Posts Tagged ‘breast cancer’

Amidst the hubbub caused by the new breast cancer screening guidelines put forth by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, new cervical cancer screening guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists were revealed this past week with much less controversy. According to ACOG, “A review of the evidence to date shows that screening at less frequent intervals prevents cervical cancer just as well, has decreased costs, and avoids unnecessary interventions that could be harmful.” The new recommendation is to screen women between the ages of 21 and 30 every two years instead of annually. Women 30 and older with a history of 3 consecutive negative pap smears may be screened every 3 years. Recommendations for older women remain unchanged – those 65 to 70 who have had 3 consecutive negative pap smears and no abnormal results within the past 10 years may consider stopping cervical cancer screening. Of course, every person’s medical history is different and these guidelines should be only used as such. Appropriate screening frequencies should always be discussed and formulated between you and your physician. [via ACOG]

Visit the Cervical Cancer Guide and learn about pap smears.

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Earlier this month the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel of respected experts in primary care and prevention, caused an uproar when they presented evidence that routine mammogram screening for breast cancer should not begin until the age of 50. The group based their recommendation on evidence showing that the “additional benefit gained by starting screening at age 40 years rather than at age 50 years is small, and that moderate harms from screening remain at any age”.  Essentially, the number of women we need to screen in order to extend one woman’s life is far higher for the group between the ages of 40 to 49 than for the group aged 50 to 59. However, current US Health and Human Services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, issued a statement yesterday stating that there will not be any changes to government policy on mammography: screening mammograms should continue to start at the age of 40. [via Medical News Today]

Additional USPSTF recommendations include:

• Regular biennial screening mammography for women aged 50 to 74.
• No teaching of breast self-examination (BSE).
• There is not enough evidence to assess whether clinical breast examination (CBE) does more harm than good, beyond screening mammography in women 40 years or older.
• Current evidence is not enough to assess whether digital mammography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) would be better or worse than film mammography.

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The BT Test, or Biomarker Translation Test, is a blood test marketed by Provista Life Sciences for the early detection of breast cancer. The test can detect breast cancer-related proteins in the blood and, in conjunction with mammograms, can sometimes assist physicians in detecting breast cancer in women who have a high risk of breast cancer, or those with dense breast tissue that can make mammography difficult. Provista announced this week that it will file private insurance claims on behalf of women who take the test, in addition to covering the remainder of the cost not covered by insurance.  Those who do not want to submit an insurance claim can get the test done for $295.

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A British baby due this week will become the first child to be born with certainty that it does not have the BRCA1 gene mutation. Approximately 5% to 10% of breast cancers are believed to be due to genetic mutations inherited from parents – the most common being the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.  Because the British couple conceived through in virto fertilization, they were able to screen for cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s disease, and now BRCA1, at the 6 to 8 cell stage prior to implanting the embryo into the mother’s womb. All the women on the father’s side of the family have developed breast cancer, which is why the couple decided on genetic screening. Women who inherit the BRCA1 gene have up to an 80% increase in risk of developing breast cancer.

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A new Dutch study suggests that younger women who have survived breast cancer may have 3 to 4 times  the risk of developing a new cancer in the other breast as a consequence of radiation therapy.  Women treated with radiation before they turned 45 had a slightly increased risk of a new tumor in the other breast, while women receiving radiation before they were 35 had a 78% increased risk. It is as yet unclear why this is the case. Radiation therapy is usually used after a lumpectomy to destroy any remaining cancer cells that were not removed by surgery. Today’s radiotherapy techniques aim to reduce the amount of radiation delivered to the remaining breast.

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