Cancer epidemiologists at the University at Buffalo have identified specific genes that are most likely to become cancer promoters when exposed to a process called DNA promoter hypermethylation. Hypermethylation is a process that causes genes that promote normal cell growth to produce proteins that cause cancerous behavior, or unregulated cell growth. Until now, data has been very limited regarding the mechanism and causes of hypermethylation, particularly for hypermethylation in breast cancer........

Findings of a new Mayo Clinic study published this week in Archives of Internal Medicine show that a computerized mail and phone reminder program can significantly increase the percentage of patients receiving preventive health services and improve the value of health care. "National evidence-based guidelines say every woman over age 40 should have a yearly mammogram, but only about 65 percent of women nationally have had one in the last two years," explains Rajeev Chaudhry, M.B.B.S., the Mayo Clinic doctor who led the study. "In this study we showed we can increase that percentage through a team approach, and we're applying the findings to other chronic disease and preventive services, too"........

This outdoor advertisement campaign was undertaken to persuade women to protect themselves against breast cancer. These special scratch-cards were distributed among women in Hong-Kong emphasizing on the persistent risk if breast cancer. The scratch card represents gambling while the message asks to get through regular check-up for breast cancer detection otherwise it would like gambling with own life. .........

Why are African American women 1.5 to 2.2 times more likely than white women to die from breast cancer, despite their lower occurence rate of the disease? Is it solely because they have less access to medical care? Maybe not, as per a new analysis that will appear in an upcoming issue of the International Journal of Surgery. In a paper now available online, scientists propose that the excess mortality occurs partly because black women are more likely than white women to develop breast cancer before menopause, when surgery to remove the tumor may pose a higher risk of stimulating cancer growth........

Aromatase inhibitors, a type of hormone treatment used to treat advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women, result in a small but significant increase in overall survival when in comparison to other hormone therapys, as per a new systematic review of studies. In addition, aromatase inhibitors -- drugs known as Arimidex, Aromasin and Femara -- are less likely to cause blood clots and vaginal bleeding than other hormone therapys, said review co-author Judith Bliss of the Institute of Cancer Research in London........

The active ingredient in a drug currently being tested to treat rheumatoid arthritis might also one day serve as an effective means of treating one of the deadliest forms of breast cancer. Scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have demonstrated that inhibiting the activity of the protease enzyme known as TACE can deprive tumor cells of a key factor needed for their proliferation. TACE is strongly present in a form of breast cancer which responds poorly to current therapies........

A number of men have breast symptoms, including enlarged or painful breast tissue, but the majority do not need a mammogram, say scientists from Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. Mammograms are used to check for the presence of breast cancers, which are very rare in males. Their study, presented Saturday, Dec. 16, at the 2006 meeting of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, suggests physicians should reconsider ordering mammograms for men, who are most often diagnosed with non-malignant gynecomastia, a common condition which includes breast swelling, a tender mass or painful breast tissue........

The largest superconducting magnet ever built has successfully been powered up to its operating conditions at the first attempt. Called the Barrel Toroid because of its shape, this magnet is a vital part of ATLAS, one of the major particle detectors being prepared to take data at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the new particle accelerator scheduled to turn on in November 2007. ATLAS will help scientists probe the big questions of the Universe - what happened in the moments after the Big Bang? Why does the material in the Universe behave the way it does? Why is the Universe we can see made of matter rather than anti-matter?.......

Genetic research over the past decade has linked Ashkenazi Jewish ethnicity to an increased risk for hereditary breast cancer, so much so that certain gene mutations have become known as "Jewish ancestral mutations." But a new study released in the recent issue of The American Journal of Public Health challenges this approach, warning that disparities in access to care and other unintended consequences can, and have, resulted........

Researchers have known that a woman's natural hormone levels can affect her risk of developing breast cancer. A new study from the University of Southern California (USC) has found that the natural levels of estrogens in post-menopausal women varies by ethnicity and race, and may explain the differences in the groups' breast cancer rates. The study appears in the recent issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention........

Apropos of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have created a first-of-its-kind model for studying how breast tissue is shaped and structured during development. The model may shed new light on how the misbehavior of only a few cells can facilitate metastatic invasion because it shows that the development of breast tissue, normal or abnormal, is controlled not only by genetics but also by geometry. Though created specifically for the study of breast tissue, this model should also be applicable to the study of tissue development in other organs as well........

Last few decades have witness significant advancement in our understanding of the genetic and molecular basis of breast cancer. Most researchers believe in a "two hit theory" for the causation of breast cancer in patients who have inherited a genetic abnormality that causes an increased risk of breast cancer. This theory assumes that eventhough these women are born with a specific a genetic abnormality with high risk of breast cancer development, additional insults induced by the environment may be actually mandatory to cause the process of breast cancer development........

Breast density has been recently been found to be a major risk factor for the development of breast cancer. In a recent issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute this issue is highlighted. The discussion revolves around the question: should breast density be added to the Gail model in predicting breast cancer occurrence?.......

Even though the exact cause of breast cancer is unknown, there are several well recognized factors, which if present in a person could be linked to an increased risk of developing breast malignancy. Role played by some other factors are not so well established. Widely recognized risk factors for breast cancer include increasing age, family history of breast cancer, and exposure to female reproductive hormones. Risk factors that are not well established include, dietary factors, and environmental factors. After this discussion about risk factors, it should be emphasized that in almost half of all women, who develop breast cancer, no recognizable risk factors except increasing age might be demonstrated........

Northwestern University and Evanston Northwestern Healthcare researchers have discovered that the monoclonal antibody Herceptin (trastuzumab) used in combination with certain cancer chemotherapies effectively treats breast cancer tumors that produce low or undetectable amounts of the HER-2 oncogene but overexpress the growth factor heregulin (HRG), an activator of the HER-2 cancer oncoprotein. Increased levels of HER-2 are associated with poor patient prognosis, enhanced metastasis (cancer spread) and resistance to chemotherapy........

Cancer cells, like houses, need building materials for their walls. And as with a house, the cell wall needs to be built at just the right moment to protect and allow the construction of internal components. A team from the Uppsala Branch of the global Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR) has not only shown how the cell gets this timing right, but has also conducted proof-of-principle studies that indicate taking away the cell's bricks and mortar is a potential strategy for cancer control........