2008 Woodie Awards
Health: The Mary-Jo Moment
Guest Perspective
Mary-Jo Lomax
Issue date: 10/22/07 Section: College Life
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I'd like to re-cap three breast cancer-related articles that recently made the news.
In early September, there was an article about a study that shed light on why African American women with breast cancer die at a higher rate than other racial groups. It has been well documented that while African American women are less likely than white women to get breast cancer (the incidence rate is about 12 percent lower), they are more likely to get it at a younger age and to die from the disease.
Prior to this study, scientists theorized that the reason was more sociological than biological: black women were thought to have less access to medical care.
Researchers studied tens of thousands of tumors from a tumor registry and learned that biology plays a much larger role than previously thought. Most breast cancers need estrogen in order to grow. The most effective treatments, such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, block estrogen, but only if the tumor is estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive). Tumors that are estrogen receptor-negative (ER-negative) do not respond to estrogen-blocking treatments and are harder to treat.
The key finding of the study was that ER-negative tumors were more common among black women with breast cancer at every stage and every age.
With this new knowledge, it is even more important that African American women do monthly breast self-exams, have annual clinical breast exams and get a baseline mammogram at age 40 and regular annual mammograms after that.
Another article reported that between 2001 and 2004, the rate of breast cancer diagnosis dropped approximately 3.7 percent, and the death rate dropped by 2 percent
during that same period.
The reason for the drop is most likely due to a large number of women stopping hormone replacement therapy (HRT) following news that the risks of HRT may outweigh the benefits.
The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2007, there will be about 180,500 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed and 40,900 deaths. Interestingly, the decline in the death rate was only seen in white women over 50 years old; the rate stayed the same among black women and younger women. (If you are wondering why the studies seem to focus only on white and black women, I think it is because breast cancer is much more prevalent among these two racial groups. The incidence rate of breast cancer among Hispanic women is 40 percent lower than that of white women, and the rate for Asian/Pacific Islanders falls between that of African American and Hispanic women. Native American women have the lowest incidence rate.)
A research study done by Kaiser Permanente was the subject of the third article. What they found, after extensive interviews of over 70,000 patients between 1978 and 1985, was that women who consumed alcohol - any amount and any type - were at a higher risk of developing breast cancer than their non-drinking counterparts (one to two drinks raises the risk by about 10 percent and having three or more drinks increases risk by 30 percent).
What is significant about this study is that this particular risk factor, alcohol consumption, is the only risk factor which is within one's control. All of the other risk factors, which include gender, age and family history, are beyond one's control. The researchers noted that this conclusion contradicts earlier studies that found drinking one glass of red wine beneficial for heart health. They recommend that women assess their drinking in relation to their risks for breast cancer and heart disease.
In early September, there was an article about a study that shed light on why African American women with breast cancer die at a higher rate than other racial groups. It has been well documented that while African American women are less likely than white women to get breast cancer (the incidence rate is about 12 percent lower), they are more likely to get it at a younger age and to die from the disease.
Prior to this study, scientists theorized that the reason was more sociological than biological: black women were thought to have less access to medical care.
Researchers studied tens of thousands of tumors from a tumor registry and learned that biology plays a much larger role than previously thought. Most breast cancers need estrogen in order to grow. The most effective treatments, such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, block estrogen, but only if the tumor is estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive). Tumors that are estrogen receptor-negative (ER-negative) do not respond to estrogen-blocking treatments and are harder to treat.
The key finding of the study was that ER-negative tumors were more common among black women with breast cancer at every stage and every age.
With this new knowledge, it is even more important that African American women do monthly breast self-exams, have annual clinical breast exams and get a baseline mammogram at age 40 and regular annual mammograms after that.
Another article reported that between 2001 and 2004, the rate of breast cancer diagnosis dropped approximately 3.7 percent, and the death rate dropped by 2 percent
during that same period.
The reason for the drop is most likely due to a large number of women stopping hormone replacement therapy (HRT) following news that the risks of HRT may outweigh the benefits.
The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2007, there will be about 180,500 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed and 40,900 deaths. Interestingly, the decline in the death rate was only seen in white women over 50 years old; the rate stayed the same among black women and younger women. (If you are wondering why the studies seem to focus only on white and black women, I think it is because breast cancer is much more prevalent among these two racial groups. The incidence rate of breast cancer among Hispanic women is 40 percent lower than that of white women, and the rate for Asian/Pacific Islanders falls between that of African American and Hispanic women. Native American women have the lowest incidence rate.)
A research study done by Kaiser Permanente was the subject of the third article. What they found, after extensive interviews of over 70,000 patients between 1978 and 1985, was that women who consumed alcohol - any amount and any type - were at a higher risk of developing breast cancer than their non-drinking counterparts (one to two drinks raises the risk by about 10 percent and having three or more drinks increases risk by 30 percent).
What is significant about this study is that this particular risk factor, alcohol consumption, is the only risk factor which is within one's control. All of the other risk factors, which include gender, age and family history, are beyond one's control. The researchers noted that this conclusion contradicts earlier studies that found drinking one glass of red wine beneficial for heart health. They recommend that women assess their drinking in relation to their risks for breast cancer and heart disease.
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