Osteoporosis

An effort has been underway to find genes related to osteoporosis risk. A few specific regions have now been identified as being potentially involved. A study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine that found single nucleotide polymorphisms related to bone mineral density and fragility fractures

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows evidence that “women who have used Fosamax are nearly twice as likely to develop the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) than are those who have never used it“.

Bisphosphonates, used to treat osteoporosis, have been associated with jaw osteonecrosis for some time now. Researchers at the University of Southern California School of Dentistry have recently discovered that “microbial biofilms, a mix of bacteria and sticky extracellular material, are causing jaw tissue infections in patients taking bisphosphonate drugs“.

Cervical Cancer

“Women who do not undergo regular cervical cancer screening tests are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than those who do, according to an audit of the Swedish national cervical cancer screening program that will be published online April 29 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.”

Fibroids and Endometriosis

Less invasive treatments that preserve fertility will be presented at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Annual Clinical Meeting May 3-7 in New Orleans, Louisiana. New options include a “medical approach using selective estrogen receptor modulators and selective progesterone receptor modulators, uterine artery embolization, MRI-focused high-energy ultrasound, and conservative surgery using abdominal myomectomy, hysterectomy to remove the fibroids, but preserve the reproductive capacity of the uterus“.

Breast Cancer

While the conventional cancer medications can eliminate most breast cancer cells, the breast cancer stem cells which the cancer cells originate from are left unharmed, leaving the possibility of the cancer returning. In a new study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute evidence is presented suggesting that the drug lapatinib when used with conventional therapies also kills the stem cells in women with HER2 tumors.

A new study shows that “variations of the adiponectin gene, which regulates a number of metabolic processes, may increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer“. “This finding, coupled with previous studies that have found a correlation between low levels of adiponectin in the body and cancer risk, suggest adiponectin may be the third gene linked to breast cancer among women with no previous family history of breast cancer. If confirmed through additional studies, adiponectin could be used along with TGF-beta and CHEK2, genes that have already been linked to breast cancer, to create a genetic testing model that will allow clinicians to more accurately predict breast cancer risk.”