Proliferation and DNA ploidy in malignant breast tumors in relation to early oral contraceptive use and early abortions

Article Abstract:

For many years there has been some concern that the hormones used in oral contraceptives might contribute to an increase in the risk of breast cancer. Research has failed to confirm an overall association between birth control pills and breast cancer. However, in recent years it has become clear that, for specific subgroups of women, oral contraceptives do impose an increase in risk. These subgroups include women who started using oral contraceptives at an early age and used them for an extended period, women who used birth control pills for an extended period prior to the birth of their first child, and childless women who have used oral contraceptives for an extended period. Research has also demonstrated that women who developed premenopausal breast cancer after using oral contraceptives at an early age tended to have larger tumors at diagnosis and were more likely to have lymph node metastases. These observations suggest that oral contraceptive use is associated with more aggressive cancers. For this reason, investigators examined some of the cellular characteristics of breast cancers in a group of 175 women with premenopausal breast cancer to determine if features thought to be associated with greater cancer aggressiveness differed in the women with a history of oral contraceptive use. Measuring the S-phase fraction, which is the fraction of cells undergoing DNA synthesis at a given time, it was found that women who used oral contraceptives before the age of 20 tended to be higher in this measure of cell proliferation activity. This increase in S-phase fraction was evident in aneuploid tumors, which have an abnormal chromosome complement, but not in diploid tumors. Furthermore, aneuploid tumors were also more common in this group. It was also found that the S-phase fraction was 49 percent higher among women who had early abortions. Previous research has shown that abortions and miscarriages increase the risk of breast cancer; the present research shows that they also are associated with markers of cancers of increased aggressiveness. While the precise mechanisms by which oral contraceptive use or abortions affect the development of breast cancer are not known, one possibility is that since the normal proliferation of breast tissue is greatest in the teenage years, factors which influence breast tissue during this time may result in more aggressive tumors. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Oral contraceptives, Cell proliferation, Abortion, Miscarriage, Ploidy

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The association of breast cancer and colorectal cancer in men: an analysis of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program data

Article Abstract:

Women who have survived breast cancer are more likely to develop colorectal cancer, and women who have survived colorectal cancer are more likely to develop breast cancer. It is clear, therefore, that these two cancers must share one or more risk factors. However, several explanations for this relationship are possible. The two cancers may share a genetic risk factor, so that a woman who has some putative genetic risk factor for breast cancer automatically has the genetic risk factor for colorectal cancer as well. Or, the two diseases may share some dietary risk factor; this dietary habit would then increase the risks of both cancers simultaneously. However, another explanation is possible. Perhaps the same hormonal factors which influence the development of breast cancer influence the development of colorectal cancer as well. If the association between breast cancer and colorectal cancer arises from genetic or dietary factors, then the same association might be just as likely in men as in women. However, if hormonal factors are involved, then the association between breast cancer and colorectal cancer might be limited to women. Despite the fact that breast cancer in men is significantly less common than among women, a study was conducted to evaluate the association between breast cancer and colorectal cancer in males. Using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer Institute, 803 cases of male breast cancer and 46,664 cases of colorectal cancer were identified. The results indicate that there was no increased risk of developing colorectal cancer after breast cancer among men. The risk of developing breast cancer after colorectal cancer was actually reduced among men to less than half, but no significance can be attached to this reduction due to the small number of cases involved. It is clear, however, that there is no evidence at all to support the notion that there might be some association between breast cancer and colorectal cancer among men. This suggests that the association observed among women may well be a result of the influence of reproductive hormones. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Colorectal cancer

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Bilateral breast cancer after cured Hodgkin's disease

Article Abstract:

Radiation has long been known to increase the risk of developing cancer. Three patients were seen who developed breast cancer at a relatively young age, which was apparently due to irradiation received earlier for the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma. The women were aged 40, 38 and 48 at the time their breast cancer was diagnosed. All three patients developed bilateral cancers (in both breasts); in two patients the cancers developed synchronously 10 and 24 years after treatment. In the third patient, the two cancers developed 18 and 23 years after treatment. Five of the six cancers were revealed to be intraductal carcinoma by histopathological examination; associated invasion was seen in four of the five. The sixth cancer was an invasive lobular carcinoma. Only one of the cancers had spread to local lymph nodes. In four of the six cancers, the only detection was by mammography. The observations suggest that patients who received radiation treatment for Hodgkin's disease at a young age should be viewed as being at high risk for breast cancer, and routine annual mammography should begin 10 years after radiation treatment. This screening may be especially beneficial considering the fact that these cancers were diagnosed at an early stage and the histological characteristics suggest an excellent chance for cure in these patients. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Hodgkin's disease, Radiotherapy, Mammography

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