Breast Cancer

Harvard Medical School has derived a number of healthy practices for all of us to emulate. The following article will try to paraphrase the critical points on exercise, and why all of us should do it. And, for the ones who do it, perhaps they need to do more!

The Benefit of Fitness

Probably by now, everyone acknowledges the health benefits of exercise. Everyone should get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. Daily is not too much, as human beings we were designed to get a lot more exercise than just daily for 30 minutes. Benefits accrue quickly. Among them are:

By the year 2000 Hispanics/Latinos numbered about 32.5 million and comprised 11.8% of the population. (1) By 2050, Hispanics/Latinos will represent almost a quarter of the country’s population (98.2 million). Therefore, it is important to study the health concerns of this large segment of the American population.

Comparing the health profile of Hispanic people to that of the general U.S. population reveals numerous disparities. Disproportionate numbers of adult Hispanics suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, and obesity. Children of Mexican descent are at special risk for growth deficiency and related problems.

Breast cancer affects one in eight women during their lives. Breast cancer kills more women in the United States than any cancer except lung cancer. No one knows why some women get breast cancer, but there a number of risk factors. Risks that you cannot change include

• Age - the chance of getting breast cancer rises as a woman gets older

• Genes - there are two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, that greatly increase the risk. Women who have family members with breast or ovarian cancer may wish to be tested.

October is breast cancer month, so it seems appropriate for a short article on breast cancer. Breast cancer affects one in eight women during their lives. Breast cancer kills more women in the United States than any cancer except lung cancer. No one knows why some women get breast cancer, but there a number of risk factors. Risks that you cannot change include:

• Age - the chance of getting breast cancer rises as a woman gets older

BRCA gene may be a critical factor in determining the risk of future breast cancer. Some women who have genetic counseling to find they are BRCA positive have mastectomies prior to any future diagnosis.

Breast cancer affects one in eight women during their lives. Breast cancer kills more women in the United States than any cancer except lung cancer. No one knows why some women get breast cancer, but there a number of risk factors.

U.S. cancer researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute find the IKBKE gene is actively malfunctioning in one-third of women with breast cancer.

In contrast, other genetic basis for breast cancer are found in only 1/2 to 1 percent of women. Uniqueness extends to the fact that this gene is not inherited, but occurs during a woman's lifetime (therefore, not responsible for breast cancer in young women).

Dietary Fat and Postmenopausal Invasive Breast Cancer in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study cohort

Is it something I ate? Could be. This NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study of 188,736 postmenopausal women finds that as the amount of fat a woman consumes increases, so does her risk of developing breast cancer. And this seems to be more pronounced in women not taking menopausal hormones.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for American women. This year, an estimated 180,000 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer -- 11,000 will be diagnosed with cervical cancer. Together, these two cancers are expected to claim the lives of more than 44,000 Americans in 2007.

Early detection allows early intervention and is the best way to increase the chance for survival. Mammograms and pap tests and other screening services can help doctors diagnose cancer before it has a chance to spread. When breast cancer or cervical cancer is caught early, the survival rate is more than 90 percent. Early detection makes treatment more effective, it gives hopes to patients, and it saves lives.

In 5 years, the rate of mammography decreased by 4%. This is the first decrease in about a generation. The American Cancer Society is alarmed, as they feel breast cancer rates may increase without mammography. Additionally, when breast cancer is found early via mammograms, the cancer is usually Stage I, and has a minimal chance of recurrence.

If mammograms are not done, and a person weights till a tumor is felt, the staging increases to 2 or 3, and recurrence is more of a risk.

A new study shows that breast density is a true risk factor in Breast Cancer, yet it is rarely discussed with patients compared to other risk factors like age and the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Cancer is discovered five times more often in women with extremely dense breasts than in those with the most fatty tissue.