Women’s Health Newsflash: Breast Cancer News and a Personal Story

Who has time to read it all? This week we’re doing a newsflash a day on the health topics you need to know about to stay healthy. Today’s topic: Breast Cancer.

Low Melatonin Associated With Increased Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women
Low melatonin levels are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, according to a prospective case-control study. Melatonin is primarily secreted during the dark hours of a light-dark cycle and has been shown to be low in some night workers. Researchers have found that low melatonin levels in premenopausal women are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Read More >>>

New Inhibitors of Estrogen-dependent Breast Cancer Cells
Researchers have discovered a new family of agents that inhibit the growth of estrogen-dependent breast cancer cells. The finding, described June 16 at a meeting of the Endocrine Society, has opened an avenue of research into new drugs to combat estrogen-dependent breast cancers. “This cell-based study is exciting because it suggests these compounds are likely to be effective in tumors that remain dependent on estrogen for growth but are resistant to current therapies,” said principal investigator David J. Shapiro, a professor of biochemistry in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois. Read More >>>

Lifespan Cheer for Breast Cancer
Women with early stage breast cancer revealed by screening are likely to live as long as someone who has never had the disease, figures show. The NHS Cancer Screening Programme audit confirms detection of the disease in its early stages is vital. Overall, six out of ten women diagnosed after screening and treated had the same survival rates as the general population. Read More >>>

PERSONAL STORY: Surviving Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Cheryl Reed’s morning routine starts like that of millions of other mothers around the country. She makes breakfast for her 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, piles them into a minivan and drops them off at school. It’s the next stop that sets Reed apart from other women. Three weeks a month, she heads to the infusion center at the Emory Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta, Georgia, for chemotherapy treatments. Reed, 40, has breast cancer; not just any form of the disease, but a rare, aggressive and difficult to treat version called triple negative. Read More >>>

(image: SXC.hu)

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

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