Study Confirms Value Of Family-history Knowledge For Young Women With Breast Cancer (p 1101)March 26, 2003A UK study published as a research letter in this week's issue of THE LANCET highlights the importance of detailed family-history knowledge to help identify women with pathogenic gene mutations for breast cancer. Women who carry mutations of BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 genes have a much higher lifetime risk of breast cancer-up to 80%-compared with non-carriers. A family history of breast cancer can be an indication of BRCA1/BRCA2 status. Fiona Lalloo from St Marys Hospital, Manchester, UK, and colleagues assessed BRCA1/BRCA2 status and detailed family history for young women (aged 30 years or younger) in north-west England. Around a third of women assessed (36 of 99) had a strong family history of breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer, although this was not reported in hospital notes for more than half of these cases. 44% of women with a family history had mutations of BRCA1 or BRCA2 compared with only 6% of women without a family history of breast cancer. Fiona Lalloo comments: "Our findings underline the importance of accurate elucidation of a family history from young women diagnosed with breast cancer for the prediction of mutations in genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2. We recommend that all breast-cancer surgical notes include a section on family history, which has to be completed. Elucidation of family history will aid identification of women with pathogenic gene mutations who need altered initial management and prospective tumour surveillance of both the breast and the ovaries." | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Related Breast Cancer News Articles M. D. Anderson study finds change in HER2 status after treatment with Herceptin Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that when treated with Herceptin prior to surgery, 50 percent of HER2 positive, breast cancer patients showed no signs of disease at the time of surgery. M. D. Anderson study finds racial disparities in radiation therapy rates for breast cancer Black women are less likely than white women to receive radiation therapy after a lumpectomy, the standard of care for early stage breast cancer, according to a new study by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. New nano device detects immune system cell signaling Scientists have detected previously unnoticed chemical signals that individual cells in the immune system use to communicate with each other over short distances. CSHL scientists identify new drug target against virulent type of breast cancer Tumor cells in a particular subset of breast cancer patients churn out too much of a protein called ErbB2 -- also often called HER2 -- which drives the cells to proliferate unchecked. Patients unlucky enough to be in this group -- about one in four -- have poorer prognoses and clinical outcomes than those who don't. Dense tissue promotes aggressive cancers New research may explain why breast cancer tends to be more aggressive in women with denser breast tissue. Breast cancer cells grown in dense, rigid surroundings step up their invasive activities, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators report in the Sept. 9 issue of Current Biology. Women exposed to negative life events at greater risk of breast cancer: BGU study Happiness and optimism may play a role against breast cancer while adverse life events can increase the risk of developing the disease. Hormone replacement therapy improves sleep, sexuality and joint pain in older women One of the world's longest and largest trials of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has found that post-menopausal women on HRT gain significant improvements in quality of life. Positive thinking may protect against breast cancer Feelings of happiness and optimism play a positive role against breast cancer. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Cancer suggests that while staying positive has a protective role, adverse life events such as the loss of a parent or close relative, divorce or the loss of a spouse can increase a woman's risk of developing the disease. Anti-tumor effects are enhanced by inhibiting 2 pathways rather than 1 Two independent research groups have found that simultaneous inhibition of two signaling pathways resulted in substantially enhanced antitumor effects in mouse models of prostate and breast cancer. In an accompany commentary, Steven Grant, at Virginia Commonwealth University Health Science Center, Richmond, discusses the clinical importance of these studies and highlights some of the questions that still need to be answered. Why a common treatment for prostate cancer ultimately fails Some of the drugs given to many men during their fight against prostate cancer can actually spur some cancer cells to grow, researchers have found. The findings were published online this week in a pair of papers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. More Breast Cancer News Articles |
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