Posted on 12/26/2007 10:00:33 PM PST by neverdem
Dec. 26, 2007 -- African-American women diagnosed with breast cancer in their mid-30s or younger appear to be more likely than most other women to have a genetic predisposition for the disease, new research suggests.
The study, published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association, is one of the first to examine the prevalence of mutations in the tumor suppressor gene BRCA1 by ethnic group in breast cancer patients with and without a family history of breast cancer.
According to one estimate, nearly two out of three women who have the BRCA1 mutations are likely to develop breast cancer by age 70.
While African-American women as a group had a lower prevalence of BRCA1 mutations than most white and Hispanic women in the study, African-American women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 35 were roughly twice as likely to carry the mutations.
If confirmed in larger studies, this finding could help explain why African-Americans tend to develop more aggressive and deadly breast cancers than other racial groups, says researcher Esther M. John, PhD, of the Northern California Cancer Center.
"For whatever reason, African-American women are less likely to be tested [for BRCA mutations] than white women," John tells WebMD. "One message to clinicians might be that they should probably be tested more often."
The study included female breast cancer patients -- younger than age 65 at diagnosis -- enrolled in a California breast cancer registry between 1996 and 2005.
Researchers confirmed a high prevalence of BRCA1 mutations among women of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, with 8.3% of these patients carrying the mutations compared to 3.5% of Hispanic women, 2.2% of non-Hispanic white women, 1.3% of African-American women, and 0.5% of Asian-American women.
Not surprisingly, BRCA1 mutations were more common in women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer and less common in breast cancer patients diagnosed later in life.
Roughly 17% of African-American patients diagnosed with breast cancer prior to age 35 carried a BRCA1 mutation, compared to 8.9% of Hispanic patients, 7.2% of non-white Hispanics without Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, and 2.4% of Asian-American patients.
Larger studies are needed to confirm the findings, John says, because of the small number of young breast cancer patients enrolled in the study. Just 30 of the 341 African-American study participants were younger than 35, and five of them tested positive for BRCA1 mutations.
John and colleagues conclude that a better understanding of the expression of BRCA mutations among different racial and ethnic groups will help doctors better identify women who should be screened.
In an accompanying editorial, Dezheng Huo, MD, PhD, and Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD, of the University of Chicago call the study by John and colleagues "a good starting point for narrowing the knowledge gap in characterizing the BRCA1 gene."
Olopade tells WebMD that minority and other medically underserved women undergo genetic testing for BRCA mutations at a much lower rate than white women.
She and Huo write that it is important "to design and evaluate interventions for improving genetic testing uptake in underserved populations, so that genetic testing can achieve full potential as a tool for effective cancer control and prevention."
SOURCES: John, E.M. The Journal of the American Medical Association, Dec. 26, 2007; vol 298: pp 2869-2876. Ester M. John, PhD, research scientist, Northern California Cancer Center, Fremont, Calif. Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, MD, University of Chicago. Antoniou, A. American Journal of Human Genetics, 2003; vol 72: pp. 1117-1130.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
It's a FReebie that I glanced over. There's a remarkable variety of BRCA1 mutations.
Black Women also have 600% increased risk of Breast Cancer from Abortions and Oral Contraception the Latter named by the World health organization...July 29th 2005
RACISM! (Of course...)
If you're not kidding, do you have a link?
References:
1. Press Release No. 167, “IARC Monographs Programme Finds Combined
Estrogen-Progestogen Contraceptives (the “pill”) and Menopausal
Therapy Are Carcinogenic to Humans,” World Health Organization
International Agency for Research on Cancer, July 29, 2005.
2. National Cancer Institute’s Fact Sheet, “Oral Contraceptives and
Cancer Risk: Questions and Answers,” updated 5/4/06. Available at:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/oral-contraceptives
3. National Cancer Institute’s web page, “Breast Cancer Prevention,
Patient Version.” Updated 10/5/07. Available at:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/prevention/breast/Patient/page3
4. National Cancer Institute’s web page, “Breast Cancer Prevention,
Health Professional Version.” Updated 9/13/07. Available at:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/prevention/breast/HealthProfessional
5. National Cancer Institute’s web page, “Breast Cancer Risk
Assessment Tool,” Available at:
http://www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool/
6. Kahlenborn C, Modugno F. Potter D, Severs W. Oral contraceptive
use as a risk factor for premenopausal breast cancer: A
meta-analysis. Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2006;81(10):1290-1302.
7. Yager JD et al. Estrogen Carcinogenesis in Breast Cancer. N Engl J
Med 2006;354:270-82.
######
The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer is an international women’s
organization founded to protect the health and save the lives of
women by educating and providing information on abortion as a risk
factor for breast cancer.
Tax-deductible, credit card donations can be made at
http://www.AbortionBreastCancer.com. Donations can be mailed to: the
Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer, P.O. Box 957133, Hoffman
Estates, IL 60195. The IRS recognizes the coalition as a 501(c)3
organization.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer
http://www.AbortionBreastCancer.com
Breast Cancer Prevention Institute
http://www.BCPInstitute.org
Polycarp Research Institute
http://www.polycarp.org
This newsletter can be viewed online at:
http://www.abortionbreastcaner.com/news/071204/
Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer
P.O. Box 957133
Hoffman Estates, IL 60195-3051
Toll Free: 877.803.0102
Local Calls: 847.421.4000
Email: response@abortionbreastcancer.com
Web Page: http://www.abortionbreastcancer.com
That reference doesn't mention blacks and abortion much less a 600% increased risk of Breast Cancer when BCPs are used. I'm a family practice doc with a health & science ping list which saw the link to my thread. The NY State Dept. of Health has a pdf that states not carrying a pregnancy to term increases the risk of breast cancer. Obviously, it's politically incorrect to state that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer.
Thanks for the other links. If you can find the reference about the 600% increase, I would appreciate it. Here's the one from NY.
CORAM, MT. SINAI, PORT JEFFERSON STATION (CMP) FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION pdf link
BREAST CANCER RISK FACTORS with references starts on page 25. “The importance of reproductive factors in affecting breast cancer risk has been known for a long time. Women who have never given birth (or had a full-term pregnancy) are at a higher risk for breast cancer compared to women who have carried a pregnancy to term.”(Page 26)
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