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MU Studies Link Depression and Breast Cancer Outcomes

By Guest PostNovember 7, 2011HealthAnn Bettencourt, battle with cancer, breast cancer, breast cancer diagnosis, depression during treatment, depression in breast cancer, medication regimens, risk factors for depression, treatment for cancer, university of missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. – This year, more than 230,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 40,000 women will not survive their battle with cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. New research from the University of Missouri shows that certain factors, including marital status, having children in the home, income level and age, affect the likelihood of depression in breast cancer survivors. Further, depressed patients are less likely to adhere to medication regimens, potentially complicating the progress of their treatment.

Ann Bettencourt, professor of psychological sciences at MU, studied who is most likely to experience distress following breast cancer diagnosis and when depressive symptoms tend to occur throughout the course of treatment. Bettencourt found evidence that single women and women with children in the home were more likely to be depressed during the year following treatment. (more…)

Fat Cells in Abdomen Fuel Spread of Ovarian Cancer

By Guest PostNovember 4, 2011Health, Scienceabdominal cavity, breast cancer, cause of cancer deaths in women, energy dense lipids, ernst lengyel, fabp4, fat carrier, fat cells, fatty acid binding protein, fatty tissue, gastric and colon cancers, growth of ovarian cancer, healthy mice, hilary kenny, intestines, kristin nieman, nutrients, omentum, ovarian cancer, ovarian cancer cells, ovarian cancer metastasis, protein, protein signals, stomach, tumor cells, university of chicago

A large pad of fat cells that extends from the stomach and covers the intestines provides nutrients that promote the spread and growth of ovarian cancer, reports a University of Chicago-based research team in the journal Nature Medicine, published online Oct. 30.

Ovarian cancer, the fifth-leading cause of cancer deaths in women, tends to spread within the abdominal cavity as opposed to distant organs. In 80 percent of women, by the time ovarian cancer is diagnosed, it has spread to the pad of fat cells, called the omentum. Often, cancer growth in the omentum exceeds the growth of the original ovarian cancer. (more…)

Low Vitamin D Linked to Earlier First Menstruation, a Risk Factor for Health Problems Throughout Life

By Guest PostAugust 14, 2011Healthbehavioral and psychosocial problems in teens, blood vitamin d levels, bogota, breast cancer, cancer, cardiometabolic diseases, Colombia, early menstruation, eduardo villamor, environmental cause, epidemiologist, equator, health problems, limited sun exposure, puberty, risk factor, teen girls, university of michigan, vitamin d in young girls

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— A study links low vitamin D in young girls with early menstruation, which is a risk factor for a host of health problems for teen girls as well as women later in life.

Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health measured the blood vitamin D levels in 242 girls ages 5-12 from Bogota, Colombia, and followed them for 30 months. Girls low on vitamin D were twice as likely to start menstruation during the study than those with sufficient vitamin D, said epidemiologist Eduardo Villamor, associate professor in the U-M SPH. (more…)

Prostate Cancer Spreads to Bones by Overtaking The Home of Blood Stem Cells

By Guest PostMarch 29, 2011Health, Scienceanemic, bleeding problems, blood system, bone, bone marrow; hematopoietic stem cells, bone metastasis, breast cancer, cancer cells, chemotherapies, elizabeth pedersen, malignant tumors, metastases, niche, prostate, prostate cancer cells, russell taichman, skeleton, stem cells, tumors, yusuke shiozawa

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Like bad neighbors who decide to go wreck another community, prostate and breast cancer usually recur in the bone, according to a new University of Michigan study.

Now, U-M researchers believe they know why. Prostate cancer cells specifically target and eventually overrun the bone marrow niche, a specialized area for hematopoietic stem cells, which make red and white blood cells, said Russell Taichman, professor at the U-M School of Dentistry and senior author of the study. (more…)

Berkeley Lab Researchers Illuminate Laminin’s Role in Cancer Formation

By Guest PostMarch 8, 2011Sciencebreast, breast cancer, cancer death, cell, cytoplasmic protein, dna synthesis, dynamic reciprocity theory, epithelial cell quiescence, epithelial tissue, genetic information, laminin, laminin 111, matrix metalloproteinase 9, microenvironment of breast, mina bissell, mmp9, nucleus, protein, quiescence, stages of tumor development, transcription, united states, zinc dependent enzyme

Laminin, long thought to be only a structural support protein in the microenvironment of breast and other epithelial tissue, is “famous” for its cross-like shape. However, laminin is far more than just a support player with a “pretty face.” Two studies led by one of the world’s foremost breast cancer scientists have shown how laminin plays a central role in the development of breast cancer, the second most leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States. In one study it was shown how laminin influences the genetic information inside a cell’s nucleus. In the other study it was shown how destruction of laminin can play a detrimental role in the early stages of tumor development. (more…)

‘Yearly Mammograms from Age 40 Save 71% More Lives’

By Guest PostJanuary 29, 2011Healthbiopsy, breast cancer, breast cancer screening, canada, cancer, edward hendrick, guidelines of screening, mammogram, mammography screening, radiology, Sweden

*Analysis questions U.S. Task Force recommendations for every-other-year screening starting at age 50*

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A new study questions the controversial U.S. Preventative Service Task Force recommendations for breast cancer screening, with data that shows starting at a younger age and screening more frequently will result in more lives saved.

The study analyzed the same data looked at by the task force, which issued its guidelines on mammography screening in November 2009. The study authors compared the task force’s recommendations for screening every other year in women 50-74 to American Cancer Society guidelines of screening every year in women 40-84. (more…)

Researchers Discover How Progesterone May Increase Breast Cancer Risk

By Guest PostJanuary 19, 2011Health, Scienceanastasia kariagina, breast cancer, cell growth, epidermal growth factor, estrogen, hormone, hormone dependent, hormone replacement therapy, human breast, mammary cancers, mammary cells, phenomenon, postmenopausal women, progesterone, progestin, protein amphiregulin, risk of breast cancer, sandra haslam, tumor growth

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Researchers have identified how the hormones progesterone and estrogen interact to increase cell growth in normal mammary cells and mammary cancers, a novel finding that may explain why postmenopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy with estrogen plus progestin are at increased risk of breast cancer.

The discovery that both estrogen and progesterone must be present for the increased production of the protein amphiregulin, which binds to mammary cells and promotes cell growth, could lead to new treatment methods for the disease, said Sandra Haslam, director of Michigan State University’s Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Center and lead researcher on the project. (more…)

Women Fight the Effects of Chemotherapy Long After Treatment Ends, MU Researchers Find

By Guest PostOctober 19, 2010Healthbody-image issues, breast cancer, breast cancer treatment, chemotherapy, depression, mental health, quality of life, rural areas, stephanie reid arndt, symptoms, university of missouri, urban areas, women

COLUMBIA, Mo. – For some women, the effects of breast cancer, the most common cancer affecting women, do not end when they leave the hospital. Now, researchers in the University of Missouri School of Health Professions have studied the lives of breast cancer patients following chemotherapy and found that their environments and available support systems help determine the quality of their lives.

“A lot of times people get mentally and emotionally ready to deal with chemotherapy and they receive a lot of support during that time,” said Stephanie Reid-Arndt, an assistant professor of health psychology in the School of Health Professions. “Then they go home and everyone feels like it’s over, but the patients still have worries and fears about the changes they’ve been through and what it means for the future.” (more…)

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