Breast

Men don’t recognize their breast cancer until a late stage

Breast cancer in men is usually detected when the tumors are bigger, have spread and may be more aggressive, compared to diagnosis of the disease in women, concludes the largest study ever conducted of male breast cancer. The findings, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, suggest both that breast cancer in men may have some important biological differences from the female disease, and that men are seemingly less aware than they should be that they can develop breast cancer.

Future radiologists turn up noses at mammography

A newly published survey of radiology residents revealed that although medical schools are providing more extensive training in breast imaging, the majority of residents do not want to interpret mammograms in their future practices. Researchers reported their findings in a study appearing in the June issue of the journal Radiology.

Searching for life may boost immune system

Pursuing goals related to living a meaningful life may boost the activity of certain cells in the immune system, according to a small study of women who lost a relative to breast cancer. Women who placed more importance on these goals at the beginning of the study had higher levels of activity among their ?natural killer? immune cells. In addition, women who elevated the importance of these goals over a one-month period showed increases in natural killer cell activity, compared to women who said that the importance of these goals had decreased for them.

Aspirin, ibuprofen effective in protecting against breast cancer

Regular use of ibuprofen and aspirin inhibits the formation and growth of breast cancer, according to data published in the Proceedings for the 94th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The data, taken from the National Cancer Institute?s (NCI) Women?s Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study, concluded that weekly doses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had a significant effect in reducing the risk of breast cancer.
?These results suggest that even women at high risk for breast cancer may be protected by taking NSAIDs,? explains Randall Harris, M.D., Ph.D., lead investigator of the study, professor of the division of epidemiology and biometrics at the Ohio State University. ?However, before usage guidelines for NSAIDs can be implemented, additional studies are needed.?

Leptin could be another relevant indicator of breast cancer risk

Measuring a woman’s leptin levels may offer an additional indicator of her risk of developing breast cancer, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Their small study, published in the Proceedings for the 2003 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggests that because a woman’s production of leptin may reveal her history of eating dietary fat, reading leptin levels may offer more prognostic information than just measuring body mass index and the amount of fat she currently eats.

Sonogram may be better than mamogram for detecting certain breast cancers

Results of a new study show that breast sonography is more accurate than mammography in symptomatic women 45 years old or younger, and may be an appropriate initial imaging test in investigating these women, says Nehmat Houssami, MD, PhD, and lead author of the study. The study, published in the April 2003 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology, “is the first published study to examine the comparative sensitivity and specificity of mammography and sonography in relation to age in young women with breast symptoms, where the two tests were interpreted independently of each other and where almost all subjects had undergone both tests,” says Dr. Houssami.

Researchers discover new breast, lung cancer gene

Scientists at Tularik Inc. and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have discovered a new gene that is expressed at abnormally high levels in nearly 50% of the breast cancer specimens they examined, and is similarly overexpressed in a large proportion of lung cancers (35%).

Study Questions Frequent Follow-Up for 'Probably Benign' Mammograms

Of the nearly 30 million American women who undergo screening mammograms every year, up to 11 percent receive “probably benign” test results — and therefore are asked to come back for a follow-up mammogram in three to six months. But according to a new study by UC Davis researchers, such frequent re-testing may be unnecessary. The study appears in tomorrow’s issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The UC Davis researchers examined the mammography records of nearly 60,000 women enrolled in the national Women’s Health Initiative project, one of the largest preventive health studies in the United States. Among the women who had probably benign mammograms, only 1 percent went on to develop breast cancer within two years, the investigation found.

New study offers clues to how breast cancer spreads

A new study published by researchers at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Cancer Center, in collaboration with researchers at Yale University, has identified two molecular predictors of breast cancer spread, or metastasis. This study may one day lead to tests of breast cancer tissue that will help physicians determine whether a woman’s breast cancer is likely to spread, or metastasize.

Scientists find stem cells in human breast cancer

Of all the neoplastic cells in human breast cancers, only a small minority – perhaps as few as one in 100 – appear to be capable of forming new malignant tumors, according to just-published research by scientists in the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The discovery could help researchers zero in on the most dangerous cancer cells to develop new, more effective treatments.

Easing Menopausal Symptoms With Soy

In the wake of recent reports showing a correlation between hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and serious illnesses such as stroke, breast cancer and heart disease, many women are looking elsewhere for treatment options for their menopausal symptoms. According to Duke OB/ GYN Claude Hughes, M.D., soy can be effective in treating some of the symptoms of menopause, which are caused by declining levels of estrogen. The most common symptoms include hot flushes (flashes), night sweats, mood swings, depression, forgetfulness, insomnia, as well as thinning of vaginal tissues and stress incontinence.