The earlier breast cancer is found, the more easily and successfully it can be treated. The most common methods for detecting breast cancer include:
* Mammogram. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast that can often find tumors that are too small for you or your doctor to feel. Your doctor may suggest that you have a screening mammogram, especially if you have any risk factors for breast cancer. The usefulness of mammograms may vary depending on your age; this issue is still being debated by experts.
* Clinical breast exam (CBE). During a clinical breast exam, your doctor will carefully feel your breasts and under your arms to check for lumps or other unusual changes.
* Magnetic resonance image (MRI) of the breast. MRI is a test that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to provide pictures of the inside of the breast. It may be more sensitive than a mammogram for finding breast cancer in women who have a strong family history of breast cancer. However, MRI may find small irregularities that are not breast cancer. This can lead to further testing. MRI is also more expensive and not as readily available as mammography. For these reasons, most experts do not recommend the use of MRI for screening for breast cancer. 10, 11
The type and frequency of breast cancer screening that is best for you changes as you age.
A breast self-exam (BSE) is a simple procedure to help you detect breast lumps. Medical experts disagree about the need for or the effectiveness of regular breast self-exams. Studies have failed to show that BSE alone reduces the number of deaths from breast cancer. Therefore, BSE should not be used in place of clinical breast exam and mammography.
Diagnostic tests
If your doctor thinks that you have breast cancer, you may have other tests, including:
* A mammogram, if you have not already had one.
* An ultrasound. You may have an ultrasound of the breast if a lump is found during a clinical breast exam or on a mammogram. Breast ultrasound is often used to distinguish between solid lumps and fluid-filled (cystic) lumps.
* An MRI of the breast, which is sometimes used to get more information about a breast lump or to evaluate problems in women who have breast implants. MRI of the breast may be most useful for women who test positive for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. 11
* A breast biopsy. If a lump is found in your breast, your doctor will need to remove a small sample of the lump (biopsy) and look at it under the microscope to see whether any cancer cells are present. A needle biopsy is done by inserting a needle into the breast and removing some of the tissue. Tests that may be performed on any breast cancer cells that are found include:
o Estrogen and progesterone receptor status. The hormones estrogen and progesterone stimulate the growth of normal breast cells and some breast cancers. If your breast cancer tests positive for estrogen or progesterone receptors, you may be able to stop the growth of the cancer cells with hormone therapy, such as an aromatase inhibitor or tamoxifen. Estrogen or progesterone receptor-positive (ER/PR+) breast cancer also sometimes responds better to chemotherapy, which may be a less aggressive cancer than breast cancer that is not affected by estrogen or progesterone. This is an important piece of information that will help you and your doctor plan treatment.
o HER-2 receptor status. HER-2/neu is a protein that regulates the growth of some breast cancer cells. About 25% of women with breast cancer have too much (overexpression) of this growth-promoting protein.
* A lymph node biopsy to see whether breast cancer cells have spread to the lymph nodes under the arm (axillary lymph nodes). The two methods used are:
o Surgery to remove most of the lymph nodes in the underarm. This is called an axillary lymph node biopsy.
o Surgery to take a sample of just one or two of the lymph nodes that are most likely to contain cancer cells. This is called a sentinel node biopsy. Several studies have shown that sentinel lymph node biopsy is as safe and accurate as axillary lymph node dissection for staging breast cancer. Other studies are ongoing. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is less likely than axillary lymph node dissection to impair arm mobility, cause pain, or result in problems with swelling of the arm and hand. 12
* A complete blood count (CBC) to provide important information about the kinds and numbers of cells in your blood, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
* A chemistry screen, to measure the levels of several substances (such as those involved in liver functions) in your blood.
* A chest X-ray, to provide a picture of organs and structures within your chest, including your heart and lungs, your blood vessels, and the thin sheet of muscle just below your lungs (diaphragm).
Tests if your doctor suspects that breast cancer has spread
If your doctor thinks that breast cancer may have spread to other organs in your body (metastasized), he or she may order additional testing, including a:
* CT scan to provide detailed pictures of the organs and structures in your chest, abdomen, and pelvis.
* Bone scan to detect cancer that has spread (metastasized) to the bones.
* CT scan or MRI of the brain to provide detailed pictures of your brain and to check for cancer that may have spread to your brain.
What to think about
You have an increased risk for developing breast cancer again if you have had breast cancer in one breast. Breast cancer can come back in the same breast, on the chest wall, in your other breast, or somewhere else in your body (metastatic or recurrent breast cancer). To be sure that the cancer has not returned, you will have regular checkups that include physical exams and mammograms.
If you find any unusual changes in the treated area or in your other breast, or if you have swollen lymph glands or bone pain, call your doctor to discuss these changes. For more information, see the topic Breast Cancer, Metastatic or Recurrent.
Early Detection
Early detection is an important factor in the success of breast cancer treatment. The earlier breast cancer is found, the more easily and successfully it can be treated. The three methods used for early detection are:
* Mammogram. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast that can often find tumors that are too small for you or your doctor to feel. Your doctor may suggest that you have a screening mammogram if you are older than 40, especially if you have any risk factors for breast cancer. Screening mammograms are most useful after age 50, but most experts recommend starting screening at age 40.
* Clinical breast exam (CBE). During a clinical breast exam, your doctor will carefully feel your breasts and under your arms to check for lumps or other unusual changes.
* Breast self-exam (BSE). A breast self-exam is a simple procedure to help you detect breast lumps. BSE should not be used in place of clinical breast exam and mammography. Although studies have not shown that BSE reduces the number of deaths from breast cancer, it may help familiarize you with your normal breast tissue. This will help you identify any new or unusual changes in your breasts. 11
source : health.yahoo.com
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Breast Cancer Not Always to Blame for New Ailments
I receive e-mails and phone calls every day asking if there's a "connection" between new medical conditions that crop up and an established diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Some questioners assume the new disorder is a side effect from treatment. Others wonder about a link between certain diseases and breast cancer.
Though breast cancer treatment certainly produces side effects like joint pain from chemo or hormonal therapy, it doesn't make sense to assume that everything going wrong with our bodies is related to this treatment.
One woman wrote that she had a gallbladder attack and was sure that her gallstones were caused by hormonal therapy. However, there is no link between hormonal therapy and gallstone development. Another woman in treatment said her vision had gotten worse in the last five years, since she turned 68 years old. Well, most people's vision changes as they age.
The bottom line is this: Despite the fact that we have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and have been treated for it, we still can develop other diseases and disorders like the rest of the world's population does.
Unfortunately, filling in the "cancer" square on our life scorecard doesn't render us immune to other illnesses in the future. Some scientists actually think that perhaps we are even more susceptible to getting other medical conditions because our immune systems are not in tip-top shape.
Before you point the finger at your breast cancer treatment as the cause of a new medical problem, meet with your oncologist and see if your suspicion is based on reason. Sometimes a medical problem will be related, but oftentimes it is not.
source : health.yahoo.com
Though breast cancer treatment certainly produces side effects like joint pain from chemo or hormonal therapy, it doesn't make sense to assume that everything going wrong with our bodies is related to this treatment.
One woman wrote that she had a gallbladder attack and was sure that her gallstones were caused by hormonal therapy. However, there is no link between hormonal therapy and gallstone development. Another woman in treatment said her vision had gotten worse in the last five years, since she turned 68 years old. Well, most people's vision changes as they age.
The bottom line is this: Despite the fact that we have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and have been treated for it, we still can develop other diseases and disorders like the rest of the world's population does.
Unfortunately, filling in the "cancer" square on our life scorecard doesn't render us immune to other illnesses in the future. Some scientists actually think that perhaps we are even more susceptible to getting other medical conditions because our immune systems are not in tip-top shape.
Before you point the finger at your breast cancer treatment as the cause of a new medical problem, meet with your oncologist and see if your suspicion is based on reason. Sometimes a medical problem will be related, but oftentimes it is not.
source : health.yahoo.com
Permanent Makeup Isn't Always Pretty
Permanent makeup, which is essentially just a tattoo in place of cosmetics such as eyeliner or lipstick, may cause serious problems in some people, particularly those with a history of allergy, a new study suggests.
Ironically, the study found that the very procedures that are supposed to enhance beauty may actually result in unsightly side effects, such as swelling or bumps.
The news isn't all bad, however. Most of the adverse reactions included in the study were caused by a single product line of inks, and those inks were recalled in 2004.
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study confirms that permanent makeup can cause severe health problems in some women," said the study's lead author, Masja Straetemans, a senior epidemiologist at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, Germany, who was with the CDC at the time of the study.
"Of the 92 women [included in the study], 89 had used ink shades from the specific company in at least one procedure after June 1, 2003, before the development of health problems," she said, adding that data on the ink used was missing for the remaining three women.
Like a regular tattoo, the permanent makeup procedure injects pigment into a deep layer of skin called the dermis, according to the American Academy of Micropigmentation (AAM). The epidermis is the layer of skin you normally see, and the one that constantly sheds and renews itself. Permanent makeup may also be called cosmetic tattoo or micropigmentation.
According to the AAM, there are many reasons people choose to have cosmetic tattoos, including wanting to save time, having difficulty applying makeup, and thinning eyebrows or eyelashes, among others.
No U.S. government agencies or national organizations track the number of people who undergo these procedures, so accurate estimates on the prevalence of permanent makeup aren't available. The procedure is generally done in a salon or a tattoo parlor, which are regulated by local authorities, not the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA can, however, regulate the inks used in tattoos and permanent makeup.
And, when the FDA noticed a dramatic jump in the number of adverse events being reported, it began the current study. Between 1988 and 2003, there were only five adverse events from cosmetic tattoos reported to the FDA. But, beginning in 2003, more than 150 people reported problems, according to the study.
Researchers from the FDA and CDC interviewed 92 of the people who reported problems and found that the most common adverse reactions were tenderness, swelling, itching and bumps.
"The body sees the pigment as a foreign body and reacts to it, causing a chronic inflammatory reaction," said Dr. Ellen Marmur, chief of dermatological surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. "The area gets swollen, bumpy and red. It looks like a bad, bumpy scar. It's very unattractive."
Marmur said it's impossible to know ahead of time who will have a reaction and who won't, although most of the people interviewed for the study -- 74 percent -- had a history of allergies. Additionally, the study found that people with allergies took twice as long to heal, on average, Straetemans said.
Sixty-eight percent of the study volunteers were still experiencing a reaction at the time of the study interview, and the duration of symptoms ranged from 5.5 months to three years.
According to Straetemans, 89 of the 92 study participants had been injected with ink from a single product line. That line of inks was recalled by its manufacturer, Premier Products in Arlington, Texas, in September 2004, according to the FDA.
Marmur said she believes people underestimate the risks involved with these types of procedures, especially the most common one: dissatisfaction with the way the tattoo looks. "People need to know the cost of reversing a tattoo is often more than getting it," she said, and that's only for tattoos that can be removed, because not all can.
Another concern, Marmur said, is the potential for serious infections, such as hepatitis. "You don't know if the needles are safe, and if they're not sterilized, they can introduce bacteria and viruses under your skin. Even your own bacteria that live on your skin can be a problem if the skin isn't cleaned properly."
If you do decide on a cosmetic tattoo, Marmur suggests asking for a list of ingredients in the inks so you can check with your dermatologist to see if there's anything likely to cause a reaction. Also, your dermatologist can let you know if that particular ink can be removed at a later date. Some red inks, which could be used in a lipstick tattoo, turn black and become permanent if they're exposed to the lasers commonly used to remove tattoos, she said.
What's most important, Marmur said, is to make sure you know the worst-case scenarios. "You should know the common and rare side effects before doing anything, and you should know if it's something that can be reversed if you're not happy with the results. Also, ask if there's any way to allergy test in advance."
source :
Ironically, the study found that the very procedures that are supposed to enhance beauty may actually result in unsightly side effects, such as swelling or bumps.
The news isn't all bad, however. Most of the adverse reactions included in the study were caused by a single product line of inks, and those inks were recalled in 2004.
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study confirms that permanent makeup can cause severe health problems in some women," said the study's lead author, Masja Straetemans, a senior epidemiologist at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, Germany, who was with the CDC at the time of the study.
"Of the 92 women [included in the study], 89 had used ink shades from the specific company in at least one procedure after June 1, 2003, before the development of health problems," she said, adding that data on the ink used was missing for the remaining three women.
Like a regular tattoo, the permanent makeup procedure injects pigment into a deep layer of skin called the dermis, according to the American Academy of Micropigmentation (AAM). The epidermis is the layer of skin you normally see, and the one that constantly sheds and renews itself. Permanent makeup may also be called cosmetic tattoo or micropigmentation.
According to the AAM, there are many reasons people choose to have cosmetic tattoos, including wanting to save time, having difficulty applying makeup, and thinning eyebrows or eyelashes, among others.
No U.S. government agencies or national organizations track the number of people who undergo these procedures, so accurate estimates on the prevalence of permanent makeup aren't available. The procedure is generally done in a salon or a tattoo parlor, which are regulated by local authorities, not the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA can, however, regulate the inks used in tattoos and permanent makeup.
And, when the FDA noticed a dramatic jump in the number of adverse events being reported, it began the current study. Between 1988 and 2003, there were only five adverse events from cosmetic tattoos reported to the FDA. But, beginning in 2003, more than 150 people reported problems, according to the study.
Researchers from the FDA and CDC interviewed 92 of the people who reported problems and found that the most common adverse reactions were tenderness, swelling, itching and bumps.
"The body sees the pigment as a foreign body and reacts to it, causing a chronic inflammatory reaction," said Dr. Ellen Marmur, chief of dermatological surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. "The area gets swollen, bumpy and red. It looks like a bad, bumpy scar. It's very unattractive."
Marmur said it's impossible to know ahead of time who will have a reaction and who won't, although most of the people interviewed for the study -- 74 percent -- had a history of allergies. Additionally, the study found that people with allergies took twice as long to heal, on average, Straetemans said.
Sixty-eight percent of the study volunteers were still experiencing a reaction at the time of the study interview, and the duration of symptoms ranged from 5.5 months to three years.
According to Straetemans, 89 of the 92 study participants had been injected with ink from a single product line. That line of inks was recalled by its manufacturer, Premier Products in Arlington, Texas, in September 2004, according to the FDA.
Marmur said she believes people underestimate the risks involved with these types of procedures, especially the most common one: dissatisfaction with the way the tattoo looks. "People need to know the cost of reversing a tattoo is often more than getting it," she said, and that's only for tattoos that can be removed, because not all can.
Another concern, Marmur said, is the potential for serious infections, such as hepatitis. "You don't know if the needles are safe, and if they're not sterilized, they can introduce bacteria and viruses under your skin. Even your own bacteria that live on your skin can be a problem if the skin isn't cleaned properly."
If you do decide on a cosmetic tattoo, Marmur suggests asking for a list of ingredients in the inks so you can check with your dermatologist to see if there's anything likely to cause a reaction. Also, your dermatologist can let you know if that particular ink can be removed at a later date. Some red inks, which could be used in a lipstick tattoo, turn black and become permanent if they're exposed to the lasers commonly used to remove tattoos, she said.
What's most important, Marmur said, is to make sure you know the worst-case scenarios. "You should know the common and rare side effects before doing anything, and you should know if it's something that can be reversed if you're not happy with the results. Also, ask if there's any way to allergy test in advance."
source :
New Concerns for Early Stage Breast Cancer Patients
A new study of women with early stage, localized breast cancer identifies new patterns and risk factors for invasive disease that may influence how these patients are treated.
Published in the journal Cancer, the study reported that patients with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) are actually at higher risk of developing advanced stage tumors than previously thought.
In addition, women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who are under 50 years old, African-American or Hispanic are at increased risk of developing advanced stage invasive tumors. This is startling news, considering that LCIS is not breast cancer per se, but a marker for predicting increased breast cancer risk in the future. DCIS, also referred to as noninvasive disease, is stage 0 breast cancer.
The diagnosis of DCIS and LCIS has been increasing up to sevenfold since 1980, according to U.S. statistics. The increase is thought to be due primarily to more screening mammograms and breast biopsies - in other words, to better early detection.
This doesn't mean that women with LCIS should take aggressive action and do prophylactic surgeries. It does mean that they need to be vigilant, making sure they are followed by breast health specialists, and that they should consider preventive therapies such as hormonal therapy to help protect against developing breast cancer.
source : health.yahoo.com
Published in the journal Cancer, the study reported that patients with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) are actually at higher risk of developing advanced stage tumors than previously thought.
In addition, women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who are under 50 years old, African-American or Hispanic are at increased risk of developing advanced stage invasive tumors. This is startling news, considering that LCIS is not breast cancer per se, but a marker for predicting increased breast cancer risk in the future. DCIS, also referred to as noninvasive disease, is stage 0 breast cancer.
The diagnosis of DCIS and LCIS has been increasing up to sevenfold since 1980, according to U.S. statistics. The increase is thought to be due primarily to more screening mammograms and breast biopsies - in other words, to better early detection.
This doesn't mean that women with LCIS should take aggressive action and do prophylactic surgeries. It does mean that they need to be vigilant, making sure they are followed by breast health specialists, and that they should consider preventive therapies such as hormonal therapy to help protect against developing breast cancer.
source : health.yahoo.com
Study to Assess Hormone Therapy Before Menopause
Researchers at eight locations across the United States plan to examine the safety and effectiveness of estrogen therapy during perimenopause, the few years just prior to menopause.
The KEEPS (Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study), led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin (UW) School of Medicine and Public Health, will evaluate the effect that four years of estrogen therapy has on mood and cognition in 720 healthy perimenopausal women.
"There has been a tremendous amount of important and valuable research done on the positive and negative health effects of therapy using estrogen in menopausal women," study leader Sanjay Asthana, head of the UW Section of Geriatrics and Gerontology and director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, said in a prepared statement.
"It is my belief that this study will go a long way in helping us understand the complexity of estrogen and related hormones in humans. It is critical that we continue to systematically address all of the clinical issues concerning estrogen treatment and its effects on diseases like Alzheimer's," Asthana said.
The $3.4 million study will be funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Among its objectives, KEEPS will compare an arm patch that delivers a natural, human form of estrogen to the commonly used oral form of estrogen synthesized from animal sources.
Other goals include determining the best way to counteract the adverse effects of estrogen on the lining of the uterus and investigating which hormone therapy best mimics the menstrual cycle.
source : health.yahoo.com
The KEEPS (Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study), led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin (UW) School of Medicine and Public Health, will evaluate the effect that four years of estrogen therapy has on mood and cognition in 720 healthy perimenopausal women.
"There has been a tremendous amount of important and valuable research done on the positive and negative health effects of therapy using estrogen in menopausal women," study leader Sanjay Asthana, head of the UW Section of Geriatrics and Gerontology and director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, said in a prepared statement.
"It is my belief that this study will go a long way in helping us understand the complexity of estrogen and related hormones in humans. It is critical that we continue to systematically address all of the clinical issues concerning estrogen treatment and its effects on diseases like Alzheimer's," Asthana said.
The $3.4 million study will be funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Among its objectives, KEEPS will compare an arm patch that delivers a natural, human form of estrogen to the commonly used oral form of estrogen synthesized from animal sources.
Other goals include determining the best way to counteract the adverse effects of estrogen on the lining of the uterus and investigating which hormone therapy best mimics the menstrual cycle.
source : health.yahoo.com
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Is Associated With Breast Cancer Rates
Deirdre Cronin-Fenton, Ph.D., of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, with colleagues at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., found that the increase in some early stage breast cancers corresponded to greater use of biopsies of sentinel lymph nodes--the primary lymph node to which cancer cells are likely to spread from a tumor. Sentinel lymph node biopsies often detect small numbers of tumor cells that do not necessarily indicate that the cancer has spread.
"While the use of [sentinel lymph node biopsy] in community practice continues to increase, it is expected that cases with [lymph node] metastases also will continue to increase," the authors write.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
"While the use of [sentinel lymph node biopsy] in community practice continues to increase, it is expected that cases with [lymph node] metastases also will continue to increase," the authors write.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
U.S.-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research Marks One Year of Touching Lives in the Arab World
U.S.-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research Marks One Year of Touching Lives in the Arab World
WASHINGTON, June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- In just one year, the U.S.-Middle
East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research has energized
women and inspired action to save lives. Announced by Mrs. Laura Bush in
June 2006, the Partnership is the first collaborative effort to help
countries in the Middle East fight breast cancer through improved
awareness, clinical resources, and world-class research.
The Partnership is facilitated by the U.S. Department of State's Middle
East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), uniting Susan G. Komen for the Cure and
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center with local partners in
the region.
The effort provides help at a critical time. According to Dr. Ahmed
Mubarak Al Mazrouei, director general of the Health Authority Abu Dhabi, as
many as 75 percent of all breast cancer cases in Abu Dhabi are still
diagnosed and treated at a very late stage, compared to 30 percent in the
U.S. and Europe. "We need powerful awareness campaigns ... I'm sure we can
learn a great deal from the vast experience of our U.S. counterparts in
this field," Al Mazrouei told the Emirates News Agency.
In its first year, the Partnership has sparked a series of impressive
actions by its members and plans for future activities:
-- Country launches were held in the UAE (October 2006) and Jordan (March
2007).
-- Susan G. Komen for the Cure facilitated three Breast Cancer 101
training sessions to targeted audiences in the UAE and Jordan: women in
the workplace at Citibank UAE, female university students in Abu Dhabi
and medical personnel in Amman. As a result of successes in the Middle
East, Komen for the Cure is expanding its global outreach strategy and
will be piloting a detailed curriculum for breast cancer outreach,
advocacy, community engagement and fundraising in 10 countries in 2008
and beyond, including the Middle East.
-- The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center invited
delegations from Jordan and Saudi Arabia to participate in its
prestigious Sister Institution Conference dedicated to global oncology
in June 2007. Renowned experts from 47 delegations representing 20
countries worldwide engaged in active breast cancer research planning.
-- A multi-disciplinary team of 25 M. D. Anderson breast cancer clinical
and research faculty members have volunteered to serve on an advisory
steering committee for the Partnership. They will lend their expertise
to develop comprehensive collaborations in breast cancer prevention,
research, clinical care and education.
-- The Government of the UAE issued a decree to implement within five
years a comprehensive strategy to lower breast cancer mortality rates.
-- The U.S. Agency for International Development has pledged additional
support specifically for breast cancer initiatives at King Hussein
Cancer Center in Jordan.
"The women of the Middle East have shown remarkable energy and
determination in the fight against breast cancer this year as they've built
this powerful coalition to save the lives of their mothers, sisters and
friends," said Nancy G. Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
"The investment of the Middle East Partnership Initiative has helped
accelerate their progress, creating a growing international partnership of
medical professionals, government officials and civil society to empower
women."
"Through our collaborative work, the U.S.-Middle East Partnership for
Breast Cancer Awareness and Research is advancing our shared vision of
reducing the global burden of breast cancer through our scientific research
and medical discoveries," said Dr. Kendra V. Woods, director of Extramural
Programs for The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
State Department senior advisor Erin Walsh said the Partnership's
impact has been increased dramatically by the dedication of its
private-sector partners. "Susan G. Komen for the Cure and M. D. Anderson
are delivering an amazing level of resources, expertise, and compassion to
the women of the broader Middle East," Walsh said. "They really are
bringing the best America has to offer in breast cancer care and advocacy."
The Partnership's second year will continue the efforts in the UAE and
Jordan and expand its reach to additional countries. As the Partnership
grows across the Middle East, Arab women will have greater opportunities to
ensure their health and well-being through education, awareness and
empowerment.
source : www.prnewswire.com
WASHINGTON, June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- In just one year, the U.S.-Middle
East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research has energized
women and inspired action to save lives. Announced by Mrs. Laura Bush in
June 2006, the Partnership is the first collaborative effort to help
countries in the Middle East fight breast cancer through improved
awareness, clinical resources, and world-class research.
The Partnership is facilitated by the U.S. Department of State's Middle
East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), uniting Susan G. Komen for the Cure and
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center with local partners in
the region.
The effort provides help at a critical time. According to Dr. Ahmed
Mubarak Al Mazrouei, director general of the Health Authority Abu Dhabi, as
many as 75 percent of all breast cancer cases in Abu Dhabi are still
diagnosed and treated at a very late stage, compared to 30 percent in the
U.S. and Europe. "We need powerful awareness campaigns ... I'm sure we can
learn a great deal from the vast experience of our U.S. counterparts in
this field," Al Mazrouei told the Emirates News Agency.
In its first year, the Partnership has sparked a series of impressive
actions by its members and plans for future activities:
-- Country launches were held in the UAE (October 2006) and Jordan (March
2007).
-- Susan G. Komen for the Cure facilitated three Breast Cancer 101
training sessions to targeted audiences in the UAE and Jordan: women in
the workplace at Citibank UAE, female university students in Abu Dhabi
and medical personnel in Amman. As a result of successes in the Middle
East, Komen for the Cure is expanding its global outreach strategy and
will be piloting a detailed curriculum for breast cancer outreach,
advocacy, community engagement and fundraising in 10 countries in 2008
and beyond, including the Middle East.
-- The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center invited
delegations from Jordan and Saudi Arabia to participate in its
prestigious Sister Institution Conference dedicated to global oncology
in June 2007. Renowned experts from 47 delegations representing 20
countries worldwide engaged in active breast cancer research planning.
-- A multi-disciplinary team of 25 M. D. Anderson breast cancer clinical
and research faculty members have volunteered to serve on an advisory
steering committee for the Partnership. They will lend their expertise
to develop comprehensive collaborations in breast cancer prevention,
research, clinical care and education.
-- The Government of the UAE issued a decree to implement within five
years a comprehensive strategy to lower breast cancer mortality rates.
-- The U.S. Agency for International Development has pledged additional
support specifically for breast cancer initiatives at King Hussein
Cancer Center in Jordan.
"The women of the Middle East have shown remarkable energy and
determination in the fight against breast cancer this year as they've built
this powerful coalition to save the lives of their mothers, sisters and
friends," said Nancy G. Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
"The investment of the Middle East Partnership Initiative has helped
accelerate their progress, creating a growing international partnership of
medical professionals, government officials and civil society to empower
women."
"Through our collaborative work, the U.S.-Middle East Partnership for
Breast Cancer Awareness and Research is advancing our shared vision of
reducing the global burden of breast cancer through our scientific research
and medical discoveries," said Dr. Kendra V. Woods, director of Extramural
Programs for The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
State Department senior advisor Erin Walsh said the Partnership's
impact has been increased dramatically by the dedication of its
private-sector partners. "Susan G. Komen for the Cure and M. D. Anderson
are delivering an amazing level of resources, expertise, and compassion to
the women of the broader Middle East," Walsh said. "They really are
bringing the best America has to offer in breast cancer care and advocacy."
The Partnership's second year will continue the efforts in the UAE and
Jordan and expand its reach to additional countries. As the Partnership
grows across the Middle East, Arab women will have greater opportunities to
ensure their health and well-being through education, awareness and
empowerment.
source : www.prnewswire.com
Voices of MammoSite: Where Newly-Diagnosed Women Connect with Breast Cancer Survivors
Voices of MammoSite: Where Newly-Diagnosed Women Connect with Breast Cancer Survivors
MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“You have breast cancer.” The words hang in the air in the sterile coldness of an examination room. The first reaction is often disbelief; the second, “Am I going to survive? What do I do now?”
Once a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, she usually has very little time—often just two weeks—to make a treatment decision. That’s 14 days to cope with the news, research options, fit in doctor’s appointments, and figure out who will take care of her family and job during treatment and recovery. Now there is a place where women with early-stage breast cancer can find a new level of support and open arms from those who’ve been through it before. Voices of MammoSite is a new program supported by a website (www.VoicesofMammoSite.com) devoted to connecting newly diagnosed women with a network of extraordinary survivors who have confronted the challenges of breast cancer—specifically those who have fought it successfully with MammoSite® 5-Day Targeted Radiation Therapy. At the site, visitors can read and listen to personal stories of breast cancer survivors, find a survivor of similar age and background who is willing to share her own experiences with breast cancer treatment and personally connect with her within 48 hours.
Available mentors include Donna, a 66-year-old retired nurse from Kentucky; Linda, a 58-year-old financial planner from Illinois; Carmen, a 47-year-old accountant from Arizona; and dozens more. They’re women of all ages and ethnicities, from all over the U.S., who have one thing in common—they all successfully battled early-stage breast cancer and have volunteered to share their experiences with other women.
“When women are first diagnosed with breast cancer, the amount of information they are presented with and the decisions they have to make in a short time can be very overwhelming. The whole experience can seem clinical and impersonal,” says Jamie Gray, program coordinator for Voices of MammoSite. “Being able to personally connect with someone who has already been through the experience can make such a difference and reduce the stress and anxiety involved.”
Perhaps no one understands this better than Gray herself. She lost her mother to breast cancer at age 48 and her aunt at 28. Two other aunts are breast cancer survivors, and she herself is aware that she is genetically at high risk for the disease.
As the traditional caretakers of the family, many women juggle jobs, family, the running of households, and other responsibilities and often don’t want their loved ones to worry about them, says Gray. “The Voices of MammoSite program helps them find another woman who has been through it all, with whom they can communicate openly about their questions and fears.”
The matching of patients and survivors is done via a private messaging system for registered site users only and they can choose to be contacted by email or phone. Or, interested women can be connected directly to a Voices of MammoSite volunteer via a live program coordinator at (877) 566-9866. Site visitors can also learn about local breast cancer awareness and fundraising events in which they can participate and meet other patients and survivors. They can also support each other and share their progress via a special private listserv and can send mammogram reminder e-cards to female relatives and friends.
One in eight American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. Those who are not are almost certain to be in close contact with a relative, friend or co-worker who will battle the disease. While great strides have been made in the treatment of breast cancer over the past two decades, many women remain uninformed about new options available today. Or, while their doctors may have informed them about treatment alternatives, they may not know any other women who have successfully undergone specific treatments and what their experiences were like.
Whether a breast cancer diagnosis is delivered in an examination room, over a crackling cell phone connection or to an anxious patient asked to “please wait to talk to the doctor,” after a routine mammogram, women today must become advocates for their own healthcare, says Gray. “Voices of MammoSite gives them the chance to do just that. It empowers women by addressing their diagnosis head-on and giving them the one-on-one support and information they need at a critical time. It also gives breast cancer survivors an outlet and an opportunity to give back.”
source : home.businesswire.com
MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“You have breast cancer.” The words hang in the air in the sterile coldness of an examination room. The first reaction is often disbelief; the second, “Am I going to survive? What do I do now?”
Once a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, she usually has very little time—often just two weeks—to make a treatment decision. That’s 14 days to cope with the news, research options, fit in doctor’s appointments, and figure out who will take care of her family and job during treatment and recovery. Now there is a place where women with early-stage breast cancer can find a new level of support and open arms from those who’ve been through it before. Voices of MammoSite is a new program supported by a website (www.VoicesofMammoSite.com) devoted to connecting newly diagnosed women with a network of extraordinary survivors who have confronted the challenges of breast cancer—specifically those who have fought it successfully with MammoSite® 5-Day Targeted Radiation Therapy. At the site, visitors can read and listen to personal stories of breast cancer survivors, find a survivor of similar age and background who is willing to share her own experiences with breast cancer treatment and personally connect with her within 48 hours.
Available mentors include Donna, a 66-year-old retired nurse from Kentucky; Linda, a 58-year-old financial planner from Illinois; Carmen, a 47-year-old accountant from Arizona; and dozens more. They’re women of all ages and ethnicities, from all over the U.S., who have one thing in common—they all successfully battled early-stage breast cancer and have volunteered to share their experiences with other women.
“When women are first diagnosed with breast cancer, the amount of information they are presented with and the decisions they have to make in a short time can be very overwhelming. The whole experience can seem clinical and impersonal,” says Jamie Gray, program coordinator for Voices of MammoSite. “Being able to personally connect with someone who has already been through the experience can make such a difference and reduce the stress and anxiety involved.”
Perhaps no one understands this better than Gray herself. She lost her mother to breast cancer at age 48 and her aunt at 28. Two other aunts are breast cancer survivors, and she herself is aware that she is genetically at high risk for the disease.
As the traditional caretakers of the family, many women juggle jobs, family, the running of households, and other responsibilities and often don’t want their loved ones to worry about them, says Gray. “The Voices of MammoSite program helps them find another woman who has been through it all, with whom they can communicate openly about their questions and fears.”
The matching of patients and survivors is done via a private messaging system for registered site users only and they can choose to be contacted by email or phone. Or, interested women can be connected directly to a Voices of MammoSite volunteer via a live program coordinator at (877) 566-9866. Site visitors can also learn about local breast cancer awareness and fundraising events in which they can participate and meet other patients and survivors. They can also support each other and share their progress via a special private listserv and can send mammogram reminder e-cards to female relatives and friends.
One in eight American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. Those who are not are almost certain to be in close contact with a relative, friend or co-worker who will battle the disease. While great strides have been made in the treatment of breast cancer over the past two decades, many women remain uninformed about new options available today. Or, while their doctors may have informed them about treatment alternatives, they may not know any other women who have successfully undergone specific treatments and what their experiences were like.
Whether a breast cancer diagnosis is delivered in an examination room, over a crackling cell phone connection or to an anxious patient asked to “please wait to talk to the doctor,” after a routine mammogram, women today must become advocates for their own healthcare, says Gray. “Voices of MammoSite gives them the chance to do just that. It empowers women by addressing their diagnosis head-on and giving them the one-on-one support and information they need at a critical time. It also gives breast cancer survivors an outlet and an opportunity to give back.”
source : home.businesswire.com
Ultrasound Proves Safe Alternative to Biopsy in Some Breast Masses
Ultrasound Proves Safe Alternative to Biopsy in Some Breast Masses
OAK BROOK, Ill. -- Researchers have reported that breast masses shown on ultrasound that are diagnosed as "probably benign" can be safely managed with imaging follow-up rather than biopsy, according to a study appearing in the July issue of Radiology.
"These findings indicate that ultrasound follow-up can spare women from unnecessary, invasive biopsies," said Oswald Graf, M.D., from the Department of Radiology, Ambulatory Care Center in Steyr, Austria.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that 212,920 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States this year. Early detection through screening is the best way to combat cancer at its early, most treatable stage. While mammography is the standard breast cancer screening exam, the sensitivity of mammography for identifying breast cancer decreases in women with dense breast tissue. Some studies have shown that ultrasound may provide useful information in detecting cancer in women with dense breasts. However, screening with ultrasound also identifies a large number of breast lesions that are suspicious but may or may not be cancerous. Often, these masses are recommended for biopsy. ACS reports that 80 percent of breast lesions biopsied are found to be benign.
According to recently introduced Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) guidelines for ultrasound, a solid mass with circumscribed (confined) margins, oval shape and parallel orientation can be classified as probably benign (category 3). Dr. Graf's study is the first to report outcomes from ultrasound follow-up of masses that were classified as probably benign at initial ultrasound.
"Our study shows that following a lesion classified in the BI-RADS lexicon as category 3 is a safe alternative to immediate biopsy," Dr. Graf said. "But it is essential that lesions strictly meet these criteria."
The researchers retrospectively studied 409 women with 448 nonpalpable masses that were partially or completely obscured at mammography by dense breast tissue and were classified as probably benign at ultrasound. After initial imaging with mammography and ultrasound, follow-up was performed in 445 masses. The other three masses were biopsied and shown to be benign.
At follow-up every six months over two to five years, 442 of the 445 masses remained stable. Two masses increased but were found benign at biopsy, and one mass became palpable, and cancer was diagnosed at biopsy. The findings indicate an overall negative predictive value of 99.8 percent. In other words, only one in 445 masses (0.2 percent) developed into cancer. The results indicate that routine follow-up with ultrasound is a safe alternative to biopsy in cases where the breast lesion is classified as probably benign.
"More studies are needed to define the role of ultrasound in breast cancer screening," Dr. Graf said. "However, these findings suggest that the negative effects of incidental findings may be limited principally to patient anxiety and the cost of follow-up imaging, as opposed to conducting a large number of benign biopsies."
Radiology is a monthly scientific journal devoted to clinical radiology and allied sciences. The journal is edited by Anthony V. Proto, M.D., School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va. Radiology is owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (RSNA.org/radiologyjnl)
The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) is an association of more than 40,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists committed to promoting excellence in radiology through education and by fostering research, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)
Heal Magazine Looking for Breast Cancer Survivors
CURE, is a quarterly magazine that combines the science and humanity of cancer for those who have to deal with it on a daily basis. CURE provides scientific updates in an easy to understand langauge and is a sister publication to Heal.
CURE is looking for breast cancer survivors (including those who are currently receiving treatment) who took or is taking hormone replacement therapy, including estrogen plus progestin therapy such as Prempro, Premarin, and Premphase for a fall cover story they are working on. If interested or know of anyone who might be, respond by emailing a little bit of information about yourself here. You can also find out more information through their MySpace and connect with other survivors.
source : laist.com
Fighting breast cancer with 60 miles
Fighting breast cancer with 60 miles
Nancy Hollingsworth, of Springfield, will join thousands of other dedicated women and men at the Tampa Bay Breast Cancer 3-Day benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. After months of training and fundraising, participants will walk 60 miles during three days to raise awareness and funds for critical research and community outreach programs.
“My mother, Elizabeth Woodward, had inflammatory breast cancer,” Hollingsworth said. “It started as a small bruise-like area on her breast. When it didn’t go away she went to the doctor. Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer. My mother was very positive throughout her experience. She looked forward to spending time with her children and grandchildren.
“After a year and a half of chemo and other treatments, my mother loss her battle with breast cancer. Because of her positive outlook, I have chosen to continue to fight. Also, her best friend, Shirley Kessinger is a breast cancer survivor. I have chosen to walk in my mother’s memory and in honor of Shirley.
“As a Breast Cancer 3-Day participant, I have an opportunity to celebrate breast cancer survivorship, honor those who lost their lives to the disease, and ultimately, have an enormous impact on awareness and funding for breast cancer research and community outreach programs.
“The Breast Cancer 3-Day is challenging, and fun, and the memory of my personal accomplishment will last a lifetime.”
The Tampa Bay Breast Cancer 3-Day will start on Friday morning, Oct. 19 and end with Closing Ceremonies on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 21. The walkers will cover about 20 miles a day, traveling at their own pace. The walkers will be supported by hundreds of volunteer crew members who will provide meals, liquid and snack stops, gear transport, hot showers, portable restrooms, safety on the streets and 24-hour medical services.
The actual journey starts months in advance when walkers start training and raising the $2,300 required fundraising minimum. To help prepare for the Breast Cancer 3-Day, each walker is supported by coaches and online assistance that aid in all aspects of training and fundraising, while clinics, meetings, and training walks provide ongoing support.
source : www.rctimes.com
Nancy Hollingsworth, of Springfield, will join thousands of other dedicated women and men at the Tampa Bay Breast Cancer 3-Day benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. After months of training and fundraising, participants will walk 60 miles during three days to raise awareness and funds for critical research and community outreach programs.
“My mother, Elizabeth Woodward, had inflammatory breast cancer,” Hollingsworth said. “It started as a small bruise-like area on her breast. When it didn’t go away she went to the doctor. Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer. My mother was very positive throughout her experience. She looked forward to spending time with her children and grandchildren.
“After a year and a half of chemo and other treatments, my mother loss her battle with breast cancer. Because of her positive outlook, I have chosen to continue to fight. Also, her best friend, Shirley Kessinger is a breast cancer survivor. I have chosen to walk in my mother’s memory and in honor of Shirley.
“As a Breast Cancer 3-Day participant, I have an opportunity to celebrate breast cancer survivorship, honor those who lost their lives to the disease, and ultimately, have an enormous impact on awareness and funding for breast cancer research and community outreach programs.
“The Breast Cancer 3-Day is challenging, and fun, and the memory of my personal accomplishment will last a lifetime.”
The Tampa Bay Breast Cancer 3-Day will start on Friday morning, Oct. 19 and end with Closing Ceremonies on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 21. The walkers will cover about 20 miles a day, traveling at their own pace. The walkers will be supported by hundreds of volunteer crew members who will provide meals, liquid and snack stops, gear transport, hot showers, portable restrooms, safety on the streets and 24-hour medical services.
The actual journey starts months in advance when walkers start training and raising the $2,300 required fundraising minimum. To help prepare for the Breast Cancer 3-Day, each walker is supported by coaches and online assistance that aid in all aspects of training and fundraising, while clinics, meetings, and training walks provide ongoing support.
source : www.rctimes.com
Fibrocystic breast changes: A risk factor for breast cancer?
Fibrocystic breast changes do not increase the risk of breast cancer.
Women with fibrocystic changes have lumpy, tender breasts. These changes were once considered a disease and referred to as fibrocystic breast disease. But because this condition occurs so commonly in normal breasts, it is now considered a normal variation and most doctors refer to it as fibrocystic breast changes.
The most frequent cause of fibrocystic breast changes is fluctuations in hormone levels during a woman's menstrual cycle. These changes most often occur right before menstruation and include:
* Thickened, lumpy areas in the breast tissue
* Feeling of fullness in the breasts
* Pain and tenderness
* Noncancerous (benign) cysts
* Non-bloody nipple discharge
Although having fibrocystic breasts doesn't increase your risk of breast cancer, it may make it more challenging to do breast self-exams. For this reason, it is important to become familiar with how your breasts feel by monitoring for any new changes. If you choose to perform breast self-exams, review the technique with your doctor to ensure that you are doing it correctly. In addition, fibrocystic breast changes can make mammogram results more difficult to interpret due to increased breast density.
source : www.mayoclinic.com
Women with fibrocystic changes have lumpy, tender breasts. These changes were once considered a disease and referred to as fibrocystic breast disease. But because this condition occurs so commonly in normal breasts, it is now considered a normal variation and most doctors refer to it as fibrocystic breast changes.
The most frequent cause of fibrocystic breast changes is fluctuations in hormone levels during a woman's menstrual cycle. These changes most often occur right before menstruation and include:
* Thickened, lumpy areas in the breast tissue
* Feeling of fullness in the breasts
* Pain and tenderness
* Noncancerous (benign) cysts
* Non-bloody nipple discharge
Although having fibrocystic breasts doesn't increase your risk of breast cancer, it may make it more challenging to do breast self-exams. For this reason, it is important to become familiar with how your breasts feel by monitoring for any new changes. If you choose to perform breast self-exams, review the technique with your doctor to ensure that you are doing it correctly. In addition, fibrocystic breast changes can make mammogram results more difficult to interpret due to increased breast density.
source : www.mayoclinic.com
Breast lumps: Next steps after discovering suspicious breast tissue
Breast lumps: Next steps after discovering suspicious breast tissue
Here's a look at what to expect when you have a breast lump evaluated for breast cancer. Learn when more diagnostic tests or procedures might be necessary.
You've noticed a change in one of your breasts. There's no mistaking the breast lump because it feels noticeably different from the surrounding breast tissue. Finding a breast lump or some other change in your breast may stir fears of breast cancer — and understandably so.
But the odds are in your favor. Most breast lumps — as many as four out of five biopsied — are benign (noncancerous). However, you'll need to have the breast lump evaluated by a doctor to be certain you don't have cancer.
If evaluation of the breast lump reveals breast cancer, you've taken a vital step toward dealing with the disease. Early detection gives you the best chance for successful treatment.
Understand how normal breast tissue feels
During a breast self-exam, you'll feel tissues of varying consistency. Glandular tissue usually feels firm and slightly rope-like, bumpy or lumpy (nodular). Surrounding fat tissue is soft. The contrast between these two types of tissue is often more pronounced just before your period and generally more prominent in the upper, outer region of the breast — near your armpit.
Besides changes related to your menstrual cycle, breast tissue also changes as you age, becoming more fatty and less dense over time. You may find that your breast-related symptoms, such as tenderness or lumpiness, also differ over the course of your menstrual cycle and as you get older.
source : www.mayoclinic.com
Here's a look at what to expect when you have a breast lump evaluated for breast cancer. Learn when more diagnostic tests or procedures might be necessary.
You've noticed a change in one of your breasts. There's no mistaking the breast lump because it feels noticeably different from the surrounding breast tissue. Finding a breast lump or some other change in your breast may stir fears of breast cancer — and understandably so.
But the odds are in your favor. Most breast lumps — as many as four out of five biopsied — are benign (noncancerous). However, you'll need to have the breast lump evaluated by a doctor to be certain you don't have cancer.
If evaluation of the breast lump reveals breast cancer, you've taken a vital step toward dealing with the disease. Early detection gives you the best chance for successful treatment.
Understand how normal breast tissue feels
During a breast self-exam, you'll feel tissues of varying consistency. Glandular tissue usually feels firm and slightly rope-like, bumpy or lumpy (nodular). Surrounding fat tissue is soft. The contrast between these two types of tissue is often more pronounced just before your period and generally more prominent in the upper, outer region of the breast — near your armpit.
Besides changes related to your menstrual cycle, breast tissue also changes as you age, becoming more fatty and less dense over time. You may find that your breast-related symptoms, such as tenderness or lumpiness, also differ over the course of your menstrual cycle and as you get older.
source : www.mayoclinic.com
Breast self-exams: One way to detect breast cancer
Breast self-exams: One way to detect breast cancer
Breast self-exams — along with clinical breast exams and mammography — raise your awareness of your breast health. Find out about what breast familiarity entails and review proper techniques for self-exams.
Many health professionals now consider breast self-exams optional rather than a mandatory part of breast cancer screening. What's stressed today is breast awareness — developing familiarity with your breasts and the underlying tissue.
Becoming familiar with your breasts makes it easier for you to notice any changes that develop — while it's still early enough to make a difference. Detection of breast cancer at an early stage can improve your chance of surviving the disease. If you're at increased risk of breast cancer, regular breast self-exams will increase your sense of breast familiarity.
To gain the greatest benefit from regular breast self-exams, ask your doctor to review your technique at your next checkup.
What is breast familiarity?
Breast familiarity refers to knowing how your breasts usually look and feel. You can do this by paying attention to changes to your breasts, such as:
* Development of a lump
* Change in size or shape
* Irregular thickening of breast tissue
* Nipple discharge
* Skin redness or warmth
* Dimpling or skin texture similar to an orange peel
* Retraction of the nipple or area surrounding the nipple (areola)
Performing regular breast self-exams is one way to increase your familiarity with your breasts and help you detect changes in your breast tissue.
At what age should you begin performing regular breast self-exams?
The American Cancer Society recommends that doctors inform women about the benefits and limitations of breast self-exams when they reach age 20. That's the age you should begin breast self-exams. Whether or not you perform breast self-exams, you should have a clinical breast exam by a health professional every three years until you're 40. After age 40, schedule a clinical breast exam and a mammogram every year.
Optimal timing for breast self-exams
The best time to perform a breast self-exam is about a week after the start of your period. That's when your breasts are least likely to be tender or swollen. Your breast tissue undergoes changes each month during your menstrual cycle. Changes in hormone levels associated with menstruation cause your breasts to swell. Once your period starts, the swelling subsides and your breasts return to normal.
During pregnancy and nursing, your breasts may feel lumpier than usual. If you have any questions about how your breasts look or feel, don't hesitate to ask your doctor about them.
How to perform a breast self-exam
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Illustration of patterns for breast self-exam Patterns for breast self-exam
A breast self-exam involves both visual and physical examination of your breasts.
Visual examination
Disrobe and stand in front of a mirror with your arms at your sides. Visually inspect your breasts while facing forward and while turning from side to side. You're looking for any signs of puckering, dimpling or changes in size, shape or symmetry. Check to see if your nipples are turned in (inverted). Look for these same signs with your arms in two other positions: hands on your hips and hands raised overhead, palms pressed together.
Physical examination
Examine your breasts either in the shower or while lying down with no shirt or bra on.
If you choose to perform the exam in the shower, lather your fingers and breasts with soap to help your fingers glide more smoothly over your wet skin. If you choose to examine your breasts while lying down, choose a bed or other flat surface to lie on.
You can use one of two patterns to examine your breasts:
* Clock pattern. Place your left hand behind your head and examine your left breast with your right hand. Think of your breast as the face of a clock. Place your right hand at 12 o'clock — at the very top of your breast. Using the pads of your three middle fingers, press firmly in a slight circling, massaging motion. Feel for lumps as you move your hand down to 1 o'clock then 2 o'clock, continuing until you return to 12 o'clock. Slide your fingers closer to the nipple and repeat the circling motion around the imaginary clock face. Continue in increasingly smaller circles until you reach the nipple. Check the tissue under the nipple and look for discharge. Also check the tissue under your armpit, as well as tissue surrounding the breast, using the same firm, circling motion.
Place your right hand behind your head and repeat the examination on your right breast using your left hand.
* Wedge pattern. Place your left hand behind your head and examine your left breast with your right hand. Imagine your breast to be a circle divided into wedges, like pieces of a pie. Starting at the top of the circle about a half-inch below your collarbone, use the pads of your three middle fingers to examine your breast. Press firmly in a slight circling, massaging motion as you slide your fingers inward toward your nipple. Once you've examined the breast tissue in that wedge, move in a clockwise direction to the next wedge in the circle. Continue examining your breast in this manner until you've completely examined your breast and underarm.
Place your right hand behind your head and repeat the examination on your right breast using your left hand.
As an alternative to the circling, massaging motion described for the clock and wedge patterns, you may find a sweeping technique somewhat easier to perform. With this technique you sweep your three middle fingers from your collarbone down to your nipple. Work in a clockwise direction, always sweeping your fingers from the outside of your breast in toward your nipple. To feel the deeper tissue, repeat the process using a walking motion with your fingers. Finally, check the lymph nodes under each arm.
No matter which technique you choose, be sure to check your nipple for any discharge. Do this by gently pinching the nipple with your fingers positioned at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock and again with your fingers at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock.
Touching or gently pressing a breast lump may cause some discomfort. If you do detect any changes or a lump, see your doctor promptly.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Hair test may reveal breast cancer
An Australian company is on the brink of launching a world-first test that can detect breast cancer by close examination of a patient's hair.
The test is based on an Australian university discovery that breast cancer changes the molecular structure of hair, and the difference can be picked up using sophisticated X-ray technology.
The company, Fermiscan, is running a trial of 2,000 women that compares the hair test to a mammogram and said it should be finished within the next two months.
Managing director David Young said a pilot was expected to start later this year or early next year in an Australian city, although he would not reveal which one.
"We are obviously excited about it," Mr Young said.
"Assuming we get the right outcome from these trials, it's a pretty revolutionary change in the way we might be able to assist with the detection of breast cancer."
The company hopes to make the test available without a referral through pathology collection centres, and charge about $250.
It says mammography is the current "gold standard" in detecting breast cancer, but it was painful, had a significant false negative rate and was not recommended for women under 50 who have denser breast tissue.
The hair test, by comparison, was safe, painless, non-invasive and suitable for women of any age, the company said.
It works because breast tumours secrete chemicals called cytokines into the bloodstream, which can affect the way the hair follicle works to form hair.
The test requires 10 strands at least 30mm long of untreated scalp or pubic hair, which are then exposed to an X-ray beam for up to 30 seconds.
An image formed from the diffracted X-rays is analysed to look for subtle changes that indicate the patient has breast cancer, namely a ring superimposed on the pattern for normal hair.
In previous trials of about 500 women, the hair test picked up all women who had breast cancer confirmed by a mammogram, but also detected some "false positives" in samples of women who were later found not to have breast cancer.
But the 2,000-person trial also turned up the unexpected result that the test did not work on women who had recently dyed their hair.
Mr Young said the company in April finished examining samples from the first 107 women, all of whom had the hair test and a mammogram.
The mammograms gave 19 positive results, but 10 were "false positives" as biopsies confirmed cancer in only nine women.
The hair test gave only one false positive among the 19, but also missed three of the nine patients who did have cancer.
"When we went back to analyse the hair, it was clear the three we missed were from dyed hair - we need new growth to be able to identify the cancer," Mr Young said.
The hair test also found a number of positive results among women the mammogram did not identify as having cancer.
Mr Young said it was not clear at this stage whether these results were "false positives" or whether the test was able to pick up positive breast cancer results earlier than mammograms.
Early detection of cancer helps improve the chance of it being successfully treated.
The company is currently using a synchrotron in Chicago to test the hair but hopes to use a facility expected to open in Melbourne next month.
source : www.smh.com.au
The test is based on an Australian university discovery that breast cancer changes the molecular structure of hair, and the difference can be picked up using sophisticated X-ray technology.
The company, Fermiscan, is running a trial of 2,000 women that compares the hair test to a mammogram and said it should be finished within the next two months.
Managing director David Young said a pilot was expected to start later this year or early next year in an Australian city, although he would not reveal which one.
"We are obviously excited about it," Mr Young said.
"Assuming we get the right outcome from these trials, it's a pretty revolutionary change in the way we might be able to assist with the detection of breast cancer."
The company hopes to make the test available without a referral through pathology collection centres, and charge about $250.
It says mammography is the current "gold standard" in detecting breast cancer, but it was painful, had a significant false negative rate and was not recommended for women under 50 who have denser breast tissue.
The hair test, by comparison, was safe, painless, non-invasive and suitable for women of any age, the company said.
It works because breast tumours secrete chemicals called cytokines into the bloodstream, which can affect the way the hair follicle works to form hair.
The test requires 10 strands at least 30mm long of untreated scalp or pubic hair, which are then exposed to an X-ray beam for up to 30 seconds.
An image formed from the diffracted X-rays is analysed to look for subtle changes that indicate the patient has breast cancer, namely a ring superimposed on the pattern for normal hair.
In previous trials of about 500 women, the hair test picked up all women who had breast cancer confirmed by a mammogram, but also detected some "false positives" in samples of women who were later found not to have breast cancer.
But the 2,000-person trial also turned up the unexpected result that the test did not work on women who had recently dyed their hair.
Mr Young said the company in April finished examining samples from the first 107 women, all of whom had the hair test and a mammogram.
The mammograms gave 19 positive results, but 10 were "false positives" as biopsies confirmed cancer in only nine women.
The hair test gave only one false positive among the 19, but also missed three of the nine patients who did have cancer.
"When we went back to analyse the hair, it was clear the three we missed were from dyed hair - we need new growth to be able to identify the cancer," Mr Young said.
The hair test also found a number of positive results among women the mammogram did not identify as having cancer.
Mr Young said it was not clear at this stage whether these results were "false positives" or whether the test was able to pick up positive breast cancer results earlier than mammograms.
Early detection of cancer helps improve the chance of it being successfully treated.
The company is currently using a synchrotron in Chicago to test the hair but hopes to use a facility expected to open in Melbourne next month.
source : www.smh.com.au
New Genetic Marker Characterizes Aggressiveness Of Cancer Cells
New Genetic Marker Characterizes Aggressiveness Of Cancer Cells
Science Daily — Levels of a small non-coding RNA molecule called let-7 appear to define different stages of cancer better than some of the "classical" markers for tumor progression, researchers from the University of Chicago report in the June 25, 2007, early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
By suppressing genes that are active in the developing embryo, silenced just before birth, and re-activated years later in many advanced cancers, the let-7 family of "microRNAs"--tiny snippets of RNA that can put the brakes on expression of selected genes--appears to prevent human cancer cells from reasserting their prenatal capacity to divide rapidly, travel and spread.
Since they were first discovered in 1993, there had been growing interest in microRNAs and their role in gene regulation. Hundreds of these tiny molecules, about 20 nucleotides in length, have been discovered, scattered throughout the human genome. They act in most cases by attaching themselves to specific sites on messenger RNA, where they block ribosome access and thus prevent production of that protein.
"There may be no human cancer that is not regulated by microRNAs," said study author Marcus Peter, professor in the Ben May Department for Cancer Research at the University of Chicago, "and among microRNAs, let-7 appears to be a key player in preventing a cancer from becoming more aggressive."
"We found that expression levels of let-7 can discriminate more effectively between more and less advanced stages of cancers than any other microRNA," Peter said. "We suspect that loss of members of the let-7 family may be a major determinant of cancer progression."
Understanding how microRNAs such as let-7 keep cancers in check could also point toward a whole new class of anti-cancer therapies, he suggested.
Peter and colleagues focused their initial studies on a standard panel, known as NCI60, of 60 human tumor cell lines that can genetically be divided into two large groups, which they called superclusters 1 and 2. Supercluster 1 cells may represent less differentiated, more aggressive stages of cancer. In contrast, supercluster 2 cells express a gene signature that is consistent with more differentiated, less aggressive cancers.
They tracked down one of let-7's primary targets, a gene called HMGA2, which is overexpressed in a wide variety of cancers. Tumor cells with high levels of let-7, the researchers found, had low levels of HGMA2 and tumor cells with low expression of let-7 expressed high amounts of HMGA2.
Next, they turned to a colleague, gynecologic oncologist Ernst Lengyel, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Chicago, whose research group focuses on ovarian cancer. Their theory was first confirmed with ovarian cancer cell lines and then the Peter/Lengyel team tested HGMA2 protein levels in tumor samples from 100 patients with ovarian cancer.
Neither normal ovarian tissue nor benign ovarian tumors expressed HGMA2, they found. However full blown carcinoma expresses large quantities of HMGA2. They also found that a high level of HGMA2 was highly correlated with poor prognosis, and that high HGMA2 levels were closely tied to low let-7 expression.
By combining the two measures, high HGMA2 and low let-7, they could separate the patients into two groups, and predict outcome. Five-year progression-free survival for patients with high let-7 and low HGMA2 was nearly 40 percent. For patients with low let-7 and high HGMA2, it fell to less than 10 percent.
"Our data suggests that human tumors can be divided into two major subtypes, the let-7hi and let-7lo-expressing tumor cells," the authors write. This separation may not be restricted to ovarian cancer, or to the NCI60 panel of tumor cells, they suggest, but could apply to a multitude of tumor types.
"There is growing evidence that large-scale gene-expression patterns can be regulated by microRNAs", Peter said. "Many of them are beginning to be expressed shortly before birth, where they turn off genes that were necessary for the rapidly developing embryo. Probably a number of embryonic genes, after being turned off for decades, are reexpressed in cancer cells, enabling those cells to regain their embryonic capacity to move around and invade other tissues."
The loss of let-7, the authors argue, could be seen as one crucial step in this process of tumor progression. One of its functions, they argue, is to maintain differentiated states by preventing the expression of embryonic genes such as HMGA2.
No rapid test of let-7 level is available for clinical use. "The levels are difficult to quantify in clinical samples", Peter said but "technology is exploding right now. We may be able to do this clinically before too long."
The National Institutes of Health, the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, and the University of Chicago Women's Board funded this study. Additional authors from the Peter group include Scott Shell, Sun-Mi Park, Robert Schickel, Christine Feig and from the Lengyel group Amir Radjabi, Emily Kistner from the University of Chicago, and David Jewell at Dartmouth Medical School.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Science Daily — Levels of a small non-coding RNA molecule called let-7 appear to define different stages of cancer better than some of the "classical" markers for tumor progression, researchers from the University of Chicago report in the June 25, 2007, early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
By suppressing genes that are active in the developing embryo, silenced just before birth, and re-activated years later in many advanced cancers, the let-7 family of "microRNAs"--tiny snippets of RNA that can put the brakes on expression of selected genes--appears to prevent human cancer cells from reasserting their prenatal capacity to divide rapidly, travel and spread.
Since they were first discovered in 1993, there had been growing interest in microRNAs and their role in gene regulation. Hundreds of these tiny molecules, about 20 nucleotides in length, have been discovered, scattered throughout the human genome. They act in most cases by attaching themselves to specific sites on messenger RNA, where they block ribosome access and thus prevent production of that protein.
"There may be no human cancer that is not regulated by microRNAs," said study author Marcus Peter, professor in the Ben May Department for Cancer Research at the University of Chicago, "and among microRNAs, let-7 appears to be a key player in preventing a cancer from becoming more aggressive."
"We found that expression levels of let-7 can discriminate more effectively between more and less advanced stages of cancers than any other microRNA," Peter said. "We suspect that loss of members of the let-7 family may be a major determinant of cancer progression."
Understanding how microRNAs such as let-7 keep cancers in check could also point toward a whole new class of anti-cancer therapies, he suggested.
Peter and colleagues focused their initial studies on a standard panel, known as NCI60, of 60 human tumor cell lines that can genetically be divided into two large groups, which they called superclusters 1 and 2. Supercluster 1 cells may represent less differentiated, more aggressive stages of cancer. In contrast, supercluster 2 cells express a gene signature that is consistent with more differentiated, less aggressive cancers.
They tracked down one of let-7's primary targets, a gene called HMGA2, which is overexpressed in a wide variety of cancers. Tumor cells with high levels of let-7, the researchers found, had low levels of HGMA2 and tumor cells with low expression of let-7 expressed high amounts of HMGA2.
Next, they turned to a colleague, gynecologic oncologist Ernst Lengyel, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Chicago, whose research group focuses on ovarian cancer. Their theory was first confirmed with ovarian cancer cell lines and then the Peter/Lengyel team tested HGMA2 protein levels in tumor samples from 100 patients with ovarian cancer.
Neither normal ovarian tissue nor benign ovarian tumors expressed HGMA2, they found. However full blown carcinoma expresses large quantities of HMGA2. They also found that a high level of HGMA2 was highly correlated with poor prognosis, and that high HGMA2 levels were closely tied to low let-7 expression.
By combining the two measures, high HGMA2 and low let-7, they could separate the patients into two groups, and predict outcome. Five-year progression-free survival for patients with high let-7 and low HGMA2 was nearly 40 percent. For patients with low let-7 and high HGMA2, it fell to less than 10 percent.
"Our data suggests that human tumors can be divided into two major subtypes, the let-7hi and let-7lo-expressing tumor cells," the authors write. This separation may not be restricted to ovarian cancer, or to the NCI60 panel of tumor cells, they suggest, but could apply to a multitude of tumor types.
"There is growing evidence that large-scale gene-expression patterns can be regulated by microRNAs", Peter said. "Many of them are beginning to be expressed shortly before birth, where they turn off genes that were necessary for the rapidly developing embryo. Probably a number of embryonic genes, after being turned off for decades, are reexpressed in cancer cells, enabling those cells to regain their embryonic capacity to move around and invade other tissues."
The loss of let-7, the authors argue, could be seen as one crucial step in this process of tumor progression. One of its functions, they argue, is to maintain differentiated states by preventing the expression of embryonic genes such as HMGA2.
No rapid test of let-7 level is available for clinical use. "The levels are difficult to quantify in clinical samples", Peter said but "technology is exploding right now. We may be able to do this clinically before too long."
The National Institutes of Health, the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, and the University of Chicago Women's Board funded this study. Additional authors from the Peter group include Scott Shell, Sun-Mi Park, Robert Schickel, Christine Feig and from the Lengyel group Amir Radjabi, Emily Kistner from the University of Chicago, and David Jewell at Dartmouth Medical School.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Ovarian Cancer Is Not A Symptomless Killer
Ovarian Cancer Is Not A Symptomless Killer
Science Daily — Ovarian cancer is not the symptom free disease that many medical textbooks have been claiming for years, says an Editorial in The Lancet.
The Editorial says: “Far from its historic portrayal as a silent killer, ovarian cancer is preceded by symptoms, as recent evidence shows. Women who are ultimately diagnosed with the disease, and usually at a late stage, say that they did have symptoms, primarily gastrointestinal or urinary, for three to four months on average before diagnosis.”
Because of these delays in diagnosis, patient groups have pressed for education about early symptoms among women and doctors. Several US organisations have released a consensus statement, urging women to seek medical attention if they have new and persistent symptoms of bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or early satiety, and urinary urgency or frequency.
The Editorial accepts that such symptoms can be vague and related to other conditions, but adds that anything which leads to greater awareness of ovarian cancer is commendable. It says: “On the other hand, the [consensus] statement provides no specific guidance about what to do when such women present to them; the need for the challenging art of clinical judgement remains acute.”
It adds: “There is no evidence whatever that detection based on these factors will substantially shift diagnosis early enough to affect mortality.”
Despite its considerable limitations, the Editorial supports the consensus statement. It concludes: “The statement is a move in the right direction. Its chief contribution might be to improve communication between women and their doctors. To maximise its chance of success, it ought to be combined with other efforts, especially increased funding for ovarian cancer research, which has been declining for the past several years; large prospective trials of early detection methods; ongoing education and awareness campaigns for the public and professionals; and development of standardised diagnostic algorithms for the disease.”
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Science Daily — Ovarian cancer is not the symptom free disease that many medical textbooks have been claiming for years, says an Editorial in The Lancet.
The Editorial says: “Far from its historic portrayal as a silent killer, ovarian cancer is preceded by symptoms, as recent evidence shows. Women who are ultimately diagnosed with the disease, and usually at a late stage, say that they did have symptoms, primarily gastrointestinal or urinary, for three to four months on average before diagnosis.”
Because of these delays in diagnosis, patient groups have pressed for education about early symptoms among women and doctors. Several US organisations have released a consensus statement, urging women to seek medical attention if they have new and persistent symptoms of bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or early satiety, and urinary urgency or frequency.
The Editorial accepts that such symptoms can be vague and related to other conditions, but adds that anything which leads to greater awareness of ovarian cancer is commendable. It says: “On the other hand, the [consensus] statement provides no specific guidance about what to do when such women present to them; the need for the challenging art of clinical judgement remains acute.”
It adds: “There is no evidence whatever that detection based on these factors will substantially shift diagnosis early enough to affect mortality.”
Despite its considerable limitations, the Editorial supports the consensus statement. It concludes: “The statement is a move in the right direction. Its chief contribution might be to improve communication between women and their doctors. To maximise its chance of success, it ought to be combined with other efforts, especially increased funding for ovarian cancer research, which has been declining for the past several years; large prospective trials of early detection methods; ongoing education and awareness campaigns for the public and professionals; and development of standardised diagnostic algorithms for the disease.”
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Hormone Therapy Offers New Hope For Ovarian Cancer Patients
Hormone Therapy Offers New Hope For Ovarian Cancer Patients
Science Daily — Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have shown that hormone therapy can extend life in ovarian cancer patients, giving women a new alternative to chemotherapy.
The study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, has proved for the first time that the targeted use of an anti-estrogen drug could prolong the life of some patients by up to three years, and delay the use of chemotherapy in others.
Letrozole hormone therapy -- already used with great success in the treatment of breast tumours - attacks cancer by turning off its estrogen supply. But scientists now believe that in those ovarian cancers which are highly sensitive to estrogen, this blocking mechanism could slow the growth and spread of disease.
The study was funded by Cancer Research UK and involved 44 women with high estrogen receptor (ER) levels, whose cancer had relapsed after surgery and chemotherapy.
Scientists used a blood-borne tumour marker, CA-125, to track the progress of tumours during hormone treatment. They discovered that one quarter of the women showed no tumour growth after six months of anti-estrogen therapy, and 33 per cent of the group with the greatest ER values showed a positive response which delayed the use of chemotherapy.
John F. Smyth, Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Edinburgh, led the research programme.
He said: "This is an important landmark in the research and treatment of ovarian cancer. Despite intense scientific research over the past 20 years, there have been few new leads in our understanding of how this disease operates. But this study suggests that the addition of hormone therapy to our treatment strategy could extend and improve the lives of women with cancer."
Ovarian cancer is the most commonly fatal of gynaecological cancers, affecting 1 in 48 women. Nearly 7,000 new cases are diagnosed in the UK each year.
Current treatment involves surgery and chemotherapy, but most ovarian cancers return within two years. Until now, further treatment options have been limited to a second course of chemotherapy, with serious implications for quality of life. It is hoped hormone treatment could offer life-extension with negligible side effects.
Dr Simon Langdon, senior lecturer in cancer research at the University of Edinburgh and the lead scientist behind this trial, said: "Ovarian cancer can be a devastating disease, so this new discovery is particularly exciting. We still have a lot to do, but this research has furthered our understanding of the hormone control of ovarian cancer, which could provide less grueling treatments for cancer patients. It presents new possibilities for tailor-made cancer therapy and demands further investigation."
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Science Daily — Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have shown that hormone therapy can extend life in ovarian cancer patients, giving women a new alternative to chemotherapy.
The study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, has proved for the first time that the targeted use of an anti-estrogen drug could prolong the life of some patients by up to three years, and delay the use of chemotherapy in others.
Letrozole hormone therapy -- already used with great success in the treatment of breast tumours - attacks cancer by turning off its estrogen supply. But scientists now believe that in those ovarian cancers which are highly sensitive to estrogen, this blocking mechanism could slow the growth and spread of disease.
The study was funded by Cancer Research UK and involved 44 women with high estrogen receptor (ER) levels, whose cancer had relapsed after surgery and chemotherapy.
Scientists used a blood-borne tumour marker, CA-125, to track the progress of tumours during hormone treatment. They discovered that one quarter of the women showed no tumour growth after six months of anti-estrogen therapy, and 33 per cent of the group with the greatest ER values showed a positive response which delayed the use of chemotherapy.
John F. Smyth, Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Edinburgh, led the research programme.
He said: "This is an important landmark in the research and treatment of ovarian cancer. Despite intense scientific research over the past 20 years, there have been few new leads in our understanding of how this disease operates. But this study suggests that the addition of hormone therapy to our treatment strategy could extend and improve the lives of women with cancer."
Ovarian cancer is the most commonly fatal of gynaecological cancers, affecting 1 in 48 women. Nearly 7,000 new cases are diagnosed in the UK each year.
Current treatment involves surgery and chemotherapy, but most ovarian cancers return within two years. Until now, further treatment options have been limited to a second course of chemotherapy, with serious implications for quality of life. It is hoped hormone treatment could offer life-extension with negligible side effects.
Dr Simon Langdon, senior lecturer in cancer research at the University of Edinburgh and the lead scientist behind this trial, said: "Ovarian cancer can be a devastating disease, so this new discovery is particularly exciting. We still have a lot to do, but this research has furthered our understanding of the hormone control of ovarian cancer, which could provide less grueling treatments for cancer patients. It presents new possibilities for tailor-made cancer therapy and demands further investigation."
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Better genetic cancer marker is discovered
Better genetic cancer marker is discovered
CHICAGO, June 26 (UPI) -- U.S. cancer researchers have identified a new genetic marker that better characterizes the aggressiveness of cancer cells than do "classical" markers.
The University of Chicago scientists say levels of a small non-coding RNA molecule called let-7 appear to define different stages of cancer better than some traditional markers for tumor progression.
"There may be no human cancer that is not regulated by microRNAs," said study author Professor Marcus Peter, "and among microRNAs, let-7 appears to be a key player in preventing a cancer from becoming more aggressive.
"We found that expression levels of let-7 can discriminate more effectively between more and less advanced stages of cancers than any other microRNA," Peter added. "We suspect that loss of members of the let-7 family may be a major determinant of cancer progression."
The study appears in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
CHICAGO, June 26 (UPI) -- U.S. cancer researchers have identified a new genetic marker that better characterizes the aggressiveness of cancer cells than do "classical" markers.
The University of Chicago scientists say levels of a small non-coding RNA molecule called let-7 appear to define different stages of cancer better than some traditional markers for tumor progression.
"There may be no human cancer that is not regulated by microRNAs," said study author Professor Marcus Peter, "and among microRNAs, let-7 appears to be a key player in preventing a cancer from becoming more aggressive.
"We found that expression levels of let-7 can discriminate more effectively between more and less advanced stages of cancers than any other microRNA," Peter added. "We suspect that loss of members of the let-7 family may be a major determinant of cancer progression."
The study appears in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Tree bark substance may fight cancer
Tree bark substance may fight cancer
DALLAS, June 26 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have found a substance derived from the bark of the South American lapacho tree can kill certain types of cancer cells.
The researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center said their finding suggests a novel treatment for the most common type of lung cancer.
The compound, called beta-lapachone, has shown promising anti-cancer properties and is currently being used in a clinical trial to examine its effectiveness against pancreatic cancer in humans. Until now, however, researchers didn't know the mechanism of how the compound killed cancer cells.
In the study, Dr. David Boothman and colleagues found beta-lapachone interacts with an enzyme called NQO1, which is present at high levels in non-small cell lung cancer and other solid tumors. In tumors, the compound is metabolized by NQO1 and produces cell death without damaging non-cancerous tissues that do not express this enzyme.
"Basically, we have worked out the mechanism of action of beta-lapachone and devised a way of using that drug for individualized therapy," Boothman said.
The research is described in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
DALLAS, June 26 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have found a substance derived from the bark of the South American lapacho tree can kill certain types of cancer cells.
The researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center said their finding suggests a novel treatment for the most common type of lung cancer.
The compound, called beta-lapachone, has shown promising anti-cancer properties and is currently being used in a clinical trial to examine its effectiveness against pancreatic cancer in humans. Until now, however, researchers didn't know the mechanism of how the compound killed cancer cells.
In the study, Dr. David Boothman and colleagues found beta-lapachone interacts with an enzyme called NQO1, which is present at high levels in non-small cell lung cancer and other solid tumors. In tumors, the compound is metabolized by NQO1 and produces cell death without damaging non-cancerous tissues that do not express this enzyme.
"Basically, we have worked out the mechanism of action of beta-lapachone and devised a way of using that drug for individualized therapy," Boothman said.
The research is described in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Tumor growth mathematics studied
Tumor growth mathematics studied
IRVINE, Calif., June 25 (UPI) -- A U.S. mathematical study has led researchers to a better understanding of how cancer cells alter their genetic makeup to accelerate tumor growth.
University of California-Irvine scientists said the study has shown, for the first time, why such alternations occur and how they allow cancerous tumors to thrive.
University of California-Irvine mathematicians Natalia Komarova, Alexander Sadovsky and Frederic Wan focused on the phenomenon of genetic instability, a common feature of cancer in which cells mutate at an abnormally fast rate. Those mutations can cause cancer cells to grow or they can cause the cells to die.
The scientists found tumors grow best when they are very unstable during the early stages of development and become stable in later stages. In other words, tumors thrive when cancerous cells mutate to speed up malignant transformation and stay that way by turning off the mutation rate.
"Mathematical theory can help us understand cancer," said Komarova. "If we know what cancer is doing, we might be able to find ways to fight it."
The study appears in the Royal Society journal Interface.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
IRVINE, Calif., June 25 (UPI) -- A U.S. mathematical study has led researchers to a better understanding of how cancer cells alter their genetic makeup to accelerate tumor growth.
University of California-Irvine scientists said the study has shown, for the first time, why such alternations occur and how they allow cancerous tumors to thrive.
University of California-Irvine mathematicians Natalia Komarova, Alexander Sadovsky and Frederic Wan focused on the phenomenon of genetic instability, a common feature of cancer in which cells mutate at an abnormally fast rate. Those mutations can cause cancer cells to grow or they can cause the cells to die.
The scientists found tumors grow best when they are very unstable during the early stages of development and become stable in later stages. In other words, tumors thrive when cancerous cells mutate to speed up malignant transformation and stay that way by turning off the mutation rate.
"Mathematical theory can help us understand cancer," said Komarova. "If we know what cancer is doing, we might be able to find ways to fight it."
The study appears in the Royal Society journal Interface.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Frog Molecule Could Provide Drug Treatment For Brain Tumors
Frog Molecule Could Provide Drug Treatment For Brain Tumors
Science Daily — A synthetic version of a molecule found in the egg cells of the Northern Leopard frog (Rana pipiens) could provide the world with the first drug treatment for brain tumours.
Known as Amphinase, the molecule recognises the sugary coating found on a tumour cell and binds to its surface before invading the cell and inactivating the RNA it contains, causing the tumour to die.
In new research published in the Journal of Molecular Biology, scientists from the University of Bath (UK) and Alfacell Corporation (USA) describe the first complete analysis of the structural and chemical properties of the molecule.
Although it could potentially be used as a treatment for many forms of cancer, Amphinase offers greatest hope in the treatment of brain tumours, for which complex surgery and chemotherapy are the only current treatments.
“This is a very exciting molecule,” said Professor Ravi Acharya, from the Department of Biology & Biochemistry at the University of Bath.
“It is rather like Mother Nature’s very own magic bullet for recognising and destroying cancer cells.
“It is highly specific at hunting and destroying tumour cells, is easily synthesised in the laboratory and offers great hope as a therapeutic treatment of the future.”
Amphinase is a version of a ribonuclease enzyme that has been isolated from the oocytes (egg cells) of the Northern Leopard frog.
Ribonucleases are a common type of enzyme found in all organisms. They are responsible for tidying up free-floating strands of RNA cells by latching on to the molecule and cutting it into smaller sections.
In areas of the cell where the RNA is needed for essential functions, ribonucleases are prevented from working by inhibitor molecules. But because Amphinase is an amphibian ribonuclease, it can evade the mammalian inhibitor molecules to attack the cancer cells.
As a treatment, it is most likely to be injected into the area where it is needed. It will have no effect on other cells because it is only capable of recognising and binding to the sugar coating of tumour cells.
“Amphinase is in the very early stages of development, so it is likely to be several years and many trials before it could be developed into a treatment for patients,” said Professor Acharya and his colleagues Drs Umesh Singh and Daniel Holloway.
“Having said that, the early data is promising and through this study we have provided the kind of information needed if approval for use is requested in the future.”
Amphinase is the second anti-tumour ribonuclease to be isolated by Alfacell Corporation from Rana pipiens oocytes.
The other, ONCONASE(R) (ranpirnase), is currently in late-stage clinical trials as a treatment for unresectable malignant mesothelioma, a rare and fatal form of lung cancer, and in Phase I/II clinical trials in non-small cell lung cancer and other solid tumours.
“We are pleased with the superb work performed by Professor Acharya and his talented team at the University of Bath,” commented Kuslima Shogen, Alfacell’s chairman and chief executive officer.
“Their work is critical to the continued development and understanding of our family of novel ribonuclease based therapeutics with the potential to help patients suffering from cancer and other dismal diseases.”
The company is now working on pre-clinical trials of Amphinase with a view to beginning clinical trials in the future.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Substance In Tree Bark Could Lead To New Lung-cancer Treatment
Substance In Tree Bark Could Lead To New Lung-cancer Treatment
Science Daily — Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined how a substance derived from the bark of the South American lapacho tree kills certain kinds of cancer cells, findings that also suggest a novel treatment for the most common type of lung cancer.
The compound, called beta-lapachone, has shown promising anti-cancer properties and is currently being used in a clinical trial to examine its effectiveness against pancreatic cancer in humans. Until now, however, researchers didn’t know the mechanism of how the compound killed cancer cells.
Dr. David Boothman, a professor in the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and senior author of a study appearing online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has been researching the compound and how it causes cell death in cancerous cells for 15 years.
In the new study, Dr. Boothman and his colleagues in the Simmons Cancer Center found that beta-lapachone interacts with an enzyme called NQO1, which is present at high levels in non-small cell lung cancer and other solid tumors. In tumors, the compound is metabolized by NQO1 and produces cell death without damaging noncancerous tissues that do not express this enzyme.
“Basically, we have worked out the mechanism of action of beta-lapachone and devised a way of using that drug for individualized therapy,” said Dr. Boothman, who is also a professor of pharmacology and radiation oncology.
In healthy cells, NQO1 is either not present or is expressed at low levels. In contrast, certain cancer cells — like non-small cell lung cancer — overexpress the enzyme. Dr. Boothman and his colleagues have determined that when beta-lapachone interacts with NQO1, the cell kills itself. Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer.
Beta-lapachone also disrupts the cancer cell’s ability to repair its DNA, ultimately leading to the cell’s demise. Applying radiation to tumor cells causes DNA damage, which results in a further boost in the amount of NQO1 in the cells.
“When you irradiate a tumor, the levels of NQO1 go up,” Dr. Boothman said. “When you then treat these cells with beta-lapachone, you get synergy between the enzyme and this agent and you get a whopping kill.”
In the current study, Dr. Boothman tested dosing methods on human tumor cells using a synthesized version of beta-lapachone and found that a high dose of the compound given for only two to four hours caused all the NQO1-containing cancer cells to die.
Understanding how beta-lapachone works to selectively kill chemotherapy-resistant tumor cells creates a new paradigm for the care of patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the researchers said. They are hoping that by using a drug like beta-lapachone, they can selectively target cancer tumors and kill them more efficiently. The current therapy for non-small cell lung cancer calls for the use of platinum-based drugs in combination with radiation.
“Future therapies based on beta-lapachone and NQO1 interaction have the potential to play a major role in treating devastating drug-resistant cancers such as non-small cell lung cancer,” said Dr. Erik Bey, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in the Simmons Cancer Center. “This is the first step in developing chemotherapeutic agents that exploit the proteins needed for a number of cellular processes, such as DNA repair and programmed cell death.”
About 85 percent of patients with non-small cell lung cancer have cancer cells containing elevated levels of the NQO1 enzyme, which is produced by a certain gene. Patients who have a different version of the gene would likely not benefit from treatment targeting NQO1, Dr. Boothman said.
Dr. Boothman cautioned that clinical trials of beta-lapachone in lung cancer patients will be needed to determine its effectiveness as a treatment. He and his team have created a simple blood test that would screen patients for the NQO1 enzyme.
Along with Dr. Jinming Gao’s laboratory in the Simmons Cancer Center and a joint collaboration with the bioengineering program at UT Dallas, researchers in the new “Cell Stress and Cancer Nanomedicine” initiative within the Simmons Cancer Center have developed novel nanoparticle drug delivery methods for the tumor-targeted delivery of this compound. These delivery methods have the promise of further improving this drug for non-small cell lung cancer.
Other Simmons Cancer Center researchers involved in the study were Dr. Ying Dong, postdoctoral researcher; Dr. Chin-Rang Yang, assistant professor; and Dr. Gao, associate professor. UT Southwestern’s Dr. John Minna, director of the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research and the W.A. “Tex” and Deborah Moncrief Jr. Center for Cancer Genetics, and Dr. Luc Girard, assistant professor of pharmacology, also participated along with researchers from Case Western Reserve University and UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Science Daily — Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined how a substance derived from the bark of the South American lapacho tree kills certain kinds of cancer cells, findings that also suggest a novel treatment for the most common type of lung cancer.
The compound, called beta-lapachone, has shown promising anti-cancer properties and is currently being used in a clinical trial to examine its effectiveness against pancreatic cancer in humans. Until now, however, researchers didn’t know the mechanism of how the compound killed cancer cells.
Dr. David Boothman, a professor in the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and senior author of a study appearing online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has been researching the compound and how it causes cell death in cancerous cells for 15 years.
In the new study, Dr. Boothman and his colleagues in the Simmons Cancer Center found that beta-lapachone interacts with an enzyme called NQO1, which is present at high levels in non-small cell lung cancer and other solid tumors. In tumors, the compound is metabolized by NQO1 and produces cell death without damaging noncancerous tissues that do not express this enzyme.
“Basically, we have worked out the mechanism of action of beta-lapachone and devised a way of using that drug for individualized therapy,” said Dr. Boothman, who is also a professor of pharmacology and radiation oncology.
In healthy cells, NQO1 is either not present or is expressed at low levels. In contrast, certain cancer cells — like non-small cell lung cancer — overexpress the enzyme. Dr. Boothman and his colleagues have determined that when beta-lapachone interacts with NQO1, the cell kills itself. Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer.
Beta-lapachone also disrupts the cancer cell’s ability to repair its DNA, ultimately leading to the cell’s demise. Applying radiation to tumor cells causes DNA damage, which results in a further boost in the amount of NQO1 in the cells.
“When you irradiate a tumor, the levels of NQO1 go up,” Dr. Boothman said. “When you then treat these cells with beta-lapachone, you get synergy between the enzyme and this agent and you get a whopping kill.”
In the current study, Dr. Boothman tested dosing methods on human tumor cells using a synthesized version of beta-lapachone and found that a high dose of the compound given for only two to four hours caused all the NQO1-containing cancer cells to die.
Understanding how beta-lapachone works to selectively kill chemotherapy-resistant tumor cells creates a new paradigm for the care of patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the researchers said. They are hoping that by using a drug like beta-lapachone, they can selectively target cancer tumors and kill them more efficiently. The current therapy for non-small cell lung cancer calls for the use of platinum-based drugs in combination with radiation.
“Future therapies based on beta-lapachone and NQO1 interaction have the potential to play a major role in treating devastating drug-resistant cancers such as non-small cell lung cancer,” said Dr. Erik Bey, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in the Simmons Cancer Center. “This is the first step in developing chemotherapeutic agents that exploit the proteins needed for a number of cellular processes, such as DNA repair and programmed cell death.”
About 85 percent of patients with non-small cell lung cancer have cancer cells containing elevated levels of the NQO1 enzyme, which is produced by a certain gene. Patients who have a different version of the gene would likely not benefit from treatment targeting NQO1, Dr. Boothman said.
Dr. Boothman cautioned that clinical trials of beta-lapachone in lung cancer patients will be needed to determine its effectiveness as a treatment. He and his team have created a simple blood test that would screen patients for the NQO1 enzyme.
Along with Dr. Jinming Gao’s laboratory in the Simmons Cancer Center and a joint collaboration with the bioengineering program at UT Dallas, researchers in the new “Cell Stress and Cancer Nanomedicine” initiative within the Simmons Cancer Center have developed novel nanoparticle drug delivery methods for the tumor-targeted delivery of this compound. These delivery methods have the promise of further improving this drug for non-small cell lung cancer.
Other Simmons Cancer Center researchers involved in the study were Dr. Ying Dong, postdoctoral researcher; Dr. Chin-Rang Yang, assistant professor; and Dr. Gao, associate professor. UT Southwestern’s Dr. John Minna, director of the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research and the W.A. “Tex” and Deborah Moncrief Jr. Center for Cancer Genetics, and Dr. Luc Girard, assistant professor of pharmacology, also participated along with researchers from Case Western Reserve University and UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Improving Colorectal Cancer Treatment
Improving Colorectal Cancer Treatment
Science Daily — Researchers have provided new information about a protein responsible for colorectal cancer and the target of a potential drug against this cancer.
Called clusterin, this protein has been linked to the development of tumor cells and resistance to cancer therapy, but how it works is not well understood. Pending questions include how this protein is expressed in normal and cancer cells, how it helps cancer cells escape ionizing radiation and chemotherapy, and which patients will benefit from treatment with a drug targeting clusterin.
Claus Lindbjerg Andersen, Torben Falck Orntoft, and colleagues discovered that clusterin is not expressed in normal cells, while in 25 percent of colorectal tumors, the cancer cells contained clusterin. They also showed that the protein is actually made by the cancer cells themselves. These new findings should help improve current therapies against colorectal cancer, especially for patients with tumors producing clusterin, the scientists concluded.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Science Daily — Researchers have provided new information about a protein responsible for colorectal cancer and the target of a potential drug against this cancer.
Called clusterin, this protein has been linked to the development of tumor cells and resistance to cancer therapy, but how it works is not well understood. Pending questions include how this protein is expressed in normal and cancer cells, how it helps cancer cells escape ionizing radiation and chemotherapy, and which patients will benefit from treatment with a drug targeting clusterin.
Claus Lindbjerg Andersen, Torben Falck Orntoft, and colleagues discovered that clusterin is not expressed in normal cells, while in 25 percent of colorectal tumors, the cancer cells contained clusterin. They also showed that the protein is actually made by the cancer cells themselves. These new findings should help improve current therapies against colorectal cancer, especially for patients with tumors producing clusterin, the scientists concluded.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Better genetic cancer marker is discovered
Better genetic cancer marker is discovered
CHICAGO, June 26 (UPI) -- U.S. cancer researchers have identified a new genetic marker that better characterizes the aggressiveness of cancer cells than do "classical" markers.
The University of Chicago scientists say levels of a small non-coding RNA molecule called let-7 appear to define different stages of cancer better than some traditional markers for tumor progression.
"There may be no human cancer that is not regulated by microRNAs," said study author Professor Marcus Peter, "and among microRNAs, let-7 appears to be a key player in preventing a cancer from becoming more aggressive.
"We found that expression levels of let-7 can discriminate more effectively between more and less advanced stages of cancers than any other microRNA," Peter added. "We suspect that loss of members of the let-7 family may be a major determinant of cancer progression."
The study appears in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
CHICAGO, June 26 (UPI) -- U.S. cancer researchers have identified a new genetic marker that better characterizes the aggressiveness of cancer cells than do "classical" markers.
The University of Chicago scientists say levels of a small non-coding RNA molecule called let-7 appear to define different stages of cancer better than some traditional markers for tumor progression.
"There may be no human cancer that is not regulated by microRNAs," said study author Professor Marcus Peter, "and among microRNAs, let-7 appears to be a key player in preventing a cancer from becoming more aggressive.
"We found that expression levels of let-7 can discriminate more effectively between more and less advanced stages of cancers than any other microRNA," Peter added. "We suspect that loss of members of the let-7 family may be a major determinant of cancer progression."
The study appears in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Ultrasound Proves Safe Alternative To Biopsy In Some Breast Masses
Ultrasound Proves Safe Alternative To Biopsy In Some Breast Masses
Science Daily — Researchers have reported that breast masses shown on ultrasound that are diagnosed as "probably benign" can be safely managed with imaging follow-up rather than biopsy, according to a study appearing in the July issue of Radiology.
"These findings indicate that ultrasound follow-up can spare women from unnecessary, invasive biopsies," said Oswald Graf, M.D., from the Department of Radiology, Ambulatory Care Center in Steyr, Austria.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that 212,920 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States this year. Early detection through screening is the best way to combat cancer at its early, most treatable stage. While mammography is the standard breast cancer screening exam, the sensitivity of mammography for identifying breast cancer decreases in women with dense breast tissue.
Some studies have shown that ultrasound may provide useful information in detecting cancer in women with dense breasts. However, screening with ultrasound also identifies a large number of breast lesions that are suspicious but may or may not be cancerous. Often, these masses are recommended for biopsy. ACS reports that 80 percent of breast lesions biopsied are found to be benign.
According to recently introduced Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) guidelines for ultrasound, a solid mass with circumscribed (confined) margins, oval shape and parallel orientation can be classified as probably benign (category 3). Dr. Graf's study is the first to report outcomes from ultrasound follow-up of masses that were classified as probably benign at initial ultrasound.
"Our study shows that following a lesion classified in the BI-RADS lexicon as category 3 is a safe alternative to immediate biopsy," Dr. Graf said. "But it is essential that lesions strictly meet these criteria."
The researchers retrospectively studied 409 women with 448 nonpalpable masses that were partially or completely obscured at mammography by dense breast tissue and were classified as probably benign at ultrasound. After initial imaging with mammography and ultrasound, follow-up was performed in 445 masses. The other three masses were biopsied and shown to be benign.
At follow-up every six months over two to five years, 442 of the 445 masses remained stable. Two masses increased but were found benign at biopsy, and one mass became palpable, and cancer was diagnosed at biopsy. The findings indicate an overall negative predictive value of 99.8 percent. In other words, only one in 445 masses (0.2 percent) developed into cancer. The results indicate that routine follow-up with ultrasound is a safe alternative to biopsy in cases where the breast lesion is classified as probably benign.
"More studies are needed to define the role of ultrasound in breast cancer screening," Dr. Graf said. "However, these findings suggest that the negative effects of incidental findings may be limited principally to patient anxiety and the cost of follow-up imaging, as opposed to conducting a large number of benign biopsies."
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Science Daily — Researchers have reported that breast masses shown on ultrasound that are diagnosed as "probably benign" can be safely managed with imaging follow-up rather than biopsy, according to a study appearing in the July issue of Radiology.
"These findings indicate that ultrasound follow-up can spare women from unnecessary, invasive biopsies," said Oswald Graf, M.D., from the Department of Radiology, Ambulatory Care Center in Steyr, Austria.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that 212,920 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States this year. Early detection through screening is the best way to combat cancer at its early, most treatable stage. While mammography is the standard breast cancer screening exam, the sensitivity of mammography for identifying breast cancer decreases in women with dense breast tissue.
Some studies have shown that ultrasound may provide useful information in detecting cancer in women with dense breasts. However, screening with ultrasound also identifies a large number of breast lesions that are suspicious but may or may not be cancerous. Often, these masses are recommended for biopsy. ACS reports that 80 percent of breast lesions biopsied are found to be benign.
According to recently introduced Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) guidelines for ultrasound, a solid mass with circumscribed (confined) margins, oval shape and parallel orientation can be classified as probably benign (category 3). Dr. Graf's study is the first to report outcomes from ultrasound follow-up of masses that were classified as probably benign at initial ultrasound.
"Our study shows that following a lesion classified in the BI-RADS lexicon as category 3 is a safe alternative to immediate biopsy," Dr. Graf said. "But it is essential that lesions strictly meet these criteria."
The researchers retrospectively studied 409 women with 448 nonpalpable masses that were partially or completely obscured at mammography by dense breast tissue and were classified as probably benign at ultrasound. After initial imaging with mammography and ultrasound, follow-up was performed in 445 masses. The other three masses were biopsied and shown to be benign.
At follow-up every six months over two to five years, 442 of the 445 masses remained stable. Two masses increased but were found benign at biopsy, and one mass became palpable, and cancer was diagnosed at biopsy. The findings indicate an overall negative predictive value of 99.8 percent. In other words, only one in 445 masses (0.2 percent) developed into cancer. The results indicate that routine follow-up with ultrasound is a safe alternative to biopsy in cases where the breast lesion is classified as probably benign.
"More studies are needed to define the role of ultrasound in breast cancer screening," Dr. Graf said. "However, these findings suggest that the negative effects of incidental findings may be limited principally to patient anxiety and the cost of follow-up imaging, as opposed to conducting a large number of benign biopsies."
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Is Associated With Breast Cancer Rates
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Is Associated With Breast Cancer Rates
Science Daily — The incidence of some early stage metastatic breast cancers is increasing, but this finding is likely explained by changes in clinical practice, according to a study published online June 26 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Deirdre Cronin-Fenton, Ph.D., of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, with colleagues at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., found that the increase in some early stage breast cancers corresponded to greater use of biopsies of sentinel lymph nodes--the primary lymph node to which cancer cells are likely to spread from a tumor. Sentinel lymph node biopsies often detect small numbers of tumor cells that do not necessarily indicate that the cancer has spread.
"While the use of [sentinel lymph node biopsy] in community practice continues to increase, it is expected that cases with [lymph node] metastases also will continue to increase," the authors write.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Science Daily — The incidence of some early stage metastatic breast cancers is increasing, but this finding is likely explained by changes in clinical practice, according to a study published online June 26 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Deirdre Cronin-Fenton, Ph.D., of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, with colleagues at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., found that the increase in some early stage breast cancers corresponded to greater use of biopsies of sentinel lymph nodes--the primary lymph node to which cancer cells are likely to spread from a tumor. Sentinel lymph node biopsies often detect small numbers of tumor cells that do not necessarily indicate that the cancer has spread.
"While the use of [sentinel lymph node biopsy] in community practice continues to increase, it is expected that cases with [lymph node] metastases also will continue to increase," the authors write.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
New Adjuvant Treatments For Breast Cancer Prove Cost-effective
New Adjuvant Treatments For Breast Cancer Prove Cost-effective
Science Daily — New adjuvant treatments for breast cancer are cost-effective at improving survival, according to two new studies. Published inthe journal CANCER, the two studies looked at the cost-effectiveness of different drugs for the management of adjuvant therapies for early breast cancer.
In a Canadian economic study of estrogen receptor positive breast cancers, switching from tamoxifen to the oral steroidal aromatase inhibitor exemestane (trade name: Aromasin) extended disease free survival at a minimal cost per person. In another of study of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer, the addition of the anti-HER2 receptor monoclonal antibody, trastuzumab (trade name: Herceptin), is projected to improve life expectancy at a relatively low cost.
Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer mortality, second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in women. The five-year survival rate for localized breast cancer has increased from 80 percent in the 1950s to 98 percent today. Mammography has led to cancers being detected earlier, when early treatments may be more effective. A greater understanding of the molecular biology of breast cancer has led to new post-surgical treatments, including hormone modulators and monoclonal antibodies. Many of these agents have led to decreased mortality and disease recurrence. As the therapeutic effectiveness of these drugs has been verified and is included in professional treatment guidelines, their cost-effectiveness is being investigated.
Cost-effectiveness is measured not just in life years (LY) gained but is adjusted also for the quality of life gained. This combination is expressed as a quality-adjusted life year (QALY). The ratio of cost to QALY is calculated to provide a quantitative estimate of the cost-effectiveness of a therapy.
A recent study showed that switching from tamoxifen to exemestane after two to three years of tamoxifen significantly improves disease-free survival compared to tamoxifen alone. Ms. Nancy Risebrough from the HOPE Research Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and Dr. Nicole Mittmann from the HOPE Research Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and the University of Toronto and colleagues evaluated the cost-effectiveness of switching from tamoxifen to exemestane after two to three years.
The authors found that over 7.5 years, a tamoxifen-exemestane adjuvant protocol improved disease free survival (LY and QALY) at an additional cost of Can$2,889 per patient. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated to be Can$24,185/QALY gained, well below a recognized threshold of Can$50,000/QALY gained.
Based on three-year follow-up of a recent clinical trial, the addition of trastuzumab to adjuvant chemotherapy treatment has been projected to improve significantly the long-term survival of early HER2-positive breast cancers. Dr. Louis Garrison, Jr of the University of Washington in Seattle and co-investigators evaluated the cost-effectiveness of adding trastuzumab to standard chemotherapy.
Dr. Garrison and co-authors estimated that life expectancy would improve by three years on average with the addition of this drug due to reduced disease recurrence. Over a lifetime, the cost-effectiveness ratio was estimated to be US$26,417/QALY and over 20 years was estimated at US $34,201.
The two economic studies agree with previous cost-effectiveness studies of the similar regimens and support their clinical use. The cost-effectiveness ratios calculated for both exemestane and trastuzumab were below those of many widely used oncology treatments.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Science Daily — New adjuvant treatments for breast cancer are cost-effective at improving survival, according to two new studies. Published inthe journal CANCER, the two studies looked at the cost-effectiveness of different drugs for the management of adjuvant therapies for early breast cancer.
In a Canadian economic study of estrogen receptor positive breast cancers, switching from tamoxifen to the oral steroidal aromatase inhibitor exemestane (trade name: Aromasin) extended disease free survival at a minimal cost per person. In another of study of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer, the addition of the anti-HER2 receptor monoclonal antibody, trastuzumab (trade name: Herceptin), is projected to improve life expectancy at a relatively low cost.
Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer mortality, second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in women. The five-year survival rate for localized breast cancer has increased from 80 percent in the 1950s to 98 percent today. Mammography has led to cancers being detected earlier, when early treatments may be more effective. A greater understanding of the molecular biology of breast cancer has led to new post-surgical treatments, including hormone modulators and monoclonal antibodies. Many of these agents have led to decreased mortality and disease recurrence. As the therapeutic effectiveness of these drugs has been verified and is included in professional treatment guidelines, their cost-effectiveness is being investigated.
Cost-effectiveness is measured not just in life years (LY) gained but is adjusted also for the quality of life gained. This combination is expressed as a quality-adjusted life year (QALY). The ratio of cost to QALY is calculated to provide a quantitative estimate of the cost-effectiveness of a therapy.
A recent study showed that switching from tamoxifen to exemestane after two to three years of tamoxifen significantly improves disease-free survival compared to tamoxifen alone. Ms. Nancy Risebrough from the HOPE Research Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and Dr. Nicole Mittmann from the HOPE Research Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and the University of Toronto and colleagues evaluated the cost-effectiveness of switching from tamoxifen to exemestane after two to three years.
The authors found that over 7.5 years, a tamoxifen-exemestane adjuvant protocol improved disease free survival (LY and QALY) at an additional cost of Can$2,889 per patient. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated to be Can$24,185/QALY gained, well below a recognized threshold of Can$50,000/QALY gained.
Based on three-year follow-up of a recent clinical trial, the addition of trastuzumab to adjuvant chemotherapy treatment has been projected to improve significantly the long-term survival of early HER2-positive breast cancers. Dr. Louis Garrison, Jr of the University of Washington in Seattle and co-investigators evaluated the cost-effectiveness of adding trastuzumab to standard chemotherapy.
Dr. Garrison and co-authors estimated that life expectancy would improve by three years on average with the addition of this drug due to reduced disease recurrence. Over a lifetime, the cost-effectiveness ratio was estimated to be US$26,417/QALY and over 20 years was estimated at US $34,201.
The two economic studies agree with previous cost-effectiveness studies of the similar regimens and support their clinical use. The cost-effectiveness ratios calculated for both exemestane and trastuzumab were below those of many widely used oncology treatments.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Family tree may miss breast cancer gene
Family tree may miss breast cancer gene
CHICAGO, June 20 (UPI) -- A U.S. study says doctors may be underestimating a woman's breast cancer risk if there are few women on her father's side of the family.
Doctors generally look at family history to determine if a woman might carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations that would predispose her to the disease, HealthDay said Wednesday.
The study, published in the June 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, said family history data isn't always available to women.
Dr. Jeffrey Weitzel, lead researcher and director of the department of clinical cancer genetics at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif., said insurance companies need to broaden the coverage for BRCA testing.
"Half of all heredity for breast cancer comes from dad," he said. "Most clinicians don't realize that BRCA can be inherited through dad."
source : www.sciencedaily.com
CHICAGO, June 20 (UPI) -- A U.S. study says doctors may be underestimating a woman's breast cancer risk if there are few women on her father's side of the family.
Doctors generally look at family history to determine if a woman might carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations that would predispose her to the disease, HealthDay said Wednesday.
The study, published in the June 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, said family history data isn't always available to women.
Dr. Jeffrey Weitzel, lead researcher and director of the department of clinical cancer genetics at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif., said insurance companies need to broaden the coverage for BRCA testing.
"Half of all heredity for breast cancer comes from dad," he said. "Most clinicians don't realize that BRCA can be inherited through dad."
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Black Women Are Prone To Aggressive Type Of Cancer
Lorie Williams thought for months that she might have a lump in her breast. But when the doctor said it was cancer, she was still stunned. After all, she was just 29 years old, no one in her family had ever had breast cancer, and she had never heard of anyone getting the disease so young.
"I was just numb," said Williams, who lives in Holly Springs, N.C. "I couldn't believe it was really happening. Then I just became hysterical."
Women such as Williams have become the focus of an intense effort to solve one of the most pressing mysteries about breast cancer: Why are black women, who are less likely to get the disease than white women, more likely to get it when they are young - and much more likely to die from it?
Now, researchers have uncovered a crucial clue: Black women, particularly young ones, get hit much more often by an aggressive form of breast cancer that is invulnerable to many of the latest treatments.
That discovery, however, has raised a thicket of questions and an intense debate. Are black women prone to the deadlier cancer for genetic reasons? The same deadly form of breast cancer turns out to be extremely common in parts of Africa where the slave trade was centered, indicating that genes play a role. Researchers also have found evidence that other factors, such as breast-feeding patterns, may be key.
The emerging picture of breast cancer marks a transforming development in the battle against the disease, some experts say, particularly for black women.
"It's a sea change for how we think about the problem of breast cancer in African-American women," said Rowan T. Chlebowski, who studies breast cancer at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. "It's really changing the debate."
'Triple-Negative' Cancer Traced
Researchers have long thought that the reason black breast cancer patients were more likely to die was the stubborn inequities in the quality of care that minorities receive. Black women tend to get fewer mammograms, to get their diagnosis after their cancer has spread and to receive less aggressive treatment once diagnosed, many studies have shown.
Those factors do play a significant role. But recent research has found that even when everything is equal, black women are less likely to survive.
At the same time, researchers using the latest molecular tools have discovered that breast cancer comes in at least five variations. One, called "triple-negative" because it lacks three key markers that distinguish tumors, grows quickly, recurs more often and kills more frequently. It is much harder to prevent and treat because it does not respond to the newest drugs, including those that block estrogen and targeted therapies such as Herceptin.
A key insight came last year when a detailed genetic analysis of 496 breast tumors showed that a "basal-like" form of triple-negative cancer was startlingly more common among young black women, accounting for 39 percent of their cancers, compared with 16 percent of white women's.
"We found an important piece of the puzzle," said Lisa A. Carey of the University of North Carolina, who led the study. "This indicates that biology is important."
Other studies subsequently confirmed the findings, including one published last month that found triple-negative tumors about twice as often among black women as among white women. It also found that triple-negative is also more frequent in Hispanics than in whites, though still less common than in blacks.
Some researchers, suspecting that the higher rate among African-Americans might stem from a genetic predisposition, have begun studying women in parts of Africa. They discovered that triple-negative is extremely common, accounting for some 70 percent of breast cancers in women tested in Nigeria and Senegal, for example.
"This suggests that there may be a genetic contribution," said Olufunmilayo Olopade of the University of Chicago, who is leading the research. "Is it because of genes common to African ancestry? Maybe there's a genetic contribution that we didn't appreciate."
Breast-Feeding Is A Variable
But other research suggests that social factors may be more crucial. One study published online this week, for example, found that women who did not breast-feed their children are especially prone to triple-negative cancer.
"Our data show that is has nothing to do with genetics but really has to do with environmental factors," said Robert Millikan of the University of North Carolina, noting that black women are less likely than white women to breast-feed.
source : www.tbo.com
"I was just numb," said Williams, who lives in Holly Springs, N.C. "I couldn't believe it was really happening. Then I just became hysterical."
Women such as Williams have become the focus of an intense effort to solve one of the most pressing mysteries about breast cancer: Why are black women, who are less likely to get the disease than white women, more likely to get it when they are young - and much more likely to die from it?
Now, researchers have uncovered a crucial clue: Black women, particularly young ones, get hit much more often by an aggressive form of breast cancer that is invulnerable to many of the latest treatments.
That discovery, however, has raised a thicket of questions and an intense debate. Are black women prone to the deadlier cancer for genetic reasons? The same deadly form of breast cancer turns out to be extremely common in parts of Africa where the slave trade was centered, indicating that genes play a role. Researchers also have found evidence that other factors, such as breast-feeding patterns, may be key.
The emerging picture of breast cancer marks a transforming development in the battle against the disease, some experts say, particularly for black women.
"It's a sea change for how we think about the problem of breast cancer in African-American women," said Rowan T. Chlebowski, who studies breast cancer at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. "It's really changing the debate."
'Triple-Negative' Cancer Traced
Researchers have long thought that the reason black breast cancer patients were more likely to die was the stubborn inequities in the quality of care that minorities receive. Black women tend to get fewer mammograms, to get their diagnosis after their cancer has spread and to receive less aggressive treatment once diagnosed, many studies have shown.
Those factors do play a significant role. But recent research has found that even when everything is equal, black women are less likely to survive.
At the same time, researchers using the latest molecular tools have discovered that breast cancer comes in at least five variations. One, called "triple-negative" because it lacks three key markers that distinguish tumors, grows quickly, recurs more often and kills more frequently. It is much harder to prevent and treat because it does not respond to the newest drugs, including those that block estrogen and targeted therapies such as Herceptin.
A key insight came last year when a detailed genetic analysis of 496 breast tumors showed that a "basal-like" form of triple-negative cancer was startlingly more common among young black women, accounting for 39 percent of their cancers, compared with 16 percent of white women's.
"We found an important piece of the puzzle," said Lisa A. Carey of the University of North Carolina, who led the study. "This indicates that biology is important."
Other studies subsequently confirmed the findings, including one published last month that found triple-negative tumors about twice as often among black women as among white women. It also found that triple-negative is also more frequent in Hispanics than in whites, though still less common than in blacks.
Some researchers, suspecting that the higher rate among African-Americans might stem from a genetic predisposition, have begun studying women in parts of Africa. They discovered that triple-negative is extremely common, accounting for some 70 percent of breast cancers in women tested in Nigeria and Senegal, for example.
"This suggests that there may be a genetic contribution," said Olufunmilayo Olopade of the University of Chicago, who is leading the research. "Is it because of genes common to African ancestry? Maybe there's a genetic contribution that we didn't appreciate."
Breast-Feeding Is A Variable
But other research suggests that social factors may be more crucial. One study published online this week, for example, found that women who did not breast-feed their children are especially prone to triple-negative cancer.
"Our data show that is has nothing to do with genetics but really has to do with environmental factors," said Robert Millikan of the University of North Carolina, noting that black women are less likely than white women to breast-feed.
source : www.tbo.com
$150 million pledged to UCSF cancer center
$150 million pledged to UCSF cancer center
SAN FRANCISCO, June 26 (UPI) -- The University of Southern California-San Francisco has received a $150 million pledge, the school's largest philanthropic donation from an individual.
University officials said the anonymous pledge to support clinical and research programs at the University of Southern California-San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center will be used to strengthen five major components of its programs: advancing experimental therapies, creating a world-class database to support future individualized therapies, enhancing the facility's ability to recruit scientific leaders, improving patient care and support services and strengthening the center's translation of basic research into clinical care.
"The donor's immense generosity will serve as a potent catalyst for programs and research that will benefit cancer patients throughout the world," said University of Southern California-San Francisco Chancellor J. Michael Bishop.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
SAN FRANCISCO, June 26 (UPI) -- The University of Southern California-San Francisco has received a $150 million pledge, the school's largest philanthropic donation from an individual.
University officials said the anonymous pledge to support clinical and research programs at the University of Southern California-San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center will be used to strengthen five major components of its programs: advancing experimental therapies, creating a world-class database to support future individualized therapies, enhancing the facility's ability to recruit scientific leaders, improving patient care and support services and strengthening the center's translation of basic research into clinical care.
"The donor's immense generosity will serve as a potent catalyst for programs and research that will benefit cancer patients throughout the world," said University of Southern California-San Francisco Chancellor J. Michael Bishop.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Sharing Stronach's struggle with cancer
The news about Belinda Stronach's cancer diagnosis certainly puts perspective on life and stretches our understanding of what it is to support someone. Belinda ended up supporting me in ways I can only hope to reciprocate.
Nearly a year ago, an ultrasound and CT scan revealed an eight-centimetre mass on my right ovary. I was informed by the oncologist that it was either a twisted cyst or ovarian cancer. I was 27 years old at the time and it's an uncommon cancer to appear in young women. Since then, I strongly advise doctors and "patients" to begin by eliminating ovarian cancer as a possibility, as I'm living proof of the contrary. Given my biological grandmother's history with breast cancer, I was as likely a candidate for ovarian cancer as I was for breast cancer. It's vital to have both ovaries and breasts checked if there's a family history of either cancer. Even though the doctor tried to reassure me – she had never diagnosed a "patient" under the age of 35 with ovarian cancer – I knew. This wasn't the first time I was hit by cancer.
I trust Belinda Stronach with my life and with my secrets.
She's one of very few people I confided in with the results of initial tests. I didn't inform my family as I didn't want them to worry needlessly. My father passed away from small-cell lung cancer and, unfortunately, cancer reminds my family of our loss. I knew Belinda wouldn't overreact; she would remain strong and extremely discreet. You simply have to observe the way she conducts herself in public through intense media scrutiny – always with great poise, integrity and sincerity.
I worked with Belinda while she considered running for the Liberal leadership last year, and neither of us realized what awaited us. Instead of me supporting her for the leadership – as she decided not to run – she supported me through my treatments. I can only offer her my support in hopes she will be just as successful as I have been.
I still remember receiving a beautiful bouquet following my first surgery. I asked my nurse to read the card to me when she brought the flowers into my room. She exclaimed: "You know Belinda!"
I do know Belinda and one thing's certain, she definitely doesn't want you to feel sorry for her. In fact, she wants you to challenge her more than ever before.
Allow me to offer some advice to people who are supporting family members or friends through treatments. There's nothing more infuriating than being treated differently because you have cancer. We are the same people we were prior to our diagnosis. Cancer simply magnifies our personality, dreams and aspirations. Stronach is a generous person; she wants to make a difference, an impact on the world. She wants to save lives in Africa, help educate women in impoverished countries, help champion the rights of women and to make a difference in the lives of Canadians. She wants to have great fun while working hard. Her cancer intensifies those goals and traits, making them more evident and real.
It's also more difficult to watch someone go through cancer treatments than it is to go through treatments. Your friends and family feel powerless. I can't possibly imagine how incredibly worried Stronach is for her own children, wanting to protect them from it all, just as my parents tried to protect me when my father was going through his own battle.
Finally, I resent when people treat cancer as the most horrific experience possible in their life. Cancer is simply this: another part of life. It has certainly changed my life, but for the better, not for the worse.
source : www.thestar.com
Nearly a year ago, an ultrasound and CT scan revealed an eight-centimetre mass on my right ovary. I was informed by the oncologist that it was either a twisted cyst or ovarian cancer. I was 27 years old at the time and it's an uncommon cancer to appear in young women. Since then, I strongly advise doctors and "patients" to begin by eliminating ovarian cancer as a possibility, as I'm living proof of the contrary. Given my biological grandmother's history with breast cancer, I was as likely a candidate for ovarian cancer as I was for breast cancer. It's vital to have both ovaries and breasts checked if there's a family history of either cancer. Even though the doctor tried to reassure me – she had never diagnosed a "patient" under the age of 35 with ovarian cancer – I knew. This wasn't the first time I was hit by cancer.
I trust Belinda Stronach with my life and with my secrets.
She's one of very few people I confided in with the results of initial tests. I didn't inform my family as I didn't want them to worry needlessly. My father passed away from small-cell lung cancer and, unfortunately, cancer reminds my family of our loss. I knew Belinda wouldn't overreact; she would remain strong and extremely discreet. You simply have to observe the way she conducts herself in public through intense media scrutiny – always with great poise, integrity and sincerity.
I worked with Belinda while she considered running for the Liberal leadership last year, and neither of us realized what awaited us. Instead of me supporting her for the leadership – as she decided not to run – she supported me through my treatments. I can only offer her my support in hopes she will be just as successful as I have been.
I still remember receiving a beautiful bouquet following my first surgery. I asked my nurse to read the card to me when she brought the flowers into my room. She exclaimed: "You know Belinda!"
I do know Belinda and one thing's certain, she definitely doesn't want you to feel sorry for her. In fact, she wants you to challenge her more than ever before.
Allow me to offer some advice to people who are supporting family members or friends through treatments. There's nothing more infuriating than being treated differently because you have cancer. We are the same people we were prior to our diagnosis. Cancer simply magnifies our personality, dreams and aspirations. Stronach is a generous person; she wants to make a difference, an impact on the world. She wants to save lives in Africa, help educate women in impoverished countries, help champion the rights of women and to make a difference in the lives of Canadians. She wants to have great fun while working hard. Her cancer intensifies those goals and traits, making them more evident and real.
It's also more difficult to watch someone go through cancer treatments than it is to go through treatments. Your friends and family feel powerless. I can't possibly imagine how incredibly worried Stronach is for her own children, wanting to protect them from it all, just as my parents tried to protect me when my father was going through his own battle.
Finally, I resent when people treat cancer as the most horrific experience possible in their life. Cancer is simply this: another part of life. It has certainly changed my life, but for the better, not for the worse.
source : www.thestar.com
Two Adjuvant Treatments for Breast Cancer Earn Their Keep
TORONTO, June 26 -- Two well-accepted adjuvant therapies for early breast cancer proved cost-effective for improving survival, according to a pair of studies.
Both exemestane (Aromasin) and trastuzumab (Herceptin) have been proven effective in adjuvant breast cancer therapy, and the drugs are included in professional treatment guidelines.
But given their cost, one set of researchers in Canada and another in the U.S. evaluated the cost-effectiveness of the drugs, and reported their findings online in Cancer, with publication in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal.
Each study, one for each drug, found a low projected lifetime cost under $30,000 per life-year gained, adjusted for quality of life.
In the Canadian study of postmenopausal women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, switching to adjuvant exemestane, an aromatase inhibitor, after two or three years of tamoxifen (Nolvadex) extended disease-free survival at a minimal cost of under $3,000 per patient per year over 7.5 years, Nicole Mittmann, M.Sc., Ph.D., of the University of Toronto, and colleagues found.
Their analysis used a hypothetical cohort of postmenopausal women from the recent Intergroup Exemestane Study (IES), which found a survival benefit for switching to exemestane.
Disease progression and hazard ratios for recurrence and survival were determined from IES datasets, the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of the National Cancer Institute, and from published literature.
Cost-effectiveness, from a government-payer perspective, was measured not only in life years gained but was adjusted for gain in quality of life. The combination was expressed as quality-adjusted life years gained.
Five years after completing adjuvant therapy (a total of 7.5 years) a tamoxifen-exemestane adjuvant protocol improved absolute disease-free survival by 2.6% (80.9% versus 78% for tamoxifen alone).
Compared with continued tamoxifen, sequential therapy with tamoxifen and exemestane increased the total discounted medical costs in Canadian dollars by $2,889 per patient over 7.5 years.
Cost savings in the exemestane group for reduced cancer recurrence were $1,680 per person and for other cancers, $221 per person.
The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for exemestane was $28,119 per life year gained.
Calculated as the quality-adjusted life year gained, the incremental cost-utility ratio was $24,185.
source : www.medpagetoday.com
Both exemestane (Aromasin) and trastuzumab (Herceptin) have been proven effective in adjuvant breast cancer therapy, and the drugs are included in professional treatment guidelines.
But given their cost, one set of researchers in Canada and another in the U.S. evaluated the cost-effectiveness of the drugs, and reported their findings online in Cancer, with publication in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal.
Each study, one for each drug, found a low projected lifetime cost under $30,000 per life-year gained, adjusted for quality of life.
In the Canadian study of postmenopausal women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, switching to adjuvant exemestane, an aromatase inhibitor, after two or three years of tamoxifen (Nolvadex) extended disease-free survival at a minimal cost of under $3,000 per patient per year over 7.5 years, Nicole Mittmann, M.Sc., Ph.D., of the University of Toronto, and colleagues found.
Their analysis used a hypothetical cohort of postmenopausal women from the recent Intergroup Exemestane Study (IES), which found a survival benefit for switching to exemestane.
Disease progression and hazard ratios for recurrence and survival were determined from IES datasets, the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of the National Cancer Institute, and from published literature.
Cost-effectiveness, from a government-payer perspective, was measured not only in life years gained but was adjusted for gain in quality of life. The combination was expressed as quality-adjusted life years gained.
Five years after completing adjuvant therapy (a total of 7.5 years) a tamoxifen-exemestane adjuvant protocol improved absolute disease-free survival by 2.6% (80.9% versus 78% for tamoxifen alone).
Compared with continued tamoxifen, sequential therapy with tamoxifen and exemestane increased the total discounted medical costs in Canadian dollars by $2,889 per patient over 7.5 years.
Cost savings in the exemestane group for reduced cancer recurrence were $1,680 per person and for other cancers, $221 per person.
The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for exemestane was $28,119 per life year gained.
Calculated as the quality-adjusted life year gained, the incremental cost-utility ratio was $24,185.
source : www.medpagetoday.com
Breast Cancer and Green Tea-Mushroom
Green Tea-Mushroom Combination May Suppress Breast Cancer: Pairing of natural compounds appears to work in cells – without toxicity by Jeni Baker
A link between green tea consumption and protection from different types of cancer has been well documented. The same holds true for the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum; evidence suggests that consuming it can help prevent some cancers.
Scientists from Methodist Research Institute’s Cancer Research Laboratory wanted to know what would happen when extracts of these two compounds were combined and introduced to highly invasive breast cancer cells.
Their research* yielded some compelling new findings.
Synergy and signaling
The study was fairly straightforward – and for periods of 24 and 48 hours, the team exposed the metastatic breast cancer cells to green tea extract (GTE) and extract of G. ludicum extract (GLE), an oriental medicinal mushroom – and the findings can be summed up just as succinctly:
The GTE-GLE combination significantly slowed both individual cell growth and colony formation among the breast cancer cells. Additionally, the effects of the pairing were greater than the sum of the individual effects of each compound. In other words, each compound appears to boost the cancer-inhibiting effects of the other.
Who knew that something so important could be going on behind the molecular scenes of simple green tea and mushrooms?
It’s all about disrupting the “communication” among cancer cells – the sooner, the better – and that’s what the active ingredients in these compounds appear to do, says lead author Daniel Sliva, PhD.
“Abnormal signaling is directly responsible for the invasiveness of cancer cells, so we look for signaling in cells that shouldn’t be there,” he says. “The goal is to stop the growth and invasive behavior of cancer cells by preventing abnormal signaling proteins from being produced. When we can do that, we can stop cancer metastasis.”
“Define your future by what you’re doing now”
Metastasis, the spreading of cancer throughout the body, “is, of course, the larger problem with all types of cancer,” says Sliva. “Because this study focused on specific cell-signaling mechanisms, our findings are applicable to other types of cancers, as well.”
Although much additional research is needed, Sliva recommends that people with breast cancer or who are at risk for the disease speak with their doctors if they’re thinking about integrating green tea or G. ludicum into their diets.
Both are generally harmless to most people, he says, which underscores the growing body of evidence that toxicity and side effects don’t have to be part of effective cancer treatment.
Sliva’s overall advice about cancer prevention and management?
“Don’t smoke, get plenty of exercise, eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, and try to use natural products whenever you can,” he says. “Define your future by what you’re doing now.”
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