Multiple Moles Tied To Breast Cancer Risk

The number of moles located on a woman’s left arm may the simplest way to predict whether a she will get breast cancer has been demonstrated in two new studies. The first was lead by researcher Marina Kvaskoff, PhD, a fellow at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School who’s E3N Teachers Study Cohort tracked more than 89,900 women over an 18-year period. The second, known as the Nurses’ Health Study in the United States, followed 74,523 women for 24 years. What they both found was that “women with 15 or more moles on their left arm were up to 35% more likely to develop breast cancer, compared to women with no moles on their arm.”

Moles on Your Arm May Help to Assess Skin And Breast Cancer Risk

Check this Article: Penile Implant Surgery in India Cost

“We don’t think that nevi actually cause breast cancer, but there could be several reasons for the association we observed, including genetic and hormonal factors,” stated Kvaskoff.

Her study suggested that genes could be a key player in risk for both conditions, while the Nurses’ Health Study linked the number of moles on a woman’s arm to higher blood levels of the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone, which in turn may contribute to breast cancer risk. “We know that having a large number of common nevi is the number one risk factor for melanoma, and that there’s a link between melanoma and breast cancer, and earlier studies have connected skin moles to increased risk for a number of other disorders influenced by hormones, including endometriosis (a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the pelvis), uterine fibroids, and thyroid disease,” she continued.

It was also noted that hormones during pregnancy have a tendency to increase the size and deepen the color of moles. Meanwhile, researchers involved with the Nurses Study found that postmenopausal women with upwards of 6 moles had “higher blood levels of estrogen and testosterone, compared to women without any,” and led them to surmise that “that moles may be a marker of higher hormonal levels, which in turn may predict breast cancer risk.”

Moles Tied To Breast Cancer

Source: http://m.edtreatmentindia.com/

Too Many Women Electing Unnecessary Double Mastecomies

Despite so much information about breast cancer risks available, a new study published in JAMA Surgery last month found that many breast cancer patients are electing to have a double mastectomy even when their individual risks don’t justify such drastic surgery.

Double Mastectomies

Check this Article: Penile Implant Surgery in India

Women with the BRCA 1 or 2 genetic mutation and/or those with a very strong family history of breast cancer do have a significantly high risk for developing breast cancer and for them, prophylactic bilateral mastectomy, may be appropriate.

Fewer than 10 percent of women with newly diagnosed breast cancer in one breast are estimated to have one or both of these clinical indications.

However, when lead author Sarah Hawley, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and her colleagues evaluated the medical records of more than 1400 women with diagnosed breast cancer in one breast, nearly 70 percent of those who had their unaffected breast removed were never at high risk for developing a new cancer.

The authors stated that it is misplaced fear that drives the decision.

In addition to the obvious need for better education of the patient regarding risks, the authors correctly question how surgeons who agree to such an extensive procedure which is not clinically indicated can justify that decision simply to reduce their patient’s fear.

Clearly there is a need for women to feel more empowered when faced with a diagnosis of breast cancer, to take a deep breath when they first hear the terrifying words “you have cancer” and then take some time to understand their individual risks and options. Often that may mean seeking more than one opinion.

Breast Surgery After Breast Cancer

Source: http://www.edtreatmentindia.com/

Method to Preserve Fertility During Breast Cancer Treatment Reported

Most women who develop breast cancer are beyond their child-bearing years; however, a significant number of younger women who develop breast cancer want to preserve their ability to have a child. For these women, a new technique is available that improves the likelihood of them remaining fertile. In addition, the therapy may reduce younger women undergoing premature menopause as a result of the treatment. The results were presented on June 30 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which runs from May 30 through June 3 in Chicago, Illinois.

Chemotherapy Often Results in Premature Ovarian Failure, Or Early Menopause

Check this Article: Penile Implant Surgery in India

It is believed that chemotherapy often results in premature ovarian failure, or early menopause, because active ovaries are more susceptible to damage from the treatment. Thus, the researchers thought that forcing them into dormancy and stopping menstruation might prevent the ovaries from damage. The study group comprised 257 women under age 50 with breast cancers whose growth was not increased by estrogen. All the women underwent standard chemotherapy; half also received a monthly injection of goserelin, which is a drug that lowers estrogen levels and forces the ovaries into dormancy. The major symptoms of the drug are menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness.

Two years after the onset of the study, complete results were available on 135 women. Only 8% of those given the goserelin injections became menopausal, compared to 22% of the women who did not receive the injections. In addition, among the women in the goserelin group, 22 achieved a pregnancy, compared to 12 pregnancies in the non-goserelin group. The study authors note that the results are encouraging; however, firm comparisons cannot be made because not all women may have been trying to conceive; furthermore, other factors such as a partner's fertility could have played a role.

Another positive finding of the study was that survival was higher among women given goserelin. At four years after treatment, 92% of the women who received goserelin were alive, compared to 82% of the women in the non-goserelin group. The authors cautioned that the size of the study group was too small to determine whether ovarian suppression increased survival.

Preserving Fertility During Cancer Treatments

Source: http://www.edtreatmentindia.com/

How Women Cope With A False Positive Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Many women undergo mammograms periodically to screen for breast cancer. Not uncommonly, a false-positive result will occur. Later tests will determine that a cancer is not present; however, until that occurs, a woman must cope with the possibility of having a serious—and sometimes fatal—medical condition. A new study set out to determine how women cope with a false positive-diagnosis of breast cancer. The findings were published on April 21 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Risk For Breast Cancer Increased With False-Positive Screening Result

Check this Article: Penile Implant Surgery in India Cost

The study authors note that the potential harm from a false-positive mammogram is currently being evaluated by the US Preventive Services Task Force. Thus, they conducted a study to determine the effect of false-positive mammograms on quality of life by measuring personal anxiety, health utility, and attitudes toward future screening.

A telephone survey, named the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST) quality-of-life was conducted shortly after the participants underwent a screening mammogram and one year later at 22 DMIST sites; women were randomly selected from the DMIST participants; the study group included women with both positive and negative mammograms. Among 1,450 eligible women who were invited to participate, 1,226 (84.6%) were enrolled; follow-up interviews were obtained from 1,028 (83.8%).

To evaluate the impact of the diagnosis, the investigators used a six question short form of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory state scale (STAI-6) and the EuroQol EQ-5D instrument with US scoring. Attitudes toward future screening were measured by the women’s self-report of future intention to undergo mammographic screening; in addition, they were asked about their willingness to travel and stay overnight to undergo a theoretical new type of mammography, which would identify as many cancers with half the false-positive results.

Not surprisingly, anxiety was significantly higher for women with false-positive mammograms (STAI-6: 35.2 vs. 32.7); however, health utility scores did not differ and there were no significant differences between the two groups at one year. Future screening intentions differed between the two groups (false-positive: 25.7%; negative: 14.2%); willingness to travel and stay overnight did not differ between the groups (false-positive: 9.9%; negative: 10.5%). Future intention to undergo screening was significantly increased among women with false-positive mammograms (2.12-fold increased intention to be screened), younger women (2.78-fold increased intention), and poorer health (1.63-foldincreased intention). Women who suffered from a high degree of anxiety regarding future false-positive mammograms were much more likely to travel overnight (1.94-fold increased intention).

The authors concluded that false-positive mammograms were associated with increased short-term anxiety but not long-term anxiety. Furthermore, they found no measurable health utility decrement. False-positive mammograms increased women’s intention to undergo future breast cancer screening; however, it did not increase their stated willingness to travel to avoid a false-positive result. The investigators noted that their finding of time-limited harm after a false-positive screening mammograms is relevant for healthcare professionals who counsel women on mammographic screening and for screening guideline development groups.

Mammography

Take home message:

This study reinforces the concept that women are tough and resilient.

Source: http://www.edtreatmentindia.com/

Tamoxifen Reported to Produce Cognitive Decline

Tamoxifen is commonly administered to women with breast cancer. It is an ant-estrogen that slows or prevents the recurrence of breast cancer in women who have hormone receptor positive breast cancers. A new study has reported that it may cause cognitive decline. The findings were published online on June 23 in the journal Menopause.

Tamoxifen Overview

Check this Article: Cosmetic Penile Surgery in India

The study authors note that endocrine therapy is commonly used—and often for many years—in women with breast cancer. However, they explain that little is known about the effect of long-term tamoxifen use on cognitive function. Therefore, they evaluated cognitive function approximately three years after diagnosis in postmenopausal women with breast cancer who were treated with tamoxifen.

The investigators accessed data from women who underwent breast cancer surgery with or without radiotherapy, women who received tamoxifen, and healthy controls. They administered neuropsychological tests to the women. In addition, the women completed questionnaires regarding health-related quality of life (Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 and Breast Cancer-Specific Quality-of-Life Questionnaire), menopausal symptoms (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast endocrine symptom subscale), and anxiety and depression (Hopkins Symptom Checklist).

The study group comprised a total of 107 (tamoxifen group: 20 women; surgery/radiotherapy group: 43 women; healthy control group: 44 women). The women in the tamoxifen group had received tamoxifen for an average 18.6 months (range: 15-79 months); they performed worse on verbal memory than the surgical operation/radiotherapy group and the healthy control group. Participants in the adjuvant tamoxifen group performed worse on measures of fluency than the healthy controls. In addition, women in the tamoxifen group reported worse cognitive function than women in the surgery/radiotherapy group or the healthy control group.

The authors concluded that their findings provide insights into cognitive function in women who receive long-term tamoxifen treatment. By adding the surgery/radiotherapy group, they could control for the mental and physical influences of the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. They noted that cognitive domains that rely on verbal abilities (verbal memory and fluency) appear to be at risk for deterioration after treatment with tamoxifen.

Tamoxifen in the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Take home message:

As with any medication, risks and benefits exist. Thus, if you are on long-term tamoxifen therapy, discuss this study with your physician.

Source: http://m.edtreatmentindia.com/

Wrong diagnosis: Breast Cancer

A diagnosis of breast cancer is devastating; however, a wrong diagnosis can be more devastating. Unfortunately, misdiagnosis can occur; a patient with breast cancer will be told she does not have cancer, and a patient who does not have breast cancer can be told that she does have it. Obviously, either of these errors can cause significant harm to a patient. Fortunately, a diagnostic service is available that can reduce diagnostic errors: know error®. To obtain the facts regarding diagnostic errors, I consulted with Dr. David Brousseau, director of Radiology of Los Angeles Center for Women’s Health and Laura Beggrow, president of Strand Diagnostics/Know Error. The accompanying slide show explains how diagnostic errors can occur.

Breast Biopsies System

Check this Article: Cosmetic Penile Surgery in India

The know error system uses bar coding, forensic principles, and DNA matching to confirm that surgical biopsy samples being evaluated belong exclusively to the patient being diagnosed. (Forensic principles are the use of science or technology in the investigation and establishment of facts or evidence.) The know error system for breast biopsies is in use in medical practices across the nation. Since the test was launched in September 2012 nearly 13,000 breast cancer patients have been tested using the know error system. (The know error test was first launched in prostate cancer in 2010. From 2010- September 2013- over 106,000 prostate cancer patients have been tested)

The cost of medical services is of major importance to most Americans. The good news is that the know error system kits are provided to physicians practices at no charge to the patient nor practice. Ms. Beggrow told me that the patient’s insurance company is billed for the molecular diagnostic testing performed. Reimbursement varies and currently averages around $400 per patient. Strand Diagnostics makes testing available to all appropriate breast cancer patients regardless of their insurance, providing comprehensive assistance and support for all patients throughout the reimbursement process. The know error system is a DNA Specimen Provenance Assignment (DSPA) molecular diagnostic test billed to governmental and commercial insurance providers. Therefore, patients will only be responsible for the in-network deductible, co-insurance, and co-pay amounts applied by their carriers.

Ms. Beggrow told me that they are discovering diagnostic errors in 1.18% of the breast patients that they test. Whether or not the patient received a false positive diagnosis is a function of the diagnosis of the "complementary" tissue. That is, if a patient DOES have breast cancer and her tissue is switched with someone that ALSO has breast cancer, then by chance, neither patient will receive a false reading of cancer. (Although the grade and volume of cancer may have been different, neither would have received a false cancer diagnosis.) The bottom line is that know error can reduce that approximately 1% chance of error to zero.

I asked Dr. Brousseau how often diagnostic errors occurred and if they were increasing. He told me that Specimen Provenance Complications (SPCs) can occur as a result of human error during any step in the complex biopsy diagnostic testing cycle. Some examples of SPCs include mislabeling, specimen transposition, and foreign cell contamination. Approximately 3.5% of cases receiving a positive cancer diagnosis are subject to undetected SPCs, which could lead to a cancer diagnosis being assigned to the wrong patient. Conversely this could lead to a delay in women with breast cancer receiving their diagnosis, potentially delaying life-saving treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer annually in the United States, meaning approximately 2,000 women per year could be incorrectly diagnosed with breast cancer. Since the issue continues to be undetected and under-reported that number will continue to increase. The error rate provided only includes healthy patients who are diagnosed with cancer; however, it does not include those who are told they do not have cancer but later on do in fact receive a positive biopsy result. These mistakes can set in motion the overtreatment of thousands of patients annually as well as delay the potentially life-saving treatments of women with cancer.

Dr. Brousseau noted that the attention to detail, particularly with respect to specimen labeling, varies widely among medical institutions. At his institution, the Los Angeles Center for Women’s Health, specimens are processed and labeled immediately. He stressed that avoiding batch processing at the point of acquisition is important for patient safety. Nonetheless, many if not most, institutions now utilize third party services to process the specimens before they are reviewed for diagnosis. Since this part of the process is beyond their direct control, they feel very comfortable with the knowledge that the know error system helps them avoid any transposition issues which could potentially occur in subsequent processing. Fortunately, they have not discovered any mislabeling or transposition errors since we began using this system about nine months ago.

Dr. Brousseau told me that issues of cross-contamination are becoming of greater concern to the medical community as tissue specimens undergo more frequent gene testing to predict prognosis and gene testing is employed in decision-making about the use of chemotherapeutic agents. Although cross-contamination itself may not lead to a cancer diagnosis in the wrong patient, it could have a significant effect on a choice about the subsequent treatment. In summary, he said, “Patients that hear those dreaded words - you have breast cancer - and how many are actually getting the wrong diagnosis. Now, with the help of a DNA test, physicians around the Country are aiming to lower the rate at which these errors occur.”

At nearly every step of the 20-step biopsy diagnostic process there is room for mix-ups to hide, undetected. This can be caused by two errors: (1) the patient's sample is switched with another's and (2) the patients sample is contaminated with one or more patient's DNA tissue. Over 200,000 woman are diagnosed with breast cancer per year. This means that treatment recommendations (including removal of healthy breasts and prostates, chemotherapy, radiation) are being made for cancer-free patients and life-saving treatment is being delayed in some cases as well.

Breast Biopsy; Uses, Side Effects, Procedure, Results

Now, when a patient comes into the physician’s office to have a surgical biopsy- where the physician takes a sample of the mass in the breast - they are also given a DNA test (know error system) via cheek swab. When the biopsy sample comes back to the lab and tests positive for cancer, it is then sent to the lab and the DNA from the cheek swab is matched with the DNA from the biopsy sample. From here, it can be determined if the biopsy sample is in fact that patients. This test is a simple, non-invasive way to reassure the patient their diagnosis is their own and, if they do have cancer, then they are receiving the accurate treatment.

Source: http://m.edtreatmentindia.com/

Reduce Breast Cancer Risk With Fish Oils

Numerous studies have reported the health benefits of fish oil. Now, a large new study has found that a seafood diet that contains higher levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer. Researchers at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China published their findings on June 27 in BMJ.

Study Suggests Mediterranean Diet Reduces Breast Cancer Risk

Check this Article: Penile Implant Surgery in India

The researchers note that breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and the leading cause of death from cancer among women, accounting for 23% of the total cancer cases and 14% of cancer deaths in 2008. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths, behind lung cancer. The researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 26 six research publications, including 20,905 cases of breast cancer and 883,585 participants from 21 independent prospective cohort studies. Of the 26 studies, 11 (13,323 breast cancer events and 687,770 participants) investigated fish intake, 17 articles investigated marine n-3 PUFA (16,178 breast cancer events and 527,392 participants), and 12 articles investigated alpha linolenic acid (14,284 breast cancer events and 405,592 participants). A meta-analysis is the compilation of data from several studies to increase the validity of the results. The data was obtained from PubMed and Embase up to December 2012.

The authors noted that fish (especially salmon, tuna, and sardines) are the most abundant source of marine n-3 PUFA; thus, they evaluated these sources as well as dietary supplements containing marine n-3 PUFA. They found that marine n-3 PUFA was associated with 14% reduction of risk of breast cancer, and the relative risk remained similar whether marine n-3 PUFA was measured as dietary intake or as tissue biomarkers. Subgroup analyses also indicated that the inverse association between marine n-3 PUFA and risk was more evident in studies that did not adjust for body mass index (BMI) than in studies that did adjust for BMI. Dose-response analysis indicated that risk of breast cancer was reduced by 5% per 0.1g/day or 0.1% energy/day increment of dietary marine n-3 PUFA intake. No significant association was observed for fish intake or exposure to alpha linolenic acid.

The authors concluded that higher consumption of dietary marine n-3 PUFA is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. They added that the associations of fish and alpha linolenic acid intake with risk warrant further investigation of prospective cohort studies. They note that their findings could public health implications in regard to prevention of breast cancer through dietary and lifestyle interventions.

Health Benefits of Fish Oil

Take home message:

This study notes that, in addition to cardiovascular benefits, marine n-3 PUFA can reduce the risk of breast cancer. Supplements are available that contain the substance. Include seafood such as salmon, tuna, and sardines in your diet. Avoid farm-raise products such as farm-raised salmon. This seafood contains antibiotics and other pollutants, which negate their health benefits.

Source: http://www.edtreatmentindia.com/

Some Women May be at Increased Breast Cancer Risk After Estrogen Withdrawal

According to a two-year study by researchers at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, some women with an inherited mutation, known as the KRAS-variant, may be at increased risk to breast cancer after abrupt estrogen withdrawal. The findings were published on May 11 in the journal Cell Cycle.

If You're Experiencing These Signs You May Have High Estrogen

Check this Article: Penile Implant Surgery in India

The study was led by Joanne Weidhaas, MD, PhD, a UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center member and director of translational research at the David Geffen School of Medicine. Her team analyzed data from a group of more than 1,700 breast cancer patients who all furnished DNA samples to be tested for the inherited KRAS-variant. The study also included a group of women with the KRAS-variant who did not have cancer, as well as biological models to scientifically confirm the clinical findings.

The investigators found that acute estrogen withdrawal, such as ovary removal without estrogen replacement, discontinuation of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) as experienced after ovary removal, or with hormone replacement therapy discontinuation, and/or a low estrogen state in women with the KRAS-variant produced an increased breast cancer risk. Acute estrogen withdrawal also triggered breast cancer formation in the KRAS-variant biological models that were used in the study. In addition, the researchers found that up to 455 of breast cancer patients with the KRAS-variant went on to develop a second independent breast cancer; thus, marking a 12-fold increased risk over breast cancer patients without the KRAS-variant.

Previous studies have reported that the KRAS-variant, which is present in 1 out of 17 individuals, or 6 % of the world's population, predicts an increased risk of various cancers, including breast cancer; furthermore, it is present in up to 20%of newly diagnosed cancer patients. I addition, a previous study showed that women with the KRAS-variant are significantly more likely to develop both breast and ovarian cancer.

Dr. Weidhaas explained, "Although we had evidence that the KRAS-variant was a stronger predictor of cancer risk for women than men, we did not previously have a scientific explanation for this observation. This study's findings, showing that estrogen withdrawal can influence cancer risk for women with the KRAS-variant, begins to provide some answers."

The findings of the study contrast with some past ones that suggested that women on combination hormone replacement therapy are more likely to develop breast cancer. However, they are in agreement with follow-up studies that found estrogen alone may actually protect women from breast cancer. Dr. Weidhaas said, "The KRAS-variant may be a genetic difference that could actually help identify women who could benefit from continuing estrogen, or at a minimum, at least tapering it appropriately. We hope that there are real opportunities to personalize risk reducing strategies for these women, through further defining the most protective estrogen management approaches, as well as by understanding the impact of different treatment alternatives at the time of a woman's first breast cancer diagnosis."

Estrogen Withdrawal Increase to Breast Cancer

Source: http://www.edtreatmentindia.com/

Another Genetic Mutation Implicated in Breast Cancer Risk

It is well known that women who carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation are at increased risk for breast cancer. Now, a new study reports that another mutation in a gene known as PALB2 significantly increases a woman’s breast cancer risk. The findings were published on August 7 in The New England Journal of Medicine by researchers at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

Myths and Facts About Breast Cancer

Check this Article: Penile Implant Surgery in India Cost

The study authors note that previous research has reported that mutations in PALB2 were linked to breast cancer, and many genetic tests already screen for them. However, it is unclear to what degree these mutations increase a woman’s risk of developing the malignancy. Therefore, the investigators conducted a study of 362 members of 154 families with PALB2 mutations. None of the women carried the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations; however, all had at least one family member with breast cancer and a mutation in PALB2. There were 311 women with PALB2 mutations, among whom 229 had breast cancer, and 51 men with the mutation, of whom seven had the malignancy.

The investigators noted that, over all, a PALB2 mutation carrier had a 35% risk of developing breast cancer by age 70. This risk compared to a 50-70% risk among women with BRCA1 mutations and a 40-60% risk among women with BRCA2 mutations. These percentages are significantly higher than the lifetime risk for breast cancer in the general population, which stands at about 12%. In addition the researchers found that the breast cancer risk for women younger than 40 with a PALB2 mutation was eight to nine times higher than the general population. The risk was six to eight times higher among women aged 40 to 60 years with these mutations, and five times as higher among women older than 60 years.

The study authors could not explain why younger women with the mutation were at higher risk. Furthermore, the study comprised too few men with PALB2 mutations. In addition, the study found that women with the PALB2 mutations were slightly more likely to have “triple negative” breast cancer, which is a type of cancer that is resistant to hormonal treatment, more aggressive, and more likely to relapse than other types.

The researchers obtained their data from 14 sites in eight nations but found no significant geographic variations in its prevalence. They noted that larger studies are needed to determine such differences, as well as to assess the role of lifestyle and hormone use on breast cancer risk in PALB2 mutation carriers. Breast cancer risk is not only dependent on genetic factors but also on how the genes interact with the environment. For example, smoking increases breast cancer risk.

Women with BRCA Gene Mutations Given Clear 

Picture of Breast Cancer Risk

Take home message:

At present, breast cancer guidelines do not recommend screening for breast cancer genes in most women, only for those with a family history of the malignancy. Thus, if you have a family history of breast cancer, you should be tested for BRCA1, BRCA1, and PALB2 mutations.

Source: http://m.edtreatmentindia.com/

Pre-birth Exposure to DDT Linked to Breast Cancer Risk

Women who were exposed to high levels of the pesticide DDT while in the womb are at a four-fold greater risk of developing breast cancer than those exposed to lower levels, according to a new study. The research, published June 16 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM), found evidence of a link between women exposed to DDT during their pregnancy and the risk of breast cancer to their daughters.

Breast Cancer and DDT

Check this Article: Cosmetic Penile Surgery in India

“Environmental chemicals have long been suspected as causes of breast cancer, but until now, there have been few human studies to support this idea,” study author Barbara A. Cohn, PhD, director of Child Health and Development Studies at the Public Health Institute in Berkeley, Calif., said in a news release.

Banned in the U.S. since 1972, DDT was one of the first pesticides to be recognized as an endocrine disruptor – a group of chemicals that interfere with the body’s endocrine system and produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects in both humans and wildlife. Previous studies found that exposure to DDT was associated with birth defects, reduced fertility and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, but links to breast cancer were weak -- until now.

For the new study, Cohn and her colleagues tracked the daughters of women who participated in the Child Health and Development Studies (CHDS) from 1959 to 1967. At that time, DDT was a widely used pesticide that accumulated in the fat of animals, milk, butter, cheese and other products in the food supply. It was also present in a number of products found in the home.

The CHDS research involved 20,754 pregnant women who gave birth to 9,300 daughters during that period. The researchers used state records and a survey of CHDS participants’ grown daughters to uncover how many had been diagnosed with breast cancer by the time they turned 52.

To determine the levels of DDT the daughters were exposed to in the womb, the research team analyzed stored blood samples that were taken from their mothers during pregnancy or shortly after they delivered their babies. During the 54-year follow-up period, the researchers measured DDT levels in the mothers of 118 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer and compared them to DDT levels in 354 women from the group who did not develop breast cancer.

Cohn and her colleagues found that elevated levels of DDT in the mother’s blood were associated with a 3.7 times higher risk of breast cancer in their daughters, than those exposed to lower levels. They also found the higher the level of DDT in a mother’s blood, the more likely her daughter would be diagnosed with more advanced breast cancer.

The link to DDT remained strong even after accounting for the mother’s breast cancer history. Among the women diagnosed with breast cancer, 83 percent had the estrogen-receptor positive form, where the cancer receives signals form the hormone estrogen to promote tumor growth. Because DDT has been found to interfere with the production of estrogen, this finding may explain the link.

Although the authors see their study as the first to provide evidence of an association between DDT and breast cancer, they acknowledge that it does not prove a cause-and-effect. However, with the women most heavily exposed while in the womb in the 1960s currently reaching the age of a heightened risk of breast cancer, the researchers see a need for a new emphasis on finding and controlling environmental causes of breast cancer that operates in utero.

Breast cancer risk tied to DDT varies by exposure timing

“Our findings should prompt additional clinical and laboratory studies that can lead to prevention, early detection and treatment of DDT-associated breast cancer in the many generations of women who were exposed in the womb,” Cohn said in the news release.

Source: http://www.edtreatmentindia.com/

Girls Have Earlier Onset of Menstrual Periods When They Drink Sugary Drinks

There has been a great deal of concern about how drinking sugary soft drinks can cause obesity and therefore associated serious health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. Oxford University Press reported in an article which was released from embargo on Jan. 28, 2015, that a newfound problem with sugary soft drinks has been an association with earlier onset of menstrual periods.

Sugary Drinks Linked to Early Onset Of First Menstruation

Check this Article: Penile Implant Surgery in India Cost

Researchers have found that girls who frequently consume sugary drinks generally start their menstrual periods earlier in life than girls who do not. This is the first study to explore the association between sugar-sweetened drinks and the age at which girls have their first period. The researchers followed 5583 girls who were aged 9-14 years between 1996 and 2001.

The researchers found that the girls who drank more than 1.5 servings of sugary drinks daily had their first period 2.7 months earlier than those girls who consumed two or fewer soft drinks a week. It is significant that this finding was independent of the girls’ body mass index (BMI), height, total food intake and other lifestyle considerations such as physical activity.

There has been a growing problem of childhood obesity in developed countries. Clearly drinking sugary soft drinks makes this problem worse. Now there are also deepening concerns that drinking sugary soft drinks is also associated with girls getting their periods earlier in life because this has been linked to an increased risk of getting breast cancer later in life. Karin Michels (ScD, PhD), Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School who led this study, says this research adds to increasing concerns about the wide-spread consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks among kids and adolescents in the United States and elsewhere across the world.

In this study diet sodas and fruit juices were not found to be associated with any difference in the age at which girls began their periods. The researchers have explained that drinks which have added sugar have a higher glycemic index than the naturally sweetened drinks such as fruit juices. When high glycemic foods are consumed there is a rapid increase in insulin concentrations in the body. The higher insulin concentrations may lead to higher concentrations of sex hormones. It has been observed that significant alterations in the concentrations of sex hormones circulating in the body may be associated to periods starting earlier.

Sugary Drinks Liked with Early Menstrual Periods in Girl

This study has been published in the journal Human Reproduction. Sugary soft drink consumption has been found to be associated with metabolic changes which could potentially impact the timing of a girls first period. Frequent consumption of sugary soft drinks may therefore cause earlier menarche via mechanisms other than increased BMI. Professor Michels says these findings offer further support for public health efforts to decrease the consumption of sugary drinks.

Source: http://m.edtreatmentindia.com/