Cancer Breast Symptoms

Even moderate drinking affects women's cancer risk.(Cancer Breast Symptoms)

2009-02-26T08:25:00.002+08:00

Drinking just a glass of wine a day increases women's risk of breast cancer, as well as several other types of the disease, a new study concludes. The research, carried out among more than a million UK women, says that alcohol accounts for 5,000 cases of breast cancer every year.

What do we know already?

Many of us enjoy relaxing with a glass of wine at the end of the day. But it's an unpalatable fact that alcohol can damage your health, especially when you look at alcohol's links to some types of cancer. It's easy to dismiss these stories as health scares, only relevant to heavy drinkers. But evidence is mounting that even moderate drinkers have an increased cancer risk.

Now researchers have examined the results from a very big study of women aged around 55, to see exactly how the amount of alcohol they drank related to their risk of getting different types of cancer. The women were recruited when they attended breast cancer screening and followed for the next 7 to 8 years, to see if they were diagnosed with any type of cancer.

What does the new study say?

Compared to women who said they drank only 1 or 2 units of alcohol a week, women who regularly drank the equivalent of 1 unit a day had an increased risk of getting seven types of cancer: breast, liver, rectum (part of the bowel), mouth, pharynx (a space at the back of the mouth), oesophagus (the tube that takes food from the mouth to the stomach) and larynx (voicebox).

The risk was most increased for breast cancer. In developed countries like the UK, the chance of having had breast cancer by the age of 75 is 9.5 in 100. According to the study, for every extra daily unit of alcohol (over 2 a week), that risk increases by 1.1 per 100. So if you had a roughly 9.5 percent chance of getting breast cancer by the age of 75, but you drank one glass of wine a day, that risk would go up to 10.6 percent. If you drank two glasses of wine a day, that would increase to 11.7 percent.

These might sound like quite small increases in risk. But because many women drink alcohol at these sorts of levels, it means a lot of women are affected overall. The researchers estimate that alcohol accounts for 11 percent of all breast cancers in the UK. That means that every year, 5,000 women get breast cancer who wouldn't have got it without drinking alcohol.

Tell me more about the study's findings

The risk for cancers of the mouth, oesophagus, pharynx and larynx only increased for women who also smoked. Researchers think that alcohol may dissolve some of the toxins in cigarette smoke, making drinking and smoking together more risky than doing either alone. There was no increased risk of these cancers for women who drank alcohol but didn't smoke.

The increased risks for rectum and liver cancer were relatively small, with an increased risk of 1 per 1000 and 0.7 per 1000 respectively.

Most of the women in the study were moderate drinkers. A quarter didn't drink at all, and of those who drank, only 2 percent drank more than 21 units a week. The average woman in the study who drank alcohol had 7 units a week, or about one drink a day. That reflects previous studies of women in this age group (the average age was 55 at the start of the study).

How reliable are the findings?

The findings are likely to be fairly reliable. The study followed 1.28 million women, for an average 7 years. The women filled in questionnaires at the start of the study, and then again 3 years later, saying how much alcohol they drank. The researchers were also able to take account of other things that affect women's cancer risk, such as whether they'd taken the contraceptive pill, HRT, whether they smoked or took exercise, and how much they weighed.

The researchers didn't use the women who drank no alcohol at all as their comparison group. That's because women who don't drink at all may have quit alcohol because of serious health problems. So they're not a healthy group to compare to. Instead, the researchers used women who drank only one or two alcoholic drinks a week as their comparison group. That's likely to make the results more reliable.

Where does the study come from?

The study was done by the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford. It was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and published by Oxford University Press. It was funded by Cancer Research UK, the UK Medical Research Council, and the NHS breast screening programme.

What does this mean for me?

Just about everything we do has risks. We can't avoid risks altogether, but knowing about them can help us make decisions we are comfortable with. It's been clear for some time that alcohol is a factor in women's risk of getting cancer, especially breast cancer. This latest study puts some figures on that increased risk. You may find that this helps you decide whether you are happy with the amount of alcohol you drink.

What should I do now?

It helps to know how much you're drinking. One unit is 10 millilitres (ml) or 8 grams of pure alcohol, which is the amount of pure alcohol in a 25 ml single measure of spirits (ABV 40%), a third of a pint of beer (ABV 5-6%) or half a standard (175 ml) glass of red wine (ABV 12%).

The government's recommendations are not to drink more than 2 to 3 units a day for women or 3 to 4 units a day for men.

From:
Allen NE, Beral V, Casabonne D, et al. Moderate alcohol intake and cancer incidence in women. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2009; 101: 296-305.

Family History Increases Breast Cancer Risk(Cancer Breast Symptoms)

2008-11-28T23:02:00.003+08:00

Cancer Breast Symptoms

A woman comes to see you because she is approaching the age, 45, at which her sister developed breast cancer. She is worried about her risk and is keen to know if there are any preventive measures she can take.

Women with a significant family history of breast cancer, even if they are negative for the BRCA1 and BRAC2 mutations, remain at increased risk of developing the disease. Having 2 or more cases of breast cancer among close relatives younger than 50 years or 3 cases among close relatives of any age is associated with a risk for breast cancer that is 4 times greater than that seen in the general population.

The data, which were presented at the Seventh Annual American Association for Cancer Research International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held in Washington, DC, show that women with a strong family history who lack BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations are still much more at risk than average women.

"All women are at risk for breast cancer and about 10% will eventually develop the disease," said lead author Steven Narod, MD, who holds the Canada Research Chair in breast cancer at the University of Toronto and Women's College Research Institute, in Ontario. "We need to look at screening those who are at the highest risk. When the BRCA mutation was identified, it led to a genetic test."

Relatively few women carry mutations for BRCA1/2, but it increases the risk for breast cancer to 80%, Dr. Narod pointed out. "These women tend to have a family history or young onset, so they go and get tested . . . . About 1 in 5 of these women will be told that they carry a mutation. but what about the thousands who have a negative test and yet have a strong family history of breast cancer?"

To answer that question, Dr. Narod and colleagues conducted a prospective study in which they estimated risk for women with a family history of breast cancer who had tested negative for a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. They identified 1492 women from 365 families who met the criteria of either having 2 or more breast cancers in members younger than 50 years or having 3 breast cancer in members of any age.

If, however, she meets the referral criteria in the guidelines, refer her to secondary care (either the breast unit or genetics unit, depending on local circumstances), where mammography may be arranged. For women with a very strong family history (for example, four close relatives whose breast cancer was diagnosed in their 30s or 40s) genetic testing, chemoprevention, and prophylactic surgery options may be considered.

Cancer Breast Symptoms

2008-11-18T21:52:00.000+08:00

Cancer Breast Symptoms in their early stages are usually painless. Often the first Cancer Breast Symptoms is the discovery of a hard lump. Fifty percent of such masses are found in the upper outer quarter of the breast. The lump may make the affected breast appear elevated or asymmetric. The nipple may be retracted or scaly. Sometimes the skin of the breast is dimpled like the skin of an orange. In some cases there is a bloody or clear discharge from the nipple. Many cancers, however, produce no symptoms and cannot be felt on examination. They can be detected only with a mammogram.

Monthly breast self-exams should always include: visual inspection (with and without a mirror) to note any changes in contour or texture, and manual inspection in standing and reclining positions to note any unusual lumps or thicknesses. Early Cancer Breast Symptoms usually does not cause pain and may cause no symptoms at all. It is normally found when a suspicious lump is detected. It must be about the size of a finger tip before it can be felt. Other signs of Cancer Breast Symptoms include
*Breast or nipple skin that is warm, red, swollen, or scaly
*Change in the shape or size of the breast
*A lump or thickening near the breast, or in the underarm
*Nipple discharge that is not breast milk
*Nipple tenderness
*A nipple that is turned inward, or inverted
*A rash around the nipple that may bleed, itch, or cause skin breakdown
*Ridges or pits in the breast
*Skin that is dimpled like an orange.

Cancer Breast Symptoms

Women are recommended to examine their breasts once in a month to detect any changes or lumps. If breast self -examination detects a lump, the family doctor should be consulted. Treatment include cesium, iridium, iodine, phosphorus, and palladium. The side effects of implant therapy depend on the area being treated.Visual inspection (with and without a mirror) to note any changes in contour or texture, and manual inspection in standing and reclining positions to note any unusual lumps or thicknesses.

Cancer Breast Symptoms