Sunlight Might Lower Breast Cancer Risk
Although women with light skin pigmentation
tend to avoid the sun for fear
of burns and potential skin cancer, a
recent study has found that exposure to
sunlight may actually reduce the risk of
advanced breast cancer in these
women.
Researchers at the Northern California
Cancer Center in Fremont studied
1788 women with breast cancer and
2129 women without the disease who
all lived in the San Francisco Bay Area
from 1995 to 2003. High levels of sun
exposure were associated with a 47%
reduction in the risk of advanced breast
cancer in light-skinned women. This
reduction was not seen in medium- or
dark-skinned women, however, and was
only seen in the advanced version of
breast cancer, not in localized cancers.
"While the public needs to be advised
to avoid excessive sun exposure, and
sunburns in particular, because of the
known risk of skin cancer and melanoma,
never getting any sun exposure
leads to vitamin D deficiency," said lead
author Esther M. John, MD. Evidence
points to the ability of vitamin D to help
decrease the risk of certain cancers,
such as breast, prostate, and colon. The
findings were published in the October
18, 2007, issue of the American Journal
of Epidemiology.
African American Women Get Suboptimal Cancer Treatment
Black women with breast cancer that has spread to the
lymph nodes are less likely to undergo supplemental but
potentially life-saving therapies, such as tamoxifen and
chemotherapy, than white women with the same level of
disease state.
Researchers at the University of Michigan School of
Public Health in Ann Arbor reviewed data on 630 women
diagnosed with breast cancer at the Karmanos Cancer
Institute in Detroit between 1990 and 1996. They accounted
for such variables as concurrent illnesses and socioeconomic
and health insurance status. In the 242 white women
studied, 88 had cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes,
compared with 158 of the 388 black women.
The investigators found that black women were less likely
to have supplemental therapy for their advanced cancers
and white women were 5 times more likely to take tamoxifen
and >3 times as likely to take chemotherapy, compared
with their black counterparts. Among women with localstage
disease not reaching the lymph nodes, rates of supplemental
therapy were similar between races. The findings
were published in the November 15, 2007, issue of Cancer.
“Smoking Boom” Catching up with Women
A report from the National Jewish Medical and Research
Center in Denver states that women who took part in the
"smoking boom" of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s are beginning to
feel the devastating effects of years of smoking, even after they
have quit for many years. The death rate in women from chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has nearly tripled from
1980 to 2000, and since 2000, more women than men have
died or been admitted to the hospital per year because of
COPD. Barry J. Make, MD, a lung specialist at the center, noted
that "women started smoking in what I call the ‘Virginia Slims
era,' when [the cigarette company] started sponsoring sporting
events. It's now just catching up to them."
About 85% of all cases of COPD are caused by smoking, and
the symptoms usually appear after age 40 in people who have
smoked at least a pack a day for 10 years or more. Some studies
suggest that women's lungs might be more sensitive to
smoke than men's. Experts at the center warn that part of the
problem is the common misdiagnosis, mistreatment, or undertreatment
of COPD in women, which is often mistaken for
asthma.
Iron Could Help Women’s Coughs
A study from the University of Turin in Italy showed that otherwise
healthy, nonsmoking women who experience persistent
cough may have an iron deficiency. Testing also showed that
women are more likely than men to have unexplained chronic
cough.
The researchers studied 16 women with chronic cough who
were found to have normal lung function, with no signs of asthma
or other respiratory disease and no evidence of acid stomach
reflux that could explain their coughing, and found that all
had iron deficiencies. The women had signs of swelling in the
back of the mouth and red, inflamed mucous membranes. Their
vocal cords were also very sensitive, making them cough and
choke easily, such as after vigorous laughing.
The scientists observed that cough and signs of pharyngolaryngitis
were improved or resolved after iron supplementation
in 16 healthy nonsmoking women who had idiopathic cough and
iron deficiency or mild anemia. Researchers speculate that
because iron helps regulate the production of proteins in the
immune system that control inflammation, an iron deficiency
might make the upper airway more prone to inflammation, leading
to chronic cough. The study was presented at the November
scientific meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.
F A S T F A C T : By the time a woman reaches the age of 85, her risk of developing breast cancer is 1 in 7.
