Jewish World Review Oct. 26, 2001 / 9 Mar-Cheshvan, 5762
By Robert A. Wascher, M.D., F.A.C.S.
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
THE current issue of the Lancet contains what is certain to be a
controversial study from Denmark. The authors of the paper report on their
review of multiple breast cancer studies published to date, and conclude
that there is no evidence in those studies that confirms the commonly held
view that screening mammography reduces deaths due to breast cancer.
The
same authors ignited a firestorm of controversy in the medical community
last year when they published similar findings on a preliminary basis.
Their conclusions, based upon a retrospective analysis of previously
reported studies, have generally been rejected by most breast cancer experts
around the world.
These experts note that many studies have shown that, in
communities that widely employ screening mammography, breast cancer is
diagnosed when the tumors are generally smaller and, hence, less likely to
have spread. Moreover, as screening mammography has become more common in
developed countries over the past 10 years, the death rates for breast
cancer have actually decreased, despite the increased number of cases
diagnosed in each successive year.
It is also important to recognize that
this controversial report is based entirely on a retrospective analysis of
studies performed by other researchers. Indeed, this report, which
questions the value of mammography, is related more to the perceived
scientific weaknesses of these previous studies than to any new data that
suggests that mammography is ineffective in the battle against breast
cancer.
Another related issue that is not well covered in the Lancet paper
is that millions of women around the world have been able to undergo
breast-conserving surgery due, in great part, to the mammographic detection
of tumors that are still quite small.
It will likely require large multicenter studies, involving thousands of
study volunteers, to put this controversy to rest. Meanwhile, virtually all
cancer specialists continue to urge women to obtain annual screening
mammograms if they fall into the currently recognized age or family history
risk categories.
DIET & EXERCISE MAY SLOW CANCER CELL GROWTH
The blood of patients engaged in such healthy lifestyle
interventions, when added to prostate cancer cells growing in a culture
plate, suppressed the growth of tumor cells by 30-40%. However, the
addition of blood from patients who did not exercise or watch their diet had
no effect on tumor cell growth. Loss of excess weight, and long term
continuation of exercise and good eating habits, appeared to have an
additive effect on slowing tumor cell growth!
ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND THE RISK OF HEART DISEASE
The authors
note that there are at least two possible explanations for this observation.
First, chronic depression is known to increase the risk of heart attack, and
the treatment of depression could, therefore, reduce this risk factor.
Secondly, the SSRIs may reduce the activity of platelets in the body. These
blood cells are responsible for forming blood clots, and drugs that "thin"
the blood (including aspirin) are known to reduce the risk of heart attacks
and strokes by reducing platelet activity in the blood.
Of course, smoking
is the single greatest preventable risk factor for heart attacks and
JWR contributor Dr. Robert A. Wascher is a senior research fellow in molecular & surgical oncology at
the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, CA.
Comment by clicking here.
The impact of mammography on deaths due to breast cancer
Evidence that a healthy diet and moderate exercise may reduce the risk of
certain cancers continues to accumulate. A new study, as reported by UCLA
researchers in the Journal of Urology, suggests that moderate exercise and a
low fat/high fiber diet may actually slow the growth of prostate cancer
tumors.
The journal Circulation has just published an intriguing study on the
effects of the seretonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs) antidepressant drugs on
the incidence of heart disease in smokers. In this study, smokers taking
SSRIs (Prozac is an example of this class of drugs) had just one-third the
incidence of heart attack as smokers who were not taking SSRIs.
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