Breast Health Blog

Would anyone agree that hormone-laden foods and water supplies are a major factor with young girls’ early onset of  menses?

Research studies have clearly identified puberty as a critical window in a woman’s development that has a major impact on her future risk of developing breast cancer. According to a 2007 Breast Cancer Fund study, women who started their period before age 12 have a 50 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer, compared to those who started at age 16, an important finding given that the average age at which girls in the United States reach puberty has been declining.

Elisa Bandera, MD, an assistant professor of epidemiology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and UMDNJ-School of Public Health, is conducting the study. She notes, “Since there is growing evidence that early life factors have a significant impact on breast cancer risk, it is critical that we have a better understanding of what causes the early onset of puberty in young girls. We are hopeful to use the data from this study to improve the health of this population, as well as reducing their long-term risk of developing breast cancer.”

According to the American Cancer Society, aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. In 2008, there were 183,000 new cases of breast cancer nationwide.

Source: Medical news today

Breast elastography allows physicians to give a more accurate diagnosis of breast cancer, according to a study performed at Singapore General Hospital in Singapore. Breast elastography is a new technique which looks at the mechanical properties of tissues (relative stiffness) as opposed to conventional ultrasound which looks at the backscatter of transmitted ultrasound waves through tissues.

Ninety-nine women with 110 sonographically visible lesions were evaluated with ultrasound, elastography and combined ultrasound and elastography. 26 lesions were malignant and 84 were benign on histology. “All breast cancers (100%) in the study were diagnosed correctly by elastography alone compared to 88.5% by conventional ultrasound,” said Llewellyn Sim, MD, lead author of the study. “The use of breast elastography alone or combined with ultrasound provides a more accurate diagnosis of breast cancer,” said Dr. Sim.

“Breast elastography improves the sonographic diagnosis of breast cancer. It also potentially reduces unnecessary work-up i.e. biopsies of benign breast lesions and patient anxiety,” he said.

“Breast radiologists will see elastography in a different light when they realize that it has come of age and outperforms conventional breast ultrasound. With the sterling results and knowledge gained from my study, I am more confident in using elastography to assist me in obtaining a more accurate diagnosis of breast lesions detected with ultrasound in my daily clinical practice,” said Dr. Sim.

Source: Medical News Today

One of the most effective ways to prevent breast cancer is through a full-term pregnancy at an early age. Studies out of Fox Chase Cancer Center have linked this protective effect to the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone produced by the placenta to maintain the early stages of pregnancy. Their findings in an animal model of breast cancer showed that rats exposed to hCG over a 21 day period (the length of rat pregnancy), are far less likely to develop breast cancer when exposed to a known carcinogen.

At the 100th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Johana Vanegas, M.D., a research associate at Fox Chase, presented findings suggesting that even a much shorter exposure to hCG can prevent breast cancer in rats.

Venegas is a member of the laboratory of Jose Russo, M.D. and Irma Russo, M.D., who were the first scientists to propose hCG as an anti-cancer agent. Their studies have shown that hCG offers lasting, protective changes within breast tissue. Clinical trials of hCG in women, based on their work, are currently under way at three locations, nationally, including Fox Chase Cancer Center, and in one European country. The hCG hormone is an FDA-approved agent frequently used for fertility treatments.

“The ability to replicate the naturally protective effects of pregnancy against breast cancer will hold a significant public health value,” says Vanegas. “In order to translate our finding into humans, a clinical trial with hCG as a preventive agent against breast cancer, is already ongoing in pre-menopausal women with no previous pregnancy.”

Vanegas and her colleagues studied virgin female rats, which had been divided into four groups: a control group, which did not receive hCG, and three groups that received hCG for five, ten or fifteen consecutive days. Following the treatment, each rat received a single dose of a breast cancer-inducing agent.

According to Vanegas, 90.9 percent of the rats in the control group developed breast tumors, compared to 71.4 percent, 57.1 percent, and 15.4 percent in the five, ten and fifteen day-treated animals, respectively. In addition, the average tumor size was also smaller in all the animals that received any of the three hCG treatments.

“The animals that received hCG, but still developed breast cancer did so much later than the control group, which further demonstrates the protective effects of hCG,” Vanegas says. “While we don’t foresee side effects among humans in using hCG, it is helpful to know that even smaller doses confer benefits on breast tissue.”

Funding for this research comes from grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.

Source:
Greg Lester, Fox Chase Cancer Center

(ps- the side effects from hCG is WEIGHT LOSS!!!)

THIS IS FANTASTIC!!! When are the other 49 states gonna STEP UP??? 

Pass it on!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you know FREE treatment is available to women diagnosed with breast cancer in Pennsylvania who are uninsured or underinsured? Unfortunately many women - and many healthcare providers - are not aware of the program or how it can benefit breast cancer patients. That’s why the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition (PBCC), in partnership with Senator Vince Hughes, is publicizing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Program (BCCPT).

A press conference will be held on Tuesday, May 5 at 9am by the PA Breast Cancer Coalition and Senator Vincent Hughes to raise awareness about the FREE treatment that is available to women diagnosed with breast cancer who are uninsured or underinsured in Pennsylvania. This event will be held at the Main Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg. Scheduled to speak at the event are: Pat Halpin-Murphy, President and Founder, PBCC; Senator Vincent Hughes, Minority Chair, Senate Public Health & Welfare Committee; Everette James, Secretary of Health, PA Department of Health; Joanne Corte Grossi, Director, Office of Women’s Services, PA Department of Public Welfare; and Robin Leidhecker, Survivor.

“No woman with breast cancer should be denied treatment - regardless of their income or insurance situation,” said Halpin-Murphy. “Thanks to the FREE treatment program, qualified women in Pennsylvania will receive the treatment they desperately need through Medicaid.”

“Thanks to the Commonwealth of PA’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Program, I received the treatment and outstanding care that I needed,” said Robin Leidhecker, a patient enrolled in the FREE Treatment Program. “I was told to just worry about getting well, don’t worry about paying for it.”

The PA Breast Cancer Coalition represents, supports and serves breast cancer survivors and their families in Pennsylvania through educational programming, legislative advocacy and unique outreach initiatives. The PBCC is a statewide non-profit organization that creates the hope of a brighter tomorrow by providing action and information to women with breast cancer today.

Source: Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition

This article is from Medical News Today.

If cancer cells lack a certain protein, it could be much easier for them to penetrate healthy body tissue, the first step towards forming metastases. Scientists at the Pharmacology Institute of the University of Heidelberg have discovered the previously unknown cell signal factor SCAI (suppressor of cancer cell invasion), which inhibits the movement and spread of tumor cells in laboratory tests. When the factor’s functioning was disrupted, the cancer cells moved much more effectively in what are known as three-dimensional matrix systems, which imitate some of the tissue properties of the human body.

“The protein is apparently suppressed in many types of tumors, e.g. breast, lung, or thyroid,” explains Dr. Robert Grosse, head of the Emmy Noether Junior Research Group funded by the German Research Association (DFG) at the Pharmacology Institute. The new factor could be an interesting starting point for research into new mechanisms for fighting cancer. The research team’s results have now been published online in the prestigious international journal Nature Cell Biology.

Focus on particularly aggressive cancers

Tumor cells are extremely mobile and “adept” at penetrating healthy tissue to form metastases. They adapt to the consistency of the respective tissue by changing their shapes constantly and attach flexibly to surrounding tissues during movement with the help of special surface structures (receptors).

One of these receptors is what is known as b1-integrin, which is frequently formed in many tumors such as metastasizing breast cancer. “The cell signal factor SCAI controls the formation and function of b1-integrin,” says Dr. Robert Grosse. “If there is too little SCAI in tumor cells, then b1-integrin is overactive, so to speak. The cell can change more rapidly to a more aggressive form and penetrate surrounding tissue, a crucial step toward increased spreading of the tumor and the possible formation of metastases.”

In their recently published study, the Heidelberg researchers examined cells from skin cancer (melanoma) and breast cancer. In other projects, Dr. Robert Grosse’s team would like to study the function of the signal factor SCAI more closely in an animal model. “If the function of SCAI is confirmed to be decisive in the formation of especially aggressive tumor cells, this could be a promising starting point for developing new diagnostic methods or medication,” says the pharmacologist. It could also be possible to develop an agent that prevents the genetic suppression of the signal factor in cancer cells. But first the researchers need to better understand how the signal factor itself is regulated in the cell.

Source:
Dr. Robert Grosse
University Hospital Heidelberg

Watch this informative video on how to do a proper BSE!

Wouldn’t it be great to have someone email you once a month to remind you to do things you generally forget? If you are like me, I forget things like oil changes, smoke detector batteries, hair appointments, taxes…

Well now you can!

BreastHealthBlog.com is proud to announce “Your my Breast Friend” campaign, which emails you every month to remind to do your self-breast exam! Just add your email to our list for a montly nudge! (come on, we all forget)!

Each month we will also send you a new great breast health, dietary & prevention tip - all for free.           Make BreastHealthBlog.com your new “Breast Friend”. PASS IT ON.

THIS ARTICLE IS HUGE! PLEASE READ- I have bolded the good parts.

This article was was taken from MedicalNewsToday.com

Researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have identified a new marker for breast cancer metastasis called TMEM, for Tumor Microenvironment of Metastasis. As reported in the March 24 online edition of the journal Clinical Cancer Research, density of TMEM was associated with the development of distant organ metastasis via the bloodstream — the most common cause of death from breast cancer.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) funded translational study could lead to the first test to predict the likelihood of breast cancer metastasis via the bloodstream — a development that could change the way breast cancer is treated.

An estimated 40 percent of breast cancer patients relapse and develop metastatic disease. About 40,000 women die of metastatic breast cancer every year.

“Currently, anyone with a breast cancer diagnosis fears the worst — that the cancer will spread and threaten their lives. A tissue test for metastatic risk could alleviate those worries, and prevent toxic and costly measures like radiation and chemotherapy,” says senior author Dr. Joan G. Jones, professor of clinical pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and director of Anatomic Pathology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

“If patients can be better classified as either low risk or high risk for metastasis, therapies can be custom tailored to patients, preventing over-treatment or under-treatment of the disease,” adds first author Dr. Brian D. Robinson, resident in Anatomic Pathology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

The Weill Cornell investigators… Continue reading New Test May Predict Breast Cancer Metastasis

The BBC News Reports a study of over 2,000 Chinese women in the International Journal of Cancer found large quantities of both mushrooms and green tea in the diet slashed cancer risk by up to 90%. Research suggests chemicals in the foods block tumor growth and boost the body’s natural defenses against cancer.

 Extracts of the mushroom Phellinus linteus have been used for centuries in Eastern Ancient medicine where it is believed to refresh bodies and extend life.  Scientists in California have been doing a trial to see if taking a mushroom extract twice a day for a month helps breast cancer survivors remain free of the disease after work showed the extract could halt the growth of breast cancer cells. The new study of Chinese women, by a team at the University of Western Australia in Perth, found that women who ate at least a third of an ounce of fresh mushrooms daily were 64% less likely to develop breast cancer.  Dried mushrooms had a slightly less protective effect, reducing the risk by around half.  Women who combined a mushroom diet with regular consumption of green tea saw an even greater benefit- the risk among women in this group was reduced by almost 90%.

Green tea contains antioxidant compounds called polyphenols that have been shown to fight breast tumors in animals. Black tea, although made from the same plant called Camellia sinesis, is not believed to have the same properties because the leaves are processed differently. It goes through a fermentation process that strips the plant of its natural polyphenol compounds.

It is known that the rate of breast cancer in China is four to five times lower than rates typically seen in developed countries, although this is changing as women are adopting Western diets rich in meat and dairy - and piling on the pounds.

First of all, doesn’t it sound like something your gramma would bring over to your house to cheer you up?  The Detroit Free Press  writes about  a new diagnosis breast-specific gamma imaging, uses a radioactive injection that lights up tumor cells, which have high metabolic activity. It is a diagnostic tool, when cancer is suspected, not a screening machine used annually to find breast cancer. And it remains largely unproven; not enough studies have been done to show it saves lives and money.

But doctors can easily read the gammagram and can give women an immediate diagnosis. It may help some patients avoid biopsies or waiting as long as six months for another mammogram, which can happen if an X-ray is too cloudy.

Another plus: A gammagram does not require painful compression of the breast as mammograms do.

All this- plus cheap housing? I might be moving to Michigan!

Read the full article by clicking below-

http://www.freep.com/article/20090210/FEATURES08/902100336/1033/business/Breast+cancer+diagnosis+gets+a+boost+with+gammagrams

This article was taken from the Cancer Prevention coalition.

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Dangers and Unreliability of Mammography: Breast Examination is a Safe, Effective, and Practical Alternative

Samuel S. Epstein, Rosalie Bertell, and Barbara Seaman

International Journal of Health Services, 31(3):605-615, 2001.

Mammography screening is a profit-driven technology posing risks compounded by unreliability. In striking contrast, annual clinical breast examination (CBE) by a trained health professional, together with monthly breast self-examination (BSE), is safe, at least as effective, and low in cost. International programs for training nurses how to perform CBE and teach BSE are critical and overdue.

Contrary to popular belief and assurances by the U. S. media and the cancer establishment- the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and American Cancer Society (ACS)- mammography is not a technique for early diagnosis. In fact, a breast cancer has usually been present for about eight years before it can finally be detected. Furthermore, screening should be recognized as damage control, rather than misleadingly as “secondary prevention.”

DANGERS OF SCREENING MAMMOGRAPHY
Mammography poses a wide range of risks of which women worldwide still remain uninformed.

Radiation Risks
Radiation from routine mammography poses significant cumulative risks of initiating and promoting breast cancer (1- 3). Contrary to conventional assurances that radiation exposure from mammography is trivial- and similar to that from a chest X-ray or spending one week in Denver, about 1/ 1,000 of a rad (radiation-absorbed dose)- the routine practice of taking four films for each breast results in some 1,000-fold greater exposure, 1 rad, focused on each breast rather than the entire chest (2). Thus, premenopausal women undergoing annual screening over a ten-year period are exposed to a total of about 10 rads for each breast. As emphasized some three decades ago, the premenopausal breast is highly sensitive to radiation, each rad of exposure increasing breast cancer risk by 1 percent, resulting in a cumulative 10 percent increased risk over ten years of premenopausal screening, usually from ages 40 to 50 (4); risks are even greater for “baseline” screening at younger ages, for which there is no evidence of any future relevance. Furthermore, breast cancer risks from mammography are up to fourfold higher for the 1 to 2 percent of women… Continue reading Are Mammograms even necessary? Another opinion…