will return after surgery.

The new test could help about 8,000 women a year make a better decision about whether or not to opt for chemo Photo:

The test, developed by British scientists, uses technology already available in almost all NHS laboratories to estimate the risk of recurrence of the most common type of the disease, called oestrogen positive (ER+) breast cancer.

The new test, which could be available in as little as a year, should cost a tenth of the sole alternative, called Oncotype DX, which is only available in the US.

ER+ breast cancer, which is driven by the female sex hormone, accounts for about 37,000 of the 48,000 new cases diagnosed in Britain annually.

When women are diagnosed, the physical state of the cancer is assessed.

Their tumours are removed surgically and they are treated with hormone therapy to fight any residual cancer and reduce the chances of it recurring.

Based on the tumour assessment, clinicians can currently determine whether about 25,000 should or should not also receive chemotherapy, said Professor Mitch Dowsett, from the Institute for Cancer Research in London and the Royal Marsden Hospital.

However, they are not able to make a clear decision for the remaining 12,000, who tend to receive chemotherapy to be on the safe side.

These are the women who could benefit from the new IHC4 test, he said, so named because it looks at levels of four proteins of importance for ER+ breast cancer: oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PGR), HER2 receptor (HER2) and a measure of how fast the tumour is growing, called Ki67.

Prof Dowsett explained: “I think it will help about 8,000 women a year make a much more certain decision about their treatment.

“It will allow us to say about a third of the 12,000 probably do need chemo and about a third probably don’t.”

While effective at preventing recurrence, chemotherapy has a deserved reputation as an unpleasant medicine, causing a range of side-effects including lethargy, increased risk of infection and blood clots, and hair loss.

Prof Dowsett described the IHC4 test as “excellent news” for women with ER+ breast cancer.

He said: “It is a major step towards more personalised and targeted treatment of breast cancer, which will mean that women can avoid unnecessary chemotherapy and its toxic side effects.”

While the Oncotype test was a “valuable” approach, it costs about £1,600 ($2,500) a time.

“Most cancer specialists do not have the money available to use it,” he said.

By comparison, he predicted the IHC4 test would cost the NHS between £100 and £200 a time.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), which decides whether new drugs and technologies can be used by the NHS, is due to meet next month to discuss the test.

The hope is that they will approve it, both as it will improve patients’ quality of life and reduce chemotherapy costs.

Prof Dowsett has published the findings of the study, supported by the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Prof Jack Cuzick, from Queen Mary, University of London, who co-authored the paper, said IHC4 “has the potential to be a key component in the battle against breast cancer”….read more

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- and researchers called the finding another reminder that people should be careful about using vitamins and other supplements.

“People tend to think of vitamins as innocuous substances, almost like chicken soup – take a little and it can’t hurt,” said lead author Dr. Eric Klein of the Cleveland Clinic. “If you have normal levels, the vitamin is probably of no benefit, and if you take too much, you can be harmed”.

The study showed that men randomly assigned to take a 400-unit capsule of vitamin E every day for about five years were 17 percent more likely to get prostate cancer than those given dummy pills. That dose, common in over-the-counter supplements, is almost 20 times higher than the recommended adult amount, which is about 23 units daily.

The results mean for every 1,000 men who took vitamin E, there were 11 additional cases of prostate cancer, compared with men given dummy pills.

About 160 of every 1,000 U.S. men will develop prostate cancer at some point. The risk increases as men age, and detection can be tricky since symptoms such as frequent urination can also be caused by harmless conditions. Treatment is also complex since some slow-growing prostate tumors are not deadly but some procedures, including surgery, can cause erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence.

About 13 percent of American men take vitamin E, according to a supplement trade group. What’s the study’s take-away message for these men?

Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, says they should stop taking large doses and talk to their doctors about risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening. Smaller doses, typically found in multivitamins, are probably fine, said Brawley, who was not involved in the research….read more

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kills about 50,000 women in the United States.  But following a healthy lifestylelike eating walnuts often may reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, a study in the journal Nutrition and Cancer suggests.

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Over the same period, the number of cases of cervical cancer has crept up much more slowly and deaths from that cancer have declined, although in 2010 it still killed 200,000 women around the world. In 2010, 51 percent of new cases of breast cancer and 76 percent of the 454,000 cases of cervical cancer were in developing countries, the researchers noted.

“The world used to think of breast cancer as a problem that only high-income countries had and cervical cancer as a problem mainly for developing countries,” said coauthor Dr. Rafael Lozano, a professor of global health at the university’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

“What we have found is that while countries such as the United States and United Kingdom have been able to greatly lower the risk of women dying from breast cancer, through better screening and treatment, countries with fewer resources are seeing their risks go up,” he said.

The world rightly recognizes that no woman should die because of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, Lozano said. “Now that we can clearly see the trends in breast and cervical cancer, they need to become a central part of the discussion when priorities are being set for women’s health programs,” he said.

The report was published in the Sept. 15 online edition of The Lancet.

For the study, Lozano and colleagues collected data from more than 300 cancer registries and cause-of-death offices in 187 countries.

During the 30 years covered by the study, breast cancer cases have increased in all parts of the world by 3.1 percent a year, the researchers found.

In addition, among women aged 15 to 49 there were twice as many cases of breast cancer in developing countries than in developed countries, they note. Deaths from breast cancer were also higher in developing countries compared with developed countries….read more

The use of bacteria for health and therapeutic purposes is in fact quite common. Various beneficial bacteria within the human digestive tract support digestion and elimination, help to detoxify the body, reduce the risk of some types of disease, and help to maintain overall health. These bacteria are widely available in supplements, and in various “live, active” yogurts. But ever since Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine (for cow pox) in 1796, bacteria have also played central roles in the development of vaccines against several diseases, including against tuberculosis, and even for plague, as in the case of Yersinia pestis. A team from North Carolina State University is developing an oral vaccine against deadly Anthrax poisoning, using Lactobacillus acidophilus, a common beneficial bacteria used to culture yogurt.

Recent findings from Britain’s University of Nottingham show another ingenious use for bacteria, in the treatment of cancers. A team of scientists led by Professor Nigel Minton has reported that the bacteria Clostridium sporogenes a species widespread in nature, can be used as a vehicle to deliver anovel enzyme that activates a cancer drug within tumors in the brain. The Clostridium sporogenes bacteria is anaerobic, which means that it does not require oxygen to live and multiply. This bacteria is associated with a foul odor, and typically occurrs in gangrenous infections. Spores of Clostridium sporogenes can grow within tumors where there is no oxygen, including solid tumors, of the breast, brain and prostate, though not tumors in other tissues of the body where oxygen is present.

In the UK and Netherlands scientists have genetically engineered an enzyme into the Clostridium sporogenes bacteria to deliver a cancer drug into anaerobic brain tumors. If their work continues to demonstrate success, this bacteria will be used to transport anti-cancer agents into previously inaccessible forms of cancer. The findings of this group will be presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Microbiology at the UK’s University of York. Key to the findings of the group is that the use of this bacteria as a drug delivery system appears to leave healthy tissue surrounding tumors unharmed, in contrast to both chemotherapy and radiation treatment. This in and of itself is a milestone in cancer therapy.

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1. Educate yourself and others

Breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women after nonmelanoma skin cancer, striking one in eight in the U.S. Most have no risk factors besides being female and getting older:

Ninety-five percent of new cases from 1998 to 2002 were in women over 40. For reasons that are still unclear, Caucasian women are most likely to develop the cancer, but African-American women are more likely to die from it. Contrary to popular belief, having large breasts, wearing underwire bras, or using antiperspirant, hair coloring, or hair-relaxing products don’t seem to affect your risk; doctors are striving to better determine what genetic and lifestyle factors do.

2. Learn your family’s medical history.

Some 5 to 10 percent of breast cancer cases are inherited, often through abnormalities in the genes BRCA1 or BRCA2, which are strongly linked to ovarian cancer as well. If you have a first-degree relative
– mother, sister, or daughter — with either of these diseases, you’re at a high risk for breast cancer.

3. Master the self-exam.

By age 20, you should be doing a monthly breast self-exam to feel for lumps and other irregularities (for instructions, go to http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/exam).

4. Know when to see your doctor.

Even a subtle change in your breasts — including breast pain and, particularly, any skin change such as dimpling or puckering — calls for a visit to your physician, says Eric Winer, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. And because your doctor might detect a lump you’ve missed, experts advise having him or her examine your breasts once every three years in your 20s and 30s and once a year after age 40 — which is also when you should start getting an annual mammogram.

5. Cut back on cocktails.

The more a woman drinks, the greater her risk for developing breast cancer. Yet studies show that moderate alcohol use can help protect against heart disease and other conditions. What to do? According to the American Cancer Society, the key is to make sure your consumption averages out to less than one drink a day (12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1 1/2 ounces of liquor all count as one serving).

6. Get serious about exercise.

Research shows that working out boosts breast health. One reason:
Extra weight can make the body produce excess estrogen, which may be why obesity is associated with breast cancer. This connection is especially strong after menopause. Researchers at the University of Southern California found that women who kept up a regimen of more than five hours per week of strenuous cardio (such as running or
lap-swimming) from high school on — or about 45 minutes a day — had a 20 percent lower risk of invasive breast cancer than those who did
30 minutes or less per week.

7. Eat a balanced diet.

Aim for at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Besides keeping your weight in check — one of the best defenses against breast cancer — some of these foods have been linked in studies to lower breast cancer incidence. Fill your plate with a variety of colors like fruits’ and veggies’ with cancer-fighting components — called phytochemicals. Other smart moves: Consuming more salmon and fortified milk (sources of vitamin D, which may boost your defenses), as well as more healthy fats (like olive oil) and lean proteins (think chicken, fish, and beans).

8. Breastfeed if you can.

Given its well-documented benefits for your baby, including protection from allergies and infections, you hardly need another reason to nurse. But breastfeeding, especially for one and a half to two years, may also help protect you against breast cancer, likely because it reduces your number of menstrual cycles, which is linked to lower risk.

9. Reduce your exposure to environmental hazards when possible.

A recent review of studies identified 216 chemicals that cause breast tumors in animals. Of particular concern: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which can contaminate fish, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), found in smoke and soot. Experts caution that more research is needed. Still, it’s a good idea to avoid PCB-contaminated fish (find local fish advisories at epa.gov
) as well as tobacco smoke and charred food.

10. Be a champion for change.

More money is needed to help underprivileged women get checked and treated for breast cancer and to help researchers better understand the disease. Two ways to make a difference: Contact your elected officials to request their support for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), which gives women access to free screenings (go to www.komen.org for information), and the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act, which would increase funding for studies on the environmental causes of breast cancer (learn more at www.stopbreastcancer.org).

11). Shop Through October To Help End Breast Cancer.

You’ll not only save 10%, but Cool-jams Wicking Sleepwear will donate an extra 10% to Breast Cancer Prevention! Details below…

Cool-jams donates a percentage of all profits to charity and from now until October 31 our focus is on breast cancer awareness. You may know someone whose life has been touched by breast cancer, or you may have been affected by it yourself. To help with the cure, Cool-jams is donating 10% of sales to breast cancer awareness and prevention during the month of October. Feel good about your purchase, help raise awareness among your friends, family and co-workers; and help end breast cancer forever!

Here’s How You Can Help…

1). Go to cool-jams.com to place your order from now through October 31, 2011.

2). Order any Cool-jams style or gift certificate to qualify for a donation.

3). Use the coupon code PINK in the promotion box provided at check out.

4). The rest is easy. Cool-jams will automatically take 10% off your order, plus donate 10% of your purchase to breast cancer awareness and prevention.

Feel free to forward this article to friends and family.

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If you’ve never met a guy with breast cancer- and odds are good that you haven’t – Terry Mautner is happy to be your first.

“I’ve worn it as kind of a badge of courage, or whatever you want to call it. I like to engage people in conversation about it because they find it so unusual or interesting,” he says. In fact, while talking to WebMD by phone, the Indianapolis man notices that he’s wearing his”I’m a survivor” T-shirt, which he picked up at a breast cancer fundraising eventAnd no, it’s not pink. “It’s gray,” he says with a laugh.

Mautner’s story is a reminder that for the most part, “women’s diseases” don’t really exist. No men do not go through menopause, but they can get breast cancer. Men can’t get ovarian or other female reproductive cancers, of course. But though you can call them “pecs” all you want, men do have breasts. And guys have bones, so we can get osteoporosis. And we can have depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and lupus and other autoimmune diseases, even though these more often strike women.

Men can face special challenges when we develop a disease more common in women. We may be slower to notice symptoms. We may have more trouble coping. We may feel frustrated over having any disease, let alone one that society regards as a “women’s problem.”

If one of these ailments does find you, here’s how to confront it like a man… er, a fighter.

Decades ago, Mautner had a benign cyst removed from his left breast, so he was used to finding lumps. When he felt another lump in 2000, he ignored it for a month. His wife urged him to get it checked. He saw his doctor on a Friday and had a mastectomy three days later.

Men’s breast cancers are often found at a more advanced stage, says George Sledge, MD, a breast cancer expert at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center in Indianapolis, who treated Mautner after his cancer returned in 2005. After all, almost no men have regular mammograms or check themselves for breast lumps. The National Cancer Institute says there is no information on the benefits or risks of breast cancer screening in men.

Overall, men’s outcomes aren’t worse than women’s, as long as they catch the tumor early enough. Men have estrogen in their systems, too, and most men’s breast cancers contain receptors for the hormone, which allow it to influence the tumor.

As a result, guys tend to respond well to drugs that keep estrogen from encouraging breast cancer growth, Sledge tells WebMD. Many other treatments – surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy – are similar in men and women.

And guys may get a warning that they’re at risk if the disease shows up in their family. Men who carry a BRCA2 gene mutation have about an 8% chance of getting breast cancer, though this is much less than the 40% or higher chance seen in women, Sledge says. Men with a BRCA1 gene mutation are also at higher risk of breast cancer.

However, after their diagnosis, guys don’t find a community of peers waiting to welcome them, as women might. When men head to the golf club or gym, odds are better that “they could commiserate about prostate cancer or their heart attack, but there just isn’t a large number of guys with breast cancer who can talk to each other,” Sledge says….read more

Researchers from Rutgers University used experiments on mice in the study and found that those who had caffeine applied to their skin took longer to develop tumors and have fewer of them if they did develop.

However, experts warn there could be adverse affect on other cancers by using caffeine this way.

Caffeine is known to interfere with a protein involved in detecting DNA damage known as ATR.  Scientists modified the mice so they did not produce any ATR in the skin.

Mice were exposed to UV light three times a week for 40 weeks.

Those without ATR developed their first tumor three weeks later than normal mice.  After 19 weeks there were 69 percent fewer tumors in mice without ATR.Â

The study said: “At any given point in time the average number of tumors in [modified] mice was significantly lower.

“Caffeine application could be useful in preventing UV-induced skin cancers,” the researchers add.

Applying caffeine on a beach to a person’s skin is not the same thing as genetically modifying mouse skin in a laboratory.  More studies need to be done to show any possible protective effects in humans.

Prof Dot Bennett, professor of cell biology, St George’s, University of London, told The Daily Mail: “The authors suggest adding caffeine or related molecules to sunscreens.

“First one might want to check there is no adverse effect of caffeine on the incidence of other cancers, especially melanoma, pigmented skin cancer, which kills over four times as many people as squamous cell carcinoma.

“But caffeine lotion might promote tanning a little, since this family of molecules stimulates pigment cells to make more pigment.”

Previous studies credited drinking caffeinated tea and coffee with warding off non-melanoma skin cancer.

The biggest of the previous studies involved 93,676 women who each had a cup of caffeinated coffee each day.  This study found that a cup of coffee a day cut the odds of skin cancer by about 5 percent.

The recent study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).