Breast Cancer Central

Statin Use Linked to 51% Reduction in Breast Cancer

May 20, 2005 (Orlando) — An observational study has found that statin use in U.S. female veterans compared with nonusers was associated with a 51% reduced risk of breast cancer, researchers reported here at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2005 Annual Meeting.

The beneficial effect is seen in more than four years of statin use, said lead author Ruby Kochhar, MD, who led the study at the Overton Brooks VA Medical Center at Shreveport, Louisiana.

The retrospective case-control study compared statin use among 556 women with a history of breast cancer and 39,865 women without the disease who served as controls. Breast cancer was identified by International Classification of Diseases codes, and statin use was tracked by prescription.

Read the entire article at Medscape (free registration required). Link: Statin Use Linked to 51% Reduction in Breast Cancer.

Adiposity as Compared with Physical Activity in Predicting Mortality among Women

Even modest weight gain during adulthood, independent of physical activity, was associated with a higher risk of death. We estimate that excess weight (defined as a body-mass index of 25 or higher) and physical inactivity (less than 3.5 hours of exercise per week) together could account for 31 percent of all premature deaths, 59 percent of deaths from cardiovascular disease, and 21 percent of deaths from cancer among nonsmoking women.

Link: Adiposity as Compared with Physical Activity in Predicting Mortality among Women.

Secondhand Smoke Causes Breast Cancer, Study Says

SAN FRANCISCO -- Scientists at an influential California agency have concluded that secondhand smoke causes breast cancer, a finding that could have broad impact on cancer research and lead to even tougher anti-smoking regulations.

Although recent studies have linked smoking to breast cancer, no major public health group, including the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute, has declared it a cause of the disease that kills 40,000 women each year in the USA.

The finding by scientists for the Air Resources Board -- whose early efforts to regulate auto emissions were a model for the rest of the country -- could fuel workplace smoking bans in more states. And it is likely to refocus the scientific debate over the link between smoking and breast cancer.

''I have to say without reservation it will stimulate continued and accelerated scientific evaluation of the smoking and breast cancer issue,'' says Terry Pechacek, associate director for science in the CDC's office on smoking and health.

Link: RedNova News - Health - Secondhand Smoke Causes Breast Cancer, Study Says.

Underactive Thyroid Cuts Breast Cancer Risk

HOUSTON - Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have found that women with a common thyroid gland disorder appear to have a reduced chance of developing invasive breast cancer, according to a study published in the March 15 issue of Cancer, out online Feb. 14.

In a retrospective case-control study of 2,226 females, researchers found that women with primary hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid) had a 61 percent lower risk of developing invasive breast cancer. Additionally, women newly diagnosed with breast cancer were 57 percent less likely to have the under-active thyroid gland condition compared to a control group of healthy women.

Even more, the breast cancer patients on the study who also had a history of hypothyroidism tended to be older when diagnosed and have a less aggressive, indolent variety of the disease that was sensitive to estrogen treatment.

"These intriguing and very exciting findings suggest a biological role of thyroid hormone in women with breast cancer that could offer some prognostic or therapeutic value, perhaps suggesting novel preventive strategies," says Massimo Cristofanilli, M.D., associate professor in M. D. Anderson's Department of Breast Medical Oncology and the study's lead author. "The study also draws attention to the role of thyroid hormone and its potential interaction with estrogen to promote the onset of breast cancer. We need to consider that while in the past we've looked only at the role of estrogen on breast tissue to promote the onset of cancer - thereby promoting research that brought therapeutic and preventive hormonal approaches to the patient - many more studies need to be done to explore the role of other hormones.

The influence of thyroid gland disease on breast cancer has been debated for some time. Other smaller studies have focused on a population of women with several thyroid conditions, such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism (over-active thyroid), thyroid cancer and others, and reported conflicting results on the incidence of breast cancer. Consequentially, researchers were not sure what to make of the different findings, Cristofanilli says.

M. D. Anderson's study is the first clinical investigation to examine the characteristics of invasive breast cancer in patients with hypothyroidism and compare the incidence of this common condition with a carefullyselected matched control group. The study compared the medical records of 1,136 women treated at M. D. Anderson for breast cancer to those of 1,088 healthy women who came to the institution for breast cancer screening.

"Thyroid hormone and estrogen both share similar pathways in regulating proliferation and growth in the target cells, including cancer cells. This well known phenomenon of cross-talk between the receptor of these hormones may promote or inhibit thereby determining the "fate" of a cell towards either a regulated growth or a cancer," he says. "If results of a planned M. D. Anderson prospective study bear out this conclusion, then it may be possible to design a treatment that specifically and narrowly targets thyroid hormone receptors, which might provide enough influence on the target cells to help prevent breast cancer - perhaps even serving as a complement to tamoxifen," Cristofanilli says.

Even before this research is concluded, Cristofanilli believes that, as a first step, all women diagnosed with breast cancer should have their thyroid function tested to detect common disorders - namely hyper- or hypothyroidism - so that women with both conditions can be closely monitored.

Nuclear receptors for thyroid hormone and estrogen are part of the "superfamily" of receptors that contribute to control cell growth and differentiation. Hormones must bind to this family of important proteins to exert their functions, and depending on the hormone to which they bind, can either stimulate or inhibit the growth of cells, Cristofanilli says.

Estrogen controls growth of female reproductive tissues, such as is found in the breasts, and thyroid hormones control energy metabolism in tissue.

Hypothyroidism - a condition estimated to affect approximately 20 percent of older women - is produced when the thyroid gland, located in the front of the neck, fails to produce enough thyroid hormone. Insufficient levels of specific types of thyroid hormone may affect all body functions, and can slow patient functioning, causing mental and physical sluggishness.

Other researchers contributing to the M. D. Anderson study include: Gabriel Hortobagyi, M.D., chairman of the Department of Breast Medical Oncology; Richard Theriault, D.O.; Therese Bevers, M.D.; Sara Strom, Ph.D.; Savitri Krishnamurthy, M.D.; Yuko Yamamura; Shu-Wan Kau; Modesto Patangan; and Limin Hsu.

Alcohol and Breast Cancer - Breast Cancer

According to an article by Smith-Warner et al (Oncolink), although many studies show an increase in the risk of breast cancer with the consumption of alcohol, the exact manner that this happens is unknown. Other studies, in an attempt to make a connection, have shown an increase in the estrogen level of women who have a moderate to high alcohol daily intake

Link: Alcohol and Breast Cancer.

Kelp can reduce level of hormone related to breast cancer risk

2/2/2005 - Kelp seaweed, the brown plant often found washed ashore on beaches, could help to fight hormone-related cancers, suggests new animal research.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have found that a diet containing kelp seaweed lowered levels of the most powerful female sex hormone, oestradiol, in rats.

Their findings raise hopes that it might decrease the risk of oestrogen-dependent diseases such as breast cancer in humans.

Link: Kelp can reduce level of hormone related to breast cancer risk.

Celecoxib Shows Surprising Activity Against Estrogen Receptors

Six months of treatment with celecoxib (Celebrex) in women at risk of developing breast cancer results in the reduction of estrogen receptor expression in breast cells, a research team at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has found. The surprising insight - that celecoxib may regulate a cell's use of estrogen - could help explain the drug's observed anticancer properties, says the study's lead author, Banu Arun, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology.

Link: Celecoxib Shows Surprising Activity Against Estrogen Receptors.

Insulin, exercise & caloric intake in postmenopausal women: breast cancer implications

Lower BMI, higher levels of physical activity, and lower caloric intake were all independently associated with significantly lower mean fasting insulin levels throughout the range of observed values.

These findings suggest that reduction in BMI achieved by increasing physical activity, reducing caloric intake, or both, should lower insulin levels, providing support for clinical trials evaluating insulin level change and breast cancer risk

Read the article at this link: Insulin, exercise & caloric intake in postmenopausal women: breast cancer implications.

Detailed Breast Cancer Risk Calculator

Link: Detailed Breast Cancer Risk Calculator.

I input my information for when I was 43 just before I was diagnosed. My chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer within 5 years of my 43rd birthday was 1%. If only I did so well playing the odds with the lottery.

News - SABCS: Celecoxib Shows Promise for Breast Cancer Prevention

EXCERPT: "In a cohort of 40 women with high risk for breast cancer, 6 months of treatment with celecoxib led to a 10% absolute reduction in estrogen receptor expression in breast epithelial cells, said Banu Arun, MD, associate professor, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States.

"This is a preliminary, but exciting finding that has not been reported in human studies before," she reported here on December 10th at the 27th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium."

Read the entire article SABCS: Celecoxib Shows Promise for Breast Cancer Prevention.