According to a study done by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare on more than 100,000 women, the major factors that influence breast cancer survival are the woman's age and size of the tumor at time of diagnosis. These researchers noted that the five-year survival rate is 98 percent if the tumor is less than 10 millimeters in diameter at the time of diagnosis, compared with 95 percent for 11 to 15mm neoplasms, 93 percent for tumors 16 to 19mm, 88 percent for tumors 20 to 29 mm, 73 percent for tumors larger than 30 mm, and 49 percent for tumors of unknown size. Scientists there also found that women between 50 and 59 years old had a 90 percent five year survival rate after a breast cancer diagnosis irrespective of tumor size compared with 86 percent for women in their 30s and younger. According to Helen Zorbas, director of the National Breast Cancer Center in Australia, younger women in the study usually had more aggressive tumors.

She added that more research needs to be done to determine why this occurs and what can be done about it. Zorbas concluded by saying that these findings emphasize the importance of routine screening to detect breast cancer in the early stages.

And in another study, scientists at Oregon Health & Science University discovered a strong correlation between the size and shape of a woman's hips and her daughter's risk of breast cancer. Wide, round hips, the researchers postulated, represent markers of high sex hormone concentrations in the mother, which increase her daughter's vulnerability to breast cancer.

The results of this study suggest that breast cancer originates in the first three months of a pregnancy during which time the embryo's developing breast tissue is exposed to the mother's circulating hormones. "Our findings support the hypothesis that wide round hips reflect high levels of sex hormone production at puberty, which persist after puberty and adversely affect breast development of the daughters in early gestation," the authors commented. They added, "High...estrogen concentrations in the maternal circulation could produce genetic instability in differentiating breast epithelial cells, which would make the breast vulnerable to cancer in later life."

Programs from our Oncology Library that discuss all aspects of breast cancer include:

• Caring for the Patient with Breast Cancer (507)
• Basic Genetics for the Oncology Nurse (504)
• Chemotherapy Administration for the Oncology Nurse (512)
• Managing Physical Assessments and Supportive Cancer Care (505)
• Symptom Management for the Radiation Oncology Patient (513)
• Cancer as a Diagnosis: Supporting the Care Givers (515)
• Traditional Pain Management in the Oncology Patient (517)
• Alternative Pain Management in the Oncology Patient (516)
• Guided Visualization (511)

In related news, a large government-sponsored study of nearly 20,000 post-menopausal women, found that the drug raloxifene, which is used to treat osteoporosis, may also reduce their chance of developing breast cancer as effectively as tamoxifen, which is the only drug shown to date that can lower their risk. A preliminary analysis of the data indicated that raloxifene cut the risk of breast cancer by 50 percent. The women taking this drug also had fewer side effects associated with tamoxifen such as uterine cancers, blood clots, and cataracts.

Despite these findings, several experts were cautious, saying that the advantage of raloxifene is still uncertain and that more research is needed to prove the drug reduced the overall risk over longer periods.

• November 01, 2007: Tetracycline to be useful in the treatment of stroke
• October 18, 2007: Alcohol, Even In Moderation, May Increase Risk of Breast Cancer
• October 11, 2007: Depression and Migraines Linked to Victims of Child Abuse
• October 04, 2007: Nurses Now Affected by Malpractice Claims
• September 27, 2007: Braden Scale Most Effective for Identifying Risk for Pressure Ulcers
• September 20, 2007: New Guidelines for Controlling Asthma in Adults and Children
• September 13, 2007: New Data Analyses Techniques Show Long-Term Survival Better for Cancer Patients
• September 6, 2007: Cortical Stimulation Gives New Hope to Stroke Patients
• August 30, 2007: 50% of All Cancer Deaths can be Linked to Obesity and Smoking
• August 23, 2007: Physical Activity Found to Improve Cardiovascular Risk in Children with Type 1 Diabetes
• August 16, 2007: Hostility and Depression Harmful to Men's Immune System
• August 7, 2007: Decrease in Women's Use of Hormone Therapy Linked to Drop in Breast Cancer
• August 2, 2007: Use of SSRI's Down in Teens While Suicide Number Rises
• July 26, 2007: New Definitions from the International Diabetes Federation

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