most men who are diagnosed with breast cancer do not want to talk about it since this is a taboo subject for them. This is understandable since people generally do not view breast cancer occurring to male. Men who are diagnosed with breast cancer somehow feel that breast cancer make them an inadequate male. They feel strange in the breast cancer clinic surrounded by female patients. "I went through hell," he says, shaking his head. "I've always been a real man's man - I did a hard, manual job and provided for my family." "I thought it strange I was in a breast clinic surrounded by female patients. I even wondered if I was in the right place" says Jeff. Men who have inherited the BRCA2 mutation have a high risk of developing breast cancer. Any male who is diagnosed with breast cancer should have genetic test to rule out BRCA2 mutation. Each year an estimated 1,690 men are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[27] | Trackbacks [0] 29 Aug 2005   12:14:35 pm An art exhibit to honor victims of breast cancer What a great idea! An art exhibit to commemorate and honor your loved ones who have lost their battle in the fight against breast cancer. It becomes more powerful and emotional when you are the creator of that art and the exhibit travels around your town. That's just the idea embraced by the Clarendon Memorial Hospital's Breast Cancer Support Group. In partnership with the Clarendon Health System, the Breast Cancer Support Group will sponsor a first-ever, traveling art exhibit created by local artists and friends to honor and remember those with breast cancer. The traveling exhibit will move around Clarendon County towns of Manning, Summerton and Turbeville during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October and will be featured prominently at Prayer, Praise and Prevention, a special event to culminate the month-long celebration on Tuesday, Oct. 25. " We are asking all artists and interested citizens to create a piece of art in honor or memory of someone they know who has been affected by breast cancer," said Pat Fenters, chairwoman of the event. "It could be a painting, photo collage, dried silk floral arrangement, child's drawing or any other type of art that represents this person's life," said Fenters, noting there are no limits to what someone might dream up but "it does need to be lightweight and small enough to travel." " My mother's biggest fear has been that people will not talk about my sister out of concern of opening up more pain for my family. In fact, it's just the opposite; we want people to talk about Kinsey, and we want young women to know about the importance of early detection," said Black, whose mother, Nell plans to create artwork in memory of her daughter. For more information about the Breast Cancer Survivors group or the Faces exhibit, contact Dee Dee Gaines at 435-5218. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[11] | Trackbacks [0] 28 Aug 2005   01:20:06 pm Linda's story: how she beat breast cancer Linda still remembers her encounter with breast cancer vividly and colorfully, as if it had occurred to her yesterday. It all started 9 years ago, when a routine mammogram showed the presence of a lump in her right breast. Since then the life has changed ever for her. Linda subsequently underwent a lumpectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiation and then went on to take tamoxifen. Looking back to the events that took place 9 years ago she can now think about it only as a nightmare full of horrifying experiences. "I was horrified, I wanted to scream aloud" says the 55 year old mother of three boys. "You start thinking about your family, about your children and the reality of death. You may think the life is all finished for you". She says that the physicians were all supportive and the chemotherapy treatment was not as bad as she expected. She had her bad days but it mostly went without events. She remembers the nurses who were especially supportive during the process of chemotherapy. Radiation therapy was not a big deal as per her. She took five years of tamoxifen and is now cancer free and is a brave survivor of breast cancer. She takes two full vacations every year with her loving husband and children. "Events like breast cancer may strain your marital relationship, but Ted has been very supportive all throughout this ordeal. Breast cancer has only strengthened our marital relationship" Says Linda. "Breast cancer puts a huge mental and financial strain in life, but I took care of it" says Linda who works as a schoolteacher in Illinois. "There were times when I was depressed, then I started talking about my breast cancer to others and discovered the inner potential in myself." Linda's story should give hope and encouragement to thousands of women who are battling with breast cancer every day. This story is based on an email I received from Linda. If anyone else wish to share their experience with breast cancer please email me (webmaster@bcancer.com) and I will share the story with the world. Please attach a photograph if you wish to include your photo. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[57] | Trackbacks [0] 26 Aug 2005   10:36:22 pm Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) and risk of breast cancer Lobular carcinoma in situ is non-invasive breast cancer involving the lobules of the breast. The term Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is a misnomer since LCIS is not cancer. LCIS is a signal of increased risk of developing breast cancer. Lobular carcinoma lesions usually do not grow to become breast cancer; in fact the risk of breast cancer development is increased not only on the same breast but also in the opposite breast. Treatment options for LCIS include careful follow up and observation, bilateral prophylactic mastectomy if combined with other risk factors, and preventive intake of tamoxifen. Careful observation and follow up is the most commonly selected form of treatment for LCIS. LCIS is increasingly diagnosed as incidental microscopic findings at the time of lumpectomy or core-needle biopsy. A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology showed that women who develop LCIS have about 7.1 % risk of developing breast cancer in the next 10 years. The study also showed that, the risk of subsequent development of breast cancer is not limited to the side of LCIS, but in fact both breasts had equal risk of developing breast cancer. These findings come from a large study, which involved 4,853 women, and was done by Paul J. Chuba, MD, PhD, and colleagues from various cancer centers across the United States. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[34] | Trackbacks [2] 25 Aug 2005   11:34:02 pm Victoria Gotti: Did she lie about breast cancer? As I wrote in my blog on Monday, Victoria Gotti revealed Sunday that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. In a front page story, published in the Daily News on Sunday, Gotti was quoted as saying "The day I got my mammogram and the doctor told me I had breast cancer, it was in mid-November. I had a little pity party for myself and I cried all day. .... I lost 25 pounds. .... I was so exhausted, I could barely lift my arms." Now Gotti is backing up from the story, she is now telling that she actually was diagnosed with a pre-cancerous condition for which she opted for aggressive treatment. Adding further flavor to the controversy Gotti's publicist Matthew Rich announced he was quitting her employ after seven years because of her use of breast cancer for what he called marketing purposes. What's the truth and did Gotti lie about her breast cancer? The truth is that Gotti underwent treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) as reported in the media. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is technically breast cancer, and is not pre-cancer as you see it being depicted in the media. Gotti was telling the truth when she told that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had elected to have the proper treatment for breast cancer, which is surgery. Surgery is often combined with radiation for DCIS. She is one hundred percent correct when she told ABC's Good Morning America "What I have is considered by most to be cancer, Noninvasive cancer". She says, "If you look it up on the Internet, it is cancer," Victoria Gotti said, regarding her medical condition. The media reports that Gotti had a pre-cancerous condition, which has been treated aggressively. This simply is not true, because DCIS is not a pre-cancerous condition. It is cancer that has not spread beyond the cell limits. Surgery for DCIS is not an aggressive treatment; it is simply the standard treatment. The question is: did Gotti exaggerate the facts to attain media and public attention? The answer is "probably yes". It is despicable for anyone to use a terrible disease like breast cancer, against which we are all fighting, for marketing purposes. If Gotti has done that, then her acts should are deplorable. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[13] | Trackbacks [4] 25 Aug 2005   01:13:50 pm Enzyme responsible for the spread of breast cancer A new signaling component has been found by the Researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. The movement of breast cancer cells of human beings is influenced towards epidermal growth factor by this component. Researchers have published their findings in the August issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Their findings suggest that sphingosine kinases - SphK1 and SphK2 is stimulated by epidermal growth factor. The progression of breast cancer increases with the epidermal growth factor. The potent lipid mediator, sphingosine-1-phosphate is formed by the enzyme family sphingosine kinases - SphK1 and SphK2. The movement of the breast cancer cells without these kinases is not possible. The opinion of the leading author Sarah Spiegel is that better tools could be designed for the treatment of cancers if the spreading of tumor cells or metastasize is understood properly. The Massey Cancer Center Cell Signaling program has Sarah Spiegel, Ph.D., as its co-leader who is also the professor in the VCU Department of Biochemistry. Spiegel says that sphingosine kinases could be potential new targets for new cancer therapies. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[72] | Trackbacks [0] 23 Aug 2005   12:37:08 pm Women Lead Motorcycle Ride for Breast Cancer Women are doing everything possible to increase the awareness of breast cancer and increase funding for the research of breast cancer. A group of Northeast Wisconsin women decided to open the throttle on their motorcycles last Sunday for a cause that was very important to many of them, breast cancer. This was a all-women's, 100-mile ride. It started at Suamico around noon. The bikers wound through Bonduel, Gillett, Pulaski, and other communities. About 150 women from various parts of Northern Wisconsin took part in the event. Men were not sitting quietly at home, they elected to go an extra mile in support of their beloved ones, but they followed a different route. A local breast cancer charity called Ribbon of Hope was responsible for organizing the great event. The organizers were expecting to collect about $5,000 through this event for breast cancer research. Ride organizer Carrie Christensen said, "I know a lot of women that ride motorcycles, and a lot of the women that I know, somewhere in their family they've had someone that's gone through the cancer thing. My aunt passed away at a very young age, breast cancer, so it means a lot to me that I can be a part of this." It pays off when you are willing to go an extra mile for your beloved ones. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[60] | Trackbacks [3] 22 Aug 2005   12:20:35 pm Victoria Gotti diagnosed with breast cancer 'Growing up Gotti' star Victoria Gotti says that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer last fall. She wanted to keep it as a secret, from almost everyone including her sons, till now. She wanted to discuss the breast cancer diagnosis with her sons last month when the reality show "Growing Up Gotti" on A&E took them to Italy. But once she was there in Italy she didn't want to ruin the trip. Gotti has talked about the diagnosis of breast cancer to her sons earlier this month. Gotti has three sons 18-year old Carmine and 17-year old John and 14-year old Frank. "I lost 25 pounds, I was so exhausted, I could barely lift my arms. My producers were asking questions." Says Gotti 42-year-old single mother of three sons "The day I found out, the day I got my mammogram and the doctor told me I had breast cancer, it was in mid-November." "They caught it early and the prognosis is good," Gotti says about her breast cancer. This is not the first time Gotti is struggling with health problems. She is suffering from heart problem and requires a pacemaker to safe guard her. She was once told that she would never be able to have children. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[16] | Trackbacks [0] 21 Aug 2005   03:30:22 pm Losing 10 pounds cut the risk by 65 percent in BRCA carriers Women who have inherited genetic mutations like BRCA1 and BRCA2 have 60 to 70 percent lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. Women who have these mutations do everything that is possible to avoid or decrease the risk of breast cancer. Some women take tamoxifen for prevention of future development of breast cancer. Some other go as far as prophylactic removal of both breasts (prophylactic bilateral mastectomy) to avoid occurrence of breast cancer while others choose to have nothing more than a close follow up by their physicians. Many of these efforts are worth taking and the decisions are mainly based on the temperament of the woman affected with the mutation. It is exciting to see that now there is a new added option for those who have BRCA mutations. A new study has shown that losing an average of 10 pounds during early adult life may cut the risk of breast cancer by 65 percent in women who carry BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. It may be important to detect these mutations in early adult life and in order keep a low weight profile. As per the researchers the period between age 18 and 30 years appears to be a critical one when weight gain should be avoided in mutation carriers. The study did not indicate what method is best for women to lose weight. It is not clear as to use dieting alone, or exercise alone or use diet in combination with exercise. "We're not sure what it means for other women," said study co-author Dr. Steven Narod, director of the University of Toronto's Familial Breast Cancer Research Unit. Anyone interested in reading more on this article may visit the article page of Breast cancer research journal. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[38] | Trackbacks [0] 18 Aug 2005   11:35:26 am What did you eat for lunch when you were a kid? You might be eating a healthy diet and doing regular exercise now and this is important to reduce the risk of breast cancer, but what you ate, many years ago, when you were a child may also be important in terms of your risk of breast cancer. These findings come from an ongoing study of American nurses. The researchers found that one additional serving of French fries per week at ages three to five years of age increases breast cancer risk by as much as 27 percent. This is more evidence to suggest that diet early in life of women may play a role in the development of breast cancer in the later part of her life. The study included 582 women with breast cancer and 1,569 women free of breast cancer at the start of the study1993. The study was headed by Dr. Karin Michels, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School and is published in the International Journal of Cancer. The researchers however warn that the study should be interpreted with caution since the amount of French fries consumed during the pre-school years of the participant was estimated from memory of mothers of participants and could be erroneous. Other foods that may contain excess fat and perceived as less healthy such as hot dogs or ice cream were not associated with breast cancer risk. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[67] | Trackbacks [4] 17 Aug 2005   12:10:05 pm Survival for Breast Cancer Detected Through Mammogram Researchers have been arguing for and against the survival advantage for mammogram since long time and the argument is anywhere but close to a finish. If you may recall, in a previous post dated 08 Aug 2005, we discussed the positive effect of detection of smaller breast cancer tumors in terms of survival. The study mentioned in that post showed that the improved survival in breast cancer over the last decade or so was largely related to detection of breast cancer when the tumor is small, and probably less related to advances in breast cancer treatment. Among these arguments and counter arguments now comes a study from MD Anderson Cancer Center, which showed women who had their breast cancer detected through mammogram lives much longer than their counter parts, whose breast cancer was detected otherwise. Researchers caution that this finding should not be extrapolated to conclude that breast cancer screening using mammogram is beneficial. "The study is important because the survival benefit seen in this analysis is much greater than one would expect for screen-detected breast cancer, says the study's lead author Donald Berry, Ph.D. " "Of two women who have the same age, size of tumors, and similar stage of cancer and spread to lymph nodes, the one whose cancer was detected with mammography has a reason to be happier than the woman whose cancer was detected symptomatically, " says Berry says. For those of you interested in reading more about this here is the link Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[35] | Trackbacks [3] 16 Aug 2005   12:38:06 pm Climb to the top of Mt. Rainier to defeat breast cancer There was no second thought for Sherry Miller and friends when they decided to conquer Mt. Rainier in order increase awareness to the cause of breast cancer. Nearly forty women started the climb, but not all of them reached the top of the mountain. To them the cause was more important than the finish. The 14,411-foot peak was a difficult challenge for many of the participants. They took a deep breath, hugged their friends and started the long climb thinking of only one thing "breast cancer". This breast cancer awareness program was organized by a non-profit organization called "Breast Cancer Fund". Women like Sherry Miller and friends make us proud of the brave and courageous women who are willing to go that extra mile in an attempt to defeat breast cancer. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[18] | Trackbacks [2] 15 Aug 2005   12:01:11 pm Story of Cindy Atcheson, story of many others as well It's always encouraging for us to read stories from survivors, who have beaten breast cancer. The story of Cindy Atcheson is not any different. She remembers very well the Friday in December of 2004, which changed her world forever. Cindy Atcheson, was upset when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at an early age of 47. She had followed the standard recommendations to have yearly mammogram. Her previous mammograms were normal but in the mammogram test performed in December 2004 she was found to have a small lump. Since then she has gone through a roller coaster ride of emotions consisting of fear, anger, tears and even gratitude for the outpouring of love and support she received from family and friends when they heard the news. Cindy underwent a lumpectomy in January 2005. Following surgery Cindy has completed chemotherapy and 33 courses of radiation. The chemotherapy was little difficult, but the radiation therapy was a "walk in the park compared to chemo". She is planning to complete the treatment with five years of tamoxifen. American Cancer Society estimates that a total 211,240 new patients would be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States in the year 2005. An estimated 40,410 would succumb to this disease in 2005. This means that there may be more than 170,000 breast cancer survivors in the United States this year alone. Cindy Atcheson, is another glaring example of thousands of brave women who survive breast cancer every year. You can read more on the story of Cindy here Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[57] | Trackbacks [5] 12 Aug 2005   01:03:36 pm Benign breast disease and risk of breast cancer Many of us often wonder if a benign lesion in the breast may later develop in to breast cancer. Some of the benign diseases have long been recognized as risk factors for the development of breast cancer. Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is one such example. The name carcinoma applied to this entity is a misnomer; lobular carcinoma in situ is not a cancer. Development of lobular carcinoma in situ increases the risk of future development of breast cancer. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine gives some insights into this common concern among women about benign breast disease developing into breast cancer. The researchers studied a total 9087 women who have been diagnosed with benign breast disease and found 1.56-fold increase in the risk of development of breast cancer compared to the general population in women who had a previous diagnosis of benign breast disease. The risk levels were as follows: Atypia: 4.24 fold Proliferative changes without atypia: 1.88 fold Non-proliferative lesions: 1.27 fold The good news was that women who had no family history of breast cancer and had only non-proliferative benign breast lesions were not at increased risk of breast cancer. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[54] | Trackbacks [3] 11 Aug 2005   12:55:00 pm Nano-technology for genetic breast cancer mutations About 5 percent all breast cancers occur due to inherited genetic abnormalities. Mutations in BReast Cancer Associated genes (BRCA) 1 and 2 otherwise known as BRCA1 and BRCA2 are responsible for most of the genetic breast cancer syndromes. BRCA mutations should be suspected in any persons with a strong family history of breast cancer or ovarian cancer. BRCA2 mutations are associated with increased breast cancer in males too. There are several mutations that can occur in the BRCA genes, and a genetic testing is required to see if you have a genetic mutation. This is a labor-intensive process and may take hours or days to complete. Moreover BRCA testing is an expensive procedure that may cost around $2500 or more. Scientists have now discovered using nano-technology to detect BRCA mutations. OPTONANOGEN, is a prototype of the system that is currently being developed by the IST project and this will initially be used to detect mutations of the BRCA1 gene. When the work is complete the final system could be used to detect virtually any genetic anomaly. When completed the final device will be roughly the size of a human hand, allowing it to be used in doctors' office to determine the genetic predisposition of a patient to certain diseases in a matter of minutes. It would be possible to do a BRCA mutation analysis within minutes in your doctor's office compared to hours or days now required to complete the test. One day BRCA testing will become another test like your routine blood test. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[17] | Trackbacks [4] 09 Aug 2005   01:01:03 pm The 'Kylie effect' in breast cancer It is sad to see many of our favorite celebrities becoming victim to cancer, but it often make people look inside themselves and make them aware of the risks of cancer. University of Sydney professor Simon Chapman calls this 'Kylie effect' in the latest Medical Journal of Australia. Sadly one of the world's most successful pop singers, Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in May 2005 and undergone surgery. Minogue was only 36 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Kylie's diagnosis of breast cancer shocked millions of women. A blaze of publicity quickly followed the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of Minogue's breast cancer. This had caused a dramatic increase in awareness of breast cancer among women. Simon Chapman and colleagues found that over the two weeks following the the announcement of Minogue's breast cancer news, the number of women seeking mammograms for the first time more than doubled. The researchers credit media coverage for the 'Kylie effect', which increases the notion that cancer has no respect for celebrity status, wealth or youth. Even though an 'Etheridge effect ' or Jennings effect' was not described by the researchers, I am sure that the same thing is true in cases of rock singer Melissa Etheridge who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and the ABC news anchor Peter Jennings who has suffered death from lung cancer at a young age 67. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[69] | Trackbacks [3] 08 Aug 2005   01:23:47 pm Breast cancer treatment and survival Breast cancer survival has improved markedly over the last 30 years. This news is very encouraging but we all tend to think that improvement in breast cancer survival over the last few years is mainly due to improvements in chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and other modalities of treatment. If you think this way, you are not alone. That's the way I was thinking too. However a new study has found that this decrease in breast cancer death rates is mainly due to smaller size of breast cancer tumors. In other words we are detecting the breast cancer tumors at a very early stage when the tumor is still very small and curing it. This study is published in the September issue journal CANCER. This doesn't mean that advances in breast caner treatment is not producing any beneficial effects on breast cancer survival, but simply means that if this factor is not taken into consideration, we would tend to over-estimate treatment advances Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[78] | Trackbacks [2] 01 Aug 2005   03:40:46 am Genes causing lung spread of breast cancer identified Recently researchers have identified the genes that cause the spread of breast cancer cell to lungs. For breast cancer to spread to lung several incidents have to occur. Cells are usually held together by inter cellular bridges. The cancer cells have to break loose from other cells and have to gain entry in to blood circulation. Once these cells reach the target organ like live or lung, the right condition has to be available to allow these cancer cells to grow there. Several genes may be involved in this process. Now researchers from Howard Hughes Medical Institute have identified the main set of gene that is responsible for the metastatic spread of breast cancer to lungs. These genes are mediators that enable fragments of breast cancer tumors to take root in the lungs. The scientists are hopeful that their research will give clinicians a new set of molecular tools to test tumor biopsies for the activity of these specific genes. This, in turn, should help guide treatment by permitting the early diagnosis of breast cancers that will ultimately metastasize to the lung. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[16] | Trackbacks [0] 22 Jul 2005   10:27:07 pm Computers that read mammograms Have you ever wondered if a computer would be able to read your mammogram with greater accuracy than a physician? Now it is true, it has been shown that a computer program known as likelihood ratio (LRb) classifier is capable of reading mammograms. Guess what? The computer program can assess the abnormality seen in the mammogram and is able to predict if the abnormality is breast cancer with 100 percent accuracy and this is much better accuracy rate compared to the most experienced mammogram reader. I would imagine one day the computers will completely take over the reading of mammogram. Unlike human being the accuracy of detection would not then depend on experience but rather on the strength of the computer software program. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[29] | Trackbacks [3] 18 Jul 2005   12:33:49 pm Breast cancer incidence lower in South Asian women When it comes to breast cancer, the South Asian women living in England and Wales are lucky. They have lower incidence of breast cancer compared with rest of the ethnic groups in England. This result comes out of a large study consisting of 115,712 women diagnosed with primary invasive breast cancer in England and Wales during 1986 to 1990 conducted by researchers from London. The incidence of breast cancer was 29 percent lower in South Asian women compared to the rest of population. Survival was also 3 to 8 per cent higher for South Asian women than other women. Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[50] | Trackbacks [2] 16 Jul 2005   01:21:30 am Higher education related to breast cancer death? I won't blame you for thinking that higher education may be related to decreased death rates from breast cancer, because that's what I was also thinking. One will naturally think that with the increased awareness that comes with higher education, the death rates from breast cancer would be decreased. This in fact is not true, and now a new study from Norwegian researchers has shown that the death rates from breast cancer are higher among highly educated women. The researchers do not have an obvious explanation for this finding. Researchers initially were thinking that the higher death rates from breast cancer in highly educated women may be related to the tendency of highly educated women to have fewer children, but this was found to not to be true. The increased death rates among highly educated breast cancer patients are applicable to women with children and women without children. Researchers, like all of us are looking for answer to this question: why highly educated women have higher risk of dying from breast cancer, compared to less educated women. Higher education related to breast cancer death? Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[31] | Trackbacks [2] 26 Jun 2005   02:26:48 pm Study: Low-fat diet cuts risk of recurrent breast cancer There is good news for those who are on low fat diet. New study has shown that low fat diet cuts the risk of breast cancer recurrence. http://www.advocate.com/news_detail.asp?id=18103 Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[60] | Trackbacks [0] 22 Jun 2005   04:14:32 am Overeating plus inactivity increases breast cancer risk Over-eating and and not doing enough exercise may be a bad combination for the development of breast cancer. This is the conclusion of researchers from China and USA as per a findings from a new study. This finding is more true in the case of a post menopausal woman. The researchers speak about unhealthy energy balance, which means that these women are not spending as much calories as they are taking in, resulting in a net gain in calories. This combination of over-eating and lack of activity may be associated with nearly five fold increase in the risk of breast cancer. http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/6-2005/combination-of-overeating-and-inactivity-increases-breast-cancer-risk.html Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[49] | Trackbacks [6] 15 Jun 2005   12:23:09 pm Blood test to detect early breast cancer It would be nice if a blood test would detect breast cancer before the mammogram can detect the tumor or before much of tumor mass develop. It may be possible in future to just do the same. If a new test that is being becomes successful it may transform the whole treatment of breast cancer by detecting it earlier at a stage when the cancer can be removed in your GP's office. http://bcancer.com/bcancer-news/6-2005/blood-test-to-detect-early-breast-cancer.html Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[44] | Trackbacks [1] 14 Jun 2005   12:05:12 pm Handheld device to detect breast cancer One day you may be carrying your breast cancer detection kit in your pocket. Scientists in the U.S. are testing a handheld device they believe holds great promise in helping women, in the comfort of their own home, detect breast cancer early. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1118708589654_15/?hub=Health Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[47] | Trackbacks [1] 13 Jun 2005   12:17:08 pm Who is more worried about breast cancer? For some reason women in Britain are more anxious about breast cancer compared to women in many other countries. Among the 1,565 questioned in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Italy and the UK, one in five women said they would consider having a double mastectomy (breast removal) to prevent breast cancer if they were at high risk. More at this site http://society.guardian.co.uk/cancer/story/0,8150,1505200,00.html Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[46] | Trackbacks [1] 12 Jun 2005   12:57:21 pm Can digital mammogram detect more breast cancer? Don't get very excited about digital mammography. Do you think that the new fancy digital mammography machine at your local hospital is more capable of detecting breast cancer compared to your old time film based mammography machine? The new research shows they are not. It may be convenient to work with digital mammography, however it does not provide any more diagnostic accuracy over traditional film X-rays in the ability to detect cases of breast cancer. Read more about this topic here http://bcancer.com/bcancer-news/6-2005/digital-mammography-no-better-than-regular-mammography.html I encourage you to place comments regarding the blog postings, so that we can have a discussion on the topic Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[50] | Trackbacks [9] 10 Jun 2005   11:14:36 am Watch your diet Watch your diet and do regular exercises. This will not only keep you fit, but also will reduce your risk of breast cancer. These findings come from new research (didn't we know it before?) at Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, TN. Ok folks get ready go..... Read more here http://bcancer.com/bcancer-news/6-2005/exercise-and-weight-reduciton-to-control-breast-cancer.html Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[54] | Trackbacks [4] 09 Jun 2005   12:03:41 pm Drink cauliflower juice to prevent breast cancer The idea of drinking cauliflower juice may not be very appealing, but a new research has found just that fact. Researchers from Italy have found that cauliflower juice has the potential to slow down breast cancer cells. Read more about this at this site. http://bcancer.com/bcancer-news/6-2005/eat-cauliflower-to-fight-breast-cancer.html Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[37] | Trackbacks [3] 08 Jun 2005   11:55:24 am More fertility preservation options More and more fertility preservation options are becoming available to young breast cancer patients. With earlier detection and greater percentage of cures these options become very important for breast cancer patients in the earlier age group. Read more about this at this site. http://bcancer.com/bcancer-news/6-2005/new-options-for-women-with-cancer.html Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[74] | Trackbacks [125] 07 Jun 2005   11:42:39 am Do you overestimate breast cancer risk? Do you overestimate breast cancer risk? A new study has found that most women overestimate their risk of breast cancer. In this study women were asked to estimate their lifetime risk of developing breast cancer and 89 percent of women overestimated their risk, with an average estimate of 46 percent, which is more than three times the actual risk of 13 percent. These findings are from a study conducted by University of Michigan Health System researchers. http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/6-2005/do-you-overestimate-breast-cancer-risk.html Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[48] | Trackbacks [125] 06 Jun 2005   12:02:53 pm Curing hereditary breast cancer Women carrying a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene have roughly an 60 percent risk of developing breast cancer. A mutation in these genes also leads to an increased risk of developing ovarian tumors. The following site has an excellent review of the topic http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_6-6-2005_pg6_21 Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[50] | Trackbacks [5] 09 May 2005   10:58:17 pm Is Mammogram too costly? Researchers say that many women, especially older women with low income, are not well informed about coverage for screening mammograms and are worried about out of pocket costs. Many of these women may avoid mammograms because they may tend to think that it is beyond their reach. They conclude that campaigns should not only push for greater insurance coverage, but also educate women about their own existing insurance coverage. One of the most commonly reported barriers to breast cancer screening - financial burden - may often be the result of misperception, according to this study appearing in the June 15, 2005 issue of CANCER Read more about this topic here http://jws-edck.wiley.com:8090/Cancer/News.nsf/Listing+by+Date/0EB03B2FF078F9ED85256FFC005DE642?OpenDocument Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[30] | Trackbacks [3] 07 May 2005   01:11:30 pm Did your mother smoke while she was pregnant with you? You may think that is a moot point now, but it actually is not. Women whose mothers smoked while they were pregnant were found to have reduced risk of developing breast cancer. So may be now it is a good time to ask your mother and find out. This certainly does not mean that you should start smoking when you are pregnant, since the very small reduction in breast cancer would be offset by the large number of other diseases caused by smoking, comments Dr. William C. Strohsnitter from Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston who lead the research. The risk of breast cancer for those women who had smoking mothers was found to be approximately half compared to women who did not have such history. This finding may be connected to decreased levels of estrogen which can occur due to smoking, which in turn is linked to breast cancer risk. Sherin Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[29] | Trackbacks [2] 29 Apr 2005   10:28:56 pm Anyone still skeptic about the value of mammogram? Mammography screening is associated with inconveniences and financial burden to women. Mammography screening is justified only if it would reduce mortality from breast cancer. Theoretically mammography may have some potential harmful effects and it is important to make sure that mammogram does not increase the incidence of breast cancer. Both this questions were answered by a study that was published in British Medical Journal in January of 2005. If anyone is still skeptic about value of mammogram, I would suggest him or her to read this article. Breast cancer screening program with mammogram has decreased the mortality of breast cancer by as much as 25% in the Copenhagen mammography-screening program. It was also found that mammography does not increase the incidence of breast cancer. You can read the whole article here: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/330/7485/220 Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[50] | Trackbacks [2] 26 Apr 2005   03:59:57 am Structure of the breast Structure of the breast Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[56] | Trackbacks [438] 25 Apr 2005   10:57:03 pm Is mammogram worth taking? Is mammogram worth taking? Mammogram, as you all know is a painful test. There may be many of us who might be wondering if it is worth doing a mammogram. Now we have evidence to say that mammogram helps. A new study has found that incidence of DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma in situ) has gone up by seven fold since 1980. It means that more and more breast cancers are detected at very early stages, when it is mostly curable. Imagine if these women did not have mammograms, then all these DCIS would have been missed and would have resulted in invasive breast cancer or even metastatic breast cancer. DCIS is the earliest form of breast cancer, where the cancer is still confined and has not started local invasion. DCIS is also known as stage 0 breast cancer. Thanks for the advance of technology. You can read the full article here http://www.bcancer.com/bcancer-news/4-2005/mammogram-changes-breast-cancer-distribution-pattern.html Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[33] | Trackbacks [292] 24 Apr 2005   02:21:01 pm Nanoparticles in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer Nanoparticles in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer Researchers from Washington University demonstrated that very small human melanoma tumors growing in mice, which is indistinguishable by usual techniques could be visualized after the mice were injected with the nanoparticles. Despite the ultramicroscopic size of nanoparticles they can carry about 100,000 molecules of the metal used to provide contrast in MRI images. Nanoparticles can be designed to bind to specific sites, and when they bind to these specific sites a high density of contrast agent is produced in this area and this can be easily detected by MRI scans. Read the full article at this site http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/4-2005/nanoparticles-in-the-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-cancer.html Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[69] | Trackbacks [161] 21 Apr 2005   01:42:37 am Welcome to Breast cancer blog We are starting this breast cancer blog for breast cancer patients, survivors and relatives. Please join the blog and contribute to this community. Sherin Administrator bcancer.com Category : General | Posted By : Sherin | Comments[50] | Trackbacks [6]   September 2010 S M T W T F S       1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30     Bcancer Main Message board Bcancer News Categories Breast cancer treatment [159] General [144] Recent Cancer In Women With Rare Breast Condition Breast Cancer Survivors Have Higher Suicide Rates Cosmetic Outcome Of Lumpectomy Worried About An Abnormal Mammogram? 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