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Study shows breast cancer risk factors differ among races

April 26, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, April 26 (ANI): A new American research suggests that breast cancer risk factors differ among races.

Breast cancer occurs more frequently in certain ethnic and racial groups, but the reasons behind these differences are not fully understood.

To investigate the issue, Lisa Hines, of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs led a study that considered how established breast cancer risk factors – including reproductive history, family history of breast cancer, menstrual history, hormone use, alcohol consumption, physical activity, height, and body mass index – might be involved in explaining some of the observed differences in the occurrence of breast cancer among racial and ethnic groups.

They studied breast cancer among women from the Southwest United States who were enrolled in the population-based, case-control 4-Corners Breast Cancer Study, which was designed to investigate factors that contribute to the difference in breast cancer incidence rates observed between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women.

Prior studies have shown that non-Hispanic white women have a higher incidence of breast cancer than Hispanic women.

In this current study, the researchers found that 62 percent to 75 percent of breast cancer cases among non-Hispanic white women were attributed to known breast cancer risk factors, compared with only 7 to 36 percent of cases among Hispanic women.

Hispanic women were more likely to have characteristics associated with lower breast cancer risk, such as earlier age at first childbirth, having more children, shorter height, less hormone use, and less alcohol consumption.

Among premenopausal women, taller height and family history of breast cancer were associated with increased risk in non-Hispanic white women but were not among Hispanic women.

Among postmenopausal women, certain breast cancer risk factors in non-Hispanic whites (such as recent hormone therapy use and younger age at menarche) had no or only weak associations with breast cancer in Hispanics.

These findings suggest that many of the risk factors studied to date explain fewer of the breast cancer cases that arise in Hispanic women compared with non-Hispanic white women.

Dr. Hines said: “These differences are likely to contribute to disparities in breast cancer incidence rates, and could potentially reflect differences in breast cancer development among these ethnic groups.”

For instance, ethnic differences in genetic and environmental or lifestyle factors may affect individuals” susceptibility to the development of breast cancer.

The authors noted that the study”s findings also indicate that the use of models to estimate a woman”s risk of breast cancer that were developed from studies among non-Hispanic white populations need to be evaluated among other ethnic and racial populations.

The study has appeared early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: alcohol consumption, body mass index, breast cancer, breast cancer cases, breast cancer incidence, breast cancer risk, breast cancer risk factors, breast cancer study, cancer incidence rates, cancer risk factors, case control, hispanic women, History Family, history of breast cancer, incidence of breast cancer, menarche, premenopausal women, Racial Groups, Reproductive History, university of colorado at colorado springs

Occupational sunlight exposure linked to reduced kidney cancer risk in men

March 8, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, March 8 (ANI): Men employed in occupations with potential exposure to high levels of sunlight have a reduced risk of kidney cancer compared with men who are less likely to be exposed to sunlight at work, according to a new study.

Research suggests that vitamin D, which is obtained from sun exposure, some foods, and from supplements, may help prevent some cancers.

Sara Karami, of the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, and her colleagues designed a study, which included 1,097 patients with kidney cancer and 1,476 individuals without cancer from four Central and Eastern European countries.

Demographic and lifetime occupational information was collected through in-person interviews and occupational sunlight exposure indices were estimated based on industry and job titles.

The investigators observed a 24 percent to 38 percent reduction in kidney cancer risk with increasing occupational sunlight exposure among male participants in the study.

No association between occupational sunlight exposure and kidney cancer risk was observed among females in the study.

The findings suggest that sunlight exposure may affect kidney cancer risk, although the authors have no explanation for the apparent differences in risk between men and women. They offer several hypotheses for the observed differences.

Biological or behavioral differences between men and women may play a role.

For example, hormonal differences may influence the body”s response to sunlight exposure, females may have a higher tendency to use sunscreen on a regular basis, and men may be prone to working outdoors while shirtless.

It is also possible that the observed gender differences in risk were due to confounding by other unmeasured kidney cancer risk factors, such as recreational sunlight exposure and physical activity levels.

The study has been published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: american cancer society, Apparent Differences, Behavioral Differences, cancer risk factors, differences between men and women, Eastern European Countries, Gender Differences, Hormonal Differences, Hypotheses, Job Titles, karami, Kidney Cancer, male participants, national cancer institute, Occupational Information, peer reviewed journal, Person Interviews, sun exposure, Sunlight Exposure, Vitamin D

Now, a computational method to detect top genetic cancer suspects

September 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 2 (ANI): Johns Hopkins engineers have come up with a new computational method that can help scientists to sift through hundreds of genetic mutations to highlight the DNA changes that are most likely to promote cancer.

The computational method is called CHASM, short for Cancer-specific High-throughput Annotation of Somatic Mutations.

According to its inventors, the purpose behind making it is to provide critical help to researchers who are poring over numerous newly discovered gene mutations, many of which are harmless or have no connection to cancer.

They say that the new software will enable scientists to focus more of their attention on the mutations that are most likely to trigger tumours.

They have even reported the results of a test of the method on brain cancer DNA in the journal Cancer Research.

Rachel Karchin, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and doctoral student Hannah Carter have revealed that the new process focuses on missense mutations, meaning protein sequences that each possess a single tiny variation from the normal pattern.

A small percentage of these genetic errors can reduce the activity of proteins that usually suppress tumours or hyperactivate proteins that make it easier for tumours to grow, thereby allowing cancer to develop and spread.

However, it can prove very difficult to find these genetic offenders.

“It’s very expensive and time-consuming to test a huge number of gene mutations, trying to find the few that have a solid link to cancer. Our new screening system should dramatically speed up efforts to identify genetic cancer risk factors and help find new targets for cancer-fighting medications,” said Karchin.

Karchin and Carter plan to post their system on the Web, and will allow researchers worldwide to use it freely to prioritise their studies.

They hope that it could easily be adapted to rank the mutations that might be linked to different forms of the disease, such as breast cancer or lung cancer. (ANI)

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: brain cancer, breast cancer, Cancer Medications, cancer research, cancer risk factors, Computational Method, Disea, Dna Changes, doctoral student, Gene Mutations, genetic cancer risk, genetic errors, Genetic Mutations, high throughput, Inventors, journal cancer, missense mutations, Protein Sequences, Screening System, somatic mutations, tumours, will enable scientists

Migraines linked to reduced breast cancer risk

July 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 10 (ANI): For women who suffer from migraines, here’s some good news: New study shows that your risk of breast cancer may be reduced by as much as 26 percent.

And no matter what a woman’s age or what migraine triggers a woman might be avoiding, the risk of breast cancer is still reduced, according to the study, led by Christopher I. Li, M.D., Ph.D., a breast-cancer epidemiologist and associate member of the Hutchinson Center’s Public Health Sciences Division.

Li led the first-of-its-kind study linking migraines with breast cancer risk reduction that was published last November.

This time researchers found that the risk reduction remained statistically similar regardless of a woman’s menopausal status, her age at migraine diagnosis, use of prescription migraine medications or whether she avoided known migraine “triggers” such as alcohol consumption, smoking and taking hormone replacements. These triggers are also well-established breast cancer risk factors.

Some key differences between this study and the initial one that discovered the link include: the sample size was more than four times larger this time – more than 4,500 cases and controls versus about 1,000 each in the first study – and was more diverse geographically, drawing women from five metropolitan areas instead of only one.

“From an epidemiological perspective, having a larger and more diverse study in its underlying population helps in replicating the finding,” Li said.

The age range of women studied was wider this time, 34-64 years of age versus 55-74 years old.

“We were able to look at whether this association was seen among both pre-menopausal and post menopausal women. In breast cancer this is relevant because there are certain risk factors that are different between older and younger women. In this study we saw the same reduction in breast cancer risk associated with a migraine history regardless of age,” Li said.

Researchers were able to ascertain whether women in the study had lifestyle behaviours that are known migraine triggers – alcohol consumption, smoking and taking hormone replacement therapy.

Researchers posited that perhaps women who had migraines drank and smoked less and didn’t take hormone replacements.

“But in this study we looked at women who never drank, never smoked and who also didn’t use hormones and found the same association within each of those groups, suggesting that the association between migraine and reduced breast cancer risk may be independent of those other factors and may stand alone as a protective factor,” he said.

What remains unknown is how migraine confers its apparent protection against breast cancer.

“We know that migraine is definitely related to hormones and that’s why we started looking at this in the first place. We have different ideas about what may be going on but it’s unclear exactly what the biological mechanisms are,” Li said.

The study appears in the July 2009 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: alcohol consumption, associate member, breast cancer, breast cancer risk, breast cancer risk factors, cancer risk factors, cancer risk reduction, epidemiological, epidemiologist, health sciences division, hormone replacements, hutchinson center, last november, metropolitan areas, migraine, post menopausal, pre menopausal, public health sciences, time researchers, Younger Women

Metabolic factors linked to risk of breast cancer

July 1, 2009 By admin 1 Comment

Washington, July 1 (ANI): Physiological factors linked with metabolic syndrome may play a major role in the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, according to a study.

The metabolic syndrome, or insulin resistance syndrome, consists of a large number of factors, including abdominal obesity, high blood glucose levels, impaired glucose tolerance, abnormal lipid levels, and high blood pressure.

It is also associated with poor diet and lack of physical activity and can increase the risk for diabetes and heart disease.

The metabolic syndrome is characterised by elevated insulin levels, and scientists have recently proposed that insulin may contribute directly or indirectly to the development of breast cancer.

Researchers suspect that the metabolic syndrome could influence the risk for breast cancer by affecting interrelated hormones, such as insulin, oestrogen, cytokines and growth factors.

“This study suggests that having the metabolic syndrome itself or some of its components may increase a woman’s risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. However, much more work is needed to understand the role of these metabolic factors and their interplay with better established breast cancer risk factors, such as reproductive and hormonal factors,” said Dr. Geoffrey C. Kabat, senior epidemiologist in the department of epidemiology and population health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York.

In the current study, the researchers have for the first time assessed whether women who met the criteria of having the metabolic syndrome were at greater risk for postmenopausal breast cancer.

For the study, the researchers used existing data from the Women’s Health Initiative – a large, national study designed to assess major causes of chronic disease in women.

The participants in the study included postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years at enrolment who had repeated measurements of components of metabolic syndrome over an eight-year period.

They were measured for factors including blood levels of glucose, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as waist girth and blood pressure.

Kabat said that the results demonstrated a modest positive association of having the metabolic syndrome as a whole.

Of the 4,888 women with baseline measurements who did not have diabetes, 165 incident cases of breast cancer were diagnosed during the follow-up period.

Presence of the metabolic syndrome at baseline was not linked with breast cancer risk.

Kabat, however, said that in analyses that made use of the repeated measurements, “women who had the metabolic syndrome during the three to five years prior to breast cancer diagnosis had roughly a doubling of risk.”

The findings also showed significant associations with elevated blood glucose levels, triglycerides and diastolic blood pressure.

The study has been published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: abnormal lipid levels, albert einstein college, albert einstein college of medicine, blood glucose levels, breast cancer, breast cancer researchers, breast cancer risk, breast cancer risk factors, cancer risk factors, diabetes and heart disease, einstein college of medicine, glucose tolerance, health initiative, high blood glucose, High Blood Glucose Levels, insulin levels, insulin resistance, insulin resistance syndrome, metabolic factors, risk for breast cancer

Novel MRI technique can lead to less breast biopsies in high-risk women

June 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, June 30 (ANI): Researchers from University of Wisconsin-Madison have suggested a new method, that when applied with MRI scans of the breast, can help rid women with increased breast cancer risk of the pain and stress of having to endure a biopsy of the lump or lesion.

It is recommended that women with certain breast cancer risk factors – including inherited genetic mutations, family or personal history of breast cancer, or previous radiation therapy to the chest should receive an annual MRI screening in addition to their yearly mammogram.

During a breast MRI, which lasts about a half hour, the technician injects a contrast agent into a vein in the patient’s arm.

The contrast agent flows throughout the body, including the breasts.

Because they are growing quickly, cancerous lesions often have immature vasculature, and the contrast agent flows in and “leaks” out quickly. Conversely, benign lesions show more gradual in and out flow.

“The tricky ones are the ones that enhance quickly and then fall off more slowly,” said Wally Block, a UW-Madison associate professor of biomedical engineering and medical physics.

“Many of these lesions turn out to be difficult to classify and lead to biopsy,” Block added.

The researchers suggest that right kind of MRI scan can help identify a cancerous lesion based on characteristics about its shape.

For instance, breaks or interruptions in a lesion can indicate a benign fibroadenoma. Lumps with smooth edges often are benign, while those with jagged edges can signal cancer.

With the new technique, an MRI machine acquires data radially and generates a high-resolution, three-dimensional image that radiologists can turn, slice and view from many perspectives – enabling them to study a lesion’s physical characteristics more carefully.

Machines equipped with the technique also acquire more data in less time. (ANI)

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Women with hypothyroidism more prone to liver cancer

May 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, May 5 (ANI): Women who have a history of hypothyroidism may be at an increased risk of developing liver cancer, according to a study.

Hypothyroidism is a disease that could lead to hyperlipidemia and weight gain, and may play a role in the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which can progress to more severe liver disease.

Many studies have shown that hypothyroidism is linked with hepatitis C, which in turn leads to a rising rate of liver cancer.

Led by Manal Hassan of Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, the research team designed a case-control study to better understand the association between hypothyroidism and the development of liver cancer, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in the U.S.

For their analysis, the researchers recruited 420 patients with liver cancer and 1,104 healthy controls.

From each subject, they gathered demographic data and information about liver cancer risk factors – like smoking, alcohol consumption and family cancer history. The team also questioned them about their history of thyroid conditions and obesity.

They provided blood samples that were tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

About 15 percent of the liver cancer patients were found to have a history of thyroid disease, compared to about 12 percent of the healthy controls.

The researchers found that the subjects with a history of hypothyroidism had twice the risk of liver cancer.

However the relationship was only significant for females.

Women who had a prior history of hypothyroidism for more than 10 years had a three-fold higher risk of liver cancer, compared to those without a history of thyroid disorders.

There was no change in the association even after adjusting for obesity.

“Whether and why hypothyroidism causes HCC is not clear. However, the association between hypothyroidism and NASH can be explained by the underlying hyperlipidemia, decreased fatty acid oxidation insulin resistance and lipid peroxidation in patients with hypothyroidism,” wrote the authors.

And these conditions may make the patient susceptible to HCC development.

“Further studies among different populations are warranted to confirm the association between hypothyroidism and HCC and to identify the underlying biological mechanisms and the genetic predisposition factors that may contribute to susceptibility to HCC development in the presence of thyroid disorders,” concluded the authors.

The study has been reported in the latest issue of Hepatology. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: alcohol consumption, anderson cancer center, cancer history, cancer risk factors, case control study, family cancer, fatty acid oxidation, HCC, hepatitis b, hepatitis c, hyperlipidemia, hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, lipid peroxidation, liver cancer patients, liver disease, manal, steatohepatitis, thyroid conditions, thyroid disease, thyroid disorders

Both red and white wine up breast-cancer risk

March 9, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 9 (ANI): A new study, led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, has revealed that both red and white wine are equal offenders when it comes to increasing breast-cancer risk.

“We were interested in teasing out red wine’s effects on breast-cancer risk. There is reason to suspect that red wine might have beneficial effects based on previous studies of heart disease and prostate cancer,” said lead author Polly Newcomb, Ph.D., M.P.H., head of the Cancer Prevention Program in the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center.

“The general evidence is that alcohol consumption overall increases breast-cancer risk, but the other studies made us wonder whether red wine might in fact have some positive value,” Newcomb added.

Instead, the researchers found no compelling reason to choose red wine over white wine.

“We found no difference between red or white wine in relation to breast-cancer risk.

Neither appears to have any benefits. If a woman drinks, she should do so in moderation – no more than one drink a day. And if a woman chooses red wine, she should do so because she likes the taste, not because she thinks it may reduce her risk of breast cancer,” Newcomb said.

The researchers found that women who consumed 14 or more drinks per week, regardless of the type (wine, liquor or beer), faced a 24 percent increase in breast cancer compared with non-drinkers.

For the study, the researchers interviewed 6,327 women with breast cancer and 7,558 age-matched controls about their frequency of alcohol consumption (red wine, white wine, liquor and beer) and other breast-cancer risk factors, such as age at first pregnancy, family history of breast cancer and postmenopausal hormone use.

The study participants, ages 20 to 69, were from Wisconsin, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The frequency of alcohol consumption was similar in both groups, and equal proportions of women in both groups reported consuming red and white wine.

The study has been published in the March issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. (ANI)

Filed Under: Health News Tagged With: alcohol consumption, breast cancer, breast cancer risk, breast cancer risk factors, Cancer Prevention, cancer research center, cancer risk factors, Fred Hutchinson Cancer, fred hutchinson cancer research, fred hutchinson cancer research center, health sciences division, history of breast cancer, hutchinson cancer research center, hutchinson center, prevention program, Prostate Cancer, public health sciences, red and white wine, red wine, Study participants