Breast Cancer Risk Not Always "All In The Family" Says Study
by Distributed by Healthy Living News
Do you have family member with a BRCA gene mutation and so you're concerned about your own risk of developing cancer? Well, a new study may provide you with a reason for breathing a sigh of relief.
Stanford University researchers show that as long as you test negative for BRCA mutations, you may not have as high a risk of developing BRCA related cancer as previous studies have suggested. The mutations are associated with a significant risk of developing BRCA related breast and cervical cancer.
The study, involving more than 3,000 families, settles a four-year-old controversy that began after a study suggested that a having a family member with a BRCA mutation increased BC cancer risk.
“The results are encouraging and reassuring,” said Allison Kurian, MD, lead author of the paper which appears in The Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Dr. Kurian and her colleagues — including senior author Alice Whittemore, PhD, — said their findings support the current practice of advising BRCA non-carriers that there is no increased cancer risk just from having a family member with a BRCA mutation.
BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations s are strongly associated with the development of breast or ovarian cancer: Carriers face a five- to 20-fold increased risk of developing these cancers. Female relatives without the mutation have been advised that their cancer risks are higher than women in the general population.
In 2007, however, a Journal of Medical Genetics paper showed that relatives of women with the mutation who tested negative had a two- to five-fold increased risk of developing breast cancer. Several other studies found a two-fold risk for non-carriers who had a relative with the mutation, prompting some to wonder whether breast cancer surveillance should be recommended for these family members.
“Our clinic received many calls about it — it was widely read by people in the field and by patients,” said Dr. Kurian, a practicing oncologist whose research focuses on breast cancer risks across populations. The study, and the notion that additional screening for non-carriers might be warranted, caused both concern and skepticism among cancer geneticists. “It went against what was being done.”
The 2007 study had compared relatives of BRCA carriers with women in the general population, and Dr. Kurian and her colleagues thought this might have created high estimates of the non-carriers’ risk. For one reason: Women in a family with a known BRCA mutation are more likely to receive more intensive screening, and thus be more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women in the general population.
And also, said Dr. Whittemore, “First-degree [or close] relatives of breast cancer patients are themselves at higher risk than women in the general population. So some reports of higher risk among non-carriers, as compared to risk in the general population, may have been an inappropriate comparison of apples and oranges.”
The researchers sought, then, to compare cancer risk in non-carriers with a control group of relatives of cancer patients without the mutations. For the study they used data from population-based cancer registries to look at 3,047 families. Of the total, 160 families had BRCA1 and 132 families had BRCA2 mutations.
When comparing the groups of relatives, they found no evidence of an increased breast cancer risk for non-carriers.
The findings should put to rest questions about risk based on a familial BRCA mutation. But Dr. Kurian added, “It’s important for patients and clinicians to remember this doesn’t rule out other risk factors, which might increase a non-carrier’s probability of getting breast cancer.”
Dear Dr. Eva, Every year, I seem to get depressed and have a big drop in energy as the days get shorter. It gets harder to get out of bed and much harder to deal with people. I cry way more easily than normal. Other than move to the Southern hemisphere for the winter, what can I do to keep my mood from falling come Fall and Winter? - Hibernating Read More
Dear Dr. Eva, I've been on high blood pressure medication for several years. When I get a headache, since that is a sign of high blood pressure, I take an extra pill. I also take an extra dose when I eat pork, because I've heard it increases blood pressure (BP). Since I've noticed some problems with sex from my medicine, if I expect to be having sex I skip the dose that day. I know that's probably bad, but sex is important to me. My doctor recommended a home BP cuff, but my insurance doesn't cover it so I haven't gotten one. What do you advise? - John R
Two new studies show that your risk of developing cancer may depend upon what you do and where you do it. The studies reveal the importance of environmental and lifestyle factors in the development of breast and other cancers and how minimizing these factors reduce cancer risk.
My new partner is into eco-travel. He takes a couple of trips a year, often to places I've barely heard of and definitely wouldn't have thought of as vacation destinations. He wants me to go with him. Read More
Several new studies confirm the benefits and safety of optimized HIV therapy. One study shows that those with HIV who don't take their HIV medications or who abuse drugs and alcohol are likely to live significantly shorter lives. The research also shows that those with HIV without these risk factors can live as long as those without HIV. Another study shows that over the long-term, HIV antivirals are relatively safe to take. Read More
Heather has two mommies and she is doing just fine, says a new study showing teenage children of lesbians report as good a quality of life as teens with heterosexual parents. Read More
Lesbian, gay, transgender and especially bisexual and questioning youth (LGBT) are at greater risk of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts, bullying by their peers and truancy, says a new study. Read More
Q: I’m determined to lose weight in 2012. Can you recommend a diet to help me lose weight quickly?
A: Many people resolve to lose weight at the dawn of each New Year – but, despite the best of intentions, most fail long-term because they take the wrong approach. Among those who lose weight quickly through crash dieting, eight out of 10 regain their lost weight within two years and two-thirds pile on even more weight. Read More
You might think that staying healthy means oatmeal instead of ham and eggs for breakfast, eating your broccoli at dinner, followed by a brief stroll afterward to burn some calories. For married or single gay and bisexual men, having the right to marry also leads to healthier, less stressed lives, according to a new study. The study also shows a savings in health-care costs. Read More
