This just in...

Nurse Practitioner, Apr 2000

A WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE UPDATE

New study

Thicker waistline may signal breast cancer risk

We know that women who carry most of their excess weight around their middle have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease than those who are heavier in the hips and thighs. Now, a study published in the

American,Journal of

Epidemiology suggests these women, particularly if they're postmenopausal, also have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.

Researchers followed 47,000 women from 1986 to 1994. They found that women with the most fat in the abdominal area (waistlines more than 36 inches) had a 34% greater risk of breast cancer than those with the least fat in that area (waistlines less than 28 inches).

The increased risk showed up most clearly among postmenopausal women who'd never used hormone replacement therapy. Among women in that group, those with the most stomach-area fat were 88% more likely to develop breast cancer than those with the smallest waists.

Raising awareness

Older women need lifesaving reminder

Although breast cancer risk increases with age, more than one-third of women ages 65 and older aren't as concerned about getting breast cancer as they were when they were younger, according to a study by the National Cancer Institute (NCI] and the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). And only 57% of the women polled know they should have a screening mammogram every 1 or 2 years.

"These findings indicate that misconceptions about breast cancer risk and the potential benefit of regular breast cancer screenings are prevalent among older women," says Leslie Ford, MD, associate director for Clinical Research in NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention.

NCI and HCFA formed a partnership last year to raise awareness about routine mammography screening among older women. New changes in Medicare coverage may also encourage older women to seek mammograms.

Protein indicator

Splitting hairs to detect breast cancer

Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, have detected differences in strands of hair taken from breast cancer patients compared with hair from women who don't have breast cancer.

According to a study published in Nature magazine, the scientists discovered extra rings of the protein keratin in the hair of some women. Some of the women with these extra proteins who didn't have breast cancer carried the gene mutation BRCAl, which has been linked to the disease.

This technique uses X-ray equipment and could prove helpful for women who don't have access to mammography screening devices.

This was a small study, researchers caution, so the data must be replicated before screening recommendations can be made with confidence.

Early detection

HPV test may be more sensitive than pap

A DNA test for human papillomavirus (HPV)--the strongest predictor of cervical cancer--may be more sensitive than the Pap test for detecting cervical cancer and high-grade precancerous changes, according to studies published in JAMA and the British Journal of Cancer.

By screening for HPV infection, health care professionals may be able to identify those women most at risk and watch them more closely for early signs of desease. And some researchers suggest that by incorporting the HPV test info cervial cancer screening, practioners could be assured of equally sensitive detection of abnormal cells with fewer colposcopy examinations.