Breast Cancer Update
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(Its been a while since I’ve been able to post anything here due to injuries, sickness and other life issues getting in the way.
I decided to start posting again with short reviews of news stories on different topics since I last posted about them. I’ll start with breast cancer.)
Prevention
On the topic of prevention it was discovered that when girls eat soy on a regular basis from ages 5 to 11 they have a 58% lower chance of developing breast cancer as adults. A possible connection between soy intake and cancer isn’t new, but if I remember right – some studies show conflicting data. It is interesting that in this study by Dr. Larissa Korde only Asia women were included.
On the other hand it was found that folate, one of the B vitamins, does not seem to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Some researchers at the University of Bristol gathered the results of 22 other previous studies to and came to the conclusion folate does not affect the risk of developing breast cancer.
A study with rats showed that when pregnant rats ate lots of whole wheat their daughters were less likely to get breast cancer. This research by Dr. Leena Hilakivi-Clarke of Georgetown University in Washington, DC also indicates that a high-fat diet in pregnant rats also results in a greater change of the daughters developing breast cancer. Her research was published in the November issue of the International Journal of Cancer.
Testing and Screening
Research published in The Lancet recently suggests that the benefits of mammograms for women under 50 may not out weigh the risks of the increased radiation exposure.
A review by Drs. Peter C. Gotzsche and M. Nielsen of the Nordic Cochrane Center in Copenhagen points out that while mammography can save lives it also results in many women being diagnosed and treated for a benign cancer.
Advances in detecting breast cancer include a new type of ultrasound that can distinguish between lumps which are cancerous and those that are harmless. A small study was conducted by Richard Barr, a radiologist at Southwoods X-Ray and Open MRI in Youngstown, Ohio which showed that elasticity imaging might help prevent many women from having unnecessary biopsies.
Studies with a new type of CT scan called a Cone Beam Breast Computed Tomography scanner have produced some promising results. It produces 3D images and can also distinguish between benign and cancerous tumors – and tends to be much more comfortable for women. The research was led by Dr. Avice O’Connell of the University of Rochester in New York and was presented at the meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.
Treatment
The FDA recently approved the use of Herceptin in women with early stage cancer who have had surgery. Herceptin is already generally used for this purpose. Herceptin is given by an injection and targets tumor cells but not normal cells.
Other News
A British medical journal reports that it is not necessary for most women to wait more than 6 months after being treated for breast cancer to get pregnant.
Three recent studies address some issues related to African-American women and breast cancer. Dr. Devra L. Davis, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Epidemiology has suggested that exposure to hormones in some cosmetic products may be involved. Other research suggests that breast cancer in black women may be more aggressive and difficult to treat. They are more likely to have estrogen-receptor negative cancers which are not affected by some cancer drugs such as Herceptin. Recent data suggests that black women are now being screened as often as other women but their cancers are still not being diagnosed at an early stage.
(Technorati Tags: Breast Cancer, soy, mammogram, Herceptin)
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Related Posts:
- Preliminary research results and the media – more harm than good?
- Recent developments in breast cancer research
- Stay fit to reduce risk of breast cancer
September 1, 2006
Breast cancer gene product has role in translation
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Mutations in the gene BRCA1 (breast cancer 1) are associated with a greater risk of developing breast, ovarian, prostate and colon cancers. These mutations are found in around 90% of people with both breast and ovarian cancer and in 40% of women with familial breast cancer although they are found in only 5% of all breast cancers.
It is believed that the normal role of the BRCA1 protein is to suppress tumors, although details of its role in this regard are not fully known. So far BRCA1 has been shown to be involved in many cell processes including homology-directed repair of DNA, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, transcription and ubiquitination.
A new paper in JBC by Nicole Dalla Venezia’s group now shows that BRCA1 may also be involved in translation. Translation is the process in which a mRNA (messenger RNA) is decoded and a protein is synthesized.
Venezia’s group first showed that BRCA1 binds to PABP (poly(A)-binding protein 1) , which is also involved in translation, using the yeast two-hybrid system. They confirmed this with in vitro assays and in mammalian cells. They believe this interaction between the two proteins may be physiologically relevant because in in vitro assays with a mutated form of BRCA1 the interaction was not observed. In addition RNA interference experiments to reduce the expression of BRCA1 resulted in a decrease in cellular translation. And – overexpression of BRCA1 increased translation activity.
Other studies have indicated that there may be a connection between translation and cancer. Specifically some translation initiation factors such as eIF4E have been linked to malignancy. The specific role of BRCA1 in translation and in tumor suppression is not yet clear, but this study suggests an additional mechanism that might be involved.
(Technorati Tags: BRCA1, cancer, translation, gene)
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- The paradox of BRCA1 in breast cancer
- Breast cancer: BRCA2 and DNA repair
- New breast cancer gene discovered
July 23, 2006
Coping with breast cancer through art.
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On this blog I mostly write about the scientific and research aspects of breast cancer and other women’s illnesses. I decided to blog about another aspect of breast cancer in this post.
Coping with breast cancer with one’s self or a relative or close friend is very trying. People have various methods for expressing their emotions. One way a lot of women deal with it is through creative and artistic endeavors – either by doing the creating themselves or through the creations of others.
In Arizona a group of over 50 musicians recorded a CD to bring attention to some breast cancer issues but also donate 50% of their profits. They call themselves the ‘The Amada Project‘. Amada means ‘the loved one’ in Spanish and was inspired by a The Susan G. Komen Foundation race.
Kanika is an artist as well as an East African word that means ‘Black cloth’. She has created sculptures that depict survivors of breast cancer and celebrates their courage. Many of these sculptures are available as pendants.
Another great example of creative expressions of breast cancer is the Breast Cancer Answers Art Gallery – it is a collection of art from more than 25 people affected by cancer. It contains both images and poetry expressing strength, recovery, anger, fear, healing and more.
The above endeavors have not only helped the creators of the art but also anyone that views it. There is no doubt that expressing emotions through art can help with the healing process.
Do you feel the medical profession understands this fully? Do doctors realize its importance to their patients and their patients families? Do they need to? If so, in what ways can this need be communicated to those in the medical profession?
(Technorati Tags: breast cancer, art)
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- Breast cancer – detection and treatment updates
- Medical care of the future?
July 10, 2006
Breast cancer: BRCA2 and DNA repair
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One of the genes associated with breast cancer and ovarian cancer is BRCA2. Mutations in BRCA2 can result in early onset breast and ovarian cancer. It was the second breast cancer susceptibility gene discovered – after BRCA1. It was found from positional cloning through women with inherited breast cancer.
Cell lines with mutations in BRCA2 are genetically unstable and can accumulate large chromosomal rearrangements. Double-stranded breaks (DSB) in DNA can occur due to exposure to DNA damaging substances such as UV light or as a consequence of regular metabolic activity.
BRCA2 is known to be involved in DNA repair through a process called ‘homology-directed repair’ – sometimes called ‘homologous recombination’. In homology-directed repair, the repair involves the use of DNA that is similiar in sequence to the DNA that needs to be repaired.
The Rad51 protein is also involved in homology-directed repair. It binds to damaged DNA to begin the repair process. Some mutations in Rad51 have also been associated with breast cancer.
The BRCA2 protein is 3418 amino acids in length. Its central region of around 1000 amino acids contains a series of 8 repeated motifs called BRC repeats. This region binds to Rad51. The C-terminal end binds to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and has some similarity to a protein called RPA (replication protein A) which also binds to single stranded DNA.
In a paper published in June in PNAS Maria Jasin‘s group constructed fusion proteins composed of one or more of the BRC repeats and the large subunit of the RPA protein. What they found was that in cell lines containing a mutant form of BRCA2 they were able to restore homology-directed repair when both transiently and stably expressing these fusion proteins in the cells.
Cells with a mutant form of BRCA2 are especially sensitive to DNA damage. Cells transfected with the fusion proteins were resistant to this damage presumably because they were able to restore the DNA repair activity of the cell.
The authors concluded that the primary role of BRCA2 is to bring Rad51 to ssDNA to maintain the genetic integrity of cells.
BRCA1 is also known to interact with RAD51 and be involved with homology-directed repair of DNA.
Further research into the roles of BRCA2, BRCA1 and Rad51 in DNA repair is critical to the understanding and development of future prevention and/or treatment of breast and other cancers.
(Technorati Tags: BRCA1, BRCA2, breast cancer, Rad51, DNA, DNA repair)
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Related Posts:
- Breast cancer gene product has role in translation
- The paradox of BRCA1 in breast cancer
- Reduce ovarian cancer risk for BRCA1/2 women
June 30, 2006
Preliminary research results and the media – more harm than good?
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A preliminary study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology this past week suggests that women who have mutations in the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 genes and are exposed to any X-rays have a greater chance of developing cancer.
Over 1600 women with a mutation in either their BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes were questioned about whether or not they had ever had an x-ray. The study revealed that the women who had received chest x-rays were around 54% more likely to get breast cancer. And if they had the x-ray before they were 20, they were 2.5 times more likely to have breast cancer before they were 40.
This study was reported by Reuters, Forbes and others who did make it clear that it was just a preliminary study. Issues about the problems with self-reporting on questionaires were discussed also – as well as the fact that even high risk women don’t usually start having mammograms before 20.
Despite those caveats a study like this being reported by the general media might leave some high risk women – or even those without the mutations – afraid of getting mammograms.
It may very well be true that women with the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 mutations may be increasing their chances of developing breast cancer even more by getting mammograms – it is known that some percent of the population is more at risk from radiation damage due to x-rays. Plus BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 are believed to be involved in DNA repair mechanisms.
If it turns out to be a big enough risk it may prompt the faster development of alternative screening methods for breast cancer – possibly methods that are more comfortable for women.
Meanwhile – do you think it does more harm than good when these types of studies are released? Is it best that all research results – even if preliminary – are made available to the public? Is it worth the risk of some women being afraid of getting regular mammograms? Do most people understand the relationships between genes, mutations and cancer well enough to put the study into a proper perspective?
I lean toward having results of all medical and scientific results available to all regardless of the confusion it might cause. I can see how others may disagree though. What do you think?
(Technorati Tags: BRCA1, BRCA2, breast cancer, mammogram, genes)
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- Breast cancer gene product has role in translation
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