plus 4, Fletcher Allen Questions Breast Screening Cutback - Vermont Public Radio

Researchers have found that hormones produced during pregnancy induce a protein that directly inhibits the growth of breast cancer. This protein, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), may serve as a viable, well-tolerated agent for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer, according to findings published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

'Hormones in pregnancy, such as oestrogen, all induce AFP, which directly inhibits the growth of breast cancer,' said lead researcher Herbert Jacobson, Ph.D., who is a basic breast cancer researcher in the Centre for Immunology and Microbial Diseases and in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Albany Medical College, N.Y.

'The body has a natural defence system against breast cancer,' he added. 'AFP needs to be safely harnessed and developed into a drug that can be used to protect women from breast cancer.'

Recent studies have shown that hormones released during pregnancy, such as oestrogen, progesterone and human chorionic gonadotropin, reduce a women's risk for breast cancer. AFP is a protein normally produced by the liver and yolk sac of a foetus. Jacobson and colleagues sought to determine whether administering pregnancy hormones to carcinogen-exposed rats led them to produce AFP, which in turn produces the protective effect of pregnancy in the absence of pregnancy.

Results from this study showed that treatment with oestrogen plus progesterone, oestrogen alone or human chorionic gonadotropin reduced the incidence of mammary cancers in rats. Furthermore, the researchers noted that each of these treatments elevated the serum level of AFP and that AFP directly inhibited the growth of breast cancer cells growing in culture, suggesting that these hormones of pregnancy are preventing breast cancer through their induction of AFP.

Cancer Prevention Research Editorial Board Member Powel Brown, M.D., Ph.D., said while these preclinical findings are important and suggest a role of AFP in breast cancer prevention, they are not yet ready to be used in the clinic.

'The researchers have not directly demonstrated the cancer preventive activity of AFP, instead they found an association of these hormones preventing mammary tumours. None of these treatments prevented mammary tumours in 100 percent of the rats, it appears to delay mammary tumour formation and prevent breast cancer development in approximately 30 to 50 percent of the rats,' said Brown, professor of medicine and cancer prevention and clinical cancer prevention department chairman at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Centre.

'This study is promising and suggests that additional animal studies need to be done before translation to humans,' he said. 'We may want to further test AFP for its cancer prevention activity.'

Jacobson and colleagues are currently conducting studies in which they have isolated a small piece of AFP molecule and are working to convert it into a breast cancer preventative agent.

Source: American Association for Cancer Research

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Woman in breast cancer charade back in court - WZTV.com

Posted: 24 Nov 2009 03:29 PM PST

Associated Press Writer

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Woman in breast cancer charade back in court

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Breast cancer hits men, too - North County Times

Posted: 25 Nov 2009 12:12 AM PST

SPRING LAKE, N.J. ---- Lying in bed one night in 2007, Peter Criss felt something strange: a small lump on his left breast.

"I thought, 'It's a nodule, I'm a guy, I don't think it's anything more than that,"' he said. "The more I messed with it, the bigger it got and the more it hurt, and that started really scaring me."

The former Kiss drummer went to the doctor, underwent some tests and a surgical procedure to remove the lump. A week later, the doctor called. It was breast cancer.

"My heart hit my stomach and my knees buckled," Criss recalled.

The good news was that Criss had caught the disease at its earliest stage. After a second surgery to remove it in March 2008, he would not need chemotherapy, radiation or medication.

Now, the once-costumed rocker who performed in his Catman makeup is speaking out about his illness to encourage other men to get tested for breast cancer ---- a disease more commonly associated with women, who are routinely urged to get regular mammograms at a certain age ---- the moment they suspect something might be amiss.

"You need to immediately tell your wife, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, whatever," he said. "The more you sit around and say, 'Well, it's going to go away,' that time could be the time that you save your life."

Men account for only 1 percent of all breast cancer cases, but about 2,000 men develop it each year, and 440 die from it, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Alexander Swistel, who treated Criss, praised his decision to get checked out immediately after sensing something was wrong.

"He's a great spokesperson, and he's very bright about this kind of thing," Swistel said. "To have someone like him come forward and show that there's life after this is a wonderful thing. Rather than be the typical guy and say, 'Ah, forget it,' he moved on it right away."

There should be no stigma attached to having the disease, or seeking help for it, Criss said. Other tough guys, including "Shaft" actor Richard Roundtree, have spoken out about having breast cancer.

"It's something we think guys don't get," Criss said. "Guys get prostate cancer, heart attacks. Men are men ---- women get breast cancer. Or so I thought.

"It has nothing to do with macho," said Criss, best known for the 1976 ballad "Beth," which remains Kiss' biggest hit to date. "There's no tougher guy than me. I was born in Brooklyn, I was in gangs, I did the whole battling thing my whole life. I think a man is a man if he steps forward and says, `There's something bad going on and I need to deal with it."

His doctor says the 63-year-old Wall Township resident is cancer-free today. Criss' treatment gave him an up-close look at what women have endured for ages.

"I sat in the waiting room, and there were all these women who looked like they weren't going to be here long ---- no hair, scarves ---- a place a guy doesn't think he's ever going to be sitting in one day," he said.

And having a mammogram was an experience in itself for Criss.

"It's amazing how they can get a guy's little pecs in that thing that the poor women go through," he said. "They are so medieval! I have a whole new respect for women going through mammograms."

Criss was a co-founder of Kiss from 1973-1980, did a reunion tour from 1996-2000, and returned for a final stint in 2003. He's working on a new solo album and a long-delayed autobiography.

"I am the Catman, and I do have nine lives, but I think I'm down to five now," he said.

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Criss: Don’t kiss off cancer - The Spokesman-Review

Posted: 24 Nov 2009 12:13 AM PST

Criss

In bed one night in 2007, Peter Criss felt something strange: a small lump on his left breast.

"The more I messed with it, the bigger it got and the more it hurt, and that started really scaring me," the former Kiss drummer says.

He went to the doctor and had some tests and surgery to remove the lump.

A week later, the doctor called. It was breast cancer.

"My heart hit my stomach and my knees buckled," Criss recalls.

The good news was that he had caught the disease at its earliest stage. After a second surgery in March 2008, he would not need chemotherapy, radiation or medication.

Now, the once-costumed rocker who performed in his Catman makeup is speaking out about his illness to encourage other men to get tested for breast cancer – more commonly associated with women – the moment they suspect anything.

"The more you sit around and say, 'Well, it's going to go away,' that time could be the time that you save your life," he says.

Men account for only 1 percent of all breast cancer cases, but about 2,000 develop it each year and 440 die from it, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Having a mammogram was an experience in itself for Criss, 63.

"It's amazing how they can get a guy's little pecs in that thing that the poor women go through," he says. "They are so medieval! I have a whole new respect for women going through mammograms."

Criss was a member of Kiss from 1973-1980, did a reunion tour from 1996-2000, and returned for a final stint in 2003.

He's working on a solo album and an autobiography.

"I am the Catman, and I do have nine lives," he says, "but I think I'm down to five now."

The birthday bunch

Former Beatles drummer Pete Best is 68. Actor Stanley Livingston ("My Three Sons") is 59. Drummer Clem Burke (Blondie) is 54. Actress Denise Crosby ("Star Trek: The Next Generation") is 52. Actor Colin Hanks is 32. Actress Katherine Heigl is 31. Actress Sarah Hyland ("Modern Family") is 19.

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Breast Cancer

Wednesday, November 25, 2009