Alpha-fetoprotein and the fight against breast cancer
It has long been known that pregnancy can reduce a woman’s chances of developing breast cancer later in life. One of the reasons for this is the protein alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) which is made by the liver of the fetus. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) begins to show in the mother’s blood around the 12th week of pregnancy.
Thomas T. Andersen of Albany Medical College in New York has been doing some interesting research in this area. His group has synthesized a peptide* which they call ‘AFPep’ that mimics the same activity as AFP.
Then they implanted breast cancer cells into mice and then gave them AFPep. The result? It stopped the growth of the cancer cells and reduced the number of tumors by 23%!
And there’s more! When both AFPep and tamoxifen were administered to the mice - the tumors were reduced by 77%!
Thomas T. Andersen is currently trying to find a pharmaceutical company that will sponsor human clinical trials of this potential treatment for human breast cancers. These types of clinical trials can take 3-5 years before they can be completed and a new drug approved, so it won’t be available for quite a while. If is does get approved it could be used either to prevent or treat breast cancer.
* a peptide is a short chain of amino acids. Proteins are made of amino acids too, but peptides are smaller chains of amino acids usually without the full function of a normal protein.
(Technorati Tags: breast cancer, alpha-fetoprotein, cancer)
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Blood test to detect breast cancer
Mammaglobin is a protein that is secreted by most breast tumor cells and it can be easily detected in the blood of women who have metastatic breast cancer. Researchers at the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, MO are working on a way to use this blood test to detect metastatic breast tumors early.
They have tested this technique on 56 women without breast cancer and 26 women with metastatic breast cancer and published their work in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.
The results showed that women who do not have breast cancer have a low and steady amount of mammaglobin in their blood and that it is not affected by their age, body mass index, menopausal status, race, smoking, or family history of breast cancer. Women with breast cancer were found to have significantly higher levels of mammaglobin.
The next step for the research is to develop a high-throughput technique to so they can test their mammaglobin blood test in a larger study.
The two researchers involved are Timothy P. Fleming, Ph.D (research associate professor of surgery at the School of Medicine and a researcher with the Siteman Cancer Center) and Mark A. Watson, M.D., Ph.D. (associate professor of pathology and immunology and director of the Multiplexed Gene Analysis Core and Tissue Procurement Core at Siteman).
For more information see Simple blood test can detect breast cancer recurrence.
What is your opinion? If you had the choice of a mammagram or a blood test to see if you had breast cancer - which would you prefer? (I would definitely prefer the blood test.)
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- Ovarian cancer news review
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- Women’s Health Weekly Review - April 19-25
November 16, 2005
Are your kids getting enough sleep?
A new study shows that kids who don’t get enough sleep don’t do as well in school. This research was done by Dr. Gahan Fallone from the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri and published in the journal ‘Sleep’.
The study involved 74 kids from 6 - 12 years old and showed that when kids stayed up late and didn’t get enough sleep they did not do as well in school.
One weeks the kids in the study got a normal amount of sleep (8 - 10 hours)and the next week they only got 6.5 to 8 hours. Their teachers rated how well they did in school without knowing which kids were getting enough sleep and which weren’t.
Sleep is very important for health - not just for kids but for adults too! Many people act like they think getting an adequate amount of sleep is just a luxury or being lazy and that they are somehow ‘tougher’ because they don’t get enough sleep. That kind of attitude bugs me to death! What about you?
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- 12 Things You Can Do To Set a Healthy Example for Your Kids
- American schools - no learning allowed!
- 5 Reasons Why Women Have the Power To Change the World!
Study unveils new treatment options for osteoporosis!
Many women with postmenopausal osteoporosis cannot take oral bisphosphonates because it requires remaining in an upright position for a period of time and restricts food and water being ingestedfor a period of time before and after taking them.
A new study shows that an intravenous (I.V.) injection of ibandronate (brand name Bonviva) every 2-3 months is highly effective and well-tolerated!
The study called ‘DIVA’ which stands for ‘Dosing IntraVenous Administration’ recently presented their results at the American College of Rheumatology meeting in San Diego, USA.
DIVA tested Bonviva at 2mg every two months or 3mg every three months and found that it resulted in greater increases in bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine and various hip sites and was well-tolerated. The study involved
1,395 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis between the ages of 55 and 80.
Regulatory papers have been sent in to the US and European Union Health Authorities. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Roche - www.roche.com) GlaxoSmithKline (GSK - www.gsk.com) are co-developing and co-promoting Bonviva together to treat and prevent postmenopausal osteoporosis. I have not heard any estimate about when Bonviva will become available.
More information about what causes osteoporosis and how to prevent it can be found on this site in the article titled: Osteoporosis.
(Technorati Tags: osteoporosis, bisphosphonates, bone, health, women)
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- FDA approves an injectable form of Boniva for treatment of osteoporosis!
- Corticosteroids and osteoporosis
- Bone health
November 15, 2005
Women’s Health Blog
In this section of my Women’s Blog, I will report about news concerning women’s health including osteoporosis, breast and ovarian cancer, menopause, fitness, nutrition and more. Commentary will be included as appropriate.
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- Women’s Health Weekly Review: June 22 - June 28
- News shorts: Ovarian cancer; breast feeding
- Women’s Health Weekly Review: June 15 - June 21
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