Posts Tagged ‘breast cancer’
Written by Rahul on 04 September 2009
Washington, Sep 4 (ANI): Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine can prevent some forms of breast cancer in women and save thousands of lives each year, suggested an Australian study.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales used genetic probes to test cancerous breast cells, and found several strains of HPVs, which are known to have a high risk of initiating cancer of the cervix.
HPV has a causal role in 90-95 per cent of cervical cancers.
Led by Visiting Professor James Lawson at UNSW, the researchers confirmed the presence of high-risk HPV in the nuclei of breast cancer epithelial cells in five (39 per cent) of 13 ductal carcinoma in situ and three (21 per cent) of 14 invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) breast cancer specimens.
Non-invasive or in situ cancers are those confined to the milk-making glands, and do not spread to other parts of the breast or body.
Invasive cancers such as IDC are more serious and account for 70-80 percent of all breast cancers.
“The finding that high risk HPV is present in a significant number of breast cancers indicates they may have a causal role in many breast cancers. Confirming a cancer-causing role for HPV in some breast cancers establishes the possibility of preventing some breast cancers by vaccination against HPV,” said Dr Noel Whitaker, a co-author of the new report.
HPVs involvement in breast cancer has long been a topic of controversy, as studies from 15 countries around the world have identified the presence of high-risk types of HPV in breast tissue and breast cancer specimens.
However, those studies have also showed widely varying results, with the prevalence of HPV-positive breast cancer in ranging from as low as four per cent to as high as 86 per cent, and have been clouded by difficulties in detecting the virus in breast specimens.
Besides, the genetic probe technique used – polymerase chain reaction (PCR) – has been criticized for its propensity for contamination.
The technique is based on taking small genetic samples and rapidly copying them to provide a large enough sample to study.
The researchers in the new study have dealt with these issues by using a technique (in situ PCR) that avoids cross-contamination and that provides evidence about whether HPV genetic material is present in the nuclei of human breast cancer specimens.
They validated their findings by looking for “telltale” changes linked to HPV such as enlarged nucleus surrounded by a characteristic “halo”.
Now, the researchers are working on a new method that will make testing even quicker, cheaper and simpler.
The study has been published in the British Journal of Cancer. (ANI)
Tags: breast cancer, breast cancers, breast cells, cancer of the cervix, cancer specimens, cancerous breast, cervical cancers, ductal carcinoma, forms of breast cancer, high risk hpv, high risk types of hpv, invasive cancers, invasive ductal carcinoma, james lawson, new south wales, noel whitaker, polymerase chain reaction, polymerase chain reaction pcr, situ cancers, university of new south wales
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 09 April 2009
Saarbrucken, Germany – For professional cyclists, track and field athletes and weightlifters the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs is a serious offence.
But amateur athletes and people who are simply dedicated to a chosen sport routinely use pills, powders and injections, according to a German government health report.
“Doping among non-professional athletes continues to be underestimated and more widespread than is commonly accepted,” warned professor Wilfried Kindermann of the Institute for Sports and Preventative Medicine at the University of Saarland in Saarbrucken.
Recently, more large-scale studies have been undertaken to find out more about doping in fitness studios. According to these surveys, at least 10 per cent of the people who work out in gyms abuse performance enhancers such as anabolic steroids. Abuse among men is clearly greater than among women.
Anabolic steroids are the most common. The derivative of the male sex hormone testosterone leads to rapid increase in muscle mass.
“People who take the drugs for a long time see only the intended positive effects,” said Mario Thevis, a professor at Germany’s centre for preventative doping research in Cologne. “They think they have everything under control and that they are one of the people unaffected by side effects.” But these appear only after long-time use.
Joerg Boerjesson of Dorsten, Germany, was 19 when he started training excessively at the gym and taking pills. He thought he was immune from the side effects, but health problems started to appear after years of abuse. He suffered nosebleeds and stomach and intestinal cramping. Ultimately, he had to have surgery. His testosterone ingestion over time had resulted in the growth of breasts, and a suspected case of breast cancer.
Today the former bodybuilder and ex-doper considers himself a “preventologist.” He goes to schools, contributes to a German-language website specializing in helping people get off performance-enhancing drugs and assists at a telephone hotline that also helps people who want to quit.
“I talk to a whole lot of people who are intent on increasing their performance – in sports or in their professions, for example, in the military. They know exactly what they are doing and they accept the risks,” Boerjesson said.
Achieving a certain look often plays a role among steroid users who work out at the gym or at fitness studios.
“According to surveys, appearance is the main reason for using steroids for more than half the people who work out at the gym,” said Thevis. There is usually a narcissistic motivation for using steroids among people who work out in their free time, especially among bodybuilders, Kindermann added. “They would like to impress others with their athletic bodies.”
There are other supplements beyond anabolic steroids available for sale on the internet, on the black market, from fellow athletes and also through prescriptions and over-the-counter at the drug store. These include stimulants such as ephedrine, which increases performance and willingness to take risks. Growth hormones such as erythropoietin (epo), increase stamina. Acetylsalicylic acid and anti-rheumatic agents suppress pain resulting from excessive training.
“Often a cocktail concoction is taken without a doctor’s oversight,” said Thevis. People tap into internet forums and relevant literature for guidance on how to use the drugs, but the consumer has no chance to assess the interaction of the drugs, Thevis said. “He can’t check and reassess the concentration and the dosage.”
Up to 30 per cent of the substances available don’t contain what they say they contain. The long-term results of abusing the substances includes stunted growth, sexual dysfunction, enlarged heart, liver cancer and psychological consequences such as increased aggression. (dpa)
Tags: amateur athletes, anabolic steroids, breast cancer, doper, field athletes, german government, government health, hormone testosterone, kindermann, language website, male sex hormone, muscle mass, nosebleeds, performance enhancing drugs, preventative medicine, professional athletes, professional cyclists, rapid increase, saarbrucken germany, taking pills, university of saarland
Posted in World News | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 26 March 2009
Washington, March 26 (ANI): An international team of researchers have come up with a new anti-cancer agent that is about 200 times more active in killing cancer cells than other drugs used in clinical trials to date.
Led by University of Illinois scientists, the team of 24 researchers have revealed that the new agent belongs to a class of drugs called bisphosphonates.
According to them, such compounds were originally developed to treat osteoporosis and other bone diseases, but were recently found to also have potent anti-cancer and immune boosting properties.
Emphasizing that nearly a third of all human cancers involve a mutation in a gene called Ras, which causes cell signalling to go awry, the researchers highlight the fact that efforts to design potential drugs to prevent such irregularity have met with limited successful.
Given that bisphosphonates act on enzymes called FPPS and GGPPS, which are upstream of Ras in the cell survival pathway, the researchers say that inhibiting these enzymes seems to be a more effective strategy for killing cancer cells.
The scientists used the bisphosphonate drug zoledronate in combination with hormone therapy in a recent clinical trial, and found it to significantly reduce the recurrence of breast cancer in pre-menopausal women with oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer.
Similar results were reported previously for hormone-refractory prostate cancer, they say.
However, zoledronate quickly binds to bone, reducing its efficacy in other tissues.
“We’re trying to develop bisphosphonates that will be very active but won’t bind to the bone, because if they bind to the bone they’re not going to go to breast, lung or other tissues,” said lead researcher Eric Oldfield, a professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois.
“The new drugs are about 200 times more effective than the drugs used in recent clinical trials at killing tumour cells and in activating gamma delta T-cells to kill tumour cells. They also prevent tumour progression in mice much better than do existing bisphosphonate molecules,” Oldfield said.
The study appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. (ANI)
Tags: bisphosphonates, bone diseases, breast cancer, cancer agent, cancer cells, cell survival, clinical trial, enzymes, Gamma Delta, hormone refractory prostate cancer, hormone therapy, human cancers, illinois scientists, irregularity, menopausal women, new drugs, Prostate Cancer, recurrence of breast cancer, refractory prostate cancer, T Cells, tumour cells, zoledronate
Posted in Education | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 18 March 2009
Washington, Mar 18 (ANI): Former Atomic Kitten member Kerry Katona has had her breast implants removed from eBay as they were unauthorized.
Katona, 28, had apparently put the implants up on the auction site to raise funds for charity breastcancercampaign.org, but now they have been removed due to too many legal issues.
“The implant was on eBay and I believe the idea was to raise money for Breast Cancer Campaign,” Fox News quoted a rep for the charity as saying.
“However eBay have now taken the item off because people were putting fake bids in, 8 million pounds at one point,” the rep said.
But eBay has revealed that it wasn’t the bogus bidders that caused the items to be removed, and that it was actually Katona who broke the rules.
“Our policy team weighed in and said that this auction was removed for the Charity Violation contained within the item description as there was no letter of written consent by eBay’s Office of the President to allow the item to be sold under our Charity guidelines,” an eBay rep said.
Katona had initially announced the auction on her Facebook page, but she never informed the charity of her plans to donate the proceeds to it.
“We have no idea what her plans are as it wasn’t something we knew about until we saw the media coverage,” the Breast Cancer Campaign rep stated.
“She isn’t someone we have been in contact with before so this story just appeared out of the blue. She has also just announced that she’s getting divorced so she’s probably got other things to worry about,” the rep added. (ANI)
Tags: ANI, Atomic, atomic kitten, auction, Auction Site, bidders, Blue, breast, breast cancer, Breast Cancer Campaign, breast implants, breastcancercampaign, campaign, Cancer, charity, Charity Violation, consent, contact, coverage, description, ebay, Facebook, former, Fox, fox news, idea, item, Item Description, Katona, Kerry, kerry katona, Kitten, letter, mar, media coverage, Member, money, News, office, Office Of The President, org, out of the blue, page, point, policy, president, proceeds, Raise Money, rep, site, someone, something, story, Team, Washington
Posted in Entertainment | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 08 March 2009
London, Mar 8 (ANI): Institute of Cancer Research scientists claim that they have found an enzyme which is responsible for cancer spread.
Cancer Cell journal reported that boffins have discovered a way to stop cancer spreading to other parts of the body after finding enzyme called LOX.
According to researchers, LOX is crucial in promoting metastasis.
Cancer metastasis, where the cancer spreads from its original location, is known to be responsible for 90percent of cancer-related deaths.
To reach the conclusion, researchers studied breast cancer in mice – but are confident that their findings will apply to humans with other cancer types too.
LOX (lysyl oxidase) works by sending out signals to prepare a new area of the body for the cancer to set up a camp. Without this preparation process the new environment would be too hostile for the cancer to grow.
Lead researcher Dr Janine Erler explained the discovery as “the crucial missing piece in the jigsaw that scientists have been searching for.”
She said it was the first time one key enzyme has been identified as responsible for effectively allowing the cancer to spread.
“If we can interrupt the body’s ability to prepare new locations for the cancer to spread to, we can effectively prevent cancer metastasis. Cancer metastasis is very difficult to treat and this new discovery provides real hope that we can develop a drug which will fight the spreading of cancer,” The BBC quoted her, as saying. (ANI)
Tags: BBC, breast cancer, cancer cell journal, cancer metastasis, cancer research, cancer types, conclusion, deaths, erler, janine, jigsaw, London, mice, missing piece, new discovery, research scientists, Researcher, sending out signals, time one
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 03 March 2009
Washington, March 2 (ANI): Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) in Israel have developed a nano-sized laboratory, complete with a microscopic workbench, to measure water quality in real time, which is an enormous leap forward in the detection of pollutants.
According to a report in ENN (Environmental News Network), the “lab on a chip” was developed by a team led by Professor Yosi Shacham-Diamand, vice-dean of TAU’s Faculty of Engineering.
It is a breakthrough in the effort to keep water safe from pollution and bioterrorist threats, pairing biology with the cutting-edge capabilities of nanotechnology.
“We’ve developed a platform – essentially a micro-sized, quarter-inch square ‘lab’ – employing genetically engineered bacteria that light up when presented with a stressor in water,” said Professor Shacham-Diamand.
Equipment on the little chip can work to help detect very tiny light levels produced by the bacteria.
“Instead of using animals to help detect threats to a water supply, our system is based on a plastic chip that is more humane, much faster, more sensitive and much cheaper,” said Prof. Shacham-Diamand.
According to Shacham-Diamand, “Basically, ours is an innovative advance in the ‘lab on a chip’ system.
“It’s an ingenious nano-scale platform designed to get information out of biological events. Our solution can monitor water with never-before-achieved levels of accuracy.
But as a platform, it can also be used for unlimited purposes, such as investigating stem cell therapies or treating cancer,” he said.
The nanolabs can be used to evaluate several biological processes with practical applications, such as microbes in water, stem cells, or breast cancer development. (ANI)
Tags: biological events, biological processes, breast cancer, cancer development, chip system, Diamand, edge capabilities, enormous leap, environmental news, Faculty of Engineering, lab on a chip, nano scale, plastic chip, practical applications, scale platform, stem cells, stressor, tel aviv university, vice dean, Yosi
Posted in Education | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 27 February 2009
London, Feb 27 (ANI): Soap queen Wendy Richard has died of cancer. She was 65.
Richard, who graced the small screen as Miss Brahms in hit BBC comedy series ‘Are You Being Served?’ and later as matriarch Pauline Fowler in soap EastEnders, had breast cancer, reports The Daily Express.
Wendy’s agent, Kevin Francis, said she remained “incredibly brave and retained her sense of humour right to the end”.
Wendy endured two battles with breast cancer in the mid-1990s and then in 2002.
The cancer went into remission after years of treatment in 2005, but last year it was discovered that the disease had returned in an aggressive form, attacking her kidneys, bones and spine.
Richard, who starred in Eastenders for 21 years, revealed in October she had an aggressive, terminal form of cancer.
Wendy was awarded the MBE for services to television in 2000 and in 2007 she was awarded a British Soap Award for Lifetime Achievement for her role in EastEnders.
She launched her television career as a regular in 1960s soap The Newcomers and later appeared in comedy Dad’s Army and two Carry On films.
Richard left EastEnders in 2006. (ANI)
Tags: bbc comedy series, breast cancer, british soap, carry on films, daily express, EastEnders, eastenders star, fowler, kidneys, lifetime achievement, london feb, matriarch, mbe, mid 1990s, miss brahms, queen wendy, remission, sense of humour, television career, wendy richard
Posted in Entertainment | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 24 February 2009
London, Feb 24 (ANI): Women who consume more calcium appear to have lower risk of developing certain cancers, a new study has found.
The research found that low fat milk, cheese and yoghurts could reduce the risk of some cancers by almost a quarter in women.
According to the study, which included almost 500,000 people, women who consumed the most calcium from dairy products or supplements were 23 per cent less likely to develop cancer than woman with the lowest consumption of calcium.
For men there was a 16 per cent reduced risk in those who had calcium rich diets compared with those who ate the least of the mineral, reports The Telegraph.
The study was carried out by a team from the National Cancer Institute in America and is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
To reach the conclusions, the research team studied questionnaires filled in by subjects in 1995 and 1996 on their diets and supplement intakes and matched it to cancer databases until 2003.
Over an average of 7 years of follow-up, 36,965 cancer cases were identified in men and 16,605 in women.
Men who consumed 1,530 milligrams per day had a 16 per cent lower risk of these types of cancer than those who consumed 526 milligrams per day. For women, those who consumed around 1,881 milligrams per day had a 23 per cent lower risk than those who consumed 494 milligrams per day.
The decreased risk was particularly pronounced for colorectal cancer and there was no effect seen on cancer outside the digestive system.
Lead author Yikyung Park, Sc.D., of the National Cancer Institute, said:
“Dairy food, which is relatively high in potentially anticarcinogenic nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D and conjugated linoleic acid, has been postulated to protect against the development of colorectal and breast cancer.
“In conclusion, our findings suggest that calcium intake consistent with current recommendations is associated with a lower risk of total cancer in women and cancers of the digestive system, especially colorectal cancer, in both men and women.”(ANI)
Tags: archives of internal medicine, breast cancer, calcium intake, cancer cases, cancer databases, cancer in women, cancers, colorectal, conjugated linoleic acid, dairy food, dairy products, digestive system, intakes, london feb, low fat milk, milk cheese, milligrams, national cancer institute, types of cancer, Vitamin D
Posted in Health | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 23 February 2009
London, February 23 (ANI): A woman owes her life to her dog who managed to warn her about her malignant breast cancer.
Maureen Burn suspected a health problem after her red collie cross Max kept sniffing her breath and prodding her right breast, before withdrawing from his lively behaviour.
The 64-year-old, from Rugby, was prompted to go for a check-up, which confirmed a small but deadly lump in her right breast.
“I do believe that Max has saved my life. It was his peculiar reaction that alerted me to the fact that something was wrong,” the Mirror quoted her as saying.
“At first I thought he was just getting old, he was not so playful and his eyes were sad. He’d sniff my breath in an odd way – I even asked my husband Roger if I had halitosis.
“Max would also nudge my right breast then back away. Then one day I felt this lump. Max looked at me so sadly and I instantly knew I had cancer.
“On the same day as the biopsy I told my nurse that I already knew, as my dear dog had told me.
“I thought she’d laugh but she said she’d heard it before,” she added. (ANI)
Tags: biopsy, breast cancer, cancer sniffing dog, collie, halitosis, health problem, laugh, London, Mirror, nurse, peculiar reaction
Posted in World News | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 20 February 2009
London, Feb 20 (ANI): Brit experts have cautioned that repeated breast screening tests could lead to unnecessary treatment while women remain ignorant of the risks.
Attacking the Government’s “unethical” leaflets for mammograms, they have said that these pieces of paper “do not come close to telling the truth.”
Twenty-three leading specialists have warned that breast cancer screening can lead to patients being given unnecessary surgery or chemotherapy.
They also claimed that in case cancers detected by the programme were left alone, many “might never appear in a woman’s natural lifespan.”
The warning comes in line with an analysis by the Nordic Cochrane Centre, which found that if 2,000 women were screened for ten years, 10 would be treated unnecessarily.
And a warning letter, signed by public health specialists, epidemiologists, oncologists, GPs and patient representatives, has been sent to the Times newspaper.
The criticism follows the warning by doctors that recent trends to reduce the physical marks caused by breast cancer surgery risk “losing some of the gain in survival” seen in the past decade.
And experts have cautioned that the stress on ensuring that breast surgery does not look unsightly may be at the risk of survival rates.
Monica Morrow, chief of the Breast Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, said that minimally invasive surgery might not be the best for patients.
“Failure to demand a rigorous evaluation of oncological outcomes as well as cosmetic ones runs the risk of losing some of the gains in survival seen in the past decade,” the Telegraph quoted her as writing in the British Medical Journal.
She added: “The local treatment of breast cancer is based on the results of numerous high quality clinical trials and is therefore a model for evidence based care. As we attempt to advance from good to great cosmetic outcomes it is important that we remember this.” (ANI)
Tags: breast cancer, breast cancer screening, breast cancer surgery, breast screening, breast surgery, british medical journal, cancer centre, cosmetic outcomes, london feb, memorial sloan kettering, Monica Morrow, natural lifespan, nordic cochrane centre, patient representatives, public health specialists, rigorous evaluation, sloan kettering cancer, treatment of breast cancer, unnecessary surgery, unnecessary treatment
Posted in Education | 1 Comment »
Written by Rahul on 18 February 2009
Washington, February 18 (ANI): An apple a day, along with other fruits and vegetables, may keep breast cancer at bay, according to scientists.
Rui Hai Liu, Cornell associate professor of food science and a member of Cornell’s Institute for Comparative and Environmental Toxicology, has found that fresh apple extracts significantly inhibited the size of mammary tumours in rats.
The researcher said that the more extracts the subjects were given, the greater the inhibition.
“We not only observed that the treated animals had fewer tumours, but the tumours were smaller, less malignant and grew more slowly compared with the tumours in the untreated rats,” said Liu, pointing out that the study confirmed the findings of his preliminary study in rats published in 2007.
Revealing his findings in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the researcher revealed that Liu said that he found that a type of adenocarcinoma – a highly malignant tumour and the main cause of death of breast-cancer patients, as well as of animals with mammary cancer – was evident in 81 percent of tumours in the control animals.
However, it developed in only 57 percent, 50 percent and 23 percent of the rats fed low, middle and high doses of apple extracts, respectively, during the 24-week study.
Liu revealed that the doses of apple extracts fed to the rats during the study were equivalent to one, three and six apples a day in humans.
“That reflects potent anti-proliferative (rapid decrease) activity,” said Liu.
The researcher further said that his research highlight the important role of phytochemicals, known as phenolics or flavonoids, found in apples and other fruits and vegetables.
“These studies add to the growing evidence that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, including apples, would provide consumers with more phenolics, which are proving to have important health benefits. I would encourage consumers to eat more and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables daily,” Liu said. (ANI)
Tags: apple a day, apples, breast cancer, breast cancer patients, cause of death, control animals, flavonoids, food science, fruits and vegetables, health benefits, important health, inhibition, journal of agricultural and food chemistry, Liu, malignant tumour, mammary tumours, phenolics, phytochemicals, rapid decrease, untreated rats
Posted in Health | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 16 February 2009
London, Feb 16 (ANI): Scientists at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center have uncovered a new genetic “hotspot” that is linked with breast cancer susceptibility in Asian women.
Dr. Wei Zheng, who led the research team, has revealed that this region is on chromosome 6.
The researcher said that the genetic “locus” might help guide efforts to find the specific genes linked with non-inherited forms of the disease.
Genetics have a major role to play in breast cancer, and scientists have already identified a few of breast cancer susceptibility genes – such as BRCA1 and BRCA2. Mutations in such genes increase risk of inherited forms of breast cancers.
“But the genetic factors identified so far explain only a small percent of all the cases in the general population,” Nature magazine quoted Zheng, an Ingram Professor of Cancer Research, professor of Medicine and the director of the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, as saying.
The genetic factors responsible for the vast majority of cases are unclear, “so there has been a lot of interest to identify additional genetic factors for breast cancer,” said Zheng.
For the study, the researchers focussed on a population of Asian women in Shanghai, China, which they had been studying for more than a decade to identify nutritional, environmental and genetic factors associated with disease risk.
By using “genome-wide association,” the researchers started searching for genetic variations in Asian women with breast cancer compared to healthy controls.
The investigators analysed more than 600,000 genetic markers – called SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) – for differences between the groups.
From the first group of more than 3,000 women, they selected 29 of the most promising SNPs associated with breast cancer. Then they narrowed down these 29 candidate SNPs to a single SNP that exhibited strong and consistent association with breast cancer.
They also found a similar association in an independent group of American women, indicating that the results might be relevant for other ethnic populations.
“This SNP explains about 18 percent of the (breast cancer) cases in the general population. Compared to other previously identified SNPs, “this one would probably rank as No. 1 or No. 2 in terms of effect size,” said Zheng.
If a woman has just one copy of this SNP, her risk of breast cancer increases about 40 percent. With two copies of this SNP, the risk increases about 60 percent.
The SNP lies on chromosome 6 in a part of the genome with no known genes, “upstream” from the gene that encodes the estrogen receptor 1 (ERa).
While ERa is known to influence breast cancer aggressiveness, the impact of this candidate SNP on ERa is unclear.
“At this point, we actually don’t know the function of this SNP we identified,” he said.
However, the SNP does appear strongly associated with ER-negative cases of breast cancer, which carry a worse prognosis than ER-positive cases.
Zheng said: “Eventually, we hope that we can use this model to identify high-risk women for chemoprevention or regular cancer screening to reduce their breast cancer mortality.”
The study has been published in the journal Nature Genetics. (ANI)
Tags: brca1 and brca2, brca2 mutations, breast cancer, breast cancer susceptibility, breast cancers, cancer research, cancer susceptibility genes, candidate snps, chromosome 6, disease genetics, genetic factors, genetic locus, genetic markers, genetic variations, ingram professor, london feb, nature magazine, shanghai china, single nucleotide polymorphisms, wei zheng
Posted in Education | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 06 February 2009
Washington, Feb 05 (ANI): In a new study, Calcitrol, the active form of vitamin D, has been found to induce a tumour suppressing protein that can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells.
Prior to the current study, little was known about the factors that determine the effect of calcitrol on inhibiting breast cancer growth.
During the study, Sylvia Chistakos, Ph.D., of the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School and co-author Puneet Dhawan, Ph.D., examined the protein involved in the action that can reduce the growth of vitamin D in breast cancer cells.
“These results provide an important process in which the active form of vitamin D may work to reduce growth of breast cancer cells,” said Christakos.
“These studies provide a basis for the design of new anticancer agents that can target the protein as a candidate for breast cancer treatment,” she added.
The study was published in the recent issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry. (ANI)
Tags: anticancer agents, breast cancer, breast cancer cells, breast cancer treatment, calcitrol, cancer growth, co-author, Dhawan, jersey medical school, journal of biological chemistry, new jersey medical, new jersey medical school, protein, puneet, Sylvia, umdnj, Vitamin D
Posted in Education | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 06 February 2009
London, Feb 05 (ANI): A new study has found that postmenopausal women who take combined estrogen plus progestin menopausal hormone therapy for at least five years double their annual risk of breast cancer.
The study suggests that women on hormones could quickly reduce their risks of cancer simply by stopping the therapy.
“This is very strong evidence that estrogen plus progestin causes breast cancer,” said Marcia Stefanick, PhD, professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and a co-author of the study.
“You start women on hormones and within five years, their risk for breast cancer is clearly elevated. You stop the hormones and within one year, their risk is essentially back to normal. It’s reasonably convincing cause-and-effect data,” Stefanick added.
The results do not apply to women who take estrogen only, she said. A previous large-scale study by the Women’s Health Initiative in 2002 did not find a rise in breast cancer for most women on estrogen-only therapy.
The Stanford University researchers looked at data from two major study groups: more than 15,000 women from one landmark study that was halted in 2002 after initial findings showed an increase in breast cancer for those on combined therapy versus those on a placebo; and a second group of 41,449 women who joined a 1994 study and were free to choose hormone therapy or not.
The results from the two groups of women were quite similar, the researchers found.
In the clinical trial, the incidence of breast cancer was much higher in the hormone group in the five years leading up to 2002.
But after they stopped taking the hormones, breast cancer rates dropped very rapidly. The number of breast cancer diagnoses fell 28 percent within the year.
As initial findings began to emerge pointing to increased breast cancer risk for women on combined hormone therapy, women in the observational study reflected what women were doing in society as a whole and showed a 50 percent decline in hormone use.
This coincided with a 43 percent reduction in their breast cancer rates between 2002 and 2003, the researchers said.
The study is published in the Feb. 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. (ANI)
Tags: breast cancer, breast cancer rates, breast cancer risk, cancer diagnoses, estrogen plus progestin, health initiative, incidence of breast cancer, initial findings, landmark study, least five years, london feb, menopausal hormone therapy, observational study, phd professor, postmenopausal women, risk for breast cancer, school of medicine, stanford university researchers, stanford university school, stanford university school of medicine
Posted in Education | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 01 February 2009
London, Feb 1 (ANI): It has long been shunned as a junk food, but now, a new study has claimed that the humble chip can actually battle cancer.
Chips are rich in vitamin C, which boffins consider could fight the deadly disease.
It is thought the vitamin tackles dangerous free radicals, which are associated with cancer growth, reports the Daily Star.
By eating a portion of chips – which contains five times more vitamin C than a bunch of grapes – people may keep cancer at bay.
And those already suffering with the disease could even shrink the size of their tumours with a vitamin C rich, deep-fried potato diet, the researchers said.
Nutritionist Fiona Hunter said: “Chips give vitamin C, which is an important nutrient believed to help protect against certain types of cancer. People who eat food rich in vitamin C are much less likely to suffer from cancer of the oesophagus, cancer of the stomach and breast cancer.
“Free radicals are very unstable molecules which can cause damage within the body and are linked to several different types of cancer.
“Chips contribute vitamin C, which is a powerful anti-oxidant that neutralises the free radicals and stops them from damaging us.”
Scientists have suggested that a 175g portion of chips contains three times more vitamin C than an apple and nine times more than a slice of pizza.
Chips also contain a host of other nutrients including vitamins B1 and B6, fibre and iron, the scientists said.
Hunter said: “There’s no such thing as a bad food. Chips can be part of a healthy, balanced diet.
“Potatoes help to control blood pressure and they have got dietary fibre which is good for your bowels. When people think about potatoes, they just think about carbohydrates.” (ANI)
Tags: anti oxidant, breast cancer, bunch of grapes, cancer growth, certain types of cancer, dangerous free radicals, deadly disease, dietary fibre, fiona hunter, food rich in vitamin c, fried potato, healthy balanced diet, london feb, nine times, nutritionist, oesophagus cancer, several different types, slice of pizza, types of cancer, unstable molecules
Posted in Health | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 31 January 2009
Washington, January 30 (ANI): Researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) have visually recorded a key phase in the repair process of damaged human DNA.
Writing about their work in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists say that the recordings provide new information about the role played by a protein linked to breast cancer, known as Rad51, in this complex and critical process.
Harmful agents like ultraviolet sunlight, tobacco smoke and a myriad of chemicals keep affecting human DNA. Since damage to it can lead to cancer, cell death and mutations, an army of proteins and enzymes are mobilized into action whenever it occurs. he researchers say that Rad51 takes a leading role in the action.
They say that always on call in the cell, molecules of the protein assemble into a long filament along a damaged or broken segment of DNA, where they help stretch out the coiled strands and align them with corresponding segments on the cell’s second copy of the chromosome, which serves as a template for reconstruction.
Given the regulation of this protein by a gene linked to increased risk of breast cancer, called BRCA2, it is also thought to play a role in suppression of that disease.
With the ability to watch the assembly of individual filaments of Rad51 in real time, Kowalczykowski’s team made a number of discoveries.
They found that Rad51 filaments do not grow indefinitely, which indicates that there is an as-yet undiscovered mechanism that regulates the protein’s growth.
They also observed that Rad51 does not fall away from the DNA when repair is complete. Instead, proteins that motor along DNA are required to dislodge it, they say.
“From a practical point of view, being able to record these single molecules gives us insightful information regarding the assembly process. Now we’re able to measure this in a quantifiably meaningful way,” Kowalczykowski said. (ANI)
Tags: breast cancer, cancer cell, cell death, chromosome, discoveries, enzymes, filament, filaments, human dna repair, journal proceedings, molecules, mutations, myriad, national academy of sciences, proceedings of the national academy, proceedings of the national academy of sciences, strands, tobacco smoke, uc davis, university of california davis
Posted in Education | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 29 January 2009
Washington, January 29 (ANI): University of Missouri scientists in the United States say that a small molecule drug has the potential as a novel chemotherapeutic treatment for breast cancer accelerated by the hormone progestin.
The researchers have revealed that the drug called PRIMA-1 targets the most common mutated gene, p53, in human cancer cells.
“We demonstrated that PRIMA-1 was an effective drug to treat and prevent emergence of progestin-accelerated mammary tumors in rats,” said Salman Hyder, professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center.
“The results of this study may have significant implications for the treatment and prevention of human breast cancer because such a large fraction of human breast cancers are dependent on estrogens and progestins for growth,” he added.
The researchers pointed out that mutated p53 plays a key role in promoting tumour cell survival and tumour cell resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs.
According to him, over 50 percent of breast cancer cases are found to be associated with mutated p53.
Studies conducted in the past have shown that when p53 is functionally abnormal, tumour cells are prolific and develop quickly.
PRIMA-1 targets and returns normal function to the mutated p53, says the researcher.
Hyder revealed that his study examined the ability of PRIMA-1 to suppress growth of progestin-accelerated, mammary tumours in an animal model.
When tumors reached a certain size, he and his colleagues administrated PRIMA-1 twice a day for three days.
The researchers found that PRIMA-1 caused regression of approximately 40 percent of progestin-accelerated mammary tumours.
However, the drug did not induce regression of native, non-progestin accelerated tumours.
Hyder also revealed that PRIMA-1 suppressed the emergence of any new progestin-accelerated tumours in the animal model.
“Postmenopausal women worldwide are exposed to exogenous progestin in the form of hormone replacement therapy, and clinical studies have associated combined exposure to progestin and estrogen with an increased incidence of human breast cancer in this population,” said Hyder, who is also the Zalk Endowed Professor of Tumor Angiogenesis.
“Because PRIMA-1 blocked the formation of new tumors following progestin stimulation in this experimental model, it is tempting to speculate that this agent could be used to prevent progestin-accelerated tumors in women on hormone replacement therapy. However, this needs to be tested thoroughly in a clinical setting,” the researcher added. (ANI)
Tags: animal model, biomedical sciences, breast cancer, breast cancer cases, cardiovascular research center, cell survival, college of veterinary medicine, emergence, estrogens, gene p53, hormone progestin, human breast cancer, human breast cancers, human cancer cells, key role, mammary tumors, mammary tumours, progestins, regression, tumour cells
Posted in Health | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 27 January 2009
Washington, Jan 27 (ANI): Researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Centre have identified certain risk factors that may help predict the likelihood of patients developing breast cancer in the opposite breast.
These risk factors may help women who are diagnosed with breast cancer make the difficult decision about whether to have their second breast removed as a preventive step.
“Women often consider contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) not because of medical recommendation, but because they fear having their breast cancer return,” said Kelly Hunt, M.D., professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology at M. D. Anderson and lead author on the study.
“Currently it is very difficult to identify which patients are at enough risk to benefit from this aggressive and irreversible procedure. Our goal was to determine what characteristics defined these high-risk patients to better inform future decisions regarding CPM,” she added.
During the study, the researchers reviewed the cases of 542 women with breast cancer only in one breast who received CPM to remove the second breast.
Out of this group, 435 patients had no abnormal pathology identified in the opposite breast, 25 patients had contralateral breast cancer identified at surgery, and 82 patients had abnormal cells that indicate a moderate to high-risk for breast cancer development in the contralateral breast found at the time of surgery.
Further analysis of the patients with contralateral breast cancer revealed that a five-year Gail risk of 1.67 percent or greater; an invasive lobular histology; and multiple tumours in the original breast were all strong predictors for contralateral breast cancer.
However, patient race, estrogen receptor status and progesterone receptor status were not associated with increased risk.
“We went from having very little information on the benefit of this procedure for individual patients to identifying three independent and significant risk factors,” Hunt said.
“Each provides valuable insight into how likely a woman is to develop the disease in her other breast and enables physicians to make an educated recommendation if a patient will potentially benefit from CPM.
“We’ve always known contralateral breast cancer risk is not the same for all women and it is unnecessary to perform preventive mastectomies routinely.
“As we begin to clarify the specific risk factors, the number of women undergoing CPM may decrease and those with a low to moderate-risk may be more open to less extreme options for risk reduction, such as hormonal therapy and newer agents for prevention of breast cancer,” she added.
The findings are published in journal Cancer. (ANI)
Tags: abnormal cells, breast cancer, cancer centre, cancer development, CPM, difficult decision, estrogen receptor, high risk, histology, m d anderson, mastectomy, medical recommendation, patient race, preventive step, progesterone, risk factors, risk for breast cancer, risk patients, surgical oncology, tumours
Posted in Education | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 26 January 2009
Melbourne, Jan 26 (ANI): It looks like Aussie singer Kylie Minogue has finally found true love with Spanish supermodel Andres Velencoso Segura.
Segura is reportedly on the hunt for a flat in London so he can be close to the singer.
Minogue, 40, and Segura, have been dating since October (08), and the model wants to be able to spend more time with the Australian star.
“Andres doesn’t want to let Kylie slip away. He’s been looking for a place of his own because he’s adamant that he doesn’t want to sponge off her. He’s looking online for a studio in London,” the Daily Star quoted a source, as telling British newspaper The Mail.
It has also been reported that Minogue is desperate to start a family since recovering from breast cancer in 2005, and Segura could be just the man.
“He doesn’t yet know if Kylie is the one but he’s very paternal and wants to have kids,” the source added. (ANI)
Tags: andres velencoso segura, breast cancer, daily star, flat in london, Kylie Minogue, mail, melbourne, planning london, singer minogue, Supermodel, true love
Posted in Entertainment | No Comments »
Written by Rahul on 26 January 2009
Washington, January 26 (ANI): Scientists at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston have identified certain patient and tumour characteristics, which might help detect which of the breast cancer patients would be the most likely to benefit from preventive surgery to remove the unaffected breast.
Describing their study in the journal CANCER, the researcher said that their study could help patients with breast cancer make more informed treatment choices.
The researchers underscored the fact women diagnosed with breast cancer are known to be at increased risk of developing breast cancer in the opposite breast, either at the time of diagnosis or some time in the future.
They say that identifying which women are most at risk of cancer in the other breast could help patients decide whether to have preventive treatment, including mastectomy to remove the unaffected breast.
Even though this appears to be a drastic measure, the researchers say that some women may choose this option due to a variety of factors, such as advice from their physician, fear of another breast cancer diagnosis, desire for cosmetic symmetry and family history of breast or other cancers.
While most breast cancer patients would not experience any survival benefit from such a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy, it is difficult to determine which patients should consider the procedure.
Enabling doctors to predict which patients are at the highest risk of developing contralateral breast cancer might prove helpful for many patients in preserving their unaffected breasts if desired.
Lead researcher Dr. Kelly K. Hunt has revealed that the research team studied 542 patients who had breast cancer in one breast, and who had both breasts removed between 2000 and 2007.
From the prophylactic mastectomy specimen, the researchers found that twenty-five patients (5 percent) had contralateral breast cancer, and 82 patients (15 percent) had cells in the other breast that were abnormal and could signify higher risk for breast cancer development.
Upon looking for clinical features associated with contralateral breast cancer, the researchers found three independent factors: when the cancer cells had certain histologic invasive characteristics; when the cancer was present in more than one quadrant of the breast; and when the patient had a 5-year Gail risk of 1.67 percent or greater.
The Gail model is a breast cancer risk assessment tool used for women without a cancer diagnosis that takes into consideration a woman’s medical history, age, race and other characteristics.
Also, women aged 50 years or older at the initial cancer diagnosis or who had additional moderate- to high-risk cells in their affected breast were likely to have abnormal cells in the other breast that could potentially develop into cancer. (ANI)
Tags: anderson cancer center, breast cancer, breast cancer diagnosis, breast cancer patients, cancers, dr kelly, drastic measure, fact women, five patients, journal cancer, m d anderson, m d anderson cancer center, mastectomy, preventive treatment, prophylactic mastectomy, specimen, survival benefit, treatment choices, tumour, university of texas m d anderson cancer center
Posted in Health | No Comments »
