Archive for the 'Breast Cancer Risks' Category
November 10th, 2009 -- Posted in Breast Cancer News, Breast Cancer Risks, Breast Cancer Signs |
Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common malign diseases. At least a million women per year get diagnosed with BC, and at least four hundred thousand die. However, what are the top myths about it? We went to National Breast Cancer Foundation to search for some answers.
1. Every Breast Lump is a Cancer?
Not every lump is bad at all. Most are completely harmless. However, it’s important that a women sees the doctors every time she notices a new lump. Early detection means your life is going to be saved in most of the cases.
2. I Have Small Breasts, so Have Less Chance of Getting BC?
There is no connection with the breast size whatsoever.
3. A Mammogram Can Cause Breast Cancer To Spread?
There is no scientific study which finds any relation between BC spreading and doing a mammogram. A Mammogram cannot cause BC spreading. Experts don’t having any doubts about that.
4. Nobody Had a Breast Cancer in my Family, so I Won’t Get It?
The reality shows this is unfortunately not true. All women are at risk, and the risk increases depending on the environment, food and drinks you take, cigarette smoke you breath in etc.
5. Mastectomy Stops the Cancer in All Cases
The chances are small but it’s possible to get it after mastectomy. It is not the best way to stop BC spreading in all cases. Other treatments, or a combination of more treatments can be more effective.
6. Young Women Are Just As Likely To Get It As Older Women?
The risk increases with age. Women over 50 are at biggest risk. Doctors recommend frequent check ups for women over 50, and once per year check ups for women in their twenties.
7. Breast Cancer is Fatal?
When diagnosed early it’s not considered a life threatening condition because modern treatments can be extremely successful.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_M_Marshall
Technorati Tags: breast cancer, detection, lump, mammogram, mastectomy, risks, survival, treatment
November 3rd, 2009 -- Posted in Breast Cancer News, Breast Cancer Risks, Inflammatory Breast Cancer |
Inflammatory Breast Cancer accounts for only 6% of all breast cancer cases reported in the US. Alarmingly, it also accounts for 25% of inflammatory breast cancer related deaths, with statistics confirming most women diagnosed with the disease will fall terminally ill within 5 years. (Source: Mayo Clinic)
What causes inflammatory breast cancer is the unknown question scientists researching the disease, are seeking an answer for. All researchers now know is, “Inflammation of the breast tissue is caused by clogging of the lymph vessels under the skin”.
What causes that blocking is still a mystery.
This raises the question to the medical community and scientific researchers at large:
“If chemicals like polybrominated diphenyl ethers, found in blue jeans and no stick frying pans (PFC’s), and other dominant chemicals in the home such as parabens, used to prevent the growth of bacteria in cosmetics, deodorants, shampoos, and other household items, are proven to cause inflammation in humans, could these chemical toxins be present in those women diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, and could these toxins, in low doses, be built up over time with repeated exposure, leading to a blockage of the lymph vessels?”
(Parabens are linked to cancer and reproductive health problems. Researchers found 19 of 20 women whose blood was examined in lab studies revealed trace amounts of parabens. Source: Environmental Working Group)
Dateline NBC recently aired a two part report asking a similar question, “Do those living a green lifestyle have less chemical toxins in their blood stream than those who are not so green?”.
Dateline found two families willing to take part in extensive blood analysis testing. (Blood analysis tests were conducted at Axys Analytical Labs in Canada)
The first family, the “Browns”, live a “normal” lifestyle, while the second family, aptly named the “Greens”, are avid environmentalist, even living in a green home they designed and built themselves.
Their test results alarmingly proved a significant increase in toxic chemical build up in the Brown family over the Green family. Revealing chemicals such as:
Phthalates:
Found in plastics and linked to asthma, and an alteration in hormone levels of breast feeding males.
Triclosan:
Found in pesticides. Toxic to wildlife and disruptive to reproductive hormones. It also forms carcinogens when combined with chlorinated tap water. Carcinogens are cancer forming.
Bisphenol A/ BPA:
Found in baby bottles, water coolers and metal food containers. Recent studies have shown this chemical to cause early puberty, breast cancer and diabetes. It is also considered by scientists to be on of the top medical concerns for public safety.
More testing is certainly required before researchers can confirm a link between indoor air quality and the onset of inflammatory breast cancer, but the early testing of chemical exposures inside the home do show a cause for concern, and for consumers to take precautionary measures with the products they bring into their homes, or work environment.
Researchers advise: “Check your home for toxic chemicals. Read the labels of the products you want to bring into your home, and ask yourself if that particular product could be harmful to you or your children. If the answer is “maybe”, leave it on the store shelf and find an alternative”.
Authors Note:
If you, or someone you know are living with inflammatory breast cancer, a simple blood analysis test can detect chemicals that may be the cause of inflammation in your body. If these chemicals are found in your system, identify the source, and eliminate the products from your home.
Thomas Palmieri is an informed environmentalist and respected ezine author. For more information regarding toxic chemical exposures in your home, please visit his web site and view the network news videos, and reports. Cancer Causing Toxins
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Palmieri
Technorati Tags: air quality, breast cancer, breast tissue, health, Inflammatory Breast Cancer, lymph vessels, parabens, toxins
September 5th, 2009 -- Posted in Breast Cancer Risks, Breast Cancer Signs |
Sharp pain in the chest, fatigue, shortness of breath?
Any or all signs of breast cancer?
What are they?
Breast Cancer Facts http://howtotreatcancer.com/
Breast cancer is one of the most commonly found cancer form in women and early treatment can assure greater survival rate. Let us look at some Breast Cancer Facts to find out more information regarding its diagnosis, symptoms and treatment. Enlarge Image Breast cancer is one of the most frequently met forms of cancer in the case of women, which usually occupies a second place in recent statistics, after skin cancer.
Taking into account the actual life expectancy, it was determined that approximately one woman out of nine will suffer from breast cancer. The cause and the treatment of this disease have not been identified yet, but, if it is detected in an early phase of its evolution, it can be treated with very good results by conservative surgery of the breast, followed by radio therapy. This treatment of cancer, detected in an early phase, assures a 97% survival rate of five years.
What do you have to do in order to detect breast cancer in an early phase?
1. Clinical exam of the breast: women with the age between 20 and 40 years should benefit of this exam as part of the general control of their health condition, preferably once in three years. Women older than 40 years must be examined by a specialist once a year.
2. Mammography: It is a radiological exam of the breast, with very small doses of X rays. Women, which are older than 40, should benefit from a mammography every year. If you notice something suspect at your breast, or you have in you family cases of breast cancer, go to your physician and establish together the moment when you should start doing this investigation. Even if some cancers can’t be detected by the mammography, this still remains an excellent method of diagnosis.
3. The auto examination of the breast: This method of an early detection of breast cancer is very important. In order to obtain the best results you must perform it 10 days after the menstruation. If your period is not regular, you ma perform the auto examination in the same day of the month. There are sites on the internet where you may find auto examination techniques and other useful information related to this subject.
Which are the factors involved in the genesis of breast cancer?
Risk factors : sex, age, genetic risk, family history, personal breast cancer history race, radiological examinations at an early age, biopsies, normal substitution therapy, alcohol consumption, obesity.
Protection factors: nursing, physical exercise, a balanced diet.
Signs and symptoms which might suggest breast cancer:
1. Axillary’s tumor mass, or a tumor mass located in the breast or next to it. If it is not painful, hard, with irregular edges, adherent to the tissues around, there is a high probability to be cancerous.
2. A denser area of the breast compared to those around it.
3. Changing of the breast shape or size.
4. Wrinkles, depressions, or red breast skin.
5. Pains in the mammilla or a depression in it.
6. Any secretion, different from milk.
If any of these signs appear, go immediately to a doctor specialized in this disease. Not any change you feel in your breast mean cancer, 80 % of the inflammations are benign, but it would be the best thing for you to be seen by a doctor, who will indicate the investigations you need.
Remember:
1. Breast cancer may appear at any age, but it is more possible if you are older.
2. The risk to get breast cancer at the age of 70 is double compared to the age of 50.
3. More than 70% of the women suffered from breast cancer didn’t have any other person in the family suffering from this disease.
4. An early diagnostic means better chances of survival.
5. Mammography is a sure and efficient instrument for detecting breast cancer even before it could be felt. Annual examination by an expert and auto examination every month are extremely important, too.
Frequency The frequency of breast cancer grows continuously in developed countries (especially in Occidental Europe and in North America, less in Japan). Every year, breast cancer is responsible of 77,000 deceases in Europe, out of which 40 % in the case of women under 65. The incidence of this cancer, which means the number of new cases during a year, grows, but mortality reached a plateau level, which makes us notice that chances of survival are growing.
Risk factors Risk factors are known for a long time and they are:
1. Personal: early menstruation, absence of birth, a late first pregnancy (after the age 35), late menopause.
2. Inherited or Genetical: breast cancer antecedents in the case of closely related members of the family, suggesting the presence of genetic factors.
Apart from these factors, age is also a risk factor 7% of breast cancers affects women 40, and this percent grows with age: 18% in the case of 40-50 years, 32% in the case of 50-60 years and 43% in the case of women over the age of 60.
Technorati Tags: breast cancer, detection, risk factors, risks, signs, survival, symptoms
August 28th, 2009 -- Posted in Breast Cancer News, Breast Cancer Risks |
Two studies find no clear link; other research supports fiber to ward off the disease
FRIDAY, Aug. 28 (HealthDay News) — An adult woman’s intake of meat, eggs and dairy products should not boost her risk for breast cancer, new research shows.
For years, dietary factors have been debated as either boosting or reducing the risk of breast cancer, with research yielding conflicting results. But in the new research, scientists could not conclude that meat, eggs or dairy product intake as an adult raised breast cancer risk.
A second new study didn’t find that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) — found in dairy products and in meat such as beef — provided any protective effect again breast cancer, as some experts had suggested. It did not raise the risk, either.
“So far, we haven’t seen a strong link between meat intake and fat intake in adulthood and breast cancer in adulthood,” concluded Dr. Eleni Linos, MD, an epidemiologist at Stanford University Medical Center, who has also researched the link and co-authored an editorial to accompany the two research reports. All are published in the September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
But, she cautioned, “women should probably try to reduce their red meat intake to prevent cardiovascular disease.”
In the first study, Italian researchers from Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milan and other institutions used data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). They looked at diet information collected from almost 320,000 women between 1992 and 2003.
The women were from numerous European countries, including Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and the U.K. The team found 7,119 cases of breast cancer during follow up that lasted a median of nearly nine years (half of the patients were followed longer, half less). While they found a link between high butter consumption and breast cancer risk, it was only in premenopausal women. They did not find overall that meat, egg or dairy product intake was linked with an increased risk for breast cancer.
The researchers did find that a high intake of processed meat products was linked with increased breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women, but not overall meat intake.
Also, high red meat consumption was associated with an increased breast cancer risk in some countries, but there was no consistent link overall, the team said.
In the second study, researchers evaluated the diets of more than 61,000 women, all cancer-free, who answered a questionnaire from 1987 to 1990. Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and Central Hospital in Vasteras, Sweden, noted almost 3,000 cases of breast cancer from women in the group over an average follow-up of more than 17 years. When they evaluated links between the cancer cases and CLA intake, they found no effect, either good or bad.
”These two studies are a reminder that the connections between what we eat and disease development are multifactorial,” said Connie Diekman, a registered dietitian and director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis.
Recall bias — people not remembering exactly what they had eaten — might have skewed the results, she said.
The study result, however, “does not give us permission to eat as much as desired,” she said. “I would remind readers to keep their food choices focused on what we know, not on every emerging study. So, using the Dietary Guidelines to shape choices and portions will be the best bet for health promotion and disease prevention.”
In yet another study in the same journal, researchers found that dietary fiber intake reduced the risk of breast cancer, confirming previous research. That study, the National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study, looked at the intake of fiber to breast cancer among more than 185,000 postmenopausal women, with an average age of 62.
The researchers found 5,461 cases of breast cancer during an average of seven years of follow-up. Those who ate the most dietary fiber — 26 grams a day — had about a 13 percent reduction in risk of breast cancer compared to those who ate the least, just 11 grams a day.
An intake of 25 grams a day of fiber is considered adequate for adult women.
More information
There’s more on risk factors for breast cancer at the American Cancer Society.
Technorati Tags: breast cancer, Breast Cancer Risks, dairy products, dietary fiber, fat intake, fiber intake, meat intake
August 24th, 2009 -- Posted in Breast Cancer News, Breast Cancer Risks |
Finding could lead to new cancer treatments, researchers say
THURSDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) — New information about how sugar “feeds” tumors has been uncovered by U.S. researchers, who said the finding may also have implications for other diseases such as diabetes.
“It’s been known since 1923 that tumor cells use a lot more glucose than normal cells. Our research helps show how this process takes place, and how it might be stopped to control tumor growth,” Don Ayer, an investigator at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and a professor in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the University of Utah, said in a university news release.
Ayer and his colleagues found that restricting an amino acid called glutamine halts a cell’s ability to utilize glucose.
“Essentially, if you don’t have glutamine, the cell is short-circuited due to a lack of glucose, which halts the growth of the tumor cell,” Ayer explained in the news release.
The study appears in the Aug. 17 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The next step in this research involves developing animal models to test theories about how a protein called MondoA and a gene called TXNIP control glucose uptake by cells.
“If we can understand that, we can break the cycle of glucose utilization, which could be beneficial in the treatment of cancer,” Ayer said.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about cancer.
Technorati Tags: breast cancer, Breast Cancer News, cancer, gluatamine, glucose, tumor
July 4th, 2009 -- Posted in Breast Cancer News, Breast Cancer Risks, Breast Cancer Signs |
Obesity can wreck a person’s health for many reasons. But for women, too much weight tacks on an additional danger: Studies have linked obesity and breast cancer in a variety of ways.
Doctors aren’t sure why this link exists and are trying to figure out what ties weight gain to breast cancer. But they are more and more convinced the link is there, and they are urging women to watch their weight and increase their exercise to help stave off what is the most common cancer among females, nonmelanoma skin cancer aside.
“There are a lot of factors we need to figure out,” said Dr. Jennifer A. Ligibel, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. “There are a lot of things we don’t know.”
An estimated 182,500 women in the United States will be found to have invasive breast cancer in 2008, according to the American Cancer Society, and about 40,480 women will die from the disease this year. Currently, there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
Studies have found that, in general, obesity is linked to cancer. The higher a person’s body-mass index (BMI, a ratio of weight to height), the more likely she or he will develop cancer, according to recent research by scientists at the University of Manchester in England. Other studies have found similar links to increased body fat.
Still other studies have found that women with breast cancer are more likely to live shorter lives and suffer a recurrence of their cancer if they are overweight.
For example, in a recent study conducted at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, more than two-thirds of women with stage III locally advanced breast cancer were either overweight or obese. The study also found that a greater proportion of obese patients were likely to be diagnosed with a rare and more deadly form of breast cancer, known as inflammatory breast cancer.
Scientists vary in their opinions on why this link exists, and what it means.
Some believe that obesity may make tumors harder to detect, so a woman’s breast cancer will be further developed before it is discovered.
“It could be because there’s more breast tissue, a lump would be less evident,” Ligibel said.
Researchers also believe that the systemic effects of obesity might do something to spur cancer on. For example, obesity or overweight can lead to fluctuations in hormone levels in the body.
“When women are heavier, their estrogen levels are higher,” Ligibel said. “That could be a pathway through which weight affects breast cancer. Other studies have shown that when insulin levels are high, there’s more chance a cancer will come back.”
Another link to obesity was found in a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that showed that obese women are more likely to skip screenings for breast and cervical cancer. Without those screenings, women are less likely to catch breast cancer at a more treatable stage.
Debbie Saslow, director of breast and gynecologic cancer at the American Cancer Society, said it’s not completely clear what role obesity plays in breast cancer risk.
“For obesity, which is independent of breast size, I would think two factors would come into play,” Saslow said. “One, a positive, is that the breasts may be fattier, which would make a mammogram easier to read. The second, a negative, is indirect: Obese women are less likely to go to a doctor.”
Menopause appears to be a critical time, Ligibel said. Obesity creates a greater risk for breast cancer post-menopause, while pre-menopausal women actually have a reduced risk.
“Gaining weight around the time of menopause is a risk factor in developing breast cancer,” Ligibel said.
The increased risk of developing breast cancer and dying of it after menopause is believed due to increased levels of estrogen in obese women, said Colleen Doyle, director of nutrition and physical activity with the American Cancer Society.
There is good news. Studies have shown that exercise — 30 minutes to 60 minutes a day of moderate-to-high intensity physical activity — decreases breast cancer risk, Doyle said.
“Physical activity reduces breast cancer risk both directly, by decreasing circulating estrogens, and also indirectly, by helping with weight control,” she said. “Women are so concerned about breast cancer risk. Communicating that there are key things you can do to reduce risk — watch your weight and be more active — are valuable messages.”
Ligibel agreed, noting that exercise might be valuable enough to counteract the strain on the body caused by obesity.
“You might not need to lose weight if you exercise,” Ligibel said. “Exercise could affect the hormone levels and help keep cancer from occurring or recurring.”
More information
To learn more visit the American Cancer Society.
Technorati Tags: awareness, breast cancer, breast cancer and exercise, obesity, prevention, tumor
