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U.S. scientists say they've succeeded in growing breast cancer stem cells from normal tissue.

Since it is suspected that these types of cells give rise to cancer's spread, isolating them could prove invaluable in the fight against the disease, experts say.

"There has not been any publication to my knowledge that has demonstrated a way to isolate these cells from human patients and expand them, meaning grow them in Petri dishes," noted study lead author Dr. Tan Ince, an "independent signaling investigator" at Brigham and Women's Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston.


More information
There's more on breast cancer at the American Cancer Society.

| Tags: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Women's Health |

Labels: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Women's Health

A vaccine designed to treat breast cancer appeared to be safe in women with advanced disease and showed signs of actually slowing down tumors, U.S. researchers reported on Friday.

Dendreon Corporation, maker of the Provenge prostate cancer vaccine, calls the new vaccine Neuvenge. It targets a type of breast cancer called her2/neu-positive breast cancer, which affects between 20 percent and 30 percent of breast cancer patients.

Like Provenge, Neuvenge is made using immune cells from the cancer patient, so it is a tailor-made vaccine.

SOURSE - Washington Post

| Tags: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Public Health and Safety, Women's Health |

Labels: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Public Health, Women's Health

A long-term study of breast cancer survivors shows that eating more than the recommended 5 daily servings of vegetables and fruit has no effect on breast cancer recurrence or deaths. Although researchers are disappointed by the finding, they say women should still strive to fit plenty of these healthy foods into their diet because they have other benefits.

"There are many reasons women should eat a healthy diet, but for breast cancer, there's little evidence that the foods you eat impact risk," says Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, director of nutrition and physical activity at ACS. "What is important is how much you eat, because being overweight is an established risk factor for developing postmenopausal breast cancer, and it also increases the risk of recurrence. That's the message we want breast cancer survivors to know: Watching your weight is really important."

The study, called the Women's Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) Trial, was led by a team from the University of California, San Diego, and included researchers from 7 other institutions. The participants were more than 3,000 women (pre- and post-menopause) who had been treated for stage I, II, or III breast cancer.

The women were randomly assigned to 2 diet groups: The control group was told to follow US dietary guidelines, which recommend eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, more than 20 grams of fiber, and no more than 30% of calories from fat.

The second group was told to boost their fruit and veggie intake to include 5 vegetables, 3 fruits, 16 ounces of vegetable juice, and 30 grams of fiber each day. They were also supposed to cut their fat intake to 15%-20% of total calories. The women in this group got periodic telephone counseling, cooking classes, and newsletters aimed at helping them stick with this eating plan.

Researchers tracked the women's progress for more than 7 years on average. They saw clear differences in the amount of fruits and vegetables the women in the 2 groups ate, although after year 4 of the study, the gap between the 2 groups tended to narrow. On average, the women in the second group never achieved their goal of getting only 15%-20% of their calories from fat; in fact, by year 6, they were eating a higher percentage of fat than at the beginning of the study.

Despite the difference in fruit and vegetable consumption, the 2 groups had very similar cancer experiences during the 7 years. About 17% of women in each group had a recurrence during the study period, and about 10% of women in each group died.

Sourse - American Cancer Society

| Tags: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Women's Health |

Labels: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Nutrition, Women's Health

Older Chinese women who eat a Western-style diet loaded with meats and sweets appear to have a greater risk for breast cancer than women who eat mainly soy and vegetables, a new study has concluded.

Previous research has found connections between a meat- and fat-heavy Western diet and several kinds of cancer, as well as heart disease and diabetes. And other research has identified links between obesity and cancer.

Researchers said this study signals a link between breast cancer and overall eating patterns not a single food or nutrient in Asian women, who have long had lower rates of the disease than Western women. But their numbers have started to rise as their diets have become more Westernized.

The study, which is not definitive, looked at general eating habits of about 3,000 women in Shanghai, ranging in age from 25 to 64. About half of that group had been diagnosed with breast cancer and are participants in an ongoing breast cancer study in Shanghai.

| Tags: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Diabetes, Digestive, Heart Health, Nutrition, Women's Health |

Labels: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Diabetes, Digestive, Heart Health, Nutrition, Women's Health

Overweight or obese white American women are more likely than their black peers to ask for dieting assistance, such as counseling from a medical professional, a doctor's prescription, membership in a weight-loss group, or advice from a trainer, a new study finds.

The study authors, who surveyed 120 women in Philadelphia, also found that body image was an important motivator for white women in seeking dieting help but not as important to black women.

The findings are published in the current issue of the journal Ethnicity & Disease.
"We found that African-American women did not differ from Caucasians in terms of concerns about body shape and weight," but those concerns were more likely to motivate white women to seek dieting assistance, said lead author Rachel Annunziato, assistant professor in the department of psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City.

Sourse - HealthDay News

| Tags: Breast Cancer, Weight Loss |

Labels: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Weight Loss

1. Sweet Potatoes

A nutritional All-Star — one of the best vegetables you can eat. They're loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Bake and then mix in some unsweetened applesauce or crushed pineapple for extra moisture and sweetness.



2. Grape Tomatoes

They’re sweeter and firmer than other tomatoes, and their bite-size shape makes them perfect for snacking, dipping, or salads. They’re packed with vitamin C and vitamin A, and you also get some fiber, some phytochemicals, and (finally) some flavor.



3. Fat-Free or 1 % Milk
Excellent source of calcium, vitamins, and protein with little or no artery-clogging fat and cholesterol. Ditto for low-fat yogurt. Soy milk can have just as many nutrients — if the company adds them.






4. Broccoli

Lots of vitamin C, carotenoids, and folic acid. Steam it briefly and add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and a dash of soy sauce.





5. Wild Salmon

The omega-3 fats in fatty fish like wild salmon can help reduce the risk of sudden-death heart attacks. And salmon that is caught wild has fewer PCB contaminants than farmed salmon.




6. Crispbreads

Whole-grain rye crackers, like Wasa, Ry Krisp, and Ryvita — usually called crispbreads — are loaded with fiber and often fat-free.






7. Microwaveable (or "10-minute")

Enriched white rice is nutritionally weak. You lose the fiber, magnesium, vitamins E and B-6, copper, zinc, and phytochemicals that are in the whole grain. Try quick-cooking or regular brown rice instead.






8. Citrus Fruit

Great-tasting and rich in vitamin C, folic acid, and fiber. Perfect for a snack or dessert. Try different varieties: juicy Minneola oranges, snack-size Clementines, or tart grapefruit.



9. Diced Butternut Squash

A growing number of food stores sell peeled, seeded, cut, and ready to go — into the oven, into a stir-fry, or into a soup or risotto, that is — bags of diced butternut squash. Every half cup has 5 grams of fiber and payloads of vitamins A and C.





10. Spinach or Kale

Loaded with vitamin C, carotenoids, calcium and fiber.

| Tags: Breast Cancer, Cholesterol, Digestive, Heart Health, Nutrition |

Labels: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Cholesterol, Digestive, Heart Health, Nutrition

UNAIDS on Friday released new guidelines that aim to ensure that the confidentiality of people living with HIV/AIDS is not compromised when collecting and storing information about the disease, UN News Service reports. The guidelines were developed through a workshop supported by UNAIDS and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (UN News Service, 6/22).

The guidelines, called the "Interim Guidelines on Protecting the Confidentiality and Security of HIV Information," provide principles, definitions and technical recommendations to maintain confidentiality, privacy and security when working with HIV-related information (UNAIDS release, 6/21). According to the guidelines, using information for public health purposes must be balanced against individual rights to privacy and confidentiality, UN News Service reports. The recommendations also include a call for countries to establish confidentiality and privacy laws to maintain that balance (UN News Service, 6/22).

"Good clinical information is required for optimum treatment and care for people living with HIV," Eddy Beck, a UNAIDS senior technical officer, said. He added, "Ensuring this information is securely stored and confidentiality maintained will avoid potential stigmatization and discrimination of individuals and communities, and enhance the quality of the information collected." According to UNAIDS, the guidelines will be field tested and additional training materials will be developed (UNAIDS release, 6/21).

| Tags: Breast Cancer, HIV and AIDS, Public Health and Safety |

Labels: Breast Cancer, Cancer, HIV and AIDS, Public Health

Few years ago I have read that abortion increase incidence to breast cancer risk. I thought the reasons was hormonal disorder. But now a new study show reverse.
A new US study suggests that breast cancer risk is not increased by induced abortion or miscarriage, contrary to the findings of some other studies and the claims made by some groups.
This study covered 973,437 person-years of follow-up between 1993 and 2003.

The results showed that:
-- 1,458 new cases of invasive breast cancer occurred during the follow-up.
-- 16,118 participants (15 per cent) reported a history of induced abortion.
-- 21,753 (21 per cent) reported a history of spontaneous abortion (miscarriage).
-- Neither abortion nor miscarriage was linked significantly with breast cancer.
-- The results were unaffected by number of abortions or miscarriages, age of woman when the events occurred, and other factors.

| Tags: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Sexual Health |

Labels: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Sexual Health