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Left-handed women under the age of 50 are more than twice as likely to develop breast cancer than those who are right-hand dominant.
What?
Yep, that's what a new study reveals.
This left-handed conclusion, published in the journal Epidemiology, comes from the study of 12,000 women in the Netherlands whose medical histories were followed for 13 years. Discounting all other factors -- lifestyle, environment, and other disease -- left-handers came up with a risk of breast cancer 1.39 times that of right-handers. For pre-menopausal women, the figure climbed to 2.41.
Post-menopausal women: stay away from barbecued and smoked meat. Or at least increase your intake of fruit and vegetables.
Why?
Because a new study found that post-menopausal women who ate the most grilled, barbecued, and smoked red meat over a lifetime have a 47 percent higher risk of breast cancer. Those who additionally skimped on fruits and veggies had a 74 percent increase in risk.
Results of two studies, sponsored by the Adjuvant Breast Cancer (ABC) Trials Collaborative Group, conclude that adding chemotherapy to the estrogen-blocking drug tamoxifen improves survival for those with early-stage breast cancer. The same studies reveal preventing the secretion of estrogen from the ovaries does not offer much benefit for most women.
Researchers studied 1991 patients, ages 28 to 81. All had received five years worth of treatment with tamoxifen therapy with or without standard chemotherapy. Some premenopausal women were also treated with ovarian removal (ablation) or suppression, a technique used to stop the glands from secreting hormones.
While early results, appearing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, fell short of statistical significance, chemotherapy still reduced the overall risk of death by 17 percent, mostly for women younger than 50 and especially for premenopausal women not treated with ovarian ablation or suppression.
Its not like we haven't heard bad things about red meat before -- I came across this study that says the intake of red meat was associated with a significant increase in the risk of pre-menopausal estrogen positive breast cancer but not estrogen negative breast cancer.
Having been diagnosed with pre-menopausal breast cancer myself, I know that there are many factors that could have caused my disease. I do not spend any significant time on these thoughts. I look ahead and do what I can now to keep myself healthy.
I do think the study is good information for women to read who have an increased risk of breast cancer. Maybe watching their diet more closely can help them prevent breast cancer, but there is no sure way we know to prevent it. I still eat meat and enjoy it very much but I love fish and chicken also.
Researchers from Dartmouth Medical School say they have a new way of identifying a deadly form of breast cancer that plagues 17 to 37 percent of all breast cancer patients and mostly premenopausal black women.
Identification comes in the form of locating the marker nestin -- a long filamentous protein indicating the presence of basal epithelial tumors -- which makes this type of cancer hard to diagnose and hard to treat. It also puts patients at high risk for recurrence, marked by a very short time between treatment and relapse.
"Ideally, a marker like nestin would enable clinicians to monitor these patients through frequent tests of a biomarker and, in doing so, detect the cancer before it has a chance to come back," says one professor.
Researchers must now find an effective means of detecting nestin in a clinical screening setting. It won't be as simple as a blood test -- but a non-invasive collection of mammary duct samples may enable the development of a screening tool for at-risk patients.
Zometa can help prevent bone loss in premenopausal breast cancer patients says a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Young women that have estrogen receptor positive breast cancer can be treated with hormonal therapy. Some of these treatments can cause the loss of bone density. Treatment with drugs called bisphosphonates may be able to prevent this bone loss.
Zometa, a bisphosphonate, was studied to evaluate two different approaches to hormonal therapy. The patients received either Zoladex plus Tamoxifen or Zoladex plus the aromatase inhibitor, Arimidex. Half the women were treated with Zometa.
Women who did not receive the Zometa during hormonal therapy experienced significant loss of bone mineral density. Bone loss was worse for women treated with Zoladex and Arimidex than for women treated with Zoladex plus Tamoxifen. The women who did receive Zometa along with hormonal therapy had stable bone mineral density.
Bisphosphonates, the researcher concluded, should be considered for patients at risk of bone loss due to hormonal therapy.
Previous posts on the topic of bisphosphonates and Zometa:
Young women that receive a diagnosis of breast cancer are usually told to wait at least two years after treatment ends to try and conceive. This is because the longer the patient goes without a recurrence the better the chance that they will remain cancer free.
There are not many studies available to give physicians a good idea of how long women should wait to become pregnant after breast cancer. Is it safe? Some previous studies have suggested that becoming pregnant after breast cancer could provide a survival benefit.
Researchers from Western Australia wanted to investigate the effects of pregnancy after breast cancer. They looked at 123 women aged 15-44 who were diagnosed with breast cancer and had at least one pregnancy after their diagnoses.
There findings were as follows:
Sixty two women, 50 percent, conceived within two years of their diagnoses.
Twenty seven of these women gave birth.
Women who became pregnant had improved overall survival compared with those who didn't.
The protective effect was seen in women who waited at least six months to become pregnant.
The protective effect was stronger in women who waited two years after treatment.
The authors of the study say that their evidence does not support the current medical advice given to premenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer to wait two years before attempting to conceive. They also said this recommendation was for women with early stage disease. They concluded that early conception after completion of treatment is unlikely to adversely affect their survival.
Eugenia Calle, PhD, of the American Cancer Society believes that this study is too small for these researchers to claim to have answered the question about pregnancy and breast cancer. She says "I don't think that anyone believes that pregnancy, with its huge surge in hormones, will be in any way protective against breast cancer."
For women who are thinking of becoming pregnant after a diagnosis of breast cancer, talk to your doctor about the risks. I agree that the study seems too small to come up with any definite conclusions.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of thirty one. I had been taking oral contraceptives for over thirteen years. I was not the type of person that constantly questioned how I got breast cancer or tried to figure out 'why me?' I knew that there were so many factors that could have contributed to me getting breast cancer. Why try and figure it out anyway?, I'm never going to really know the real reason for certain. I wasn't focused on why I got breast cancer at a young age but wanted to focus on surviving the disease. I guess I'm more of the kind of individual who thinks 'why not me'? I know that cancer can happen to anyone, at any age.
Over the years since I have been diagnosed I have read that oral contraceptives do not cause an increased risk of breast cancer, and I have read other articles that suggest they do increase the risk.
This week I read an article that stated oral contraceptive use is a risk factor for premenopausal breast cancer, especially in women who use them prior to having a child. The analysis builds on many studies with similar findings, but even as the findings stack up many women are unaware of the risks.
The study noted that 21 out of 23 retrospective studies have shown an increased risk of breast cancer in women who took oral contraceptives prior to pregnancy. It also showed that those women experienced an increased risk of developing breast cancer by 44 percent. The World Health Organization classified oral contraceptives as a class one carcinogen, which means there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans.
Physicians need to talk to their patients about the risks of oral contraceptives. I do not remember ever having any conversations about increased risk of breast cancer when given the pill. I might have still decided to take the pill, but at least I would have been aware of the risk. It might also be beneficially for young women taking oral contraceptives to have earlier screening for breast cancer.
I'm coming up on my last year on tamoxifen. I often wonder if it would be beneficial to me to begin taking an aromatase inhibitor following my five years of tamoxifen. According to an article published in the journal Cancer, premenopausal women with breast cancer that has spread to at least four lymph nodes received the most benefit from aromatase inhibitors following treatment with tamoxifen. Postmenopausal women with cancer that has spread to three or less nodes only seem to get a 1-2 percent benefit from the addition of an aromatase inhibitor following tamoxifen.
I don't seem to fit in either category since I had premenopausal breast cancer with less than four lymph nodes positive. I also thought that if you are premenopausal that aromatase inhibitors were not beneficial at all and only postmenopausal women were able to take these drugs.
Aromatase inhibitors work by reducing the amount of estrogen your body makes. Your adrenal glands produce a substance called androstenedione, which gets converted into estrogen in tissues such as fat and muscle. The conversion requires the enzyme called aromatase. Aromatase inhibitors stop the conversion of androstenedione to estrogen. However, if your ovaries are still functioning then the body still will have estrogen that can help cancer to grow and the aromatase inhibitors will not stop the estrogen production of the ovaries.
The study that was done concluded - it appears that women who are premenopausal and those whose cancer has spread to four or more lymph nodes would derive greater benefit from the addition of aromatase agents following tamoxifen.
I am assuming that they mean if these premenopausal women are then put into a postmenopausal state, either happening by chemotherapy or shutting down the ovaries by injection or oophorectomy.
This is a confusing article that doesn't seem to make sense. Any insights?
MarketWatch is reporting that a panel of experts has recommended that the drug labeling for Tamoxifen be changed to include warnings some women with estrogen-positive breast cancer might be at greater risk for breast cancer recurrence. The recommendation comes as a result of studies that show the drug is not as effective for women with estrogen-positive breast cancer if they also carry an enzyme, called CYP2D6, that does not actively metabolize tamoxifen as it should to make the drug work in preventing breast cancer.
According to the report, the panel's decision isn't official and doesn't indicate the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will seek a change on the drug's label.
However, one of the panel members suggested that while testing women to see if they are at greater risk, due to poor activity of CYP2D6, should not be mandatory, women need to be made aware of the risks and that testing of this enzyme is available.
This might be an especially important consideration for pre-menopausal women, as Tamoxifen is the only estrogen-blocking drug available to them right now for the prevention of estrogen-positive breast cancer recurrence.
Hormonal Therapies: Making Decisions and Quality of Life After Breast Cancer is the next teleconference hosted by Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC). Get the latest treatment strategies and learn about quality of life issues surrounding hormonal therapy during a free teleconference from 12 p.m to 1:30 p.m on Tuesday, September 26th.
Speaker Ruth Oratz, MD, FACP, associate professor of clinical medicine at the New York University School of Medicine will help you understand how hormonal therapy works and who should consider treatment. You can learn about aromatase inhibitors in treating breast cancer in postmenopausal women, the use of tamoxifen for premenopausal women and how to maintain bone health.
After the presentation, Dr. Oratz will invite you to participate in a 45 minute question and answer session. Register for the teleconference here.
When I first looked at my pathology report more than 18 months ago, it made little sense. Terms like Bloom Richardson Score and margins and Her2Neu were as foreign to me as the breast cancer that somehow invaded my body. So I read it over and over again and was eventually able to identify the basic meaning hidden within the four pages that detailed my disease. As it turned out, this report was my map. It led me in various directions for various treatments. It contained some roadblocks. It was sometimes confusing. And sometimes I got lost. There were some good and not-so-good stops along the way. And in the end, I reached my final destination -- in the land survival. And this is where I hope to stay. For a long time.
My map is not necessary anymore -- although I still look back at it. I've found that it makes more sense now that time has passed. I can interpret it more objectively, with more perspective and less emotion and fear. I am still learning about the disease that was removed from my breast. And I am realizing there was a lot I never really knew -- like these seven subjects -- when breast cancer was new and fresh and debilitating.
I have heard the term chemobrain many times -- even here at The Cancer Blog when Dalene wrote about it. And I've started using the terminology myself -- to explain my new-found odd behavior. Like when I put a carton of ice cream in the refrigerator with no recollection of it. And when I took a cap off a pen, couldn't find it, and discovered it on top of an egg carton in the refrigerator. I don't think this is a refrigerator theme -- just a coincidence -- because I've also lost a clipboard at work, forgotten to hand a guest her glass of water immediately after I prepared it, lost library books and movies, and failed to remember responsibilities time and time again. This may seem like minor forgetfulness -- this is what my oncologist believes may be at work -- but for me, this is odd. I have always had a good memory, have always delivered on my promises, and have never felt as scattered as I do now. So I call it chemobrain -- a good excuse, I figure -- and am now trying to determine what exactly this word means.
My oncologist tells me he doesn't really like this term. He thinks it puts a negative spin on regular functioning. He believes those of us who have experienced chemotherapy look more closely at our post-chemo behavior and may interpret quirky stuff as more serious than it is. It probably existed before chemotherapy, he says. But now, we are more sensitive to it and find chemotherapy a good explanation. He may be right. But for me, something in my head has definitely been altered.
One patient advocate for Hurricane Voices: A Breast Cancer Foundation believes that something doesn't have to be scientifically proven to exist. And while chemobrain may not be completely proven, there are still studies that support its existence -- which manifests itself through aging-type memory problems, forgetfulness, distraction, and loss of the ability to calculate quickly. Some studies show that 20 to 30 percent of women who undergo chemotherapy for breast cancer, and some who receive similar treatment for lymphoma, score lower than average on mental function tests for as long as 10 years after chemotherapy. ''There's enough data now to at least know it's a real effect,'' said Dr. Ian F. Tannock, a psychiatrist who has studied this issue at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. Some suggest that typical aging may be at fault -- and for premenopausal women who may be rushed into menopause, this effect may be due to hormonal issues. Regardless, it seems to stem from chemotherapy -- somehow. And somehow, this topic needs more attention, more research, and maybe a more positive name.
In November 2004, my husband I and decided to try to have a third child. But instead of getting pregnant, I got breast cancer. And with the aggressive treatment I would receive -- surgery, dose-dense chemotherapy, radiation, and Herceptin therapy -- becoming pregnant was not an option. Birth control became my only option -- an option that has many limits for premenopausal women surviving breast cancer.
Left-handed women under the age of 50 are more than twice as likely to develop breast cancer than those who are right-hand dominant. 
Post-menopausal women: stay away from barbecued and smoked meat. Or at least increase your intake of fruit and vegetables.
Results of two studies, sponsored by the Adjuvant Breast Cancer (ABC) Trials Collaborative Group, conclude that adding chemotherapy to the estrogen-blocking drug tamoxifen improves survival for those with early-stage breast cancer. The same studies reveal preventing the secretion of estrogen from the ovaries does not offer much benefit for most women.
Its not like we haven't heard bad things about red meat before -- I came across this study that says the intake of red meat was associated with a significant increase in the risk of pre-menopausal estrogen positive breast cancer but not estrogen negative breast cancer. 
Researchers from Dartmouth Medical School say they have a new way of identifying a deadly form of breast cancer that plagues 17 to 37 percent of all breast cancer patients and mostly premenopausal black women.
Zometa can help prevent bone loss in premenopausal breast cancer patients says a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Young women that receive a diagnosis of breast cancer are usually told to wait at least two years after treatment ends to try and conceive. This is because the longer the patient goes without a recurrence the better the chance that they will remain cancer free.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of thirty one. I had been taking oral contraceptives for over thirteen years. I was not the type of person that constantly questioned how I got breast cancer or tried to figure out 'why me?' I knew that there were so many factors that could have contributed to me getting breast cancer. Why try and figure it out anyway?, I'm never going to really know the real reason for certain. I wasn't focused on why I got breast cancer at a young age but wanted to focus on surviving the disease. I guess I'm more of the kind of individual who thinks 'why not me'? I know that cancer can happen to anyone, at any age.
I'm coming up on my last year on tamoxifen. I often wonder if it would be beneficial to me to begin taking an aromatase inhibitor following my five years of tamoxifen. According to an article published in the journal Cancer, premenopausal women with breast cancer that has spread to at least four lymph nodes received the most benefit from aromatase inhibitors following treatment with tamoxifen. Postmenopausal women with cancer that has spread to three or less nodes only seem to get a 1-2 percent benefit from the addition of an aromatase inhibitor following tamoxifen.
Hormonal Therapies: Making Decisions and Quality of Life After Breast Cancer
When I first looked at my pathology report more than 18 months ago, it made little sense. Terms like Bloom Richardson Score and margins and Her2Neu were as foreign to me as the breast cancer that somehow invaded my body. So I read it over and over again and was eventually able to identify the basic meaning hidden within the four pages that detailed my disease. As it turned out, this report was my map. It led me in various directions for various treatments. It contained some roadblocks. It was sometimes confusing. And sometimes I got lost. There were some good and not-so-good stops along the way. And in the end, I reached my final destination -- in the land survival. And this is where I hope to stay. For a long time.
I have heard the term chemobrain many times -- even here at The Cancer Blog when 
In November 2004, my husband I and decided to try to have a third child. But instead of getting pregnant, I got breast cancer. And with the aggressive treatment I would receive -- surgery, dose-dense chemotherapy, radiation, and Herceptin therapy -- becoming pregnant was not an option. Birth control became my only option -- an option that has many limits for premenopausal women surviving breast cancer.
