foodconsumer.org: Osteoporosis drugs may reduce breast cancer risk, and other breast cancer news

Osteoporosis drugs may reduce breast cancer risk, and other breast cancer news
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admin on 12/11/2009 02:34:00
 
By Sheilah Downey
Bone building drugs used to treat osteoporosis, women may recall veteran actress
Sally Fields touting Boniva in recent television ads, may now help stave off the
risk of breast cancer, says new research.
Two studies presented today at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium suggest
that the popular bone-building drugs, called bisphosphonates, appear to
significantly reduce women's risk for breast cancer.
Researchers in the first study reported that women who used the bone drugs had
nearly one third fewer cases of breast cancer than those who did not use them,
according to data from the Women's Health Initiative. Looking at data for 2,816
women who used the bisphosphonates, researchers found rates of invasive breast
cancer were 3.3 percent, while those who were nonusers had a 4.4 percent rate of
breast cancer.
The second study looked at more than 4,500 postmenopausal women in Israel with
and without breast cancer diagnoses. The study found that those who used the
bisphosphonates for at least five years were 30 percent less likely to present
with breast cancer, even after risk factors such as family history and use of
medications were considered.
Drugs to treat osteoporosis include Merck & Co.'s Fosamax and Roche's  Boniva.
Obesity increases breast cancer risk
In another study presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium,
researchers found that breast cancer patients who have a high body mass index
(BMI) have a poorer chance of surviving cancer later in life.
Researchers found that women with a high BMI, estimated as over 25, did not
retain the effects of their treatment and had an increased risk of death.
"Overall, women should make an effort to keep their BMI less than 25," said Dr.
Marianne Ewertz, presenter of the study and professor in the Department of
Oncology at Odense University Hospital, Denmark. "Those who have a high BMI
should be encouraged to participate in mammography screening programs for
prevention efforts."
Researchers looked at 54,000 women in the 30-year study and after 30 years of
follow-up found that women with higher BMI's were older and had more advanced
cases of breast cancer at diagnosis than those with normal BMI ranges.
Women with a high BMI, said researchers, had an increased risk or dying from
breast cancer.
Drinking increases breast cancer risk
Women who drank three to four alcoholic beverages a week were found to have a
1.3-fold increase in breast cancer recurrence, researchers reported at the
Symposium today.
While post-menopausal or overweight women were most susceptible for recurrence,
drinking less than three drinks per week showed no increased risk.
"Women previously diagnosed with breast cancer should consider limiting their
consumption of alcohol to less than three drinks per week, especially women who
are postmenopausal and overweight or obese," said the study presenter, Dr.
Marilyn Kwan, staff scientist in the Division of Research at Kaiser Permanente
in Oakland, Ca.
Kwan and colleagues examined the effects of alcohol on cancer recurrence in the
Life After Cancer Epidemiology (LACE) Study.
The study looked at 1,897 early-stage breast cancer survivors diagnosed between
1997 and 2000. After eight years of follow-up, Kwan and colleagues found 349
breast cancer recurrences and 332 deaths.
Among the drinkers, 50 percent of the study population, wine was the most
popular choice, (90 percent), followed by liquor (43 percent) and beer (36
percent).
Researchers reported that increased risk of cancer recurrence was most
predominant among those who consumed more than two glasses of wine per day.
Increased risk of recurrence appeared greater among the the postmenopausal and
overweight women, and was present regardless of the type of alcohol, said
researchers.