The ABC building in the Brisbane suburb of Toowong -- subject of a December 2006 post -- has been officially vacated following an investigation that turned up a cancer cluster among female employees.

Over the past 11 years, 10 women from this one building have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Eight of the women worked in the ABC newsroom, and most had been there for more than five years. The breast cancer risk for these women was six times higher than for the general population of women in the area. And while the investigation continues and clues are beginning to connect, the big question -- Why? -- has still not been answered.

It has been determined it is highly unlikely the increase in breast cancer was caused by exposure to radio frequency, low frequency electromagnetic radiation, or chemical contamination. According to experts, had any of these factors been at play, there would have been a rise in cancer among male employees as well as female employees. Therefore, it appears something specific to women has caused this cluster.

Perhaps clues will emerge from an analysis of lifestyle influences -- like smoking, diet, and alcohol and medication use -- and already women have answered questions pertaining to body weight, height, level of physical activity, and reproductive history.

One common theme among women is the use of oral contraceptives for periods varying from two to 18 years. Other interesting findings include the average number of babies born to the women -- 1.6 -- and the breastfeeding practices of the women -- each woman with a child breastfed for an average of 2.3 to 12 months -- and the educational background of the group -- of the 10 women, six have college degrees.

Experts says these are important factors. Early puberty, late menopause, lack of breastfeeding, use of oral contraceptives, and the trend of older mothers having fewer babies all can influence breast cancer risk. And so can level of education. Research shows increased rates of breast cancer in women with white collar jobs -- which is related to socioeconomic status and late childbearing.

Everything is important really -- because as breast cancer rates continue to skyrocket, all possible reasons need to be considered.

One in eight women in Australia will be diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 85. About 13,261 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. And it is predicted that 14,818 will be diagnosed in 2011.

Germ cell tumors are cancers that arise from reproductive organs but most commonly affect the ovary and testicles. Researchers report in the December 1st issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology that cisplatin along with epirubicin appears to be effective in certain patients with advanced disease.

This combination to treat metastatic germ cell tumors was shown to help nine patients, out of 30 studied, achieve complete remission. Dr. Pablo M. Bedano, of India University School of Medicine, said that the findings "have established cisplatin-epirubicin as one more alternative in the treatment of refractory germ cell tumors".

The researchers concluded that this regimen has an acceptable level of toxicity and offers potential long term disease survival.

When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer almost two years ago, my greatest fear was losing my hair. The fear was consuming, painful, over-the-top. That was long ago -- and I survived. I can look back now and realize that the panic about losing my hair was such a small-scale fear -- compared to what I fear now. Now I fear a recurrence of cancer. And it's a whole lot more disabling than a little worry about being bald.

I have a few techniques for settling my fears when they get out of control. Sometimes I take deep breaths. Sometimes I distract myself and occupy my mind with something more pleasant than anxiety -- like writing, exercising, playing with my little boys. And sometimes I read about others who have come before me and have handled the same distress I sometimes feel about cancer taking up residence in my body again. Mostly I learn from stories of other women who have survived breast cancer. And I learn that I can handle the fear, that I can handle cancer if it does come back. And the women I find most inspiring are those who have had a recurrence -- or two or three -- and who still manage to happily tackle the life they have in front of them. They give me hope that if a recurrence comes my way, I too can conquer it. And here are seven snippets of hope from the book Hope Lives! The After Breast Cancer Treatment Survival Handbook -- from women who keep on surviving breast cancer.

Remember Dolly the first successfully cloned sheep? In 1997, a scientist named Ian Wilmut stunned the world when he announced he had successfully cloned a sheep from an adult cell. With a new book, After Dolly, set for release on June 12, Wilmut is suggesting that we should seriously consider cloning babies to put an end to genetic disease. But Wilmut says he is not suggesting the practice of genetic enhancement to create designer babies. It certainly sounds like that is what he is saying when he suggests that parents, with the assistance of scientists, be allowed to combine the cloning of human embryos with genetic modification to eliminate hereditary disease. The process of creating designer babies is the same, the intent of purpose separated by a thin veil. Regardless of what he says he is or is not saying -- what he is describing is the eventuality of designer humans.

Wilmut states, "The use of genetic and reproductive technologies is not a step backward into darkness, but a step forward into the light." But in following Wilmut into his light, will our eventual fate be that of Icarus, who soared toward the sun on wax wings? I don't want to go all Luddite, but I am very uneasy about the ethics and where this all leads. And to take it to the next level, will there one day in the future be two races of humans? The genetically perfect designer human, and the genetically-imperfect unmodified human. How will it work? Who will decide? What do you think? 

New birth control pills and contraceptives are already on the market -- or about to be released -- that allow women the option of ending monthly menstruation for good. This option is becoming increasingly popular with women at both the beginning stage and ending stage of their reproductive life.

For women who suffer greatly each month with the physical pain and emotional upsets that can occur during periods, this might be a good option. For other women, it might be a matter of convenience and a way of improving sex life. If you are not actively attempting to get pregnant, this seems like a reasonable option in eliminating periods that do not seem to serve a practical purpose. As I understand it, the pills are far safer than the contraceptive pills of the past, with much lower doses of estrogen and progestin. However, it is still a birth control type pill, and the warnings remain the same. If you are over 35 and smoke, you are advised not to use it. If you are a cancer survivor diagnosed with cancers fueled by hormones, you are advised not to use this method of controlling monthly menstrual cycles. This pill still increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and blood clots.

On the other side of the coin -- according to research -- these birth control type pills might lower risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer. But, hormones operate in the body on so many complex levels, and regulate so many other systems within the body, I do not know that scientists understand the complexities enough to tell women that halting a hormone process for an indefinite amount of time by manipulating estrogen and progestin is safe for long-term health. Especially when it comes to cancers that are hormone-driven.