Iyengar-yoga kan vrouwen helpen beter te
herstellen tijdens of na een behandeling bij borstkanker. Dit laat onderzoek van de
University of Alberta zien.
Zonder al teveel te hoeven nadenken zal een
hogere UV-licht belasting met daardoor hogere vitamine D3 spiegels een rol kunnen
spelen...
House
Meer borstkanker in Nederland dan
in Afrika
Nederlandse vrouwen hebben meer kans op
borstkanker dan vrouwen in Oost-Afrikaanse landen zoals Kenia en Tanzania. Borstkanker
komt hier vier keer meer voor dan in Oost-Afrika, zo constateert het Wereld Kanker
Onderzoek Fonds.
Amper helft Vlaamse vrouwen laat zich
screenen op borstkanker
Ongeveer de helft van de Vlaamse vrouwen
heeft sinds 2001 een borstkankerscreening ondergaan. Momenteel bedraagt het gemiddelde
percentage geteste vrouwen 42 procent. [ Link
]
Borstkankerscreening vanaf veertig jaar is
risicovol
Bij een screening van borstkanker vanaf
veertig jaar zijn de mogelijke nadelen groter dan de voordelen. Belangrijke risico's zijn
de straling bij de mammografie, overdiagnose en overbehandeling. [ Link
]
Vooropgesteld dat iedere vrouw de vrijheid
hoort te hebben om zich tijdig te laten onderzoeken, wil ik opmerken dat toen ik een
tijdje terug het
boek 'Wat artsen je niet vertellen', van de journaliste en schrijfster Lynne McTaggert
las, dit schokkende zaken voor mij aan het licht bracht.
Niet alleen in dit kader van borstkanker
onderzoek, maar vele manieren van onderzoek, is het goed om te weten wat er in de medische
wereld omgaat. Een medaille heeft 2 kanten, en mijn ervaringen zijn dat ik er hooguit maar
1 te zien of te horen krijg en soms zelfs geen. Er is er maar 1 verantwoordelijk en
eindverantwoordelijk voor Uw lichaam en dat bent Uzelf. En dat gaat het best, met de beste
informatie die er is. Voor mij is dat geen borstkanker onderzoek doen, gerustgesteld
worden of accuut in een behandeltraject storten, omdat er iets aan het licht is gekomen.
Voor je het weet zit je in de stress en in een fuik, waar je nooit in terecht zou zijn
gekomen, als je van te voren je had verdiept.
Amber Kesseler
Visoliecapsules beschermen tegen
borstkanker
Vrouwen die visoliecapsules slikken hebben
minder kanker op borstkanker. Dat ontdekten onderzoekers van de University of Washington
die 35.000 vrouwen van 50-76 jaar zo'n 5 jaar hebben gevolgd. Het is voor de eerste keer
dat onderzoekers op die manier hebben gekeken of supplementen beschermen tegen
borstkanker.
Minder kans op erfelijke
borstkanker door actieve leefstijl
Een actieve leefstijl verkleint mogelijk de
kans op erfelijke borstkanker. Dat is de voorlopige conclusie van het proefschrift van
Anouk Pijpe, onderzoeker bij het Nederlands Kanker Instituut. Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat
vrouwen met een erfelijke aanleg voor borstkanker (BRCA 1/2-mutatiedraagsters) de kans op
het krijgen van borstkanker kunnen verkleinen door hun leefstijl aan te passen. Door
voldoende te bewegen en een gezond lichaamsgewicht wordt het risico op borstkanker minder.
De mogelijke nadelen van een screening van
borstkanker vanaf veertig jaar zijn groter dan de voordelen. Belangrijke risico's zijn de
straling bij de mammografie, overdiagnose en overbehandeling.
Lynne McTaggart speaking on modern
medicine's treatment of breast cancer.
Nieuwe merker voor borstkanker
ontdekt
Een multidisciplinair onderzoeksteam van de
Universiteit Gent, het National Human Genome Research Institute (VS), het Imperial College
London (Groot-Brittannië) en INSERM (Frankrijk) heeft een eiwit ontdekt dat een
belangrijke factor is voor de mate waarin borsttumoren kwaadaardig zijn. De ontdekking
biedt perspectieven voor nieuwe behandelingen en correctere diagnoses. De resultaten van
het onderzoek worden vandaag gepubliceerd in het gezaghebbende tijdschrift Journal of the
National Cancer Institute.
Rab-eiwitten coördineren het eiwitverkeer
in de cel. Onderzoek naar de biologische functie van Rab27B, een regulator van het
uitgaande eiwitverkeer, toonde aan dat deze molecule de groei en invasie stimuleert van
hormoonpositieve borstkankercellen. Een hoge Rab27B-expressie in hormoonpositieve tumoren
hangt samen met uitzaaiingen in de lymfeklieren en met de tumorgraad.
Sommige vrouwen die het bewuste eiwit
aanmaken zijn veel gevoeliger voor de kwaadaardigheid van borsttumoren dan anderen. De
conclusies van het onderzoek kunnen belangrijke gevolgen hebben voor de behandeling van
tumoren. De nieuwe kennis kan leiden tot betere medicatie om kankercellen onder controle
te houden.
Borstkanker is wereldwijd de meest
voorkomende kanker. In België worden jaarlijks ongeveer 9.000 diagnoses gesteld. De ernst
van de ziekte wordt bepaald door infiltratieve tumorgroei en uizaaiingen in andere
weefsels.
Genetische verschillen kunnen
gewrichtspijn beinvloeden onder vrouwen die levensreddende borstkankermedicijnen nemen
Aromatase-remmers hebben als grootste
bijwerking gewrichtspijn, die zo heftig kan zijn dat bijna 10 procent van de vrouwen met
borstkanker die deze medicijnen gebruiken de behandeling met deze levensreddende
medicijnen voortijdig onderbreken. Uit nieuw onderzoek van de University of Pennsylvania's
Abramson Cancer Center dat tijdens een bijeenkomst van de American Society of Clinical
Oncology in 2010 werd gepresenteerd toont een mogelijke genetische basis voor het wel of
niet voorkomen van deze bijwerking.
Radiologist Dr. Nitin Tanna, Chief of
Mammography Services at Lancaster General Health, discusses digital mammography in a
video.
Wetenschappers hebben een nieuwe
manier gevonden om de gevoeligheid van de borstkankercellen voor behandeling te 'behouden'
Uit een onderzoek van het Georgetown
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center van het Georgetown University Medical Center is
mogelijk een nieuwe therapiecombinatie ontdekt om de gevoeligheid voor fulvestrant bij
borstkankers met positieve estrogene recpetoren te "redden". De bevindingen zijn
op 15 mei 2010 gepubliceerd als omslagartikel van het tijdschrift Molecular Cancer
Therapeutics
Overleven van metastatische
borstkanker is direct verbonden
met rondwarende tumor cellen
Uit een nieuwe studie van metastatische
(zich door het lichaam verspreidende) borstkanker blijkt dat het aantal rondwarende
tumorcellen dat patienten in hun bloed hebben, rechtstreeks correleert met hun
overlevingsduur.
Dit is een officieel meldpunt voor alle
vrouwen die klachten ervaren nadat zij siliconen borstimplantaten hebben laten plaatsen
én voor alle mensen die klachten ervaren door ánder siliconen materiaal.
Vitamine D supplementen verminderen
de kans op borstkanker
Een nieuwe studie van Canadese
onderzoekers, gepubliceerd in het American Journal of Clinical Nutrition van 14 april
2010, stelt dat de inname van vitamine D supplementen het risico op borstkanker drastisch
vermindert. Anderson L.N. en collega's van het PSSCCO in Ontario leidden het
patient-controle-onderzoek (dit is een groep patiënten die de aandoening heeft, te
vergelijken met een groep patiënten die deze niet heeft), en kwamen tot de ontdekking dat
vrouwen die 400 IU vitamine D per dag namen, 24% minder kans hadden op borstkanker
vergeleken met vrouwen die niets innamen. Anderson vergeleek 3101 borstkanker patiënten
in de leeftijd van 25 tot 74 met een controle groep van 3471 op hun inname van vitamine D
door middel van supplematie en voeding om te kijken of vitamine D van invloed was op het
risico op borstkanker.
Eerdere onderzoeken lieten zien dat
vitamine D gebrek het risico op kanker verhoogde. Een aantal voedingsmiddelen die van
nature vitamine D bevat zijn vette vis, eigeel en champignons. Geïndustrialiseerde,
voorbewerkte voedingsmiddelen en dranken die verrijkt zijn met vitamine D zijn o.a. melk,
jus d'orange en nog een aantal vaste voedingsmiddelen. De onderzoekers vonden geen
significant verband tussen de inname van calcium supplementen en de vermindering van
borstkanker. Ze vonden ook geen wisselwerking tussen vitamine D, calcium en de menopauze
die van invloed zou kunnen zijn op het risico op borstkanker.
Een ander patient-controle onderzoek van
Japanse wetenschappers, gepubliceerd in het januari nummer van Cancer Science, stelt dat
het beschermende effect van vitamine D en calcium inname tegen borstkanker afhangt van de
mate van ontvankelijkheid en aanleg hiervoor en het stadium van de menopauze waarin de
vrouw verkeert. Voor dit onderzoek werden 1803 borstkanker patiënten vergeleken met 3606
andere kankerpatiënten. Ze ontdekten een belangrijk inversief verband tussen de inname
van vitamine D en calcium supplementen en het risico op borstkanker onder alle patiënten.
Ze constateerden dat vitamine D de kans op borstkanker alleen verminderde bij vrouwen voor
hun menopauze en dat calcium hielp bij vrouwen na hun menopauze. Zonlicht is de beste bron
voor vitamine D. 15 to 20 minuten blootstelling aan de zon gedurende het heetste moment
van de dag, resulteert in genoeg vitamine D voor de gehele dag (dit is tenminste 10.0000
IU (internationale eenheden)). Experts zeggen dat vitamine supplementen noodzakelijk zijn
voor mensen die nauwelijks buiten komen. Zij lopen anders een groot risico op allerlei
ziekten zoals kanker, diabetes, hartaandoeningen en andere ziekten.
Dr. John Cannel, een vitamine D expert en directeur van de vitamine D raad, stelt op zijn
website dat mensen minstens 4000 tot 5000 IU per dag binnen moeten krijgen om het
beschermende niveau te kunnen handhaven. De Canadian Cancer Society beveelt 1000 IU per
dag aan om kanker te voorkomen.
Ah-ha Moment Leads to New Breast
Cancer Tumor Testing Standards
In a front-page April 19 story, the New
York Times describes the moment of truth that Dr. Edith Perez, a breast cancer oncologist
and researcher at Mayo Clinic, Florida, had in 2001 about the quality of tests given
around the world to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. These tests are designed to
assess what kind of tumors a woman has, based on proteins on the cancer. Correct treatment
depends on that information. As the principal investigator of two large national studies
of Herceptin for women with HER2 positive early-stage breast cancer, she knew that women
were having these tests at all kinds of places, from community hospitals to major medical
centers to central national labs that specialize in these tests. She wondered if the women
entering her clinical trials based on a positive HER2 test actually did have that kind of
cancer. So she decided to retest the tumor samples in a central lab to confirm the
results. As the New York Times reported, the outcome stunned her and her colleagues.
Twenty percent of the first 119 women whose initial tests indicated their tumors had
excess HER2 turned out not to have it on retesting.
Stof in moedermelk doodt
borstkankercellen
Een stof die voorkomt in moedermelk kan
kankercellen doden; zo blijkt uit studies gedaan door onderzoekers van de Universiteit van
Lund en deUniversiteit van Göteborg.
Wanneer meisjes op hun zevende mager en
groot zijn, hebben ze na de menopauze een grotere kans op borstkanker dan hun
leeftijdsgenootjes met wat meer vet op de botten.
Waarom? Vetweefsel absorbeert meer
schadelijke toxines, dat is het mechanisme!
Dennis (arts)
Hormoongevoeligheid van
borst-stamcellen levert een nieuw aanknopingspunt voor nieuwe medicijnen op
Onderzoekers van het "Walter en Eliza
Hall Instituut" hebben ontdekt dat borst-stamcellen zeer gevoelig zijn voor de
vrouwelijke hormonen oestrogeen en progesteron. Deze bevinding opent nieuwe wegen voor de
ontwikkeling van nieuwe mogelijkheden tot preventie en behandeling van borstkanker.
Onderzoekers hebben een link
gevonden tussen borstkanker en hormonen
Er is een sleutelsignaal
geidentificeert,die de groei van borst-stamcellen stimuleert. Dit helpt onderzoekers de
ontwikkeling van borstkanker beter te begrijpen.
Het borstvergrotingsmiddel Macrolane zou
symptomen van borstkanker kunnen maskeren. Daarnaast zouden veel vrouwen na de behandeling
klagen over pijn en abnormale bultjes in de borst.
Professor David Stott is investigating ways
to stimulate a patients own immune system to recognise and kill their breast cancer cells.
This exciting area of research, called immunotherapy, could open up new possibilities for
treating the UKs most common cancer.
Reaktie op Uitzending Netwerk over
Simoncini
Reactie aan Netwerk
Jammer dat Netwerk mij niet heeft gevraagd
voor in de uitzending. In 2008 is daar samen met Marojein een programma door Netwerk over
gemaakt dat ook al zo gekleurd was. Begin vorige jaar (jan. 2009) belde Alje Kamphuis van
Netwerk met de vraag of ik weer mee wilde doen. Ik wist dat Marjolein was overleden -
overigens had zij een jaar langer geleef door de behandeling van Simoncini dan de artsen
haar hier in Nederland konden bieden. Ik heb Alje toen verteld niet mee te willen doen,
omdat ik uit ervaring nu wist dat Netwerk alleen maar sensatieprogramma's wil maken; met
journalistieke 'waarheid' heeft dit programma niets van doen. Daarnaast ging ik toen net
op wintersport.
Wel heb ik in dat telefoongesprek Alje
ingelicht over een kennis die in maart 2008 met 2 tumoren in haar borst (1 van 9 en 1 van
6 cm!) naar Rome is geweest. Door de enorme druk heeft zij in okt. 2009 haar borst toch in
Duitsland laten verwijderen. Na onderzoek bleek dat er nog 1 ingecapselde tumor van 1,5
cm. was te vinden. De rest van necrotisch weefsel. Alje zei dit aan Patrick Smidt (collega
Netwerk) te melden, want Alje ging ook weg. Dat heb ik per email gedaan en nooit meer wat
van gehoord.
Nu, 3,5 jaar NA het RECIDIEF (eerder in
2001 regulier behandeld in dezelfde borst) blaak ik van gezondheid. Zo ken ik nog een
vrouw uit Nederland die nu, 2,5 jaar na behandeling in Rome nog steeds gezond rondloopt.
Haar tumor was ook 6 cm. Dit zou toch aanleiding moeten zij om eens serieus te gaan kijken
naar bica. De kosten zijn laag.
De stichting Sergio heeft het KWF in 1999
100.000 gulden aangeboden voor onderzoek naar zout. Het antwoord van het KWF kan men
vinden in het boek "Chemo of kan ik zelf kiezen" van Drs. H. Trentelman.
Droevig.
Wat laat Netwerk een kans lopen, of mogen
ze niet................! Censuur???
Marion
Borstkanker in eenderde van de
gevallen te voorkomen
Volgens deskundigen is ruim dertig procent
van de gevallen van borstkanker te voorkomen, door middel van eenvoudige veranderingen in
levenswijze.
Junk DNA kan de aandacht op borst-
en darmkanker vestigen
Wetenschappers van de Universiteit van
Nottingham hebben gevonden dat een groep van losgeslagen genetisch materiaal, geprocedeerd
door DNA strengen die bekend staan als junk DNA, kunnen helpen om borst- en darmkanker te
diagnostiseren. Hun onderzoek, gesponsord door het Cancer Research UK, is gepubliceerd in
het "Genomics Journal".
Radiotherapie bij borstkanker kan
vaak goedkoper en beter
Een nieuwe vorm van gecombineerde
radiotherapie biedt belangrijke voordelen voor patiënten met borstkanker. Gezond weefsel
en risico-organen, zoals het hart en de longen, krijgen een lagere dosis straling te
verduren. Dat ontdekte UMCG-onderzoeker Hans Paul van der Laan. Ook blijkt de nieuwe
behandeling goedkoper dan de standaardtherapie. Sinds de ontdekking is de gecombineerde
bestraling al in veel Nederlandse ziekenhuizen ingevoerd. Op 3 maart promoveert Van der
Laan op het onderzoek aan de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.
De radiotherapie die de meeste
borstkankerpatiënten tot voor kort volgden, bestond uit een programma van 25 dagen waarin
de hele borst werd bestraald en acht dagen waarin een deel van de borst, het
operatiegebied, nog een extra dosis straling kreeg. Van der Laan ontdekte dat het gunstig
is deze afzonderlijke bestralingen te vervangen door één geïntegreerde bestraling.
Gedurende 28 dagen worden de hele borst en het operatiegebied tegelijk met verschillende
doseringen bestraald (SIB –simultaneous integrated boost).
De promovendus toonde aan dat het gezonde
weefsel en de organen met SIB minder belast worden. Ook liet hij zien dat er met SIB
minder sessies nodig zijn om hetzelfde resultaat te krijgen. Hierdoor zijn patiënten een
week eerder klaar met de therapie, en worden de kosten gereduceerd. De door Van der Laan
beschreven gecombineerde therapie wordt wereldwijd bij steeds meer patiënten toegepast.
In Nederland wordt ongeveer de helft van de Nederlandse patiënten volgens deze methode
bestraald.
Dure behandeling niet altijd beter
Van der Laan onderzocht ook welke
patiënten met borstkanker baat hebben bij een bestralingstechniek die alleen door
kostbare computerapparatuur berekend kan worden (intensiteitsgemoduleerde radiotherapie,
IMRT). Dit blijken twee patiëntengroepen te zijn: patiënten bij wie het operatiegebied
relatief groot is, en patiënten bij wie het hart dicht in de buurt van het
bestralingsgebied ligt. In andere
gevallen is deze duurdere behandeling niet noodzakelijk beter dan de standaard
driedimensionale radiotherapie, zo stelt Van der Laan vast. Ziekenhuizen kunnen met een
CT-scan bepalen welke bestralingstechniek het meest geschikt is.
Om de risico’s voor de patiënt zoveel
mogelijk te beperken, moet er volgens Van der Laan kritisch gekeken worden naar de
samenstelling van de stralingsbundels. Zeker wanneer het bestralingsgebied groot is,
bijvoorbeeld wanneer ook de lymfeklieren bestraald moeten worden, is dit van groot belang.
Een combinatie van gewone röntgenstralen en elektronen kan in dat geval uitkomst bieden,
zo blijkt uit onderzoek van Van der Laan. Tot slot pleit de onderzoeker voor goed overleg
tussen alle betrokken partijen: chirurgen, pathologen en radiotherapeuten. Wanneer deze
goed op elkaar zijn ingespeeld, is een betere afstemming van chirurgie en radiotherapie
mogelijk.
Medical Marijuana Stops Spread of
Breast Cancer
Cannabidiol enhances the inhibitory effects
of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol on human glioblastoma cell proliferation and survival: The
cannabinoid 1 (CB(1)) and cannabinoid 2 (CB(2)) receptor agonist
Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been shown to be a broad-range inhibitor of cancer
in culture and in vivo, and is currently being used in a clinical trial for the treatment
of glioblastoma. It has been suggested that other plant-derived cannabinoids, which do not
interact efficiently with CB(1) and CB(2) receptors, can modulate the actions of
Delta(9)-THC. There are conflicting reports, however, as to what extent other cannabinoids
can modulate Delta(9)-THC activity, and most importantly, it is not clear whether other
cannabinoid compounds can either potentiate or inhibit the actions of Delta(9)-THC. We
therefore tested cannabidiol, the second most abundant plant-derived cannabinoid, in
combination with Delta(9)-THC. In the U251 and SF126 glioblastoma cell lines, Delta(9)-THC
and cannabidiol acted synergistically to inhibit cell proliferation. The treatment of
glioblastoma cells with both compounds led to significant modulations of the cell cycle
and induction of reactive oxygen species and apoptosis as well as specific modulations of
extracellular signal-regulated kinase and caspase activities. These specific changes were
not observed with either compound individually, indicating that the signal transduction
pathways affected by the combination treatment were unique. Our results suggest that the
addition of cannabidiol to Delta(9)-THC may improve the overall effectiveness of
Delta(9)-THC in the treatment of glioblastoma in cancer patients.
Borstkankerscreening redt geen
levens?
Britse experts beweren in The Journal of
Medicine dat de borstkankerscreening geen levens redt en ieder jaar duizenden verkeerde
diagnoses stelt.
Een gezonder alternatief voor deze methode
is Thermography:
Junk DNA kan indicator zijn voor
borst- en darmkanker
Wetenschappers van de Universiteit van
Nottingham hebben gevonden dat een groep "losgeslagen" genetisch materiaal,
geproduceerd door DNA strengen die gewoonlijk bekend staan als "Junk DNA",
kunnen helpen bij het diagnostiseren van Borst- en darmkanker. De resultaten van dit
onderzoek, dat werd gefinancieerd door het "Cancer Research UK" in Engeland, is
gepubliceerd in het "Genomics Journal" van deze maand.
Betere overleving bij borstkanker
door radiotherapie
Postoperatieve bestraling ter hoogte van de
klierstreken heeft wel degelijk nut bij borstkankerpatiënten bij wie minder dan vier
lymfeklieren waren aangetast. Dat concluderen onderzoekers van de Vrije Universiteit
Brussel uit een vergelijkende studie.
Natuurlijke bestanddelen
granaatappel kunnen mogelijk hormoon
gerelateerde groei van borstkanker voorkomen
Het eten van fruit dat anti-aromatase
phytochemicals bevat, vermindert de incidentie van hormoon gerelateerde borstkanker,
volgens een studie in "Cancer Prevention Research", een tijdschrift van de
"American Association for Cancer Research".
Presentation by Christopher Li, Ph.D. from
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Reserach Center on his study of long-term Tamoxifen use and the
occurance of second breast cancers.
Leverenzym beïnvloedt borstkanker
Borstkankerpatiënten die een bepaald enzym
in de lever missen, hebben minder baat bij behandeling met het geneesmiddel tamoxifen en
hebben daardoor een hoger risico om te overlijden aan borstkanker. Het gaat om patiënten
na de menopauze die het zogenoemde enzym (CYP2D6) in hun lever missen.
Eiwit uit zwangerschapshormonen
beschermt tegen borstkanker
Amerikaanse onderzoekers hebben ontdekt dat
de hormonen die tijdens de zwangerschap worden geproduceerd de aanmaak stimuleren een
eiwit dat de groei van borstkanker remt. Het eiwit, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), kan volgens
de studie gepubliceerd in het Cancer Prevention Research dienen als goed getolereerd
middel voor de behandeling en preventie van borstkanker. Volgens hoofdonderzoeker Herbert
Jacobson zorgen de hormonen zoals oestrogeen alle voor produktie van dit eiwit. Men gaat
nu proberen het eiwit in de vorm van een medicijn op de markt te brengen.
De VS gaat zijn borstkankeronderzoek naar
Nederlands voorbeeld organiseren. Voortaan zullen vrouwen pas vanaf 50 jaar worden
opgeroepen om elke twee jaar hun borsten te laten onderzoeken. Nu gebeurt dat al vanaf 40
jaar.
Wetenschappers ontdekten een nieuwe
sleutel van de puzzel mbt hormoontherapie en borstkanker
Het gebruik van postmenopauze
hormoontherapie is geleidelijk in de Verenigde Staten afgenomen, dit kan volgens
onderzoekers een sleutelrol spelen in de afname / achteruitgang van afwijkende melklier
hyperplasia, een bekende risico factor voor borstkanker. "Postmenopauze
hormoonbehandeling wordt geassocieerd met een toegenomen aantal borst biopsies, en
vroegere en latere stadia of kanker. Afwijkende melklier hyperplasia is gerelateerd aan
het gebruik van postmenopauze hormoongebruik en haar waarden zijn verlaagd met het afnemen
van deze behandeling," zei onderzoeker Tehillah Menes, M.D., hij was het hoofd van de
borst service in het Departement van chirurgie in het Elmhorst Ziekenhuis Centrum, New
York, toen deze studie werd geleid.
De details van deze bevindingen zijn
gepubliceerd in het Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, welk een journaal is
van de American Associaton voor kanker onderzoek. Afwijkende melkklier hyperplasia zijn
abnormale cellen die groeien in de melkklieren van de borst. Vorig onderzoek heeft laten
zien dat vrouwen die zijn gediagnosticeerd met afwijkende melkklieren bereiken een
drie-tot-vijf maal groot risico op ontwikkeling van borstkanker. Gebruikmakend van data
van het Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, Menes en collega's onderzoeken de waarden
van afwijkende melkklier hyperplasia om de risico factoren en waarden te bepalen voor meer
dan 2.4 millioen mammografie studies met en zonder borstkanker.
HRT Risks, What Are They If The
Woman Has Breast Cancer?
Dr. Heward shares what HRT risks there are
for a woman who has breast cancer.
Waarom geen GALVANO THERAPIE?
Waarom kunnen we in Ned. nog steeds niet
kiezen voor GALVANO THERAPIE, en worden we gedwongen voor chemo, operatie en bestralingen
te kiezen als we borstkanker hebben? GALVANO. Therapie behandelingen zijn nontoxic, de
tumoren worden verbrand door middel van een lage gelijkstroom, het gezonde weefsel/cellen
worden niet aangetast. Op Oncologische congressen, hebben Chinezen een remissie van 88%.
Ik heb in 1994 Galavano Therapie behandelingen met succes in de St. Georg Klinik in Bad
Eibling ondergaan. Mijn website: www.choiceinlife.com
kan je mijn 8 maanden borstkanker ervaringen lezen.
Alie
Borstkanker eist meer levens
Vorig jaar zijn meer vrouwen overleden aan
borstkanker dan in 2007. In totaal overleden vorig jaar 3327 vrouwen aan borstkanker in
Nederland
The latest screening tool for breast cancer
is offered at just one facility in Connecticut. It's called the breast-specific gamma
imaging (BSGI) test and it is available at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in
Southington .
Borstkanker: veel vrouwen hebben
weinig of maar kort psychische problemen
In Nederland krijgt circa een op de negen
vrouwen borstkanker. De diagnose is altijd ingrijpend. Maar nu de behandelmogelijkheden
toenemen en het "taboe" rond de ziekte verdwenen is, wordt de ziekte minder vaak
een levensbedreigende, traumatische ervaring. Dat blijkt uit onderzoek waarop Inge
Henselmans op 28 oktober promoveert aan de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Met name vrouwen
met een sterk gevoel van controle over het eigen leven hebben relatief weinig psychische
klachten. Borstkanker wordt veroorzaakt door afwijkingen in het DNA die ervoor zorgen dat
een cel ongecontroleerd gaat delen en groeien. Als de ziekte in een vroeg stadium wordt
ontdekt, zijn de behandelmogelijkheden relatief goed. In veel gevallen moet de tumor
chirurgisch worden verwijderd en moet de patiënt bestraald worden, in sommige evallen is
ook chemotherapie nodig. Overleving na vijf jaar ligt op 85 procent. Wanneer er geen
uitzaaiingen zijn, ligt dit percentage zelfs tussen de 90 en 100 procent.
Langlopend onderzoek
Voor Henselmans' onderzoek naar psychisch
welbevinden na de diagnose borstkanker vulden ruim 900 vrouwen meerdere malen
vragenlijsten in. Van hen was bij 242 vrouwen borstkanker vastgesteld; 670 gingen naar het
ziekenhuis op verdenking van borstkanker, maar bleken geen kanker te hebben. Alle vrouwen
werden op meerdere momenten bevraagd: zowel voor als na de diagnose, en zowel voor als na
eventuele behandeling. Niet eerder werden vrouwen over zoveel fases in het ziektetraject
gevolgd.
Na behandeling weinig klachten
"Vrouwen realiseren zich prima welke
risico's de ziekte met zich meebrengt," licht Henselmans haar onderzoek toe,
"maar blijken over het algemeen zeer veerkrachtig." Toch doorloopt niet iedereen
het ziektetraject zonder problemen. Vooral kort na de diagnose kampt een groot aantal
vrouwen die bestraling en/of chemotherapie ondergaan met angst voor wat er komen gaat, en
andere psychische klachten “ waaronder slapeloosheid. Over het algemeen herstellen
vrouwen zich in de maanden na afronding van de behandeling. Een derde van de vrouwen
ervaart zelfs op geen enkel moment na diagnose psychische problemen. Daar staat een kleine
groep vrouwen tegenover die pas na de behandeling voor het eerst psychische klachten
krijgen, of zelfs gedurende het gehele ziekenhuistraject problemen houden.
miRNA lijkt belangrijke factor in
ontstaan borstkanker
miMRNA lijkt een niet onbelangrijke rol te
spelen bij het ontstaan van borstkanker.
Nieuwe bewijzen daarvoor draagt patholoog Liqiang Qi aan in zijn promotieonderzoek.
Voor vrouwen met borstkanker kan het een
behoorlijk verschil maken of ze zich laten behandelen in ziekenhuis A of ziekenhuis B. Zo
blijkt uit onderzoek dat de Consumentenbond publiceert in de Gezondgids van oktober. Op
basis van cijfers over het aantal operaties waarbij in één keer de hele tumor succesvol
wordt verwijderd en gegevens over de ervaring van het chirurgenteam raadt de bond in
totaal 17 ziekenhuizen aan. Dertien ziekenhuizen hebben de behandelingen voor borstkanker
duidelijk minder goed op orde.
Consumentenbond
Octrooirechten op genen verhinderen
onderzoek en schaden patiënten
Misschien was u net als velen onlangs
geschokt te horen dat Myriad, een biomedisch bedrijf, octrooihouder is van twee vormen van
het gen dat geassocieerd wordt met borstkanker. Dit octrooi beschermt niet alleen de
genetische screeningtest van Myriad, die helpt voorspellen of iemand borstkanker krijgt,
maar belemmert ook andere bedrijven om vergelijkbare tests te ontwikkelen. Helaas staan
octrooirechten ook basisonderzoek in de weg.
Uit onderzoek door het Duitse
consumentenmagazine Öko-Test is gebleken dat zwarte beha’s te veel kleurstoffen
bevatten die een gevaar zijn voor de gezondheid.
Experts have found the strongest evidence
yet that a woman's lifestyle is linked to her risk of developing breast cancer..
Lange termijn gebruik Tamoxifen
verviervoudigt de kans op een agressievere vorm van borstkanker
Terwijl het lange termijn gebruik van
Tamoxifen bij borstkanker patiënten normaal het risico op terugkeer van de minder
agressieve vorm van borstkanker verkleint blijkt nu uit een nieuwe observatie studie van
het Amerikaanse Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center dat de kans op de agressievere niet
goed behandelbare vorm van borstkanker juist wordt verviervoudigd.
Comparing breast-cancer patients who
received the estrogen-blocking drug tamoxifen to those who did not, the researchers found
that while the drug was associated with a 60 percent reduction in estrogen
receptor-positive, or ER positive, second breast cancer – the more common type, which
is responsive to estrogen-blocking therapy – it also appeared to increase the risk of
ER negative second cancer by 440 percent. "This is of concern, given the poorer
prognosis of ER-negative tumors, which are also more difficult to treat," said Li, an
associate member of the Hutchinson Center's Public Health Sciences Division.
Having children could reduce the risk of getting breast cancer because cells with strong
protective characteristics are transferred from the baby in the womb to the mother, a
study showed Tuesday.
Older breast cancer patients who got Roche AG's drug Xeloda all by itself were almost
twice as likely to relapse and die than women who got standard chemotherapy, U.S.
researchers reported on Wednesday.
Second-hand smoke linked to breast
cancer, says study
Parents who smoke are putting their daughters at increased risk of breast cancer,
according to an expert panel that has unanimously agreed strong enough evidence now exists
to link second-hand smoke to breast cancer.
AICR Reminds Mothers Of Additional
Breastfeeding Benefit - Cancer Protection
the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) urges new mothers to consider one more
benefit to breastfeeding their babies: added cancer protection for mother and child.
Active smoking and second-hand
smoke linked to breast cancer
There is now enough scientific evidence to link both active smoking and second-hand smoke
to breast cancer, according to an international panel convened by the Ontario Tobacco
Research Unit, an affiliate of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of
Toronto, with support from the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Additional Breastfeeding Benefit -
Cancer Protection
The evidence examined by AICR’s international panel of experts showed, convincingly,
that breastfeeding protects women against both pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer. The
research also finds that breastfeeding probably decreases the likelihood that a child will
be overweight (at least during the early years of childhood). Protection from weight gain
is of particular importance, as childhood overweight tends to continue into adulthood,
where excess body fat is closely linked to cancer development. According to experts,
hormonal changes in a woman’s body and physical changes in breast tissue cells are
likely responsible for the added protection seen in mothers. Infants’ benefits are
gained from the chemical composition of breast milk as well as the promotion of
self-regulated feeding that is a natural part of the breastfeeding process.
Ingredient found in green tea
significantly inhibits breast cancer growth in female mice
A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Mississippi finds that consuming
EGCG, an antioxidant in green tea, significantly inhibits breast tumor growth in female
mice. These results bring us one step closer to better understanding the disease and
potentially new and naturally occurring therapies.
Hormonal changes associated with breastfeeding delay the return of a new mother’s
menstrual periods when she is breastfeeding . Delayed menstruation reduces a woman’s
lifetime exposure to hormones like estrogen, which is linked to breast cancer risk .
According to researchers, this may be one of the main reasons that breastfeeding protects
women.
there are over 200 chemicals in air pollution--called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs)--that may also lead to cancer, including cancer of the breast. PAHs are the chief
component of soot, and enter the air via burning of coal, oil, diesel, gasoline, wood,
garbage, tobacco, and even charbroiled meat.
Red wine vs. white? It makes no
difference when it comes to breast-cancer risk
The largest study of its kind to evaluate the effect of red versus white wine on
breast-cancer risk concludes that both are equal offenders when it comes to increasing
breast-cancer risk. The results of the study, led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center, were published in the March issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and
Prevention. "We were interested in teasing out red wine's effects on breast-cancer
risk. There is reason to suspect that red wine might have beneficial effects based on
previous studies of heart disease and prostate cancer," said lead author Polly
Newcomb, Ph.D., M.P.H., head of the Cancer Prevention Program in the Public Health
Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center. "The general evidence is that alcohol
consumption overall increases breast-cancer risk, but the other studies made us wonder
whether red wine might in fact have some positive value." Instead, Newcomb and
colleagues found no compelling reason to choose Chianti over Chardonnay. "We found no
difference between red or white wine in relation to breast-cancer risk. Neither appears to
have any benefits," Newcomb said. "If a woman drinks, she should do so in
moderation – no more than one drink a day. And if a woman chooses red wine, she
should do so because she likes the taste, not because she thinks it may reduce her risk of
breast cancer," she said. The researchers found that women who consumed 14 or more
drinks per week, regardless of the type (wine, liquor or beer), faced a 24 percent
increase in breast cancer compared with non-drinkers. For the study, the researchers
interviewed 6,327 women with breast cancer and 7,558 age-matched controls about their
frequency of alcohol consumption (red wine, white wine, liquor and beer) and other
breast-cancer risk factors, such as age at first pregnancy, family history of breast
cancer and postmenopausal hormone use. The study participants, ages 20 to 69, were from
Wisconsin, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The frequency of alcohol consumption was
similar in both groups, and equal proportions of women in both groups reported consuming
red and white wine.
After about five years of research, Thomas and Newell, 33, determined that the flavor
component of garlic is the key ingredient in preventing breast cancer. Thomas said studies
also have shown that garlic inhibits carcinogens related to colon cancer and
cardiovascular diseases.
New technology could revolutionize
breast cancer screening
The world's first radar breast imaging system developed at Bristol University that could
revolutionise the way women are scanned for breast cancer, is being trialled at North
Bristol NHS Trust (NBT). Professor Alan Preece and Dr Ian Craddock from the University of
Bristol have been working for a number of years to develop a breast-imaging device which
uses radio waves and therefore has no radiation risk unlike conventional mammograms. The
team began developing and researching a prototype around five years ago and have received
funding from organisations including the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC), the trustees of the United Bristol Hospitals and the University of
Bristol spin-out company, Micrima Ltd. Dr Ian Craddock from the University's Department of
Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said: "This new imaging technique works by
transmitting radio waves of a very low energy and detecting reflected signals, it then
uses these signals to make a 3D image of the breast. This is basically the same as any
radar system, such as the radars used for air traffic control at our airports." Mike
Shere, Associate Specialist Breast Clinician at NBT, added: "Currently women are
diagnosed in three ways: firstly by a clinician then by using imaging such as mammography
and ultrasound and lastly by a needle biopsy. "The radar breast imaging system came
to Frenchay in September this year and so far around 60 women have been examined using it.
"It takes less time to operate than a mammogram approximately six minutes for both
breasts compared with 30-45 minutes for an MRI, and like an MRI it provides a very
detailed 3D digital image. "Women love it as they compare it to a mammogram and find
the whole experience much more comfortable."
Breastthermography.com is dedicated to providing information on breast thermography, risk
assessment, breast cancer, early detection, prevention and ultimately the preservation of
the breast and the survival of women. Current research has determined that the key to
breast cancer survival rests upon its earliest possible detection. If discovered in its
earliest stages, 95% cure rates are possible. Our center is dedicated to providing one of
the most essential tests in breast cancer risk assessment and early detection.
Analysis of breast cancer cases by researchers at the University of Munich showed that
patients with this type of cancer were significantly more likely to have kept a dog than a
cat.
Breast cancers - What if their
invasive power were "latent" from the beginning of their development?
Why are some cancers more aggressive than others? This was the question explored by a
number of doctors and Inserm research scientists at the Institut Curie when they studied
the biological profile of a form of breast cancer. The results were astounding: tumour
aggressiveness seems to be determined from the very first tumour cells and the biological
diversity observed in invasive cancers already exists in localised forms. These results
could make it possible to define subpopulations of localised cancers and adapt the
treatment according to the associated risks. But with this work published in the Clinical
Cancer Research issue of 1st April, the question remains of the origin of tumour cell
aggressiveness: if it does not arise from biological modifications formerly acquired by
tumour cells, how is the invasive capacity triggered off?
Twin nanoparticle shown effective
at targeting, killing breast cancer cells
Breast cancer patients face many horrors, including those that arise when fighting the
cancer itself. Medications given during chemotherapy can have wicked side effects,
including vomiting, dizziness, anemia and hair loss. These side effects occur because
medications released into the body target healthy cells as well as tumor cells. The trick
becomes how to deliver cancer-fighting drugs directly to the tumor cells. Brown University
chemists think they have an answer: They have created a twin nanoparticle that
specifically targets the Her-2-positive tumor cell, a type of malignant cell that affects
up to 30 percent of breast cancer patients. The combination nanoparticle binds to the
Her-2 tumor cell and unloads the cancer-fighting drug cisplatin directly into the infected
cell. The result: Greater success at killing the cancer while minimizing the anti-cancer
drug's side effects."Like a missile, you don't want the anti-cancer drugs to explode
everywhere," explained Shouheng Sun, a chemistry professor at Brown University and an
author on the paper published online in The Journal of the American Chemical Society.
"You want it to target the tumor cells and not the healthy ones." The
researchers created the twin nanoparticle by binding one gold (Au) nanoparticle with an
iron-oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticle. On one end, they attached a synthetic protein antibody to
the iron-oxide nanoparticle. On the other end, they attached cisplatin to the gold
nanoparticle. Visually, the whole contraption looks like an elongated dumbbell, but it may
be better to think of it as a vehicle, equipped with a very good GPS system, that is
ferrying a very important passenger.
The National Toxicology Program has identified 42 chemicals that cause mammary tumors
(breast tumors) in laboratory mice. The EnviroChem and Cancer database provides a snapshot
of important information about each of those chemicals.
There has been growing interest in whether environmental factors, including exposures to
certain chemicals or changes in lifestyle, may increase the risk of breast cancer. This
fact sheet will discuss research linking environmental chemicals and the risk of breast
cancer. This will include exposures of concern in the home and workplace, and chemicals
known to cause mammary (breast tumors) in laboratory animals. The fact sheet will also
discuss new emerging data on how exposures to certain chemicals early in life may affect
breast development and breast cancer risk, as well as new work identifying important
gene-environmental interactions.
Commonly used flame retardants, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), are an emerging
concern because some have been identified as endocrine disruptors. They also have been
widely detected in the environment, wildlife, and people.
RNA snippet suppresses spread of
aggressive breast cancer
A low cellular level of a tiny fragment of RNA appears to increase the spread of breast
cancer in mouse models of the disease, according to researchers at Whitehead Institute for
Biomedical Research. Measuring levels of this so-called microRNA, which is also associated
with metastatic breast cancer in humans, may more accurately predict the likelihood of
metastasis (which accounts for 90% of cancer-related deaths) and ultimately help determine
patient prognoses. In the study, whose results are reported in the June 12 issue of Cell,
Scott Valastyan, a graduate student in Whitehead Member Robert Weinberg's laboratory,
screened patient breast cancer samples for microRNAs with potential roles in metastasis.
MicroRNAs are single strands of RNA about 21-23 nucleotides long. Within a cell, a single
microRNA can fine-tune the expression of dozens of genes simultaneously. This capability
could be particularly important in metastasis, a multi-step process that could be
influenced by a single microRNA at several points. The screened samples were classified as
either metastatic cancer or non-metastatic cancer. After analysis, the microRNA miR-31
stood out because of its inverse correlation with metastasis. In samples where a patient's
original tumor had not metastasized, the cancer cells retained high levels of the
microRNA. But where the tumor had metastasized, the cancer cells came to possess lower
levels of miR-31. The functional role of miR-31 in metastasis regulation was then
confirmed in mice. When Valastyan removed miR-31 from normally non-aggressive breast
cancer cells and implanted those cells into mice, the cells formed highly aggressive
tumors. Mice injected with the cancer cells lacking miR-31 had 6 to 10 times more cancer
cells that metastasized to their lungs than did their counterparts implanted with
unmodified cancer cells.To see how increasing miR-31 levels could affect metastasis,
Valastyan introduced miR-31 into breast cancer cells that readily metastasize. After
injecting these altered cells into mice, the mice had four to 40 times fewer metastases
than mice injected with the unaltered cells. Valastyan says that quantifying miR-31 levels
in a patient's cancer cells could one day support a more accurate prognosis. Currently,
breast cancers are divided into three major categories, two of which are typically
associated with poor prognoses. "This microRNA seems to be quite unique, in that it
seems to provide some prognostic utility across these existing subclassifications [of
cancers]," says Valastyan. A better-defined prognosis could help patients determine
whether they might benefit from poorly tolerated cancer therapies.
Human breast tumours'
'microenvironment' primes them for metastasis
The environment within primary breast tumours can 'empower' cells that break free and
enter the bloodstream to successfully invade other organs, researchers report in the 4th
April Cell, a publication of Cell Press.
Biomarkers predict risk for
invasive breast cancer years before the tumor develops
A team of scientists from the University of California San Francisco has identified
distinct molecular markers that predict whether or not a woman is likely to develop
subsequent invasive cancer after initial diagnosis with a noninvasive form of early breast
cancer. The research, published by Cell Press in the November issue of Cancer Cell,
provides critical information that can be used to determine whether a woman should receive
more or less aggressive therapy.
Einstein Researchers Develop a New
Way to Study How Breast Cancer Spreads
In a breakthrough study appearing in advance online publication of Nature Methods,
researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University describe for the
first time a method of viewing individual breast cancer cells for several days at a time.
The study, by scientists in Einstein's Gruss Lipper Biophotonics Center, provides detail
on how cancer cells invade surrounding tissue and reach blood vessels. These movements are
the first steps of the potentially deadly stage of cancer known as metastasis. The new
method of viewing cancer cells over several days in their natural environment is
considered significant because prior methods of study only allowed cells to be viewed
clearly for several hours at one time. Having a longer and clearer window into how cancer
cells move during the early stages of metastasis may help scientists develop more
effective cancer therapies. For 2007, the American Cancer Society reported that a woman
with metastatic breast cancer had an average survival rate of two years.
Thermography - A Safer Option for
Breast Cancer Detection
The occurrence of breast cancer has dramatically increased in the past 50 years and the
medical establishment encourages the use of annual mammogram screenings as a woman’s
best option for early detection. In fact, for more than 30 years it’s been the
unquestioned, standard screening device used by the medical community. While mammography
may be useful in certain situations, it has many disturbing drawbacks.
Transforming growth factor-? in
breast cancer - too much, too late
The contribution of transforming growth factor (TGF)? to breast cancer has been studied
from a myriad perspectives since seminal studies more than two decades ago. Although the
action of TGF? as a canonical tumor suppressor in breast is without a doubt, there is
compelling evidence that TGF? is frequently subverted in a malignant plexus that drives
breast cancer. New knowledge that TGF? regulates the DNA damage response, which underlies
cancer therapy, reveals another facet of TGF? biology that impedes cancer control. Too
much TGF?, too late in cancer progression is the fundamental motivation for pharmaceutical
inhibition.
Cellular response to stress signals
predicts future tumor formation in women diagnosed with common type of pre-breast cancer
A specific biological response to cellular stress may predict the likelihood of future
tumor formation of the most common, non-invasive form of pre-malignant breast cancer--
ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS.
High blood levels of vitamin D protect post-menopausal women from breast cancer. This
connection has been confirmed by research of the German Cancer Research Center. It also
shows that a particular gene variant of the vitamin D receptor is associated with an
elevated breast cancer risk if the tumor has receptors for the female sex hormone
estrogen. German Cancer Aid, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Breast cancers behave differently
before and after the age of 70
Researchers in Belgium have discovered that increasing age affects the way breast cancer
behaves. As women approach the age of 70, they become less likely to be diagnosed with
aggressive tumors that have spread to the lymph nodes. But after 70, the cancer is
increasingly likely to spread, particularly if the tumors are small. The research was
presented on Friday at the 6th European Breast Cancer Conference in Berlin.
Acupuncture relieves hot flushes in
breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen
Acupuncture provides effective relief from hot flushes in women who are being treated with
the anti-oestrogen tamoxifen following surgery for breast cancer, according to new
research presented today (Friday) at the 6th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-6) in
Berlin. Mrs Jill Hervik, a physiotherapist and acupuncturist at the Vestfold Central
Hospital (Tønsberg, Norway), told a news briefing that breast cancer patients who
received traditional Chinese acupuncture had a 50% reduction in hot flushes, both during
the day and the night, and that this effect continued after the acupuncture ceased.
"Two-Headed" Antibody
Poses A Double Threat to Breast Cancer Cells, Say Fox Chase Researchers
A small, antibody-like molecule created by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center can
successfully attack two separate molecules on the surface of cancer cells at the same
time, halting the growth of breast cancer cells in laboratory tests, the researchers say.
The molecule, nickname "ALM," might be a means of slowing cancer spread or, as
the researchers believe, a guidance system for delivering more aggressive drugs directly
to cancer cells. Their findings appear in this month’s British Journal of Cancer.
Unlike naturally occurring antibodies, which only bind to one specific target at a time,
ALM is bispecific, meaning it attaches to two separate targets simultaneously. ALM's
targets are two signaling proteins, ErbB2 and ErbB3, which connect to form a
growth-promoting complex on the surface of many cancer cells, including head and neck
cancer and drug-resistant breast cancer.
Variants of vitamin D receptor
linked to increased risk of breast cancer
Genetic variations in the body's receptor for vitamin D could increase the risk of breast
cancer in post-menopausal women, according to a study published today in the open access
journal Breast Cancer Research.
Traditional Chinese Food
Ingredients Prevent Breast Cancer
Two foods commonly eaten as part of the traditional Chinese diet can reduce a woman's risk
of breast cancer by as much as 90 percent, according to a study conducted by researchers
from the University of Western Australia in Perth, and published in the International
Journal of Cancer. Researchers compared consumption of mushrooms and green tea between two
groups of Chinese women, one with breast cancer and one without. They found that women who
ate at least 10 grams (0.35 ounces) of fresh mushrooms per day had a 64 percent lower risk
of developing breast cancer than those who did not eat as much. Those who also regularly
drank green tea reduced their risk by a total of 90 percent. Dried mushrooms also reduced
breast cancer risk, although they were not as effective as fresh ones.
Mayo researchers identify dangerous
'two-faced' protein crucial to breast cancer spread and growth
Two critical properties of cancer cells are their ability to divide without restraint and
to spread away from the primary tumor to establish new tumor sites. Now, researchers from
the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida have found a protein they say acts as a deadly master
switch, both freeing cancer cells from a tumor while ramping up new growth.
What the Immune System Reveals
about Breast Cancer
Researchers working with Dr Marcus Schmidt in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
at the University Medical Center Mainz have unlocked the key to the immune system's
significance in cases of breast cancer, thus identifying its long-neglected role in the
prognosis of the disease. Their research results, published in the renowned Cancer
Research journal, show that patients with certain breast tumors have a better prognosis
when more immune cells are present in the tumor. These results permitted the scientists to
extend the "coordinate system" in case of breast tumors to include the immune
system as the third important reference point for the prognosis of this disease, in
addition to the long-established prognostic factors of estrogen receptor expression and
proliferative activity (Cancer Research, 1 July 2008; Cancer Research, 1 April 2009).
Eating red meat during adolescence
might heighten the risk of breast cancer
Many adolescent women shun red meat, driven by the lure of clothes-hanger figures and
runway looks. But for those who don't, here's a reason to reconsider: Eating a lot of red
meat during adolescence may increase the risk of breast cancer among premenopausal women,
a new study reports. The findings are based on a study published in a recent issue of
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention conducted by Dana-Farber oncologist Lindsay
Frazier, MD, Sc M, and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard
Medical School. Red meat consumption during adulthood has been previously shown to spur
hormone-fueled breast cancer in women ages 26 to 46. The new study is the first
prospective study to show a connection between a diet high in red meat during adolescence
and the development of pre-menopausal breast cancer. A prospective analysis is an
investigation that follows a group of women over time instead of establishing a link
through medical records of past diagnoses.
Researcher shows link between
growth hormones and tumors
In the Oct. 15 issue of Cancer Research, Hyder and colleagues published findings about
progesterone, a hormone common in birth control and treatments for menopause. Their
research shows that progesterone actively promotes the progression of human breast cancer
cells in an animal model. Previously such observations had been limited to animal cells.
Comparison of Prognostic Gene
Expression signatures for Breast Cancer
During the last years, several groups have identified prognostic gene expression
signatures with apparently similar performances. However, signatures were never compared
on an independent population of untreated breast cancer patients, where risk assessment
was computed using the original algorithms and microarray platforms.Despite the difference
in development of these signatures and the limited overlap in gene identity, they showed
similar prognostic performance, adding to the still growing evidence that these prognostic
signatures are of wide clinical relevance.
Should Breast Tissue Be Screened
For Cancer After Cosmetic Surgery?
Young women undergoing cosmetic breast reduction surgery are being screened for cancer
without their informed consent, according to a paper published on the British Medical
Journal website.
UNC researchers find clue to
stopping breast-cancer metastasis
If scientists knew exactly what a breast cancer cell needs to spread, then they could stop
the most deadly part of the disease: metastasis. New research from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine takes a step in that direction. Carol Otey,
Ph.D. and UNC colleagues reduced the ability of breast cancer cells to migrate by knocking
down the expression of a protein called palladin. They also found higher levels of
palladin in four invasive breast cancer cell lines compared to four non-invasive cell
lines. "This study shows that palladin may play an important role in the metastasis
of breast cancer cells as they move out of the tumor and into the blood vessels and
lymphatics to spread throughout the body," said Otey, associate professor of cell and
molecular physiology. To conduct the study, the researchers grew breast cancer cells in an
"invasion chamber," in which human tumor cells are placed in a plastic well that
is inserted into a larger well. Cells will attempt to move to the bottom of the chamber
because it's baited with growth factors that cells find attractive. But first the cells
have to migrate through a filter coated with a layer of artificial connective tissue.
"The cells have to migrate through that and have to degrade it," Otey said.
"It's a useful model system that mimics what happens in the body."
Breast cancer subtypes originate
from different biological pathways
There is a biological distinction between breast cancers that depend on hormones and those
that do not, according to research published Friday, April 25 in the open-access journal
PLoS Genetics. In the largest study of its kind, an international consortium of cancer
researchers studied the genetic makeup of over 23,000 breast cancer cases.
When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer and liver disease, I read everything I could
find on both subjects. Certain words kept popping up: toxic pesticides, toxic fertilizers,
herbicides, hormones, antibiotics, vitamin supplements, mineral supplements. After my
mastectomy for the breast cancer, I turned to organic food, which has none of these
additives, and I stopped all vitamin and mineral supplements to heal my liver and fight
cancer recurrence. After six months, my liver enzymes returned to below normal, my overall
cholesterol dropped 40 points, my good cholesterol rose 40 points, and even my bad
cholesterol dropped a few points. Since breast cancer is not a one shot deal, I remain on
an organic diet to fight cancer recurrence and to keep my liver healthy.
2 new compounds show promise for
eliminating breast cancer tumors
Two new compounds created by a University of Central Florida professor show early promise
for destroying breast cancer tumors. Associate Professor James Turkson’s compounds
disrupt the formation and spread of breast cancer tumors in tests on mice. The compounds,
S3I-201 and S3I-M2001, break up a cancer-causing protein called STAT3, and researchers
have observed no negative side effects so far. "The compounds are very
promising," Turkson said. "They’ve worked very well in mice, and now
we’re looking for partners to help us take these compounds to the next level of
trials."
CSHL scientists identify new drug
target against virulent type of breast cancer
Tumor cells in a particular subset of breast cancer patients churn out too much of a
protein called ErbB2 -- also often called HER2 -- which drives the cells to proliferate
unchecked. Patients unlucky enough to be in this group -- about one in four -- have poorer
prognoses and clinical outcomes than those who don’t. Senthil K. Muthuswamy, Ph.D.
The drugs Herceptin and Lapatinib, prescribed in combination with other chemotherapeutic
agents, have improved this picture significantly, but leave plenty of room for
improvement: they suppress ErbB2 but are effective against less than half of
ErbB2-producing tumors. Moreover, patients with tumors that do respond usually develop
resistance to these drugs.A team of scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has just
published research identifying an enzyme called Brk that may serve as a target for future
drugs developed to fight ErbB2-positive tumors. Brk, they report, helps these tumors
become virulent and is also implicated in the process through which the tumors develop
drug resistance.
Many physicians and researchers now agree that wearing a tight fitting bra can cut off
lymph drainage, which can contribute to the development of breast cancer, as your body
will be less able to excrete all the toxins you’re exposed to on a daily basis.
Aluminum from antiperspirants, for example, is one potentially dangerous source of toxins
that can accumulate if your lymph drainage is impaired.
Study identifies causes of bone
loss in breast cancer survivors
Osteoporosis is a growing concern among breast cancer survivors and their doctors because
certain cancer drugs can cause bone loss. But a new study has found that cancer drugs
aren't the only culprits. Among 64 breast cancer patients referred to a bone health
clinic, 78 percent had at least one other cause of bone loss, such as vitamin D deficiency
and an overactive parathyroid gland.
Type of breast reconstruction
impacts radiation therapy outcomes
For breast cancer patients who underwent a mastectomy and who undergo radiation therapy
after immediate breast reconstruction, autologous tissue reconstruction provides fewer
long-term complications and better cosmetic results than tissue expander and implant
reconstruction, according to a study in the Nov. issue of the International Journal of
Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, the official journal of the American Society for
Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.
Penn Researchers Identify New
Protein Important in Breast Cancer Gene’s Role in DNA Repair
For years, researchers have known that under normal conditions, the breast cancer protein
BRCA1 orchestrates the repair of damaged DNA, but the details of just how BRCA1 moves to
the damaged site and recruits the right nuclear repairmen for DNA restoration remains a
mystery. Now, a new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has
identified genes associated with the BRCA1 protein and their involvement in the DNA repair
pathway, helping to clear the way for researchers to better understand what goes wrong
when the BRCA1 gene is mutated and the repair pathway goes haywire. Identifying patients
with mutations in these BRCA1-associated genes may help better fight breast cancer.
Women exposed to negative life
events at greater risk of breast cancer
Happiness and optimism may play a role against breast cancer while adverse life events can
increase the risk of developing the disease, according to a study by Professor Ronit
Peled, at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. An article on the study titled
"Breast Cancer, Psychological Distress and Life Events among Young Women," was
just published in the British journal BMC Cancer (8:245, August 2008). In the study,
researchers questioned women about their life experiences and evaluated their levels of
happiness, optimism, anxiety, and depression prior to diagnosis. Researchers used this
information to examine the relationship between life events, psychological distress and
breast cancer among young women. A total of 622 women between the ages of 25 and 45 were
interviewed: 255 breast cancer patients and 367 healthy women. "The results showed a
clear link between outlook and risk of breast cancer, with optimists 25 percent less
likely to have developed the disease. Conversely, women who suffered two or more traumatic
events had a 62 percent greater risk," Peled said. "Young women who have been
exposed to a number of negative life events should be considered an 'at-risk' group for
breast cancer and should be treated accordingly." The researchers indicate that women
were interviewed after their diagnosis, which may color their recall of their past
emotional state somewhat negatively. However, according to Peled, "We can carefully
say that experiencing more than one severe and/or mild to moderate life event is a risk
factor for breast cancer among young women. On the other hand, a general feeling of
happiness and optimism can play a protective role." "The mechanism in which the
central nervous, hormonal and immune systems interact and how behaviour and external
events modulate these three systems is not fully understood," Peled states. "The
relationship between happiness and health should be examined in future studies and
relevant preventative initiatives should be developed."
Study shows gene variations may
predict risk of breast cancer in women
According to a recent study, led by Virginia Kaklamani, MD, an oncologist at Northwestern
Memorial Hospital and assistant professor of medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg
School of Medicine, variations of the adiponectin gene, which regulates a number of
metabolic processes, may increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. This
discovery is an important step forward in cancer genetics research, as it could help
experts develop a future genetic testing model to more accurately predict a woman's risk
of developing breast cancer.
Genetic testing for breast or
ovarian cancer risk may be greatly underutilized
Although a test for gene mutations known to significantly increase the risk of hereditary
breast or ovarian cancer has been available for more than a decade, a new study finds that
few women with family histories of these cancers are even discussing genetic testing with
their physicians or other health care providers. In a report in the Journal of General
Internal Medicine, which has been released online, investigators from the Massachusetts
General Hospital (MGH) Institute of Health Policy and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute note
that their findings illustrate the challenges of bringing genetic information into
real-world clinical practice. "Testing for BRCA1 and 2 mutations has been around a
long time and should be a good indicator of whether genetic testing is making its way into
regular medical practice," says Douglas Levy, PhD, of the MGH Institute for Health
Policy, the study's lead author. "When a well-established genetic test is not being
incorporated into clinical practice when appropriate, we are a long way from meeting the
promise of personalized, genetically-tailored medical care." Most women's lifetime
risk of breast cancer is about 13 percent, and the risk for ovarian cancer is less than 2
percent. But women with mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes may be 3 to 7 times more
likely to develop breast cancer and 9 to 30 times more likely to develop ovarian cancer
than women with unaltered forms of the genes. Several organizations have issued clinical
guidelines designating who should be screened for BRCA1/2 mutations, and while there have
been discrepancies among the guidelines, all of them include a history of breast or
ovarian cancer in close relatives among the criteria indicating elevated risk. The authors
note that most U.S. health insurers cover at least part of the cost of BRCA1/2 testing for
at-risk women. The current study analyzed data from the 2000 and 2005 National Health
Interview Surveys, both of which included supplementary questions assessing cancer
control. More than 35,000 women participating in those surveys did not have a personal
history of breast or ovarian cancer, and around 1 percent of them were determined to be at
high risk because a mother, sister or daughter had such a tumor. Among these high-risk
women, about half were aware that genetic testing was available, but only 10 percent had
discussed it with a physician, less than 5 percent had been advised to have the test, and
only 2 percent had done so.
Residual fetal cells in women may
provide protection against breast cancer
Fetal cells that persist in a woman's body long after pregnancy -- a common occurrence
known in scientific circles as fetal microchimerism -- in some cases may reduce the
woman's risk of breast cancer, according to researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center.
Calculating how breast cancers will
respond to tamoxifen
A discovery by Australian scientists could help clinicians decide which women with breast
cancer will make good candidates for anti-oestrogen therapies, such as tamoxifen, and
which will not. Over 12,000 Australian women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year,
roughly 70% of which will have cancers treatable with tamoxifen. Unfortunately, 30% or
more of these women may not respond well to such anti-hormone therapy long-term.Work done
by a research team headed by Associate Professor Liz Musgrove and Professor Rob Sutherland
of Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research has correlated expression of certain
functionally-related oestrogen-regulated genes with predictable clinical outcomes. This
expanded knowledge about oestrogen action and endocrine resistance should allow clinicians
to make better, more informed, choices in the future.
Growth factor predicts poor outcome
in breast cancer
The response to insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) in breast cancer cells predicts an
aggressive tumor that is less likely to respond to treatment, said researchers at Baylor
College of Medicine in a report that appears in the current issue of the Journal of
Clinical Oncology. The finding gives impetus to the movement to tailor cancer treatments
to attributes of the various tumors. "These findings come at a critical time,"
said Dr. Adrian Lee, associate professor in the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at BCM.
"Our goal is to identify biomarkers that will help predict which patients will
respond to therapy against insulin-like growth factor. Several inhibitors of the IGF
pathway are in patient studies right now. There's a large movement to understand which
patients will respond to these drugs. This is a step toward that goal." In this
study, Lee and his colleagues stimulated breast cancer cells with IGF-I in the laboratory
and defined how more than 800 genes in the cells responded to the growth factor. They then
examined samples of patient breast tumors with this "gene signature" and
correlated the gene signatures with the fate of the patients. "We have technology now
to allow us to globally assess what IGF is doing in breast cancer at the whole gene
expression level," said Lee. "This is one of the first studies to do that. We
know that IGF is bad in cancer, but now we can globally understand it in a more
comprehensive manner. It could lead to finding biomarkers for patients response" to
breast cancer treatments. "We found that IGF-I is a major regulator of cell growth
and cell survival," said Lee. "It also regulates DNA repair."
Got Stress? It May Impact Breast
Cancer Recurrence
Women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer who have also endured previous traumatic or
stressful events see their cancer recur nearly twice as fast as other women, according to
a report by a University of Rochester Medical Center scientist. The small, retrospective
study showed that women who faced physical or sexual abuse or life-threatening situations
see metastatic tumors return after about 2.5 years, compared with women who have more
peaceful lives who see recurrence at about five years. The report was published in this
month’s Journal of Psychosomatic Research by scientists from the University of
Rochester Medical Center and Stanford University School of Medicine.
Fetal cell 'transplant' could be a
hidden link between childbirth and reduced risk of breast cancer
Some benefits of motherhood are intangible, but one has been validated through
biostatistical research: women who bear children have a reduced risk of developing breast
cancer. In Seattle, researchers at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center believe they have identified a source of this protective effect: fetal
cells "transplanted" to the mother before birth.
Daily aspirin may reduce risk of
common type of breast cancer
Taking aspirin on a daily basis may lower women's risk of a particular type of breast
cancer, according to results published in BioMed Central's open access journal Breast
Cancer Research. In this large study, aspirin use was linked to a small reduction in
estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers. However, unlike in some previous research,
aspirin and related painkillers were not found to reduce the total risk of breast cancer.
Antiproliferative and cytostatic
effects of the natural product eupatorin on MDA-MB-468 human breast cancer cells
The flavone eupatorin is selectively activated in breast cancer cells, but not in normal
breast cells, due to CYP1 family metabolism. This provides a basis for selectivity which
is desired against breast tumor cells. In this sense, eupatorin is shown by this study to
be a very promising chemopreventative candidate, which should be further examined in an in
vivo study.
Dietary Calcium Could Possibly
Prevent the Spread of Breast Cancer to Bone
A strong skeleton is less likely to be penetrated by metastasizing cancer cells, so a
fortified glass of milk might be the way to block cancer's spread, according to
researchers at the ANZAC Research Institute in Concord, Australia. Using a mouse model of
breast cancer metastasis, the researchers found that a calcium deficiency may increase the
tendency of advanced breast cancer to target bone. Dietary calcium, they reason, might
help prevent the spread of breast cancer to bone and serve as an adjuvant treatment during
therapy.
The lesson learned in eradicating dandelions from your yard could apply in treating breast
cancer, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report that
appears online today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. "It's not
enough to kill the dandelion blossom and stalk that appear above ground," said Dr.
Michael Lewis, assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology and a faculty member
in the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Cancer Center at BCM. "You have to kill the root
beneath the soil as well." In a study involving women with breast cancer, he and
colleagues at BCM showed that while conventional anti-cancer drugs can kill the bulk of
breast cancer tumors, they leave behind many of the breast cancer stem cells from which
tumor cells arise, setting the stage for the tumor to come back.
Menopausal Hormone Therapy
Increases Risk of Breast Cancer
As little as three years of using combined estrogen and progestin menopausal hormone
therapy substantially increases the risk of developing lobular breast carcinoma, the
results of new research indicate. "Previous studies suggest that only women who use
these hormones for at least five years have an increase in breast cancer risk, but none
have evaluated how shorter durations of use impact risk of lobular breast cancer,"
lead author Dr Christopher I Li said.
Work Stress May Lead to Breast
Cancer, Study Finds
Women who feel stressed at work are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer,
according to a new study. Researchers found that women in more demanding jobs are 30
percent more likely to develop breast cancer than those who feel they are on top of their
work.
Risk of breast cancer mutations
underestimated for Asian women, Stanford study shows
Oncologist Allison Kurian, MD, and her colleagues at the Stanford University School of
Medicine were perplexed. Computer models designed to identify women who might have
dangerous genetic mutations that increase their risk of breast and ovarian cancer worked
well for white women. But they seemed to be less reliable for another ethnic
group.“We’ve been repeatedly surprised when Asian women who the models predicted
would probably not have the mutations do in fact have them,” said Kurian. She
recently showed that in a head-to-head comparison between whites and Asians, two of the
most commonly used models failed in predicting the presence of mutations in almost half of
the Asian women studied.“Doctors and patients should have a higher level of suspicion
when using these prediction models in Asian women, because they under-predicted the true
number of clinically important mutations,” said Kurian. “We may have to consider
more subtle patterns of family cancer history when considering genetic testing in this
ethnic group.”
M. D. Anderson-Prevention Poll
Finds Women Who Are Close to Someone With Breast Cancer Have Greater Sense of Risk
Women whose lives have been touched by the breast cancer experience of a friend or
relative are more acutely attuned to their own risk for the disease and are taking action
to protect themselves, according to a new national opinion poll by The University of Texas
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and Prevention magazine. Yet against a backdrop of
unprecedented public awareness and despite the fact that an estimated 40,000 America women
will lose their lives to breast cancer this year, 69 percent are largely unaware that
regular exercise provides protection against the disease and 61 percent do not realize
that being overweight or obese increases breast cancer risk. Most women (84 percent) do
know, however, that taking hormone therapy increases risk even as it relieves symptoms of
menopause. Prevention editor-in-chief Liz Vaccariello said, “We were very surprised
to find such low level concern about getting breast cancer. It may be that women feel
confident of their ability to beat the disease due to advances in early detection and
treatment.”
M. D. Anderson Study Finds Change
in HER2 Status After Treatment With Herceptin
Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that
when treated with Herceptin prior to surgery, 50 percent of HER2 positive, breast cancer
patients showed no signs of disease at the time of surgery. However, of those women who
had residual disease, about one-third had tumors that converted from HER2 positive to HER
2 negative status —possibly indicating a resistance to the targeted therapy. The
study will be presented today in advance of the American Society for Clinical Oncology
Breast Cancer Symposium. Approximately 30 percent of breast cancer cells have an excess
amount of the HER2 protein on their surface, which makes the cancer more aggressive.
Herceptin, also known as trastuzumab, is a monoclonal antibody that latches on to these
proteins and inhibits tumor growth. It was approved in 1998 for women whose advanced,
metastatic breast cancer is HER2-positive; it was approved in 2006 for use in the early
setting. It’s known that a small percentage of HER2 positive patients develop a
resistance to Herceptin during treatment, and there have been several described mechanisms
for Herceptin resistance, said Elizabeth Mittendorf, M.D., assistant professor in M. D.
Anderson’s Department of Surgical Oncology.
Hip size of mothers linked to
breast cancer in daughters
In a study of the maternity records of more than 6,000 women, David J.P. Barker, M.D.,
Ph.D., and Kent Thornburg, Ph.D., of Oregon Health & Science University discovered a
strong correlation between the size and shape of a woman's hips and her daughter's risk of
breast cancer. Wide, round hips, the researchers postulated, represent markers of high sex
hormone concentrations in the mother, which increase her daughter's vulnerability to
breast cancer.
Researchers in a multicenter international study have identified a new gene that, if
mutated, may increase a woman's risk of breast cancer by more than a third.
Stem cells may solve mystery of
early pregnancy breast cancer protection
The answer to why an early pregnancy seems to protect against breast cancer could rest
with a decrease in stem cells found after animals have given birth, said researchers at
Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears in the current issue of the journal
Stem Cell. Women who have children young, at least before the age of 30, reduce their risk
of developing breast cancer, said Dr. Yi Li, a professor in the Lester and Sue Smith
Breast Center at BCM. The most dramatic reduction in risk occurs in women who have their
first children before the age of 24. However, the mechanism by which these early
pregnancies provided protection has proved elusive. The promise of such work is important.
"If we can figure out the mechanism behind this, we could develop a pill that we
could offer young women in high school and college that could significantly reduce their
risk of breast cancer," he said. However, he said, there are many steps to be taken
before he and his colleagues can determine how best to do that. Understanding why stem
cells decrease in women who have their children young could prove an important advance. In
studies in mice, Li and his colleagues compared the numbers of mammary or breast stem
cells (early cells that can differentiate into breast tissue) found in mice that had had
babies at an age equivalent to the teens to mice that had never had babies.
High levels of free iron either released from iron reservoirs in the body or from dietary
intake may increase risk of developing breast cancer, according to a review article
published in the October 2007 issue of Cancer Causes Control.
An international study that included Israelis has identified a new breast cancer gene that
may increase the risk of the tumor by more than a third. The gene, named HMMR, follows the
discoveries years ago of the breast cancer gene mutations known as BRCA1, BRCA2, APTM and
CHEK2.
Researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have identified
a new marker for breast cancer metastasis called TMEM, for Tumor Microenvironment of
Metastasis. As reported in the March 24 online edition of the journal Clinical Cancer
Research, density of TMEM was associated with the development of distant organ metastasis
via the bloodstream — the most common cause of death from breast cancer. The National
Cancer Institute (NCI)–funded translational study could lead to the first test to
predict the likelihood of breast cancer metastasis via the bloodstream — a
development that could change the way breast cancer is treated. An estimated 40 percent of
breast cancer patients relapse and develop metastatic disease. About 40,000 women die of
metastatic breast cancer every year. "Currently, anyone with a breast cancer
diagnosis fears the worst — that the cancer will spread and threaten their lives. A
tissue test for metastatic risk could alleviate those worries, and prevent toxic and
costly measures like radiation and chemotherapy," says senior author Dr. Joan G.
Jones, professor of clinical pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell Medical
College and director of Anatomic Pathology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell
Medical Center. "If patients can be better classified as either low risk or high risk
for metastasis, therapies can be custom tailored to patients, preventing over-treatment or
under-treatment of the disease," adds first author Dr. Brian D. Robinson, resident in
Anatomic Pathology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The
Weill Cornell investigators set out to build on previous research by co-author Dr. John S.
Condeelis of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Working in animal models, he
identified a link between blood-borne or systemic metastasis and a three-part association
between invasive carcinoma cells, perivascular white blood cells (macrophages) and the
endothelial cells that line vessel walls. To confirm this finding in humans, Drs. Jones
and Robinson developed a triple immunostain for human breast cancer samples that
simultaneously labels the three cell types that together they named TMEM (Tumor
Microenvironment of Metastasis).
Vaccine against HER2-positive
breast cancer offers complete protection in lab
Researchers at Wayne State University have tested a breast cancer vaccine they say
completely eliminated HER2-positive tumors in mice - even cancers resistant to current
anti-HER2 therapy - without any toxicity.The study, reported in the September 15 issue of
Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggests the
vaccine could treat women with HER2-positive, treatment-resistant cancer or help prevent
cancer recurrence. The researchers also say it might potentially be used in cancer-free
women to prevent initial development of these tumors.HER2 receptors promote normal cell
growth, and are found in low amounts on normal breast cells. But HER2-positive breast
cells can contain many more receptors than is typical, promoting a particularly aggressive
type of tumor that affects 20 to 30 percent of all breast cancer patients. Therapies such
as trastuzumab and lapatinib, designed to latch on to these receptors and destroy them,
are a mainstay of treatment for this cancer, but a significant proportion of patients
develop a resistance to them or cancer metastasis that is hard to treat.This treatment
relied on activated, own-immunity to wipe out the cancer, says the study's lead
investigator, Wei-Zen Wei, Ph.D., a professor of immunology and microbiology at the
Karmanos Cancer Institute.
Expanding cell girth indicates
seriousness of breast cancer
How fat cells become after being exposed to a specialized electrical field is helping
researchers determine whether cells are normal, cancerous or a stage of cancer already
invading other parts of the body. Purdue University scientists tested the electrical
process and found cells that expanded the most were metastatic cancer, the term used when
the disease has spread beyond its point of origin. The technique allows screening of
single cells 300 times faster - five cells per second compared with the one cell per
minute of previous methods, said Chang Lu, senior and corresponding author of the study
currently online in the journal Analytic Chemistry. This rapid cell inspection permits
testing of enough cells for diagnosis and determination of the disease's level, he said.
PET scan can noninvasively measure
early assessment of treatment for common type of breast cancer
Non-invasive imaging can measure how well patients with the most common form of breast
cancer - estrogen receptor positive type - respond to standard aromatase inhibitor therapy
after only two weeks and shows similar findings that more invasive needle sampling
identifies, according to a poster presentation to be presented at the ASCO annual meeting
next week. Using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanning and a glucose analogue called
FDG, a research team led by Hannah Linden, M.D. and David Mankoff M.D., of the Seattle
Cancer Care Alliance and the University of Washington, scanned 21 patients before and
after two weeks of aromatase inhibitor therapy. Many of the patients also underwent a
needle biopsy as a control measure to compare the two techniques. The results – 16 of
the 21 patients had a greater than 20 percent decline in FDG values –
"paralleled perfectly" earlier work done by UK-based researchers who used needle
biopsies to measure whether the proliferation of cancer cells was slowed by therapy,
according to Linden, who is a breast cancer oncologist. "Our findings are exciting
because they suggest that we can measure a patient's response to therapy noninvasively,
and PET scanning provides us simultaneous quantitative metabolic measurements at multiple
tumor sites," Linden said. "PET has the potential to be a powerful tool to help
doctors make important treatment decisions in as little as two weeks instead of two or
more months."
New 'seed' therapy helps pinpoint
breast tumors with more accuracy
Physicians at UT Southwestern Medical Center are the first in Texas to use a new technique
in which a small radioactive pellet, or "seed," is implanted into a mass or
suspicious lesion in the breast to pinpoint its exact location for surgical removal.
Light directed at a breast tumor through a needle can provide pathologists with biological
specifics of the tumor and help oncologists choose treatment options that would be most
effective for that individual patient. Duke University bioengineers have developed a
light-based system that can quickly and easily provide important information about oxygen
levels within a tumor while it is still in place. The new system, based on diffuse
reflectance spectroscopy, gives researchers important clues about the tumor by
interpreting how the light is either reflected back from the tumor or absorbed. Oxygen
status is important, the researchers said, since past studies have shown that low levels
of oxygen, or hypoxia, are more often associated with malignant tissue than healthy normal
tissue. Tumors that thrive in these low-oxygen environments tend to be more difficult to
treat, the researchers said. "We developed an easy-to-use fiber-optic probe that can
provide immediate and non-destructive measurements of tumor oxygenation," said J.
Quincy Brown, a fourth-year post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Nirmala Ramanujam,
associate professor of biomedical engineering at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering. The
results of the Duke experiments were published April 1 in the journal Cancer Research.
"This new approach could be an important new tool for physicians in determining the
aggressiveness of a specific tumor and which therapies might work best against it,"
Brown said. "Since this system is compatible with commonly used biopsy needles, we
could make oxygen measurements at the time of a needle biopsy, providing immediate
feedback about the tumor's oxygen concentration."
Young women suffering from breast cancer do not necessarily benefit from chemotherapy
treatment. Women under the age of forty with breast cancer who are given drugs in addition
to lumpectomies or radiotherapy, known as adjuvant chemotherapy, may not be benefiting
from these drugs. This is especially true if their tumors respond to changing levels of
hormones such as estrogen, according to research published in the online journal, Breast
Cancer Research. "Developing breast cancer at a young age is very worrying in terms
of survival," explained lead researcher Dr J van der Hage. "But some young women
may be undergoing not only unpleasant but also unnecessary chemotherapy, which can be
avoided."
A recent study from US Framingham indicated that one in every four adults in the US is
deficient in Vitamin B12, which is known as the energy vitamin. Vitamin B12 can help with
energy production, formation of blood, myelin formation and DNA synthesis. Because Vitamin
B12 has such an important role when it comes to DNA synthesis, low levels can cause DNA
damage. Cervical cancers and breast cancers are linked to low levels of vitamin B12.
According to the latest report on diet and cancer risk published by the American Institute
for Cancer Research (AICR), there is convincing evidence that alcohol intake raises risk
for breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Linked To Pesticide
DDT, Study Suggests
At a time when the pesticide DDT is once again being promoted to combat malaria,
researchers have found new evidence linking DDT to breast cancer, according to a study to
be published in the scientific journal "Environmental Health Perspectives."
UC Davis researchers identify a
protein that may help breast cancer spread, beat cancer drugs
New research from UC Davis Cancer Center shows that a protein called Muc4 may be the
essential ingredient that allows breast cancer to spread to other organs and resist
therapeutic treatment. The study, which appears in the April 1 issue of Cancer Research,
is one of the first to characterize the role of Muc4 in the disease. Kermit Carraway,
senior author of the study, knew that Muc4 was not always expressed in primary breast
cancer tumors, yet it could be present in lymph node metastases. He suspected that it may
have a specialized function in the process of metastasis. "Breast cancer deaths are
caused by metastasis, not by the primary tumor," explained Carraway, an associate
professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine. "It's at that point that the
disease also becomes difficult to treat. We think that Muc4 may be packing a one-two punch
by promoting the release of breast cancer cells from the primary tumor and then inhibiting
their death." Muc4 is member of a group of proteins called mucins, which are commonly
found in fluids such as tears and mucus. They have a known role in protecting epithelial
cells, from which breast cancer cells are derived. When separated from their surrounding
cell matrix, epithelial cells tend to die. Metastasizing breast cancer cells, however, can
survive this detachment. "Because breast cancer cells can lose their adhesive
properties and still thrive, we suspected that Muc4 may be somehow allowing them to leave
their cellular framework, travel to secondary sites and withstand treatment,"
Carraway explained. To test his suspicions, Carraway and his team conducted two
experiments. They started by comparing breast cancer cells that express Muc4 with those
for which Muc4 production is blocked. The researchers then exposed both types of cells to
chemotherapy drugs. The Muc4-producing cells survived. They repeated the experiment with
breast cancer cells and epithelial cells that do not naturally express Muc4 but were
engineered to do so. Both sets of cells avoided cell death and effectively resisted
chemotherapy."Our results lead us to believe that Muc4 is somehow disrupting normal
links between epithelial cells," said UC Davis graduate student Heather Workman, lead
author of the study. "We now need to refine our understanding of this disruption
process in order to find ways to interfere with it. There currently are no drugs that
target Muc4, and this research will help change that."
Acupuncture Reduces Side Effects of
Breast Cancer Treatment As Much As Conventional Drug Therapy
Acupuncture is as effective and longer-lasting in managing the common debilitating side
effects of hot flashes, night sweats, and excessive sweating (vasomotor symptoms)
associated with breast cancer treatment and has no treatment side effects compared to
conventional drug therapy, according to a first-of-its-kind study presented September 24,
2008, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology’s 50th Annual
Meeting in Boston. Findings also show there were additional benefits to acupuncture
treatment for breast cancer patients, such as an increased sense of well being, more
energy, and in some cases, a higher sex drive, that were not experienced in those patients
who underwent drug treatment for their hot flashes. “Our study shows that physicians
and patients have an additional therapy for something that affects the majority of breast
cancer survivors and actually has benefits, as opposed to more side effects. The effect is
more durable than a drug commonly used to treat these vasomotor symptoms and, ultimately,
is more cost-effective for insurance companies,” Eleanor Walker, M.D., lead author of
the study and a radiation oncologist at the Henry Ford Hospital Department of Radiation
Oncology in Detroit, said.
Environmental estrogens affect
breast development in male rats
A five-generation rat study provides the clearest evidence to date that exposure to low
levels of environmental estrogens can increase the risk of abnormal cell growth in the
male breast. Abnormalities which could have the potential to become cancerous developed in
the mammary gland tissue of male rats that were exposed to either the soy-based
phytoestrogen genistein or ethinyl estradiol – an estrogen used in birth control
pills. The findings support a growing concern that exposure to low levels of estrogen in
the environment might increase the risk of breast cancer.
Vitamin D Deficiency in
Premenopausal Women with Breast Cancer
Despite recent data indicating that vitamin D may have a preventive effect against cancer,
74% of premenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer are deficient in the vitamin,
according to the results of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Furthermore, daily supplementation of 400 IU of vitamin D does not appear to correct the
deficiency.
Enhanced DNA-repair mechanism can
cause breast cancer
Although defects in the "breast cancer gene," BRCA1, have long been known to
increase the risk for breast cancer, exactly how the defects lead to tumor growth has
remained a mystery. Now scientists provide insight into how the normal BRCA1 gene
suppresses the growth of tumors as well as the nature of the genetic instability that
leads to cancer when BRCA1 is defective.
More Women Scared Into Double
Mastectomy as Way to "Prevent" Cancer
Increasing numbers of women are choosing to have both breasts removed in order to avoid
breast cancer -- but doctors warn that many of these procedures may expose women to
serious risk without providing the promised benefit.
Mammography continues to be the method of choice for the early detection of breast cancer.
However, because this technique is not as selective or specific as one would wish, and
does not deliver reliable results for every level of tissue density, alternatives are
being sought. Near-infrared fluorescence mammography, which works with rays of
near-infrared (NIR) light instead of X-rays, is a highly promising technique—although
effective contrast agents have thus far been lacking. A team led by John V. Frangioni at
the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of the Harvard Medical School in Boston,
Massachusetts, has developed a contrast agent that makes visible the microcalcifications
related to malignant breast tumors. The researchers report in the journal Angewandte
Chemie that in validation trials in swine their new contrast agent distinguishes specific
calcium salts in soft tissues, as well as depicting bones.
Postmenopausal women face increased risk of lobular breast cancer when they take combined
estrogen/progestin hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) for three years — not five years
or more as suggested by previous studies, say researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center in Seattle.
Hypofractionated Radiation in
Breast Cancer Has Fewer Adverse Effects
In early-stage breast cancer, delivery of a lower total radiation dose in fewer but larger
fractions reduces effects on normal tissue with no loss in tumor control, according to
results of two large randomized trials.
LA BioMed study finds hormone
therapy increases frequency of abnormal mammograms, breast biopsies
Combined hormone therapy appears to increase the risk that women will have abnormal
mammograms and breast biopsies, and it may decrease the effectiveness of both methods for
detecting breast cancer, according to a report in the Feb. 25 issue of Archives of
Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Gene helps protect tumor suppressor
in breast cancer
Scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have discovered a gene
that protects PTEN, a major tumor-suppressor that is reduced but rarely mutated in about
half of all breast cancers. The gene Rak helps protect and regulate PTEN, which also is
important in several other types of cancer, the team reports in the April edition of
Cancer Cell. Causes for diminished PTEN protein levels in breast cancer absent a mutation
of the PTEN gene have eluded researchers, who knew for several years that a piece of the
puzzle was missing. "We've clearly discovered the missing link that explains how Rak
can stabilize PTEN protein to prevent breast cancer development," said lead author
Shiaw-Yih Lin, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Systems Biology at M. D.
Anderson. "Our research explains why PTEN is defective in breast cancer and provides
important clues for the development of effective therapy in Rak- or PTEN-defective breast
cancers." In addition to breast cancer, PTEN frequently is mutated or inactivated in
glioblastoma, melanoma, and cancers of the prostate and endometrium. The severity of PTEN
irregularities strongly correlates with the tumor stage and grade. For example, complete
loss of PTEN expression is found more frequently in metastatic cancer than in primary
tumors. In the laboratory, researchers found Rak can stabilize PTEN protein and function
as a tumor suppressor gene to prevent breast cancer development.
Dairy consumption linked to breast,
prostate cancer
A South Carolina doctor claims that consumption of dairy products can increase your risk
of acquiring breast and prostate cancer. Dr. Robert Bibb of Myrtle Beach is working on a
book, Death by Dairy, about the dangers of a dairy-consuming diet. According to Bibb, a
growing body of evidence supports his contention that the hormones found in dairy products
increase the body's risk of cancer. "There's an association between dairy
[consumption] and hormonally sensitive cancers," he said. "I looked, but I can't
find any other factors that fit epidemiologically."
Vitamin-A Derivative Provides Clues
to Better Breast Cancer Drugs
Retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, could lead researchers to a new set of drug
targets for treating breast cancer, researchers from the University of Chicago report in
the June 25, 2009, issue of the journal Cell. The most common forms of breast cancer are
fueled by the female hormone estrogen. By comparing the effects of estrogen and retinoic
acid on the entire genome, the researchers found that they have a "yin-yang"
effect. They alter the expression of many of the same genes, with estrogen tipping the
scales towards cell proliferation and retinoic acid restoring the balance by inhibiting
cellular growth. This balanced control of gene expression regulates fundamental cellular
processes, say the authors. When it is dysregulated, it can lead to cancer.
"Understanding all the components of this process could be used against breast cancer
care in three ways," said study leader, Kevin White, PhD, professor of human genetics
and director of the Institute for Genomics and System Biology at the University of
Chicago. "It suggests new ways to think about preventing the disease in those at high
risk. It offers molecular tools that could provide a more precise diagnosis and predict
outcomes. It could also be used to enhance current therapies, making existing drugs, such
as tamoxifen, that selectively block estrogen's effects even more powerful, or even to
develop new anti-cancer drugs."
Exposure to sunlight may decrease
risk of advanced breast cancer by half
A research team from the Northern California Cancer Center, the University of Southern
California, and Wake Forest University School of Medicine has found that increased
exposure to sunlight -- which increases levels of vitamin D in the body -- may decrease
the risk of advanced breast cancer.
'Major breakthrough' in fight
against breast cancer
A "major breakthrough" in the fight against breast and ovarian cancers has been
achieved, after British scientists identified the genetic process which stops the body
repairing faulty DNA.
New predictive tool can help
determine treatment of breast cancer patients
A new predictive measurement, called a PEPI score, could bring good news to many women
diagnosed with early stage breast cancer — a low PEPI (preoperative endocrine
prognostic index) score could show that they have little risk of relapse and can safely
avoid chemotherapy after surgery. For others, a high PEPI score could warn that the risk
of relapse after breast surgery is large and indicates that careful follow-up and
aggressive therapy may be needed, say researchers at Washington University School of
Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions in Europe.
Weill Cornell team identifies
potential new drug targets against hormone-dependent breast cancer
The identification of two cellular receptors that likely contribute to the genesis of
hormone-dependent breast cancer points the way to new, highly targeted therapies against
the disease, says a team led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York
City.
New MRI technique could mean fewer
breast biopsies in high-risk women
A University of Wisconsin-Madison biomedical engineer and colleagues have developed a
method that, applied in MRI scans of the breast, could spare some women with increased
breast cancer risk the pain and stress of having to endure a biopsy of a questionable lump
or lesion.The universal technology will give radiologists greater confidence in visually
classifying a lesion as malignant or benign. The American Cancer Society recommends that
women with certain breast cancer risk factors — including inherited genetic
mutations, family or personal history of breast cancer, or previous radiation therapy to
the chest — receive an annual MRI screening in addition to their yearly
mammogram.During a breast MRI, which lasts about a half hour, the technician injects a
contrast agent into a vein in the patient's arm. Over time, the contrast agent flows
throughout the body, including the breasts. Because they are growing quickly, cancerous
lesions often have immature vasculature, and the contrast agent flows in and
"leaks" out quickly. Conversely, benign lesions show more gradual in and out
flow. "The tricky ones are the ones that enhance quickly and then fall off more
slowly," says Wally Block, a UW-Madison associate professor of biomedical engineering
and medical physics. "Many of these lesions turn out to be difficult to classify and
lead to biopsy."Yet, it turns out that with the right kind of MRI scan, radiologists
can visually identify a cancerous lesion based on characteristics about its shape. For
example, breaks or interruptions in a lesion can indicate a benign fibroadenoma. Lumps
with smooth edges often are benign, while those with jagged edges can signal cancer. To
generate the kind of crisp, three-dimensional images necessary for such a diagnosis,
Block, UW-Madison radiology associate professor Fred Kelcz and graduate student Catherine
Moran are capitalizing on their unique MRI data-acquisition method. An MR image is made up
of thousands of smaller pieces of information. The conventional data-acquisition method
gathers that information slowly, and it's designed to be viewed from a single imaging
plane. "What people do now is they compromise," says Block. "They don't get
resolution in the other planes to make it a reasonable scan time. We found a way around
that."
The dietary supplement genistein
can undermine breast cancer treatment
Women taking aromatase inhibitors to treat breast cancer or prevent its recurrence should
think twice before also taking a soy-based dietary supplement, researchers report.
Genistein, a soy isoflavone that mimics the effects of estrogen in the body, can negate
the effectiveness of aromatase inhibitors, which are designed to reduce the levels of
estrogens that can promote tumor growth in some types of breast cancer. The new study,
which included researchers from the University of Illinois, Virginia Polytechnic and State
University and the National Center for Toxicological Research, appears in the journal
Carcinogenesis. Aromatase inhibitors are a mainstay of breast cancer treatment in
post-menopausal women. These drugs work by interfering with the enzyme aromatase, which
catalyzes a crucial step in converting precursor molecules to estradiol, the main estrogen
in the body. About two-thirds of all cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the U.S. are
estrogen dependent or estrogen sensitive, which means that the tumors grow more rapidly in
the presence of estrogen.
Soy Industry Promotes Health Myths
to Sell More Soy Products, Says Author
Author Kaayla T. Daniel is challenging what she calls the myth that soy prevents breast
cancer. "The truth is that soy protein contains dangerous levels of plant estrogens.
Although not identical to human estrogens, these have been proven to increase breast cell
proliferation, a widely accepted marker of breast cancer risk." said Daniel, author
of "The Whole Soy Story; The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food."
Tumor cell lines - living cells taken from tumors and cultured in the laboratory - are the
mainstay of cancer research at the most fundamental level, and are used as the model for
studying tumor behavior and response to treatment. For the past 25 years, most of the
laboratory research into metastatic breast cancer has been based on a single breast tumor
cell line known as MDA-MB-435. At least 650 papers have been published on studies
involving this cell line. Yet it has been revealed that this supposed breast cancer cell
line may in fact not be composed of breast cancer cells at all. Instead, it appears that
the cells are derived from melanoma. For 25 years, therefore, breast cancer research using
this cell line - and it is one of the most widely used - has been based on an incorrect
model. Melanoma-derived tumor cells are not biologically equivalent to breast cancer
cells; they have different molecular and genetic characteristics.
study led by researchers from King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia showed use of antibiotics increased risk of breast cancer by 50 to 79
percent, depending upon the number of prescriptions an individual received during one to
15 years prior to the diagnosis of the disease.
Wet ear wax and unpleasant body
odors signal breast cancer risk
If having malodorous armpits (called osmidrosis) and goopy earwax isn't bad enough, a
discovery by Japanese scientists may add a more serious problem for women facing these
cosmetic calamities. That's because they've found that a gene responsible for breast
cancer causes these physical symptoms. The report describing this finding is featured on
the cover of The FASEB Journal's June 2009 print issue (http://www.fasebj.org), and should
arm physicians with another clue for detecting breast cancer risk. "We do strongly
hope that our study will provide a new tool for better predication of breast cancer risk
by genotyping," said Toshihisa Ishikawa, Ph.D., a professor from the Department of
Biomolecular Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the senior researcher
involved in the work. "Using a rapid and cost-effective typing method presented in
this study would provide a practical tool for pharmacogenomics-based personalized
medicine." To draw their conclusions, Ishikawa and colleagues monitored the
activities of a protein created by a gene associated with breast cancer, called
"ABCC11." By studying this gene and its complex cellular and molecular
interactions in the body, the researchers discovered a distinct link between the gene and
excessively smelly armpits and wet, sticky earwax. Specifically, the researchers expressed
the ABCC11 gene and variant proteins in cultured human embryonic kidney cells and showed
exactly how the ABCC11 gene produces the wet-type earwax and excessive armpit odor. This
discovery could lead to practical tools for clinicians—especially those in developing
nations—to rapidly identify who may have a higher risk for breast cancer. "Wet,
sticky earwax might not be easily noticed, but most people can't miss unpleasant body
odors," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal, "As
it turns out, the type of ear wax one has is linked to a gene that leads to bad odors from
one's armpit. These may become lifesaving clues to the early detection and treatment of
breast cancer."
However, low intake of these substances combined with high consumption of omega-6
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are found in most types of vegetable oil, may
indeed increase the likelihood that postmenopausal women will develop breast cancer, Dr.
Emily Sonestedt, of Lund University, Malmo, and her colleagues found.
External beam partial breast
irradiation most cost-effective treatment
External beam partial breast irradiation (EB-PBI) is the most cost-effective method for
treating postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer based on utilities,
recurrence risks and costs when compared to whole breast radiotherapy (WBRT) and
brachytherapy partial breast irradiation (brachy-PBI), according to a study in the June 1
issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official
journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). PBI is a newer form of
radiation therapy for breast cancer where only part of the breast is treated twice a day
for four to five days. Radiation oncologists have been studying different methods to
deliver the radiation to the tumor. EB-PBI uses high-energy external X-rays to deliver
radiation to the breast after a lumpectomy and brachy-PBI delivers radiation through
either implanted needles or a small sphere placed into the post-lumpectomy cavity in the
breast. Whole breast radiation therapy is currently the standard of care, but it is a more
time-consuming treatment, as it involves five to seven weeks of daily treatments using a
linear accelerator to deliver X-rays to the tumor site. While the convenience of receiving
radiation for one week instead of five to seven weeks is obvious, the cost-effectiveness
of the different methods of treatment has never been analyzed. Doctors are also still
examining long-term data to see whether partial breast irradiation is as effective at
curing the cancer as whole breast radiation. In a previous study, researchers at the
Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and
Women's Hospital Department of Radiation Oncology, and the Massachusetts General Hospital
Department of Radiation Oncology, all in Boston, and the Brandeis University Heller School
for Social Policy and Management in Waltham, Mass., determined that under most
circumstances, the quality-adjusted life expectancy was higher in patients receiving PBI
than WBRT. In this study, they sought to determine if PBI is better from a cost
standpoint. "According to the American Cancer Society, almost 200,000 women will be
diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009. Given this high prevalence, resource-conscious
healthcare systems may want to consider cost-effectiveness when deciding on appropriate
adjuvant therapies for patients with early-stage breast cancer," Rinaa Punglia, M.D.,
M.P.H., senior author of the study and a radiation oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, said.
Researchers identify new genetic
marker for breast cancer
An international group of investigators led by scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute has identified a new genetic marker of
risk for breast cancer. Women with this DNA variation are at a 1.4 times greater risk of
developing breast cancer compared to those without the variation. The findings are to be
published online on March 3, 2008 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences.
I-SPY trial offers key insights
into locally advanced breast cancer
Scientists are reporting two findings that could influence the way researchers screen for,
treat and assess prognosis for women with locally advanced breast cancer, an aggressive
form of the disease. One finding offers a critical message regarding treatment strategy,
they say. "Women with locally advanced breast cancer and their clinicians need to be
aware that a growing breast mass should not be ignored even if someone has had a recent
normal mammogram," says Laura Esserman, MD, UCSF professor of surgery and radiology
and director of the UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center. The findings emerged from
I-SPY, a multi-center clinical trial designed to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy
before surgery on patients with locally advanced breast cancer. Assessments in the trial
focus on biological markers as predictors of pathological complete response and survival.
Locally advanced breast cancer tumors develop in younger patients, have a worse prognosis
and are large (min. 3 cm.). The results were reported in the scientific session "Oral
Abstract Session-Breast Cancer -- Local-Regional and Adjuvant Therapy (Esserman) and the
Oral Abstract Session- Cancer Prevention,(Lin 4pm)" at the American Society of
Clinical Oncology annual meeting on Saturday, May 30, 2009. One study revealed that most
locally advanced breast cancers are discovered in the interval between routine mammogram
exams, which are conducted every one or two years. Of the women who were receiving regular
screening mammograms, 83 percent had developed such so-called interval cancers. "This
finding suggests that the growth rate of locally advanced breast cancers precludes early
detection by conventional screening," says the senior author of the study, Laura
Esserman, MD, UCSF professor of surgery and radiology and director of the UCSF Carol Franc
Buck Breast Care Center. "We need to develop a better understanding of the molecular
signatures of these tumors. Understanding their biology will be important for developing
better strategies for prevention and early detection."
Light therapy offers 'non-invasive'
treatment for breast cancer
A groundbreaking treatment for breast cancer which uses light to target and kill tumours
without the need for surgery is being pioneered by a British doctor.
Evaluation of the current knowledge
limitations in breast cancer research
Gaps were identified in all seven themes. General barriers to progress were lack of
financial and practical resources, and poor collaboration between disciplines. Critical
gaps in each theme included (1) genetics: knowledge of genetic changes, their effects and
interactions; (2) initiation of breast cancer: how developmental signalling pathways cause
ductal elongation and branching at the cellular level and influence stem cell dynamics,
and how their disruption initiates tumour formation; (3) progression of breast cancer:
deciphering the intracellular and extracellular regulators of early progression, tumour
growth, angiogenesis and metastasis; (4) therapies and targets: understanding who develops
advanced disease; (5) disease markers: incorporating intelligent trial design into all
studies to ensure new treatments are tested in patient groups stratified using biomarkers;
(6) prevention: strategies to prevent oestrogen-receptor negative tumours and the
long-term effects of chemoprevention for oestrogen-receptor positive tumours; (7)
psychosocial aspects of cancer: the use of appropriate psychosocial interventions, and the
personal impact of all stages of the disease among patients from a range of ethnic and
demographic backgrounds.
Birth size is a marker of
susceptibility to breast cancer later in life
The findings from a study by a team based at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical
Medicine (LSHTM) are published today in PLoS Medicine. Associations between birth size,
perhaps as a marker of the pre-natal environment, and subsequent breast cancer risk have
been identified before, but the findings from epidemiological studies have been
inconsistent. The team re-analysed data from published and unpublished studies to obtain
more precise estimates of the extent to which birth size affects the risk of breast cancer
later in life and to investigate whether they could be explained by associations with
other risk factors. They examined 32 studies, comprising 22,058 breast cancer cases among
a total of more than 600,000 women, the large majority of whom lived in developed
countries. They found that birth weight was positively associated with breast cancer risk
in studies where the size at birth information was based on birth records (although not in
those based on adult self-reports, which tend to be less accurate). Analyses of women with
data from birth records showed that a 0.5 kg increment in birth weight was associated with
an estimated 7% increase in the risk of breast cancer. Birth length and head circumference
were also positively associated with breast cancer risk when studies with data from birth
records were analysed. Of the three birth size measures examined, birth length appeared to
be the strongest independent predictor of risk. The estimated magnitude of the birth size
association with breast cancer risk was not affected when the effects of established
breast cancer risk factors were accounted for. Isabel dos Santos Silva, Professor of
Epidemiology at LSHTM and lead author of the study, commented ‘Our study indicates
that birth size is a marker of susceptibility to breast cancer in adulthood, at least in
developed countries. The birth size - breast cancer association appeared to be largely
independent of known risk factors. Little is known on how the pre-natal environment may
affect breast cancer risk later in life. Further research is needed to unravel the
biological mechanisms underlying the birth size - breast cancer association’.
Breast cancer cells recycle to
escape death by hormonal therapy
Many breast cancer cells facing potentially lethal antiestrogen therapy recycle to
survive, researchers say. About 70 percent of breast cancer cells have receptors for the
hormone estrogen, which acts as a nutrient and stimulates their growth. Patients typically
get an antiestrogen such as tamoxifen for five years to try to starve them to death, says
Dr. Patricia V. Schoenlein, cancer researcher in the Medical College of Georgia Schools of
Medicine and Graduate Studies. "About 50 to 60 percent of these women really benefit
from hormonal therapy," says Dr. Schoenlein. Why others don't has been asked for at
least two decades. One reason may be breast cancer cells switch into a survival mode that
normal cells also use when faced with starvation, according to research published in the
September issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. Dr. Schoenlein also is reporting on the
research during the 2nd World Conference on Magic Bullets (Ehrlich II) Oct. 3-5 in
Nürenberg, Germany.
Researchers identify risk factors
for contralateral breast cancer
A preventive procedure to remove the unaffected breast in breast cancer patients with
disease in one breast may only be necessary in patients who have high-risk features as
assessed by examining the patient's medical history and pathology of the breast cancer,
according to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Their
findings, published in the March 1, 2009 issue of Cancer, may help physicians predict the
likelihood of patients developing breast cancer in the opposite breast (contralateral
breast cancer), stratify risk and counsel patients on their treatment options. "Women
often consider contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) not because of medical
recommendation, but because they fear having their breast cancer return," said Kelly
Hunt, M.D., professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology at M. D. Anderson and lead
author on the study. "Currently it is very difficult to identify which patients are
at enough risk to benefit from this aggressive and irreversible procedure. Our goal was to
determine what characteristics defined these high-risk patients to better inform future
decisions regarding CPM." According to the researchers, approximately 2.7 percent of
women diagnosed with breast cancer choose to have CPM. Recent statistics have shown that
the rate of CPM in women with stage I-III breast cancer increased by 150 percent from 1998
to 2003 in the United States. Potential reasons breast cancer patients choose to undergo
CPM include risk reduction, difficult surveillance and reconstructive issues such as
symmetry and/or balance. To begin to classify such risk factors, researchers reviewed the
cases of 542 women with breast cancer only in one breast who received CPM to remove the
second breast at M. D. Anderson from January 2000 to April 2007. Out of this group, 435
patients had no abnormal pathology identified in the opposite breast, 25 patients had
contralateral breast cancer identified at surgery, and 82 patients had abnormal cells
(atypical ductal hyperplasia, atypical lobular hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ)
that indicate a moderate to high-risk for breast cancer development in the contralateral
breast found at the time of surgery.
Metabolic factors may play a role
in risk for breast cancer
Physiological changes associated with the metabolic syndrome may play a role in the risk
of postmenopausal breast cancer, according to study results published in Cancer
Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for
Cancer Research. The metabolic syndrome, or insulin resistance syndrome, consists of a
constellation of factors including abdominal obesity, high blood glucose levels, impaired
glucose tolerance, abnormal lipid levels and high blood pressure. Affecting roughly 47
million Americans, the metabolic syndrome is also associated with poor diet and lack of
physical activity. It can also increase the risk for diabetes and heart disease. The
metabolic syndrome is characterized by elevated insulin levels, and in recent years
scientists have proposed that insulin may contribute directly or indirectly to the
development of breast cancer. Researchers suspect that the metabolic syndrome could
influence the risk for breast cancer by affecting interrelated hormones, such as insulin,
estrogen, cytokines and growth factors. "This study suggests that having the
metabolic syndrome itself or some of its components may increase a woman's risk of
postmenopausal breast cancer. However, much more work is needed to understand the role of
these metabolic factors and their interplay with better established breast cancer risk
factors, such as reproductive and hormonal factors," said researcher Geoffrey C.
Kabat, Ph.D., senior epidemiologist in the department of epidemiology and population
health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York. Studies to date have evaluated
individual components of the metabolic syndrome and breast cancer, with inconsistent
results, according to Kabat. For the first time, Kabat and colleagues assessed whether
women who met the criteria of having the metabolic syndrome were at greater risk for
postmenopausal breast cancer.
Newly appreciated membrane estrogen
receptor important therapeutic target for breast cancer
New research at Rhode Island Hospital has uncovered the biological effects of a novel
membrane estrogen receptor, a finding that has potential implications for hormonal therapy
for breast cancer. The study is published in the July edition of the journal Molecular
Endocrinology. This new study by Edward Filardo, MD, and his research team further
supports earlier published work by the group that linked the transmembrane receptor,
GPR30/GPER-1, to specific estrogen binding, rapid estrogen signaling and breast cancer
metastasis. "What is exciting about this new work," says Filardo, "is that
it provides some insight into the influence of GPR30 at the cellular level. It shows that
estrogen action through GPR30 allows for breast tumor cell survival, and not breast tumor
cell proliferation." Prior studies by Filardo's group showed that estrogen acts
through GPR30 to promote the rapid release of preformed growth factors that are tethered
to the surface of breast cancer cells. Their latest study was conducted in an effort to
better understand the mechanism by which GPR30 triggered the release of epidermal growth
factor (EGF) polypeptides from the surface of breast cancer cells.The investigator's found
that the "growth factors" did not promote cellular growth, which by itself is
not a novel finding. It has long been appreciated that EGF-related factors are also
important in other cellular activities such as cellular survival. Filardo and the research
team, however, found that estrogen action through GPR30 had a more profound effect on
tumor cell survival. They found that GPR30 promoted the assembly of what is called a
"provisional extracellular matrix" -- a crucial event in cellular survival. More
specifically, they found that release of growth factor by GPR30 required the activation of
a latent adhesion receptor (known as integrin a5b1). Filardo says, "Activation of
integrin a5b1 by GPR30 is a significant event because it provides a way for invading cells
to gain hold once they metastasize to tissues distant to the primary breast cancer. This
happens because activated integrin a5b1 can convert soluble plasma protein fibronectin
into an insoluble cage. The breast cancer cells can use this to adapt to a new
environment."
Tissue Proteomics Technology to
Identify Protein Biomarkers of Metastasis
Over 200,000 cases of early-stage breast cancer present for treatment decisions each year
in North America. Proteins make up the molecular pathways which control cell functions and
are the targets of drug action. This protein-based approach may yield valuable tissue
biomarkers of breast cancer metastasis as well as potential new cancer drug targets.
Scans given to women who have a high risk of inheriting breast cancer falsely give a
positive result for the disease in five out of six cases, new research shows.
Enviro-toxins, radiation may be
tied to breast cancer
Produced by the Breast Cancer Fund, a nonprofit group whose mission is to identify
environmental links to breast cancer, "The State of the Evidence: 2008"
concludes toxic chemicals in the environment, along with increased radiation exposure, are
the main culprits in the sharp rise of breast cancer incidence.
MU researcher links hormone
replacement therapy to breast cancer
In a recent University of Missouri study, researchers found that one of the hormones used
in HRT could be a major factor in promoting breast cancer. At the same time, the
researchers have compelling evidence that using an antibody that prevents new blood vessel
formation in tumors, or a small molecular drug, known as PRIMA, with similar properties as
the antibody may be effective in treating or preventing the negative effects of progestin.
Chemotherapy-induced anemia
increases risk of local breast cancer recurrence
Patients with breast cancer who developed anemia during chemotherapy had nearly three
times the risk of local recurrence as those who did not, according to a study published in
the April 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research¸ a journal of the American Association for
Cancer Research. “We speculate that there may be an interaction between
chemotherapy/radiotherapy and anemia,” said lead researcher Peter Dubsky, MD, a
senior consultant in the department of surgery at the Medical University of Vienna,
Austria. “Both treatment modalities have been shown to be less effective in anemic
patients. Since we do not see the effect in terms of relapse-free survival, the
interaction with local adjuvant treatment may play a more important role.”Dubsky and
his colleagues from the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group examined data
from a randomized, clinical trial comparing adjuvant hormonal treatment and tamoxifen with
the standard treatment of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (CMF). All
women in the trial were premenopausal and had positive estrogen and/or progesterone
receptor status. Patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery received mandatory
radiation. Radiation was optional in women who underwent modified radical mastectomy.
Study identifies potential 'safe
period' for hormone replacement use
A new study makes important new findings on the role of hormone use on the risk of breast
cancer, confirming that the use of estrogen plus progesterone increases the risk of both
ductal and lobular breast cancer far more than estrogen-only; suggesting a two-year
"safe" period for the use of estrogen and progesterone; and finding that the
increased risk for ductal cancers observed in long-term past users of hormone replacement
therapy drops off substantially two years after hormone use is stopped. The study appears
in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Previous studies have
shown that hormone replacement therapy after menopause increases the risk of breast cancer
and that use of a regimen that includes both estrogen and progesterone is more detrimental
for the breast than the use of estrogen alone. But more data from large prospective
studies are needed to fully characterize the impact of exogenous hormones on breast cancer
incidence by type of hormone preparation and histology of the cancer. To investigate the
association in more detail, American Cancer Society epidemiologists led by Eugenia E.
Calle, PhD, did a prospective study of 68,369 postmenopausal women who were cancer-free at
baseline in 1992. They examined the use of estrogen-only and estrogen and progesterone in
current and former users of varying duration, and the subsequent risk of developing
invasive ductal and lobular carcinoma of the breast. They also looked at whether the risk
for each type of breast cancer and each type of hormone regimen varied by body mass index
(BMI), stage of disease at diagnosis, and estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor
(PR) status. For the present study, the follow-up period ended on June 30, 2005.
New technique images tumor vessel
leakiness to predict breast cancer chemotherapy outcome
Chemotherapy is an integral part of modern cancer treatment, but it's not always
effective. Successful chemotherapy depends on the ability of anticancer drugs to escape
from the bloodstream through the leaky blood vessels that often surround tumors.
Predicting chemotherapy's efficacy could save thousands of individuals from unnecessary
toxicity and the often difficult side effects of the treatments. In a study published in
the February issue of the journal Radiology, researchers describe a technique for
determining the "leakiness" of tumor blood vessels using a simple digital
mammography unit. The researchers designed nanometer-sized capsules containing a contrast
agent that could only leak into tumors with blood vessels that were growing and therefore
leaky. The digital mammography-based quantification of "leakiness" is closely
correlated to the ability of a clinically approved chemotherapy agent to enter the tumor,
allowing the researchers to predict the agent's therapeutic efficacy. We developed a
quantitative way to measure the leakiness of the blood vessels, which is directly linked
to the amount of drug that gets to the cancer and in turn determines effectiveness,"
said Ravi Bellamkonda, a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical
Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. "By simply measuring how much
contrast agent reaches the tumor, we can predict how much of a clinically approved
chemotherapeutic will reach the tumor, allowing physicians to personalize the dose and
predict effectiveness."In some cases, one chemotherapy drug may not be effective in
treating the tumor, but this new technique allows oncologists to investigate other drugs
sooner since they know the drug is reaching the tumor. Studies are currently underway to
determine if mammography can predict the optimal dose of a wide range of breast cancer
chemotherapeutics.
New technology discovery at Mount
Sinai Hospital holds promise for improved breast cancer treatment
In a study published by Nature Biotechnology online on February 1, 2009, Mount Sinai
Hospital researchers have unveiled a new technology tool that analyzes breast cancer
tumours to determine a patient's best treatment options. The tool can predict with more
than 80 per cent accuracy a patient's chance of recovering from breast cancer.
"Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian women," said Dr. Jeff
Wrana, Senior Investigator and the Mary Janigan Research Chair in Molecular Cancer
Therapeutics at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital, and an
International Scholar of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "Our hope with this
technology is to eventually provide individualized analysis to breast cancer patients and
their oncologists so that they are better informed and empowered to select a treatment
best suited to them." The technology, called 'DyNeMo' analyzes networks of proteins
in cancer cells. Analysis of more than 350 patients found that those who survive breast
cancer have a different organization of the network of proteins within the tumour cells,
compared with patients who succumbed to the illness. DyNeMo can be used to predict the
outcome in a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient and then assist clinicians and patients
in making informed decisions on treatment. The study was led by the Mount Sinai Hospital
team and co-authored by researchers at the University of Toronto and London, England's The
Institute for Cancer Research. In the future, this tool may be used to analyze other types
of cancer and could be used to predict an individual's response to particular drugs.
Instead of fighting breast cancer,
immune cell promotes its spread
Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center have
new evidence that a type of immune system cell thought to be part of the first line of
defense against breast cancer may also help promote its spread. They have found that when
these cells, known as lymphocytes, make an inflammatory protein called RANKL (RANK
ligand), breast cancer is more likely to spread to the lungs. They have also shown that
blocking a cascade of cellular signals that follow RANKL's docking to its receptor (RANK)
on tumor cells can halt cancer progression, or metastasis, and may be a possible target
for drug therapy. The scientists, led by first author Wei Tan, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow
in the Department of Pharmacology at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and Michael
Karin, PhD, professor of pharmacology in UCSD's Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal
Transduction, say that the findings establish RANKL as a potential marker that can be used
to help determine breast cancer prognosis and adds further proof to the potentially
important role of inflammation in cancer development and spread. They reported their
findings April 22, 2009 at the AACR 100th Annual Meeting 2009 in Denver. According to Tan,
the role of lymphocytes in breast cancer progression has been controversial for the last
20 years. Such cells are supposed to detect and eliminate cancer cells, but paradoxically,
the infiltration of lymphocytes such as B cells and T cells into breast cancer is
sometimes an indicator of poor prognosis, including cancer recurrence and metastasis.
RANKL has been shown in previous studies to be an important inflammatory protein that can
lead to bone loss by activating cells that help break down bone. Along with another
protein, IKK alpha, it has been implicated both in tumor formation and metastasis. The
researchers created two types of mice that developed breast tumors. One group had
lymphocytes in the tumors and expressed RANKL while the other group did not. They found
that the group lacking RANKL had significantly fewer lung metastases than those mice with
RANKL. They then took tumor cells from both types of mice and injected them into mice with
the same genetic background to avoid rejection and monitored the ability of the mice to
form tumors and metastases to the lung. The researchers didn't find any lung tumor
metastases in mice without lymphocytes. Yet, when RANKL was injected into the animals, the
same potential for the cancer to spread was restored, indicating that the lymphocytes,
which make RANKL, are critically important to the process. "Without lymphocytes,
there is no metastasis," said Tan. "If we treat the mice with RANK ligand, there
are metastases, which indicate that RANK ligand can compensate for the function of
lymphocytes." The study establishes the role of RANKL-expressing lymphocytes as a
promoting factor in breast cancer metastasis and provides a potentially good marker for
breast cancer prognosis, the researchers said.
Test for hormones in blood not
reflective of hormones in breast tissue; breast cancer risk
Many studies determine hormone levels in the blood as a marker of breast cancer risk. But
it hasn't been known whether these blood tests reflect what is happening in the breast
tissue, where certain hormones fuel cancer. Researchers at Georgetown University Medical
Center's (GUMC) Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center found that measuring the levels of
four hormones in blood known to be linked to breast cancer doesn't necessarily reflect the
levels of these hormones in the breast tissue itself. In fact, the scientists say that
blood tests used in research studies that measure these hormones could give a false
impression of both the real breast cancer risk women face, and an imprecise picture of how
these hormones affect breast cancer development. The findings are being presented at the
Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. "We know from this
study that measuring the hormones in a patient's blood is not sufficient but that is how
many research studies looking at breast cancer risk are being conducted," says the
study's lead author, Adana Llanos, a graduate student in genetics at GUMC.
"Understanding how cancers develop in breast tissue is the key to prevention, and we
need to understand how these hormones affect breast tissue." The research team, led
by Llanos and under the guidance of senior investigator, Peter G. Shields, MD, head of
Lombardi's Cancer Genetics and Epidemiology Program, did something that has not been done
before: They tested normal breast tissue for the levels of IGF-1, IGFBP-3, adiponectin,
and leptin. High levels of IGF-1 has been linked to breast cancer development, while low
levels of IGFBP-3 is linked to increased risk. High levels of adiponectin and leptin are
both related to obesity, which is, in itself, a risk factor for breast cancer. "By
understanding these hormones in the normal breast environment, we will have some insight
into how early changes in the breast lead to breast cancer," Llanos says. The
researchers asked 15 women who were undergoing breast reduction surgery to participate in
the study, and then collected three samples of discarded tissue from each breast, as well
as blood, and extensive epidemiological data. They first assessed whether levels of these
hormones were the same in each of the three tissue samples taken from the women, which
represented different areas of the breast. "We found that the hormones were
distributed in the same way across the breast, which is a good thing to know because it
means that a tissue biopsy taken from one part of the breast will likely represent the
breast as a whole," says Llanos. They then tested the blood to see if levels of the
hormones matched those found in the breast tissue, and found that leptin, adiponectin, and
IGFBP-3 correlated, whereas IGF-1 did not. But even that may be misleading, Llanos says,
because hormone levels may differ between a woman's two breasts. "Breast cancer
usually develops in a single breast, so it is not clear that looking at these hormones in
the blood is sufficient," she says.
Test for Hormones in the Blood Not
Reflective of Hormones in Breast Tissue; Breast Cancer Risk
Many studies determine hormone levels in the blood as a marker of breast cancer risk. But
it hasn’t been known whether these blood tests reflect what is happening in the
breast tissue, where certain hormones fuel cancer. Researchers at Georgetown University
Medical Center’s (GUMC) Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center found that measuring the
levels of four hormones in blood known to be linked to breast cancer doesn’t
necessarily reflect the levels of these hormones in the breast tissue itself. In fact, the
scientists say that blood tests used in research studies that measure these hormones could
give a false impression of both the real breast cancer risk women face, and an imprecise
picture of how these hormones affect breast cancer development. The findings are being
presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. “We
know from this study that measuring the hormones in a patient’s blood is not
sufficient but that is how many research studies looking at breast cancer risk are being
conducted,” says the study’s lead author, Adana Llanos, a graduate student in
genetics at GUMC. “Understanding how cancers develop in breast tissue is the key to
prevention, and we need to understand how these hormones affect breast tissue.” The
research team, led by Llanos and under the guidance of senior investigator, Peter G.
Shields, MD, head of Lombardi’s Cancer Genetics and Epidemiology Program, did
something that has not been done before: They tested normal breast tissue for the levels
of IGF-1, IGFBP-3, adiponectin, and leptin. High levels of IGF-1 has been linked to breast
cancer development, while low levels of IGFBP-3 is linked to increased risk. High levels
of adiponectin and leptin are both related to obesity, which is, in itself, a risk factor
for breast cancer.
High levels of estrogen associated
with breast cancer recurrence
Women whose breast cancer came back after treatment had almost twice as much estrogen in
their blood than did women who remained cancer-free – despite treatment with
anti-estrogen drugs in a majority of the women –according to researchers in a study
published in the March issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a journal
of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Occupational Exposure to
Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Risk of Breast Cancer
Overall, the breast cancer SIR was 0.81 (95% confidence interval, 0.72–0.92 ; n =
257) , and regression modeling showed little effect of employment duration or cumulative
exposure. However, for the 362 women of questionnaire-identified races other than white,
we observed positive, statistically significant associations with employment duration and
cumulative exposure ; only smoking, birth cohort, and self- or proxy questionnaire
completion had statistically significant explanatory power when added to models with
exposure metrics.
New clues to breast cancer
development in high-risk women
Physicians who treat women with the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 often remove
their patients' ovaries to eliminate the source of estrogen they believe fuels cancer
growth. Yet they also know that anti-estrogen therapies don't work to treat breast or
ovarian cancer that might develop. That paradox has led scientists to question exactly
how, or if, estrogen is involved in cancer development and whether removal of ovaries
makes sense.
Phenolics in peaches and plums
preferentially suppress the growth of estrogen-independent MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells
All extracts, dissolved in culture medium at various concentrations expressed as mg
chlorogenic acid equivalent/L (mg/L) were tested for their growth-suppression activity on
the estrogen-dependent MCF-7, the estrogen-independent MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells and
one non-cancerous breast cell line MCF-10A. The peach RL extract effectively inhibited the
proliferation of the estrogen-independent MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cell line. The IC50 was
~30 mg/L for this cell line as compared to IC50 of ~120 mg/L and ~ 515 mg/L for non
cancerous breast line MCF-10A and the estrogen dependent breast cancer line MCF-7
respectively. In general BS extracts were less effective although they still affected the
MDA-MB-435 to a greater degree than the other breast cancer cell line or the normal breast
cell line. Within the three cells lines tested, the order of sensitivity to RL and BS
extracts follows MDA-MB-435 > MCF-10A > MCF-7. Among RL and BS fractions, F3 and F4
have shown the highest potency against MDA-MB-435 cell proliferation but their effect on
the non-cancerous MCF-10A cells remain to be investigated. In conclusion, peaches and
plums may be added to the family of plants with potential anti-tumor activities.
New Women’s Imaging Technique
Allows for a More Accurate Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
Breast elastography allows physicians to give a more accurate diagnosis of breast cancer,
according to a study performed at Singapore General Hospital in Singapore. Breast
elastography is a new technique which looks at the mechanical properties of tissues
(relative stiffness) as opposed to conventional ultrasound which looks at the backscatter
of transmitted ultrasound waves through tissues. Ninety-nine women with 110
sonographically visible lesions were evaluated with ultrasound, elastography and combined
ultrasound and elastography. 26 lesions were malignant and 84 were benign on histology.
“All breast cancers (100%) in the study were diagnosed correctly by elastography
alone compared to 88.5% by conventional ultrasound,” said Llewellyn Sim, MD, lead
author of the study. “The use of breast elastography alone or combined with
ultrasound provides a more accurate diagnosis of breast cancer,” said Dr. Sim.
“Breast elastography improves the sonographic diagnosis of breast cancer. It also
potentially reduces unnecessary work-up i.e. biopsies of benign breast lesions and patient
anxiety,” he said.
Study identifies how tamoxifen
stimulates uterine cell growth and cancer
UCSF researchers have identified a new "feed-forward" pathway linking estrogen
receptors in the membrane of the uterus to a process that increases local estrogen levels
and promotes cell growth. The research is significant in helping determine why tamoxifen
and other synthetic estrogens are linked to increased rates of endometriosis and uterine
cancer, and identifies a pathway that could be targeted in drug therapies for those
diseases, researchers say. Findings are published in the July 1, 2009 issue of
"Cancer Research," the journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
The research found that when activated by estrogens, endometrial cells obtained from
patients suffering from endometriosis or human uterine cancer cells initiate a previously
unknown cascade of signals that leads to cellular replication and further estrogen
production, the paper says. The ensuing cycle leads to abnormal growth of the cells lining
the uterus, or endometrium, which occurs in endometriosis and uterine cancer, according to
senior author Holly A. Ingraham, PhD, a professor in the UCSF School of Medicine's
Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology. "It turns out that displaced
endometrial cells, such as those used in this study, are estrogen factories," said
Ingraham, who also is affiliated with the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer
Center and the UCSF Center for Reproductive Sciences. "They pump out estrogen in a
feed-forward pathway, so the more estrogen they produce, the more estrogen they're capable
of producing." While this pathway was previously unknown, Ingraham said a June 2009
paper led by researchers at the University of New Mexico and published in the journal
"Nature Chemical Biology" showed that blocking the GPR30 receptor in this
pathway decreases uterine proliferation in a mouse. The two together, she said, validate
what researchers now think may be a key area in addressing both uterine cancer and
endometriosis.
Spanish scientists confirm extra
virgin olive oil helps to combat breast cancer
UGR News Researchers of the Catalonian Institute of Oncology (Spain) and the University of
Granada (Spain) have discovered that extra virgin olive oil may help to combat breast
cancer, according to a paper published in the last issue of the renowned scientific
journal ‘BMC Cancer’. The scientists have confirmed the bioactivity of
polyphenols (this is, natural antioxidants) present in olive oil in breast cancer cell
lines. The study has proved the anti-HER2 effect of fractions of phenolic compounds
directly extracted of extra virgin olive oil in breast cancer cell lines. They have used
solid-phase extraction methods of semi-preparative liquid chromatography to isolate
fractions of commercial oils and, later, separation techniques (capillary electrophoresis
and liquid chromatography connected to mass spectrometry) to check the purity and
composition of the fractions. Such fractions were tested in their anti-cancer capacity
both against positive HER2 and negative HER2 breast cancers, using in Vitro models and
evaluating the effect of polyphenolic fractions in the expression and activation of HER2
oncoprotein through ELISA specific methods for HER2. Fractions containing polyphonels such
as hydroxitirosol, tirosol, elenolic acid, lignans, pinoresinol and acetopinoresinol, and
secoiridoids, diacetox oleuropein aglycone, ligustrosid aglycone and oleuropein aglycone
were able to induce important tumoricid effects in a range of micromolar and in a
selective way against HER2 oncogene.
Radiation device in the breast
reduces complications for early stage breast cancer patients
A new study shows that the SAVI™ applicator, a small, expandable device inserted
inside the breast to deliver partial breast irradiation, carries a low infection risk, a
potential complication of such devices. The research, led by radiation oncologists and
surgeons at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center and Fort Myers, Florida-based 21st Century
Oncology, also indicates that other complications – such as seromas, pockets of fluid
that build with the use of internal radiation devices – are unlikely to occur. That's
good news for those women with early-stage breast cancer who opt to have such devices
inserted for their radiation therapy after breast-sparing lumpectomy surgery, said Cate
Yashar, MD, associate professor of radiation oncology at the UC San Diego School of
Medicine and chief of breast and gynecological radiation services at the Moores UCSD
Cancer Center. Their use is increasing, she added, noting that the Moores UCSD Cancer
Center was one of the first medical facilities in the country to offer SAVI. SAVI, which
consists of flexible catheters through which radiation is given, provides customized
radiation therapy and minimizes exposure to healthy tissue after a woman has undergone a
lumpectomy to remove a cancerous tumor. Radiation specialists sometimes decide to give
women internal radiation – a process called brachytherapy – with the goal of
giving concentrated doses of radiation to areas of concern while avoiding healthy tissue.
Statin therapy ineffective in
breast cancer prevention
Laboratory work in animals showed limited activity when statins were given to prevent
breast cancer, according to a report in the February issue of Cancer Prevention Research,
a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Statins, sold under brand names
like Lipitor and Zocor, are primarily given to lower cholesterol and prevent heart
disease, and prominent cardiologists almost universally agree that their use has changed
the landscape. The use of these drugs in cancer prevention has been more controversial.
Results of epidemiology studies, which rely on looking backward rather than forward and
thus are subject to confounding factors, have yielded mixed results when examining breast
cancer. Scientists under the auspices of the NCI, including Ronald Lubet, Ph.D., an NCI
program director, and Clinton Grubbs, Ph.D., director of the Chemoprevention Center at the
University of Alabama at Birmingham conducted laboratory work in animals to determine if
statins actually prevent both ER-positive and ER-negative breast cancer.
New evidence of hormone therapy
causing breast cancer, Stanford professor says
Postmenopausal women who take combined estrogen plus progestin menopausal hormone therapy
for at least five years double their annual risk of breast cancer, according to new
analyses from a major study that clearly establishes a link between hormone use and breast
cancer, Stanford researchers say. The multi-center study also found that women on hormones
can quickly reduce their risks of cancer simply by stopping the therapy. The study is a
follow-up to the landmark Women's Health Initiative report of 2002, which found that
postmenopausal women taking estrogen plus progestin were at far greater risk of developing
breast cancer and other serious conditions than women on placebo. After publication of the
WHI data, use of hormone therapy plummeted in the United States - from 60 million
prescriptions in 2001 to 20 million in 2005. Breast cancer rates also declined
significantly within the year, suggesting a strong link between hormone use and cancer
risk. But some scientists still questioned the connection, saying the dip in breast cancer
rates could not have occurred so rapidly and may have been related to patterns of
mammogram use. The latest study, however, should put those questions to rest, said Marcia
Stefanick, PhD, professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and a
co-author of the study. "This is very strong evidence that estrogen plus progestin
causes breast cancer," said Stefanick, chair of the WHI executive committee.
"You start women on hormones and within five years, their risk for breast cancer is
clearly elevated. You stop the hormones and within one year, their risk is essentially
back to normal. It's reasonably convincing cause-and-effect data." The results, she
cautioned, do not apply to women taking estrogen alone. The large WHI trial of
estrogen-only did not find an increase in breast cancer for the majority of women assigned
to estrogen-only therapy.
Link Found Between Vegetables and
Decreased Risk of Breast Cancer
When your mother told you to eat your vegetables it appears that maternal wisdom had a
scientific basis. Researchers with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and the Shanghai Cancer
Institute in China have discovered a possible link between a diet rich in certain
vegetables and a decreased risk for breast cancer. The study appears in the March issue of
the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Corresponding author Jay Fowke, Ph.D.,
assistant professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt-Ingram, said 3,035 women diagnosed with
breast cancer were identified through the Shanghai Cancer Registry. They were closely
matched with 3,037 women randomly chosen from the general population there. The women
filled out questionnaires about their diet, including consumption of cruciferous
vegetables like Chinese cabbage, bok choi and turnips. Americans typically eat more
broccoli, kale and cauliflower in the cruciferous vegetable family. "Cruciferous
vegetables contain some compounds that may have a cancer-inhibitory effect,"
explained Fowke. "Here we were able to identify a group of women who seem to
particularly benefit from a high intake of these vegetables." While there was only a
small positive relationship between a diet high in these vegetables and a reduction in
breast cancer risk for the overall study population, there was a striking risk reduction
– 50 percent – among women with a certain genetic profile. Researchers
identified three forms of the GSTP1 genotype among the cancer patients: Ille/Ile, Ile/Val
and Val/Val.
Linchpin gene may be useful target
for new breast cancer therapies
University of Iowa researchers have discovered a gene that plays a linchpin role in the
ability of breast cancer cells to respond to estrogen. The finding may lead to improved
therapies for hormone-responsive breast cancers, and may explain differences in the
effectiveness of current treatments.
Researchers find genetic key to
breast cancer's ability to survive and spread
New research led by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) sheds
light on a genetic function that gives breast cancer cells the ability to survive and
spread to the bone years after treatment has been administered. The findings support the
study of therapies that target this survival capacity and force the death of latent breast
cancer cells before they get a chance to metastasize, or spread – a problem that
accounts for a majority of breast cancer–related deaths. The research will be
published in the July 7 issue of Cancer Cell. Using gene-expression profiling techniques,
researchers found that breast cancer cells that infiltrate the bone marrow can survive
over time if they contain the gene product Src, which has known effects on cell mobility,
invasion, and survival. The investigators discovered that genetically disabling Src
activity in human breast cancer cells inhibits these cells from surviving in the bone
marrow and forming metastases in mice. They also observed that treatment with the drug
dasatinib inhibits the formation of bone metastasis by human breast cancer cells
inoculated into mice. "Our results should encourage oncologists to consider the study
of Src inhibitors to attack reservoirs of disseminated, latent cancer cells and prevent
metastasis in breast cancer patients after their tumor has been removed," said the
study's senior author, Joan Massagué, PhD, Chair of the Cancer Biology and Genetics
Program at MSKCC and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Breast tumors may
shed cancer cells from the outset, and some of these cells may infiltrate vital organs,
including the bones, lungs, and brain. When a tumor is diagnosed and removed, chemotherapy
is administered with the goal of eliminating these residual cancer cells. However,
metastasis may still emerge in some patients and may take years or decades to occur,
suggesting that these cells may not inherently possess – and need some time to
acquire – all of the molecular characteristics needed to metastasize. According to
the study, nearly one-third of cases of breast cancer relapse emerge three or more years
after diagnosis, with some cases developing decades later. At present, the major clinical
benefits from postoperative drug therapies are observed in the first few years after
treatment, which may mean that latent cancer cells are at least partially resistant to
conventional therapy.
A team of Danish medical researchers has published a paper arguing that women are not
being properly informed about the potential harms of breast cancer screening.
Acrylamide exposure and incidence
of breast cancer among postmenopausal women in the Danish Diet
After adjustment for smoking behavior, however, a positive association was seen between
acrylamide-hemoglobin levels and estrogen receptor positive breast cancer with an
estimated incidence rate ratio (95% CI) of 2.7 (1.1-6.6) per 10-fold increase in
acrylamide-hemoglobin level. A weak association between glycidamide hemoglobin levels and
incidence of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer was also found, this association,
however, entirely disappeared when acrylamide and glycidamide hemoglobin levels were
mutually adjusted.
Yoga Decreases Menopausal Symptoms
in Breast Cancer Survivors
Breast cancer survivors often have more severe hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms
than other women, yet they have limited treatment choices. Hormone replacement therapy,
for example, is not an option for cancer survivors because it may increase their risk for
disease recurrence. Therapies widely used to prevent cancer recurrence, such as tamoxifen,
also tend to induce or exacerbate menopausal symptoms However, new research from Duke
University Medical Center and Oregon Health and Science University offers an untraditional
source of relief: a tailored yoga program.
Less than one-third of women aware
of landmark hormone therapy study, Stanford researcher finds
Despite the huge publicity generated by a 2002 study on the potential dangers of hormone
therapy for postmenopausal women, new research from the Stanford University School of
Medicine found that only 29 percent of women surveyed knew about the study two years
later.
Mother-daughter breast density
study points way to earlier cancer risk assessment
A unique mother-daughter study that used magnetic resonance to measure breast density in
younger women shows that percent of breast water could be linked to the risk of breast
cancer in middle age and older. The findings, published online today in Lancet Oncology,
add another key piece to the puzzle of understanding more about breast density, an
inheritable characteristic known to be a cancer risk factor, that could aid in developing
prevention methods, says principal investigator Dr. Norman Boyd, a scientist at The
Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research at Princess Margaret Hospital. Dr.
Boyd initially verified breast density (mammographic density, or MD) as a strong risk
factor for breast cancer in middle aged and older women in a landmark study published in
the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007. Until now, little was known about the
development of breast density in early life, or how it relates to a young woman's height,
weight and age, and the breast density of their mothers. The findings of the current study
indicate that risk assessment using less harmful techniques such as magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) instead of X-ray should start much earlier in life. Says Dr. Boyd "It
is known that the breast is most susceptible to the effects of carcinogens at early ages.
Our findings suggest that differences in breast tissue composition in early life may be a
potential mechanism for this increased susceptibility. By identifying the environmental
and genetic factors that influence breast tissue composition in early life we may be able
to develop safe and effective methods of prevention." In this study, between
2003-2006, the researchers recruited 400 mother-daughter pairs and used MRI to examine
breast tissue in daughters, aged 15-30-years, and a random sample of 100 of the mothers.
In the young women, MRI was used to measure breast water concentration to avoid exposure
to radiation from mammograms. Blood was obtained from each woman within 10 days of the
start of the most recent menstrual period. Mothers underwent mammography and a random
sample of 100 also consented to have a breast MRI.Results show that percent breast water
variation is higher in 15-19 year olds than in 20-30 year olds, and decreases with age, as
backed by analysis of the 100 mother-daughter pairs who both had MRI.
Researchers, including a scientist from Oregon Health & Science University, reported
this month that a decline in hormone use -- not a decrease in mammography screening -- has
contributed to the reduction in breast cancer incidence.
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators have identified a new genetic hotspot for
breast cancer. Reporting this week in Nature Genetics, Wei Zheng, M.D., Ph.D, and
colleagues have identified a region on chromosome 6 that is strongly associated with
breast cancer susceptibility in Asian women. This genetic "locus" may help guide
efforts to find the specific genes linked with sporadic – or non-inherited –
forms of the disease, the authors suggest. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer
types among women worldwide. Genetics plays an important role in the disease, and a
handful of breast cancer susceptibility genes – such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 – have
been identified. Mutations in these genes increase risk of inherited forms of breast
cancers. "But the genetic factors identified so far explain only a small percent of
all the cases in the general population," said Zheng, an Ingram Professor of Cancer
Research, professor of Medicine and the director of the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center.
The genetic factors responsible for the vast majority of cases are unclear, "so there
has been a lot of interest to identify additional genetic factors for breast cancer,"
said Zheng, the senior author on the study. To date, most breast cancer susceptibility
genes have been studied primarily in Caucasian or European populations, but women of other
ethnic backgrounds may have important genetic differences from these groups, Zheng noted.
So the researchers turned to a population of Asian women in Shanghai, China, which they
had been studying for more than a decade to identify nutritional, environmental and
genetic factors associated with disease risk. Using an approach called "genome-wide
association," Zheng and colleagues began looking for genetic variations in Asian
women with breast cancer compared to healthy controls. The investigators analyzed more
than 600,000 genetic markers – called SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) –
for differences between the groups. From the first group of more than 3,000 women, they
selected 29 of the most promising SNPs associated with breast cancer. Through two more
rounds of validation in two independent groups of women, the researchers narrowed down
these 29 candidate SNPs to a single SNP that exhibited strong and consistent association
with breast cancer. The researchers also found a similar association in an independent
group of American women, indicating that the results might be relevant for other ethnic
populations.The influence of the SNP on breast cancer risk appears very large, Zheng
noted.
An international research consortium under the leadership of scientists of the German
Cancer Research Center has shown that a common gene variant increases the risk of
developing breast cancer.
Women with breast cancer have more aggressive disease and lower survival rates if they are
overweight or obese, according to findings published in the March 15 issue of Clinical
Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. "The more
obese a patient is, the more aggressive the disease," said Massimo Cristofanilli, MD,
associate professor of medicine in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology at The
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. "We are learning that the fat tissue
may increase inflammation that leads to more aggressive disease."
Body Mass Index may serve as
prognostic tool for advanced, aggressive breast cancers
Body Mass Index, the measure of a person's fat based on their height and weight, may be an
effective prognostic tool for specific types of breast cancer, according to research from
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Possible Drug Target Found for One
of the Most Aggressive Breast Cancers
Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) investigators have identified a gene that could be an
important therapeutic target in the treatment of the most aggressive forms of breast
cancer. Currently, patients with these cancers have few treatment options. “Breast
cancer mortality rates are actually declining, but the cancers that don’t respond to
traditional treatments tend to be more aggressive and have decreased survival rates,”
said VARI Research Scientist Carrie Graveel, Ph.D., lead author of the study published
this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A. Researchers found that
the Met gene may play a critical role in the development of an aggressive form of breast
cancer known as basal breast cancer. “Met has already been associated with decreased
survival in breast cancer, but this study identifies its importance in specific types that
can be distinguished at the molecular level,” said VARI Distinguished Scientific
Fellow George Vande Woude, Ph.D., who heads the laboratory that conducted the research.
In flurry of studies, researcher
details role of apples in inhibiting breast cancer
Six studies published in the past year by a Cornell researcher add to growing evidence
that an apple a day -- as well as daily helpings of other fruits and vegetables -- can
help keep the breast-cancer doctor away. In one of his recent papers, published in the
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (57:1), Rui Hai Liu, Cornell associate
professor of food science and a member of Cornell's Institute for Comparative and
Environmental Toxicology, reports that fresh apple extracts significantly inhibited the
size of mammary tumors in rats -- and the more extracts they were given, the greater the
inhibition. "We not only observed that the treated animals had fewer tumors, but the
tumors were smaller, less malignant and grew more slowly compared with the tumors in the
untreated rats," said Liu, pointing out that the study confirmed the findings of his
preliminary study in rats published in 2007.
Molecular fingerprint of
breast-cancer drug resistance can predict response to treatment
A way of predicting which patients will respond well to treatment with a common
chemotherapy drug used in breast cancer was unveiled at the European Cancer Conference
(ECCO 14) today
Cancer cells in blood can identify
risk of recurrence in breast cancer
Cancer cells circulating in the blood are known to be associated with a bad prognosis in
metastatic breast cancer. Now, for the first time, scientists have shown they can also
detect the cells before and after chemotherapy and hence may be able to identify in the
future those patients likely to have a recurrence after treatment.
3-D Doppler Ultrasound Helps
Identify Breast Cancer
Three-dimensional (3-D) power Doppler ultrasound helps radiologists distinguish between
malignant and benign breast masses, according to a new study being published in the
November issue of Radiology. "Using 3-D scans promises greater accuracy due to more
consistent sampling over the entire tumor," said lead author, Gerald L. LeCarpentier,
Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Radiology at University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor. "Our study shows that 3-D power Doppler ultrasound may be useful in the
evaluation of some breast masses."
Novel gene predicts local
recurrence in early onset breast cancer
A newly discovered gene known as DEAR1 is mutated in breast cancer and is an independent
predictor of local recurrence-free survival in early-onset breast cancer, a research team
headed by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in
the journal PLoS Medicine. "The correlation with local recurrence is significant
because so many young women have recurrences in the breast, and cancers that do recur tend
to be more aggressive," said senior author Ann McNeill Killary, Ph.D., professor in
M. D. Anderson's Department of Genetics. "Young age has been considered a risk factor
for local recurrence and metastasis. It is important to understand the genetic mechanisms
operating in early-onset breast cancer and to determine whether there is a way to identify
young women who might be at a higher risk of recurrence." After Killary's laboratory
research discovered DEAR1 (ductal epithelium-associated ring chromosome 1) and implicated
it in breast cancer, the team examined a tumor tissue microarray from 123 women whose
breast cancer began between ages 25 and 49, all of whom advanced to invasive disease. Of
these, 56 percent lacked DEAR1 expression in their tumors, which was associated with 58
percent local recurrence-free survival 15 years after surgery. For those with DEAR1
expression, local recurrence-free survival was 95 percent at 15 years.
"Immunohistochemical staining for DEAR1 could potentially be performed in any
hospital setting, and such an assay might predict which women are at a high risk of
recurrence and potentially help guide treatment decisions" Killary said, noting the
results will need to be validated in a larger cohort of patients. Breast cancer that
develops before age 50 tends to be more aggressive and more likely to recur even in the
absence of invasion of the lymph nodes at diagnosis. "Approximately one-fourth of
women without nodal involvement will experience a recurrence up to 12 years after
surgery," Killary said. Of the 123 early-onset patients, 72 percent had no lymph node
involvement at diagnosis.
PET scans can accurately detect a
breast tumor's response to chemotherapy
Researchers in Australia have shown that positron emission tomography that uses a
radioactive sugar molecule is more useful than mammography and ultrasound in predicting a
breast tumor's response to chemotherapy and, therefore, the patient's ultimate likelihood
of survival. The research was presented at the European Cancer Conference in Barcelona
today
Einstein Scientists Link Elevated
Insulin to Increased Breast Cancer Risk
Elevated insulin levels in the blood appear to raise the risk of breast cancer in
postmenopausal women, according to researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of
Yeshiva University. Their findings are published in the online version of the
International Journal of Cancer.Increased breast cancer risk for postmenopausal women has
previously been linked to obesity and diabetes. Both conditions involve insulin
resistance, which causes increases in circulating levels of insulin. Since insulin is
known to promote cell division and enhance breast tumor growth in animal models, the
Einstein scientists reasoned that relatively high insulin levels may contribute to breast
cancer risk in women. "Up to now, only a few studies have directly investigated
whether insulin levels are associated with breast cancer risk, and those studies have
yielded conflicting results," says Geoffrey Kabat, Ph.D., senior epidemiologist in
the department of epidemiology and population health at Einstein and the lead author of
the paper. "Those other studies were based on just a single baseline measurement of
insulin, while our study involved analyzing repeated measurements of insulin taken over
several years — which provides a more accurate picture of the possible association
between insulin levels and breast cancer risk."
The research, from Dr. Dennis Slamon, chief of oncology at the University of California,
Los Angeles, suggests that the most widely used chemotherapy drugs may not benefit most
women. Although the research hasn’t been published or peer-reviewed yet, it is
expected to be soon.
Got stress? It could impact breast
cancer recurrence
Women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer who have also endured previous traumatic or
stressful events see their cancer recur nearly twice as fast as other women, according to
a report by a University of Rochester Medical Center scientist.
Researchers identify four new
targets for breast cancer
Four suspects often found at the scene of the crime in cancer are guilty of the initiation
and progression of breast cancer in mice that are resistant to the disease, a team led by
scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in the June
edition of Cancer Cell."We have a smoking gun" that shows it's no coincidence
the three protein receptors and the enzyme that makes them are abnormally expressed in
many types of cancer, said Gordon Mills, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of M. D.
Anderson's Department of Systems Biology and senior author of the paper. "We've
compiled lots of evidence that they are associated with cancer, what's been missing is
proof that they could cause cancer," Mills said. "There are no questions left,
they should be targeted." The four are three lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptors
(LPA1, LPA2, and LPA3) and the LPA-producing enzyme, autotaxin. "Lysophosphatidic
acid", Mills said, "is the single most potent known cellular survival
factor." LPA binds to a series of G protein-coupled receptors to spark normal cell
proliferation, viability, production of growth factors and survival. The Cancer Cell paper
shows this powerful network is hijacked to initiate breast cancer and fuel tumor growth,
invasion and metastasis. The team took a strain of mice that is highly resistant to breast
cancer and then created four transgenic strains, each strain expressing one of the
receptors or autotaxin. At 24 months, none of the 44 original cancer-resistant mice
developed mammary gland cancer. Only one case of inflammation and two cases of a
potentially precancerous accumulation of cells known as hyperplasia were noted.
Women with breast cancer have less
dermatitis when treated with IMRT
All women treated with radiation therapy for breast cancer are at risk of developing
dermatitis -- a sometimes-painful skin condition caused by radiation as it makes its way
through the skin to the tumor area and tissue within the breast. But researchers at Fox
Chase Cancer Center say women being treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy are
less likely to have serious dermatitis.
Wine, women and... spirits, beer
and breast cancer risk
One of the largest individual studies of the effects of alcohol on the risk of breast
cancer has concluded that it makes no difference whether a woman drinks wine, beer or
spirits -- it is the alcohol itself and the quantity consumed that is likely to trigger
the onset of cancer.
It may be possible in the future to use a specimen from the tumour to determine which
patients with breast cancer have a good chance of overcoming the disease, and which
patients should be given more intensive treatments. Fifty-one genes may together provide
information about the prognosis for an individual patient. These are the conclusions of a
thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.The research
group has analysed specimens from a number of breast tumours, both from patients that died
from the disease and from patients surviving at least 10 years from diagnosis. The levels
of expression of 51 genes differed between the two groups. It should be possible to use
the differences in order to classify the patients into one of two groups: a favourable
prognosis group and a poor prognosis group. "Many breast cancer patients are
currently overtreated, while some are undertreated. If it was possible to identify
patients with poor prognosis, it would be possible to use greater treatment resources on
these patients. At the same time, patients with a favourable prognosis could avoid
unnecessary treatment", says Elin Karlsson who successfully defended her thesis on
June 5.
'New' estrogen receptor found to be
key player in tamoxifen resistance
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered a novel way in which
breast cancer cells become resistant to tamoxifen, the world's largest-selling breast
cancer prevention and treatment drug. They say the findings could provide a way to
identify tamoxifen users who are no longer benefiting from the drug, allowing doctors to
try another therapy option sooner. In the November 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research,
the researchers show that breast cancer cells that are resistant to tamoxifen display few
of the "alpha" estrogen receptors that the drug is designed to bind on to and
inhibit, but many more "gamma" estrogen-related receptors, which tamoxifen seems
to activate. These two receptors are not closely related – they are more like distant
cousins than siblings, researchers say, adding that understanding how these gamma
estrogen-related receptors work may— eventually— help in designing new, more
effective drugs targeting these receptors.In fact, they track how, as resistance develops
over time, breast cancer cells gradually lose the alpha receptors while gaining the
estrogen-related receptor gamma subtype. The study offers two new insights, according to
lead author Rebecca Riggins, Ph.D., a research assistant professor of oncology at GUMC's
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. One is a clearer understanding of the importance of
the gamma estrogen-related receptor in breast cancer. "Until now, this receptor has
not been viewed to be of much importance in any type of breast cancer," Riggins says.
"All that was known is that there were more of these receptors in breast cancer than
in normal breast tissue, we hadn't gone much further than that." A second important
insight is that the discovery could help explain why invasive lobular carcinoma – the
sub-type of breast cancer in which these findings were made – may not respond as well
to tamoxifen as perhaps other subtypes do, she says.
Jefferson researchers uncover new
evidence of prolactin's possible role in breast cancer
Scientists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia have discovered new
molecular evidence of the role of the hormone prolactin in breast cancer. They have found
that prolactin, a pituitary hormone that normally stimulates breast development and milk
production, initiates a new
Mayo Clinic study shows drug could
effectively treat, prevent the spread of breast cancer
A Mayo Clinic study of a drug that has shown promise in treating sarcoma, lung and brain
cancers, demonstrates that the drug may also be effective in treating breast cancer, in
particular the spread of breast cancer.
"Glycemic load" of diet
tied to breast cancer risk
The amount of carbohydrates a woman eats, as well as the overall "glycemic load"
of her diet, impact her chances of developing breast cancer, Swedish researchers report.
Asian Spice Could Reduce Breast
Cancer Risk in Postmenopausal Women Exposed to Hormone Replacement Therapy, MU Study Finds
Previous studies have found that postmenopausal women who have taken a combined estrogen
and progestin hormone replacement therapy have increased their risk of developing
progestin-accelerated breast tumors. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found
that curcumin, a popular Indian spice derived from the turmeric root, could reduce the
cancer risk for women after exposure to hormone replacement therapy. "Approximately 6
million women in the United States use hormone replacement therapy to treat the symptoms
of menopause," said Salman Hyder, the Zalk Endowed Professorship in Tumor
Angiogenesis and professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine
and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center. "This exposure to progestin will
predispose a large number of post-menopausal women to future development of breast cancer.
The results of our study show that women could potentially take curcumin to protect
themselves from developing progestin-accelerated tumors."
New tumor inhibitor for treatment
of hereditary breast cancer shows promising results in mouse model
Researchers of the Netherlands Cancer Institute – Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital
used the novel inhibitor AZD2281 to target breast cancer, in which the BRCA1-gene plays a
role, in a genetically engineered mouse model. Treatment resulted in tumor regression and
a strong increase in survival without signs of toxicity. The inhibitor, which recently
entered trials in human cancer patients, thus seems to have therapeutic potential for
BRCA-defective tumors. Sven Rottenberg, Piet Borst and Jos Jonkers publish their results
this week in PNAS Online Early Edition.
UC Davis researchers discover a key
to aggressive breast cancer
In trying to find out why HER2-positive breast cancer can be more aggressive than other
forms of the disease, UC Davis Cancer Center researchers have surprisingly discovered that
HER2 itself is the culprit. By shutting down its own regulator gene, HER2 creates a
permissive environment for tumor growth. Building on recent research showing that the
regulator — labeled LRIG1 and commonly called "Lig-1" — limits the
growth-promoting signals of HER2, the research team set out to clarify the role of Lig-1
in breast cancer. They found that, when compared to healthy breast tissue, the regulator
is significantly suppressed. "This suppression assists HER2 in its own
over-expression and in driving the growth of cancer cells," said Colleen Sweeney,
associate professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine and senior author of the study,
which appears in this month's issue of Cancer Research. "HER2 is clearly taking an
active role its own ability to be successful in promoting cancer." Sweeney added that
the study results could lead to new treatments aimed at restoring or replacing functions
of the regulator. This is good news for patients because, in addition to being more
aggressive, HER2-positive breast cancer tends to be less responsive to currently available
treatments. The gene is over-expressed in about one-quarter to one-third of breast cancer
cases. Sweeney and colleagues began by studying mouse models of breast cancer with genomes
that carry extra copies of HER2. They noticed an excess of HER2 protein in the resulting
tumors, but it was not over-expressed in adjacent healthy tissues that also carried extra
copies of the HER2 gene. "That suggested to us that extra copies of HER2 alone are
not enough to explain its over-expression. If it was, HER2 would have been over-expressed
in both normal and tumor tissues from these mice," she said.
UNC study identifies genetic cause
of most common form of breast cancer
The discovery of tumor-suppressor genes has been key to unlocking the molecular and
cellular mechanisms leading to uncontrolled cell proliferation – the hallmark of
cancer. Often, these genes will work in concert with others in a complex biochemical
system that keeps our cells growing and dividing, disease free. Now researchers at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and UNC Lineberger
Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that defects in one gene, called p18, may override
the rest, eventually leading to cancer. This discovery, combined with new laboratory
techniques, will help scientists identify and test new treatments for luminal-type tumors,
which account for between 70 and 80 percent of all breast cancers, but are generally
slower growing than other types. The results of the research appear in the May 2009 issue
of Cancer Cell. Defects in the p18 gene have been observed in different types of human
cancer. Senior study author Yue Xiong, Ph.D., William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor
of biochemistry and biophysics, observes, "When this gene is not expressed or is
deleted, cells have no braking mechanism. They will continue to grow and divide until they
turn into cancer."
Protein Linked to Change in Tissue
That Surround and Support Breast Tumors
A protein known to be overly active in breast cancer can exist in a form that seems to
change the structural composition of mammary tissue, potentially making it more conducive
to tumor progression, say researchers from the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at
Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC). At the annual meeting of the Endocrine
Society in Washington, DC, the scientists report that the protein, AIB1 (Amplified in
Breast Cancer 1), has a shorter form known as AIB1delta3 which turns breast tissue more
fibrous. The researchers say this shorter form may contribute to the dense breast tissue
that is a known risk factor for breast cancer. “We found that AIB1delta3 alters the
stroma, or environment that surrounds and supports cancer cells, producing excessive
fibrosis,” says the study’s lead author, Priscilla Furth, MD, Professor of
Oncology and Medicine. “This is significant, because disordered interactions between
the epithelial and stromal compartments are being increasingly recognized as an important
component of breast cancer risk.”
Campaigners urge politicians to act
on chemicals-breast cancer link
Health campaigners are urging politicians to act on the growing body of scientific
evidence that links exposure to certain chemicals to spiralling rates of breast cancer.
Scientists have known for decades that a woman's risk of developing breast cancer is
influenced both by the levels of oestrogen produced by her own body and her use of drugs
containing man-made oestrogens, such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Radiation Treatment for Breast
Cancer Causes Cancer in the Other Breast
Young women who receive radiation treatment after breast cancer surgery are significantly
more likely to later develop cancer in the other breast than women who did not undergo
such radiation. The findings come from a study, published online in the Journal of
Clinical Oncology, on more than 7,000 women who were treated for breast cancer in
Netherlands between the years of 1970 and 1986. All study participants were diagnosed with
breast cancer before the age of 71.
A molecular switch is linked to a
common breast cancer
Researchers have discovered that a molecular switch in the protein-making machinery of
cells is linked to one of the most common forms of lethal breast cancer worldwide. The
discovery by researchers at NYU School of Medicine could lead to new therapies for the
cancer, called locally advanced breast cancer.
Common Organic Compound Found In
Many Household Products May Pose Health Risk To Breast Cells
Bisphenol A, a chemical that leaches into food and beverages from many consumer products,
causes normal, non-cancerous human breast cells to express genes characteristic of
aggressive breast cancer cells.
NYU Langone Medical Center
researchers identify key gene in deadly inflammatory breast cancer
Aggressive, deadly and often misdiagnosed, inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most
lethal form of primary breast cancer, often striking women in their prime and causing
death within 18 to 24 months. Now, scientists from The Cancer Institute at NYU Langone
Medical Center have identified a key gene—eIF4G1—that is overexpressed in the
majority of cases of IBC, allowing cells to form highly mobile clusters that are
responsible for the rapid metastasis that makes IBC such an effective killer. The new
findings, Essential Role for eIF4G1 Overexpression in Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Pathogenesis, scheduled for advance online publication on Nature Cell Biology's website
(Embargoed for June 14th, 2009 at 1:00PM EST) could lead to the identification of new
approaches, therapies and a new class of drugs to target and treat IBC. This would be a
critical development in the fight against IBC, which respond poorly to chemotherapy,
radiation or any other current treatments for breast cancer, according to the study's lead
authors Dr. Robert Schneider, associate director for translational research at The Cancer
Institute, co-director of breast cancer research, and the Albert B. Sabin Professor of
Molecular Pathogenesis at NYU School of Medicine, and Dr. Deborah Silvera, a postdoctoral
research fellow. "The tragedy of IBC is that it is often misdiagnosed and
misclassified. Rather than presenting as a 'typical' lump, IBC looks like an inflammation
of the breast and is frequently mistaken for an infection. Physicians often prescribe
antibiotics, losing valuable time for treating this fast-moving killer," says Dr.
Schneider, noting that IBC accounts for several percent of all breast cancer cases but
takes a high toll on mortality, with an incidence that is 50 percent higher in African
American women. He adds that there has been little progress in treating IBC over the past
two decades, and there are no drugs specifically for this form of cancer. "In fact,
IBC has only recently been recognized as a unique, genetically distinct form of breast
cancer."
T-cadherin affects blood vessel
growth in breast cancer, hormone from fat cells may play a role
Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research may have found a new option for
targeted breast cancer therapy by showing the link between a certain protein and the
development of blood vessels that feed breast tumors. The Burnham team developed the first
living model to study the effect of the protein called T-cadherin on tumor angiogenesis by
creating a strain of mice that develops spontaneous mammary gland tumors in the absence of
T-cadherin.
Should Parents Share the Results of
BRCA1/2 Genetic Testing with Their Children?
If you learned that you were at high risk of cancer because you carry the hereditary
BRCA1/2 gene mutation, would you tell your children? A recent study at Fox Chase Cancer
Center not only considered that question, but also took it to the next level and studied
the parent perceptions of the impact of such a decision on children. The study will be
presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. BRCA1/2
are hereditary gene mutations that indicate an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
"We know that many people who carry the BRCA1/2 gene mutation share their genetic
test results with their children," explained Angela Bradbury, MD, medical oncologist
at Fox Chase and lead author on the study. "What we did not know was the impact this
communication has on their children." In order to learn the impact this has on
children, researchers evaluated results from 163 parents who had BRCA1/2 testing. Of
those, 52 tested positive for BRCA1/2. Just over 100 parents (66 percent) shared their
results with at least one of their children, which totaled 323 children who were between
the ages of 5 – 25. The child's age and parent cancer history had a direct
correlation to whether or not they shared the results. Not surprising, those without a
BRCA1/2 mutation were more likely to communicate test results than parents with a
mutation. Among parents who disclosed their results, few reported negative reactions from
their children (9 percent) or that their child did not understand the information (11
percent). Overall, most parents reported that their children handled the information well,
although negative reactions were more frequent among certain subgroups (younger children
and those of parents with a mutation or a variant of uncertain significance).
Flight attendants, and their risk
of breast cancer
A number of international studies show that flame retardants sprayed on the cabin's
interior give off fumes containing chemical hormones. When inhaled or absorbed into the
body, these fat- loving chemicals travel to a person's fat cells, especially to a woman's
fatty breast cells.
Breastfeeding is a way to reduce the risk of breast cancer, even if women first become
mothers at a relatively old age, according to a new American-European meta-analysis of
clinical studies disclosed at a Israel Cancer Association (ICA) workshop.
Therapy may block expansion of
breast cancer cells
Breast cancer stem cells are known to be involved in therapy resistance and the recurrence
of cancerous tumors. A new study appearing in Clinical and Translational Science shows the
mechanisms governing stem cell expansion in breast cancer (called Notch activity), and
finds that therapy targeting a protein called cyclin D1 may block the expansion of
cancerous stem cells. The study, conducted by Dr. Richard Pestell and colleagues at Thomas
Jefferson University, was the first to show that cyclin d1 is required for breast cancer
growth in mice. As cyclin d1 is known to be over-expressed in human breast cancer, the
findings may explain how cyclin d1 contributes to breast tumor growth, and provide the
rationale for targeted therapies at cancerous stem cells in humans. "Breast and other
cancers are maintained through a population of cancer stem cells. By specifically
targeting cancer stem cells we hope to reduce recurrence and improve therapy
responses," says Pestell.
Lower Breast Cancer Risk for Women
Who Were Breastfed as Children
Women who were breastfed as infants have a lower risk of breast cancer as adults,
according to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Wisconsin at
Madison and published in the journal Epidemiology.
Women who live in neighborhoods with large amounts of nighttime illumination are more
likely to get breast cancer than those who live in areas where nocturnal darkness
prevails, according to an unusual study that overlaid satellite images of Earth onto
cancer registries.
Three Week Radiation Therapy as
Effective as Five Weeks for Early-stage Breast Cancer
Early-stage breast cancer patients who receive a more intensive course of radiation to
their whole breast over three weeks is as effective as the standard, less intensive
five-week whole breast radiation and offers patients more convenience at a lower cost,
thereby providing a better quality of life, according to a randomized, long-term study
presented September 22, 2008, in the plenary session at the American Society for
Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology’s 50th Annual Meeting in Boston. The cost of this
shorter treatment, called accelerated hypofractionated whole breast irradiation, is
two-thirds of the cost of the standard whole breast radiation. It is also less expensive
then other new approaches such as partial breast irradiation.
Study suggests some breast cancer
patients facing radiation after a mastectomy may be over-treated
A new study suggests standard radiation therapy for some breast cancer patients may not be
medically required and may, therefore, be causing unnecessary serious side effects such as
lymphedema and pulmonary problems. The research conducted at Fox Chase Cancer Center
involved women who got a mastectomy, but whose lymph nodes were negative. "When a
woman has a tumor greater than 5 centimeters and negative lymph nodes, a mastectomy
followed by radiation is recommended," said Penny Anderson, M.D., attending physician
in the radiation oncology department at Fox Chase. "We typically irradiate the chest
wall because it's been shown to improve survival. Out of an abundance of caution, many
radiation oncologists also treat the surrounding lymph nodes, but there is little evidence
that this improves outcome." Irradiation of axillary (under arm) and supraclavicular
(above the collarbone) lymph nodes can lead to lymphedema, a swelling of the extremities
caused by fluid build up because the nodes which allow the fluids to drain have been
damaged by radiation. There are also pulmonary radiation risks including pneumonitis,
inflammation, scarring and fibrosis.
Higher content of aluminium in the outer breast might be explained by this region's closer
proximity to the underarm where the highest density of application of antiperspirant could
be assumed.
Essential nutrient found in eggs
reduces risk of breast cancer by 24 percent
Choline, an essential nutrient found in foods such as eggs, is associated with a 24
percent reduced risk of breast cancer, according to a study supported by a grant from the
US National Institutes of Health, to be published in The FASEB Journal's print issue in
June.
A new study found that in some women,
breast cancer went away on its own. Maggie Rodriguez talks with Dr. Holly Phillips about
what this revelation could mean.
Voldoende Vitamine D kan aantal
kankerdoden met 75% verlagen !
In a new study, researchers at the Moores
Cancer Center and Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, UC San Diego used a
complex computer prediction model to determine that intake of vitamin D3 and calcium would
prevent 58,000 new cases of breast cancer and 49,000 new cases of colorectal cancer
annually in the US and Canada. The researchers model also predicted that 75% of deaths
from these cancers could be prevented with adequate intake of vitamin D3 and calcium. Dr.
Cedric Garland, UCSD School of Medicine, lead researcher on the study discusses the
implications of this finding and the proposed actions.
Galvano therapie of chemo?
Beste Ron
Wat mij verbaasd, is dat er nog niemand
vanuit de media in Nederland iets heeft geschreven over GALVANO therapie, die ik met
succes in 1994 heb ondergaan tijdens mijn BORSTKANKER, en ben het levende bewijs dat deze
therapie ook genezend werkt, zonder mijn lichaam te belasten met al de CHEMICALIEN van de
CHEMO therapie behandelingen en dergelijke!
Voor zwangere vrouwen die tijdens hun
zwangerschap BORSTKANKER hebben, zou GALVANO therapie een heel goed alternatief kunnen
zijn, voor zowel de moeder als het ongeboren kind. Het ongeboren kind wordt al vergiftigd
door de CHEMO therapie met de nodige lichamelijke gevolgen, misschien wel tot de dood erop
volgt, want de moeder moet een keuze maken, CHEMO? helaas kan ze niet zelf
kiezen er wordt haar meestal geen andere (GALVANO) therapie aangeboden nu ze zwanger
is en BORSTKANKER heeft.
Misschien kan de Pink Ribbon in het a.s
oktober nummer er aandacht aan besteden? We lezen nu al jaren in de media wat de
vreselijke ervaringen zijn van de patienten die borst/kanker hebben, het immuunsysteem
meestal niet genoeg weerstand kan bieden, en de kwaliteit van het leven mega achteruit
gaat, tot helaas in veel gevallen de veel te vroege dood erop volgt, meestal als gevolg
van de CHEMO, OPERATIES &-BESTRALINGEN.
Voor meer GALVANO therapie info, zijn er
diverse websites. IN de ST. Georg Klinik Bad Aibling daar heb ik mijn GALVANO therapie
behandelingen met succes ondergaan.Hopelijk kan in de nieuwe Pink Ribbon meer aandacht
besteed worden aan COMPLEMENTAIRE therapien, waardoor de borst/kanker patient misschien
eindelijk THERAPIEVRIJHEID heeft.
(NKI-AVL) heeft het mede mogelijk gemaakt
beter te voorspellen hoe hoog het risico is dat vrouwen met borstkanker de ziekte na 5
jaar weer terug krijgen. Deze zogenaamde Mammaprint wordt nu nog in onderzoeksverband aan
een bepaalde groep vrouwen met borstkanker aangeboden. Vrouwen met een hormoongevoelige
tumor en waarvan de lymfeklieren niet zijn aangetast komen over het algemeen in aanmerking
voor een zogenaamde Mammaprint. Het NKI-AVL doet samen met 19 andere ziekenhuizen in
Nederland mee aan een grote studie (Mindact). In deze studie wordt aan de hand van het
tumorweefsel dat bij de patiënt is weggenomen, bekeken welke kenmerken de tumor heeft en
hoe de patiënt zal reageren op een vervolgbehandeling met medicijnen. Steeds duidelijker
blijkt dat beter te voorspellen is of de patiënt baat heeft bij een behandeling met
chemotherapie. “Als standaard behandeling wordt vaak chemotherapie voorgeschreven, nu
we gerichter kunnen behandelen zullen minder vrouwen met chemotherapie behandeld hoeven
worden, aldus internist dr. Sabinne Linn. Als vrouwen met borstkanker willen weten of zij
in aanmerking komen voor een Mammaprint, kunnen zij dit het beste bespreken met de eigen
behandelend arts.
New study suggests Concord grape
juice may provide protection against breast cancer
According to a new study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Medicinal
Foods, natural compounds in Concord grape juice protected healthy human breast cells from
DNA damage. Healthy human breast cells were exposed in a test tube to an environmental
carcinogen, benzo(a)pyrene, that is able to initiate a chain of events leading to breast
cancer. However, the introduction of Concord grape juice compounds blocked the connection
of the carcinogen to the DNA of the healthy cells.
Einstein researchers discover
protein that contributes to cancer spread
In an important finding published online in Developmental Cell, researchers at Albert
Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, along with collaborators at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have identified a protein likely responsible for
causing breast cancer to spread. Metastatic cancer occurs when cancer cells from the
original tumor travel to distant sites via the blood system. Most cancer deaths are due to
cancer that has spread to other organs. Trying to stop cancer before it metastasizes is
the main goal of cancer treatments. Upon diagnosis, 6 out of 10 breast cancer patients
have cancer that is still in its primary location making the potential discovery of a
marker for invasive cancer of tremendous value that could better inform treatment options.
Until now, early markers of metastatic breast cancer have been hard to find. However, in
the Einstein-led study, researchers have identified a protein that is a promising
candidate for a metastatic breast cancer marker.
Pathway links inflammation,
angiogenesis and breast cancer
A well-known inflammatory protein spawns an enzyme that inactivates two tumor-suppressing
genes, ultimately triggering production of new blood vessels to nourish breast cancer
cells, researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the
August edition of the journal Cell.
Mayo researchers find potential
links between breast density and breast cancer risk
Having dense breasts -- areas that show up dark on a mammogram -- is strongly associated
with increased breast cancer risk, but "why" remains to be answered. Now, by
examining dense and non-dense tissue taken from the breasts of healthy volunteers,
researchers from Mayo Clinic have found several potential links.
Taking menopause hormones for five years doubles the risk for breast cancer, according to
a new analysis of a big federal study that reveals the most dramatic evidence yet of the
dangers of these still-popular pills.
Study examines the mechanisms that
silence the estrogen receptor gene alpha during breast cancer
The mechanisms that silence the estrogen receptor gene alpha (ER-?) in certain breast
cancer cell lines may be closer to being unlocked, according to a study by researchers at
Temple University's Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine.
UCSB scientists show how certain
vegetables combat cancer
Women should go for the broccoli when the relish tray comes around during holiday
celebrations this season. While it has been known for some time that eating cruciferous
vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, can help prevent breast cancer,
the mechanism by which the active substances in these vegetables inhibit cell
proliferation was unknown — until now. Scientists in the UC Santa Barbara
laboratories of Leslie Wilson, professor of biochemistry and pharmacology, and Mary Ann
Jordan, adjunct professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental
Biology, have shown how the healing power of these vegetables works at the cellular level.
Their research is published in this month's journal Carcinogenesis. "Breast cancer,
the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women, can be protected against by eating
cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and near relatives of cabbage such as broccoli and
cauliflower," said first author Olga Azarenko, who is a graduate student at UCSB.
"These vegetables contain compounds called isothiocyanates which we believe to be
responsible for the cancer-preventive and anti-carcinogenic activities in these
vegetables. Broccoli and broccoli sprouts have the highest amount of the isothiocyanates.
Hormone Use Likely Cause of Decline
in Breast Cancer Incidence
A decline in breast cancer incidence among women who received regular mammograms
implicates hormone use as the most likely cause of a widely-reported drop in breast cancer
incidence in the United States.
American Researchers Question
Effect of Scandinavian Mammography Debate
A public row is taking place among some European investigators over a 22-year-old study
that helped lay the foundation for mammography screening worldwide. Some experts question
if it could—or even should—affect current practice in the United States
Newly created cancer stem cells
could aid breast cancer research
Scientists have created breast cancer stem cells in culture by isolating and transforming
a particular population of cells from normal human breast tissue. After being injected
with just 100 of these transformed cells, mice develop tumors that metastasize. When
scientists performed the same transformation process on a slightly different population of
cells from the identical human breast tissue, the resulting cancer cells were 10,000 times
less potent as tumor initiators and could not move to other tissues.
Dense breasts, hormone levels are 2
separate, independent risk factors for breast cancer
The density of a woman's breast tissue and her level of sex hormones are two strong and
independent risk factors for breast cancer, according to a team of researchers from
Harvard and Georgetown universities. The finding dispels the common belief that the risk
associated with dense breasts merely reflects the same risk associated with high levels of
circulating sex hormones, they say.
Breast cancer - How tumor cells
break free and form metastases
When tumor cells acquire the capacity to move around and invade other tissues, there is a
risk ofmetastases and cancer treatment becomes more difficult. At the Institut Curie, CNRS
Director of Research Philippe Chavrier and his group have just discovered how breast
cancer cells break the bonds that tether them to the tumor. The basement membrane around
the mammary gland is a barrier to the spread of cancer cells. Three proteins in the tumor
cells transport enzymes needed to perforate this barrier, and another protein puts these
enzymes in the right place. These discoveries, published in the 16 June 2008 issue of The
Journal of Cell Biology and in Current Biology on 8 July 2008, shed light on the early
mechanisms of the formation of metastases in certain breast cancers. These findings
constitute an essential step in the quest for the early identification of highly invasive
tumors, or even the blocking of formation of metastases.
the female sex hormone estrogen turns on a gene linked to breast cancer, according to new
research by Brisbane scientists. The cancer biology team from UQ's Diamantina Institute
for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine, believe their finding will help explain the
link between breast cancer and high levels of estrogen. “What we've shown is that the
ability of estrogen to switch this gene on is important for the growth of breast cancer
cells,” Diamantina cancer biology research leader Professor Tom Gonda said. The gene
they studied, known as MYB, is found in about 70 percent of all breast cancers and is one
of several dozen genes called oncogenes that promote cancer growth. “What's important
in breast cancer is the ability of estrogen to turn on MYB rather than there being a
mutation in the gene itself,” Professor Gonda said.
HWI scientist first in world to
unravel structure of key breast cancer target enzyme
The molecular details of Aromatase, the key enzyme required for the body to make estrogen,
are no longer a mystery thanks to the structural biology work done by the Ghosh lab at the
Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute (HWI) in Buffalo, New York. Dr. Debashis
Ghosh's solution of the three-dimensional structure of aromatase is the first time that
scientists have been able to visualize the mechanism of synthesizing estrogen. In fact,
the Ghosh lab has determined the structures of all three of the enzymes involved in
controlling estrogen levels that can serve as drug targets for estrogen-dependent tumors
in breast cancer. This work is so significant, the world-renowned journal Nature will be
publishing the structure of aromatase at 2.90 angstrom resolution in an upcoming issue.
The other two enzyme structures determined by the Ghosh lab as part of this project were
estrone sulfatase (2003) and 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (1996). All three
enzymes control the levels of estradiol in different tissues. "This is a dream come
true," Dr. Debashis Ghosh, an HWI senior research scientist and a principal
investigator who also holds a joint faculty appointment at the Roswell Park Cancer
Institute (RPCI), said. "Scientists worldwide have been trying for 35 years to
crystallize this membrane-bound enzyme and we are the first to succeed. Now that we know
the structures of all three key enzymes implicated in estrogen-dependant breast cancers,
our goal is to have a personalized cocktail of inhibitors customized to the specific
treatment needs of each patient. Our knowledge about these three enzymes will enable us to
develop three mutually exclusive inhibitors customized to each patient's needs which will
work in harmony together with minimal side effects."
Dense Breasts, Hormone Levels Are
Two Separate, Independent Risk Factors For Breast Cancer
The density of a woman’s breast tissue and her level of sex hormones are two strong
and independent risk factors for breast cancer, according to a team of researchers from
Harvard and Georgetown universities.
A gene that is overexpressed in 20 percent of breast cancers increases the number of
cancer stem cells, the cells that fuel a tumor’s growth and spread, according to a
new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The gene, HER2,
causes cancer stem cells to multiply and spread, explaining why HER2 has been linked to a
more aggressive type of breast cancer and to metastatic disease, in which the cancer has
spread beyond the breast, the researchers say. Further, the drug Herceptin, which is used
to treat HER2-positive breast cancer, was found to target and destroy the cancer stem
cells. Results of the study appear online in the journal Oncogene.
High insulin levels raise risk of
breast cancer in postmenopausal women
Higher-than-normal levels of insulin place postmenopausal women at increased risk of
breast cancer, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
report. Their findings, published in the January 7 issue of the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute, suggest that interventions that target insulin and its signaling
pathways may decrease breast cancer risk in these women. Breast cancer is the most common
cancer among women in the United States. Last year, approximately 182,000 women were
diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 died from the disease. The majority of
breast cancers arise in women past the age of menopause. Obesity is a well-established
risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer, but just how obesity and breast cancer are
connected is unclear. Many researchers have assumed that the link is estrogen—a
hormone that is known to increase breast-cancer risk and is found at higher-than-average
levels in obese women. But obese women also have other hormonal imbalances that may play a
role in triggering breast cancer. One such imbalance is elevated levels of insulin, which
stimulates the growth of breast cells in tissue culture. The Einstein study is the first
to prospectively identify insulin's role in breast cancer while controlling for estrogen
levels. The multi-year Women's Health Initiative (WHI)—the largest study of
postmenopausal women ever funded by the National Institutes of Health—followed health
outcomes in more than 93,000 postmenopausal women. At enrollment, each participant donated
blood samples that were stored for later analysis.
High-fat Diet Linked to Increased
Breast Cancer Risk
A diet high in fat significantly increases a woman's risk of developing invasive breast
cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers at the National Cancer Institute in
Bethesda, Maryland, and published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Jefferson Researchers Show Antibody
to Breast Cancer-Secreted Protein Blocks Metastasis
Scientists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have
made a key discovery about the mechanism of breast cancer metastasis, the process by which
cancer spreads. Focusing on a gene dubbed “Dachshund,” or DACH1, they are
beginning to pinpoint new therapeutic targets to halt the spread of cancer.
Researchers identify cancer
preventive properties in common vitamin supplement
Early laboratory research has shown that resveratrol, a common dietary supplement,
suppresses the abnormal cell formation that leads to most types of breast cancer,
suggesting a potential role for the agent in breast cancer prevention. Resveratrol is a
natural substance found in red wine and red grapes. It is sold in extract form as a
dietary supplement at most major drug stores.
Is it possible that wearing a bra can actually cause cancer? Studies show that this is a
very real possibility. The reason is that regularly wearing a bra prevents lymph drainage
and circulation, which can greatly increase the possibility of developing breast cancer.
The lymphatic and circulatory systems are responsible for both delivering vital nutrients
and clearing out toxins. When the body does not have access to nutrients or when it is
under the attack of toxins, cancer may develop.
Reduced breast cancer risk -
Physical activity after menopause pays off
Several studies had previously suggested that regular physical exercise reduces the breast
cancer risk of women. However, it had been unknowned just how much exercise women should
take in which period in life in order to benefit from this protective effect. Moreover,
little was known about which particular type of breast cancer is influenced by physical
activity. Answers to these questions are now provided by the results of the MARIE study,
in which 3,464 breast cancer patients and 6,657 healthy women between the ages of 50 and
74 years were questioned in order to explore the connections between life style and breast
cancer risk. Participants of the study, which was headed by Professor Dr. Jenny
Chang-Claude and conducted at the German Cancer Research Center and the University
Hospitals of Hamburg-Eppendorf, were questioned about their physical activity during two
periods in life: from 30 to 49 years of age and after 50. A comparison between control
subjects and breast cancer patients showed that women in the control group had been
physically more active than patients. The scientists calculated the relative breast cancer
risks taking account of the effect of other risk factors. Results show that the risk of
developing breast cancer after menopause was lower by about one third in the physically
most active MARIE participants compared to women who had generally taken little physical
exercise.
Researchers identify new protein
that triggers breast cancer
Canadian researchers have identified a new protein in the progression of breast cancer.
According to a recent study from the Université de Montréal and the University of
Alberta, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the protein ARF1 plays a
critical role in cancer cell growth and the spread of tumours. Targeting this protein with
drug therapy may provide hope to women with breast cancer."Until now, ARF1 has been
associated with harmless albeit important housekeeping duties of cells," says senior
author Audrey Claing, a professor of pharmacology at the Université de Montréal.
"The Université de Montréal and the University of Alberta team is the first to
characterize the role of ARF1 in breast cancer."Dr. Claing and her colleagues used
invasive breast cancer cell lines to study ARF1's role. These cells are sensitive to a
particular growth factor, called epidermal growth factor or EGF, which has previously been
shown to stimulate tumour growth and invasion. Their findings suggest that EGF works
through ARF1 in these cells. In addition, when ARF1 activity was chemically blocked,
breast cancer cell migration and growth was reduced. Conversely, when ARF1 was
overproduced in these cells, their movement was enhanced.
Dental student designs possible
treatment for facial and breast reconstruction
Someday, patients disfigured by cancer, birth defects or trauma could benefit from the
research of Michael Stosich, a third-year student at the Maurice H. Kornberg School of
Dentistry at Temple University. In a paper published in the September issue of the journal
Tissue Engineering, Stosich and Jeremy Mao, associate professor of orthodontics at
Columbia University, found promise in a technique that would use a patient’s own stem
cells to regrow soft tissue damaged by facial tumors, breast cancer, injury or a
congenital abnormality, such as cleft lip and palate.
Vitamin A pushes breast cancer to
form blood vessel cells
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered that vitamin A, when
applied to breast cancer cells, turns on genes that can push stem cells embedded in a
tumor to morph into endothelial cells. These cells can then build blood vessels to link up
to the body's blood supply, promoting further tumor growth. They say their findings,
published in the July 16 online issue of PLoS ONE, is a proof of principle of the new
– and controversial – "vasculogenic mimicry" theory, proposing that,
as needed, tumors build their own blood pipelines. This is very different from the
well-accepted role of tumor angiogenesis, when tumors send signals to blood vessels to
grow toward the cancer. The study's senior author, Stephen W. Byers, Ph.D., a professor of
oncology and cell biology at Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, also says
that this study helps explain why retinoids-- natural or synthetic vitamin A agents--have
had mixed results in treating cancer. "Finding that vitamin A may cause some breast
cancer cells to form blood vessels brings up the rather disturbing notion that treatment
with these drugs may actually stimulate tumor growth," says Byers.
Whether a painless, portable device that uses electrical current rather than X-ray to look
for breast cancer could be an alternative to traditional mammograms is under study at the
Medical College of Georgia. MCG is one of 20 centers internationally studying new
technology developed by Z-Tech Inc., to compare traditional mammograms to impedence
scanning, a technique based on evidence that electrical current passes through cancerous
tissue differently than through normal tissue.
McGill researchers link enzyme to
breast cancer malignancy
McGill University researchers have uncovered the crucial role played by the enzyme focal
adhesion kinase in the onset of breast cancer. The research, led by Dr. William Muller --
along with colleagues from McGill and the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in
Scotland -- was published the week of November 26 in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences. The study's first author is Dr. Hicham Lahlou, a post-doctoral fellow
in Dr. Muller's lab.
Breast MRI spots other cancers, may
alter treatment plan
MRI, which is not routinely administered to women who plan to undergo a lumpectomy, can
find additional cancerous areas in the breast that previously evaded detection, discover
cancer in the opposite breast that standard imaging tests such as mammography and
ultrasound missed, or determine a tumor is actually larger than expected.
A chemical found in household fittings has been found to affect the development of the
mammary gland in rats and further studies will be required to determine if the presence of
this chemical could lead to breast cancer. New research published in the online open
access journal BMC Genomics is the first to show that this chemical can affect the
breasts' genomic profile.
A new medical imager for detecting and guiding the biopsy of suspicious breast cancer
lesions is capable of spotting tumors that are half the size of the smallest ones detected
by standard imaging systems, according to a new study. The results of initial testing of
the PEM/PET system will be published in the journal Physics in Medicine and Biology on
Feb. 7.
Breast Cancer Deception, an eye-opening special report by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger.
This is a shocking, tell-all report that exposes the scam of today's breast cancer
industry, revealing how conventional breast cancer detection and treatment programs are
actually designed to ensnare women into a very harmful (but highly lucrative) system of
toxic treatments that will only cause permanent damage to her health.
Chemical in Nail Polish, Lipstick
Linked to Breast Cancer
A chemical commonly used to soften plastic and in lipstick, nail polish and other
household items has been found to interfere with the development of healthy breast tissue,
which could lead to breast cancer, according to a new study.
Now researchers claim today in the journal Nature Genetics that they have solved this
puzzle. Their finding sheds new light on the cause of a particularly aggressive kind of
breast cancer, which may represent a target for a new generation of treatments focused on
holding the growth of tumour cells in check.
CSHL scientists identify and
repress breast cancer stem cells in mouse tissue
By manipulating highly specific gene-regulating molecules called microRNAs, scientists at
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory report that they have succeeded in singling out and
repressing stem-like cells in mouse breast tissue -- cells that are widely thought to give
rise to cancer.
First step towards switching off
breast cancer and leukaemia
Australian scientists have identified a way to ‘switch off’ a molecule, a key
player in the molecular processes that trigger breast cancer and certain forms of
leukaemia. The molecule, known as Gab2, operates downstream of a major breast cancer
oncogene, HER2, the target of the drug Herceptin. A research team from the Garvan
Institute of Medical Research, led by Professor Roger Daly, has found a novel way of
blocking signals to and from Gab2, preventing it from fulfilling its role in cell
proliferation. The finding is published online today in the EMBO Journal.
Dr. Thomas Rau, who runs the Paracelsus Clinic (cancer clinic since 1958) in Switzerland
recently checked the records of the last 150 breast cancer patients treated in his clinic.
He found that 147 of them (98%) had one or more root canal teeth on the same meridian as
the original breast cancer tumor. His clinic has a biological dentist section where all
cancer patients, on reporting in, have their mouth cleaned up first -- especially all root
canal teeth removed.
Vet medicine researcher examines
link between cancer, Down syndrome
There's new hope for breast cancer research, and it's coming from a very unlikely place.
Researchers at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine &
Biomedical Sciences recently published articles in the journals Molecular and Cellular
Biology and Carcinogenesis indicating that a protein long suspected to play a role in Down
Syndrome may also contribute to treating this devastating disease.
U.S. researchers have successfully tested the method of mixing a woman's stem cells with
her body fat to partly-regenerate breasts after partial masectomies, it was announced on
Sunday.
Breast Cancer Deception, an eye-opening special report by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger.
This is a shocking, tell-all report that exposes the scam of today's breast cancer
industry, revealing how conventional breast cancer detection and treatment programs are
actually designed to ensnare women into a very harmful (but highly lucrative) system of
toxic treatments that will only cause permanent damage to her health.You've never read
anything like this about breast cancer. It's the report the industry would prefer to
censor, because it contains startling truths about how the cancer industry actually feeds
upon the continuation of this disease while censoring natural cancer prevention strategies
that could halt 90 percent of all future cancers starting right now.
Vitamin D & Cardiovascular
Health, Vitamin D & Breast Cancer, Green Tea & Cancer
When comparing the women with the highest blood levels of Vitamin D against the women with
the lowest levels, the results were rather striking. Having the highest levels of Vitamin
D in the blood was associated with a nearly 70% reduction in the risk of breast cancer, in
this population of Northern European women, when compared to similar women with low
Vitamin D levels.
Research has shown that the main metabolite of the insecticide DDT could be associated
with aggressive breast cancer tumors, but there has been no explanation for this
observation to date. Now a report published in the open access journal Breast Cancer
Research shows how DDT could act to disrupt hormone-sensitive breast cancer cells.
Does hormone treatment predispose
patients to breast cancer?
Breast cancer, the leading cause of death among women in France, is the most commonly
occurring cancer in women. Sporadic breast cancer, which is non-hereditary, turns out to
be the most widespread, representing 85 to 90% of all cases, but remains the least
well-known. Researchers at CNRS and CEA (1), working with a team from Hôpital Saint-Louis
(2), have just discovered the cause of 50% of sporadic breast cancers. The results should
also explain epidemiological studies which suggest that hormone treatment predisposes
patients to breast cancer. The work is published in 'Cancer Research'.More than four out
of five breast cancers are not related to hereditary factors. These cancers, which are
called sporadic, are due to causes which were until recently considered complex and poorly
understood. On the other hand, hereditary forms of cancer, which represent only 10 to 15%
of breast cancers, have for years been the subjects of studies, work which has resulted in
the identification of ten genes whose mutation increases the risk of cancer in an
individual. Among these genes, nine are involved in the DNA damage response system, which
is the collection of cell mechanisms that optimize the repair of DNA. The tenth gene codes
for a protein which inhibits the action of the AKT1 enzyme. And among these ten genes, two
are responsible for 50% of hereditary breast cancers: BRCA1 and BRCA2. Researchers from
the "Radiobiologie moléculaire et cellulaire" (CNRS / CEA) lab took these data
on hereditary cancers as the starting point for their research into non-hereditary forms.
The Breast Cancer Gene in Men
Carries Increased Risks
Men who have a BRCA-1 or -2 gene mutation have twice the normal risk of prostate cancer,
triple the normal risk of pancreas cancer, and 7 times more likely to develop breast
cancer (it can happen in men, too.)
CSHL scientists show how a protein
that determines cell polarity prevents breast cancer
A team of scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has found that a protein called
Scribble, originally discovered as a cell-shape regulator in fruit flies and worms, is an
important regulator of breast cancer. They report that Scribble normally directs breast
epithelial cells to form the structures that give breast tissue its shape and thereby
resist cancer formation. When Scribble stops functioning, the tissue loses its shape and
cancers ensue.
Eating eggs when pregnant affects
breast cancer in offspring
A stunning discovery based on epigenetics (the inheritance of propensities acquired in the
womb) reveals that consuming choline—a nutrient found in eggs and other
foods—during pregnancy may significantly affect breast cancer outcomes for a mother's
offspring. This finding by a team of biologists at Boston University is the first to link
choline consumption during pregnancy to breast cancer. It also is the first to identify
possible choline-related genetic changes that affect breast cancer survival rates.
"We've known for a long time that some agents taken by pregnant women, such as
diethylstibesterol, have adverse consequences for their daughters," said Gerald
Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "But there's an upside. The
emerging science of epigenetics has yielded a breakthrough. For the first time, we've
learned that we might be able to prevent breast cancer as early as a mother's
pregnancy." The researchers made the discovery in rats by studying females whose
mothers were fed varying amounts of choline during pregnancy. Different groups of pregnant
rats received diets containing standard amounts of choline, no choline at all, or extra
choline. Then the researchers treated the female offspring with a chemical that causes
cancer of the mammary gland (breast cancer). Although animals in all groups developed
mammary cancer, the daughters of mothers that had received extra choline during pregnancy
had slow growing tumors while daughters of mothers that had no choline during pregnancy
had fast growing tumors.
Angled gantry technique reduced
breast radiation exposure by 50 percent
A novel angled gantry approach to coronary CT angiography reduced radiation exposure to
the breast by more than 50%, according to Thomas Jefferson University researchers. Ethan
Halpern, M.D., associate professor of Radiology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas
Jefferson University in Philadelphia, presented the research at the 94th Scientific
Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. "Radiation
dose to the breast during coronary CT is especially a concern for young women as the dose
may increase the risk for breast cancer," Dr. Halpern said. "Physicians are
working diligently to reduce the patient radiation dose related to coronary CT."Dr.
Halpern and colleagues retrospectively reviewed 100 consecutive coronary CT angiography
images that were obtained with a 64 detector helical scanner. They evaluated sagital
images to: 1) define the position of the breasts and the gantry angulation required to
perform a CT examination parallel to the long axis of the heart; and 2) determine the
reduction in breast exposure to radiation that might be accomplished by imaging the heart
with an angled gantry acquisition.
Broccoli compound targets key
enzyme in late-stage cancer
An anti-cancer compound found in broccoli and cabbage works by lowering the activity of an
enzyme associated with rapidly advancing breast cancer, according to a University of
California, Berkeley, study appearing this week in the online early edition of the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The compound, indole-3-carbinol, is
already undergoing clinical trials in humans because it was found to stop the growth of
breast and prostate cancer cells in mice. The new findings are the first to explain how
indole-3-carbinol (I3C) stops cell growth, and thus provides the basis for designing
improved versions of the chemical that would be more effective as a drug and could work
against a broader range of breast as well as prostate tumors. "I think one of the
real uses of this compound and its derivatives is combining it with other kinds of
therapies, such as tamoxifen for breast cancer and anti-androgens for prostate
cancer," said coauthor Gary Firestone, UC Berkeley professor of molecular and cell
biology. "Humans have co-evolved with cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and
Brussels sprouts, so this natural source has a lot fewer side effects."
New Breast Imaging Technology
Targets Hard-to-Detect Cancers
Breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) is effective in the detection of cancers not found on
mammograms or by clinical exam, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting
of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). "BSGI can identify the most
difficult to detect breast cancer—invasive lobular carcinoma," said lead author
Rachel F. Brem, M.D., professor of radiology and director of the Breast Imaging and
Interventional Center at The George Washington University Medical Center in Washington,
D.C. "It also can help us detect additional lesions of all types of breast cancer in
women whose mammograms show only one suspicious lesion." Breast cancer affects more
women than any other non-skin cancer and, according to the American Cancer Society,
accounts for more than 40,000 deaths annually in the U.S. Most experts agree that the best
way to decrease breast cancer mortality is through early detection using mammography and
clinical breast exam. However, some cancers are difficult to detect with mammography and
clinical exam, particularly in the earliest stage when treatment is most effective. While
mammography findings are characterized by the difference in appearance between normal and
suspicious breast tissue, BSGI findings are based on how cancerous cells function.
Combined HRT increases risk of
lobular breast cancer fourfold after just 3 years of use
Postmenopausal women who take combined estrogen/progestin hormone-replacement therapy for
three years or more face a fourfold increased risk of developing various forms of lobular
breast cancer, according to new findings by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center.
