Benign breast disease, recent alcohol consumption, and risk of breast cancer: a nested case–control study

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol consumption is a well-established risk factor for breast cancer. Some studies have suggested that the risk of breast cancer associated with alcohol consumption is greater for women with a history of benign breast disease (BBD). We hypothesized that among women with biopsy-confirmed BBD, recent alcohol consumption would increase the risk of breast cancer in women with proliferative breast disease to a greater extent than in women with nonproliferative breast disease. METHODS: We conducted a nested case–control study in the Nurses' Health Study I and II. The cases (n = 282) were women diagnosed with incident breast cancer, with a prior biopsy-confirmed breast disease. The controls (n = 1,223) were participants with a previous BBD biopsy, but without a diagnosis of breast cancer. Pathologists reviewed benign breast biopsy slides in a blinded fashion and classified the BBD as nonproliferative, proliferative without atypia, or atypical hyperplasia, according to standard criteria. RESULTS: Women with nonproliferative breast disease consuming ≥ 15 g of alcohol per day had a nonsignificant 67% increased risk of breast cancer (odds ratio = 1.67; 95% confidence interval 0.65 to 4.34) compared with nondrinkers. There was no evidence that recent alcohol consumption increased the risk of breast cancer to a greater extent in women with proliferative BBD than among women with nonproliferative BBD (P for interactio n = 0.20). CONCLUSION: Contrary to our a priori hypothesis, there was no evidence that recent alcohol consumption increased the risk of breast cancer to a greater extent among women with proliferative BBD than among women with nonproliferative BBD

Physical activity and breast cancer survival

Physical activity improves quality of life after a breast cancer diagnosis, and a beneficial effect on survival would be particularly welcome. Four observational studies have now reported decreased total mortality among physically active women with breast cancer; the two largest have also reported decreased breast cancer specific mortality. The estrogen pathway and the insulin pathway are two potential mechanisms by which physical activity could affect breast cancer survival. Randomized trials are ongoing but trials of lifestyle factors are notoriously challenging to perform. Women with breast cancer have little to lose and may possibly gain from moderate exercise

A cohort study of reproductive and hormonal factors and renal cell cancer risk in women

We examined the association of reproductive and hormonal factors with renal cell cancer risk in a cohort study of 89 835 Canadian women. Compared with nulliparous women, parous women were at increased risk (hazard ratio (HR) 1.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–3.09), and there was a significant gradient of risk with increasing levels of parity: relative to nulliparous women, women who had X5 pregnancies lasting 4 months or more had a 2.4-fold risk (HR 1⁄4 2.41, 95% CI 1⁄4 1.27–4.59, P for trend 0.01). Ever use of oral contraceptives was associated with a modest reduction in risk. No associations were observed for age at first live birth or use of hormone replacement therapy. The present study provides evidence that high parity may be associated with increased risk of renal cell cancer, and that oral contraceptive use may be associated with reduced risk

Rectal Transmission of Transmitted/Founder HIV-1 Is Efficiently Prevented by Topical 1% Tenofovir in BLT Humanized Mice

Rectal microbicides are being developed to prevent new HIV infections in both men and women. We focused our in vivo preclinical efficacy study on rectally-applied tenofovir. BLT humanized mice (n = 43) were rectally inoculated with either the primary isolate HIV-1(JRCSF) or the MSM-derived transmitted/founder (T/F) virus HIV-1(THRO) within 30 minutes following treatment with topical 1% tenofovir or vehicle. Under our experimental conditions, in the absence of drug treatment we observed 50% and 60% rectal transmission by HIV-1(JRCSF) and HIV-1(THRO), respectively. Topical tenofovir reduced rectal transmission to 8% (1/12; log rank p = 0.03) for HIV-1(JRCSF) and 0% (0/6; log rank p = 0.02) for HIV-1(THRO). This is the first demonstration that any human T/F HIV-1 rectally infects humanized mice and that transmission of the T/F virus can be efficiently blocked by rectally applied 1% tenofovir. These results obtained in BLT mice, along with recent ex vivo, Phase 1 trial and non-human primate reports, provide a critically important step forward in the development of tenofovir-based rectal microbicides

Vitamins A, C and E and the risk of breast cancer: results from a case-control study in Greece

Although several dietary compounds are hypothesized to have anticarcinogenic properties, the role ofpecific micronutrients in the development of breast cancer remains unclear. To address this issue, we assessed intake of retinol, β-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E in relation to breast cancer risk in a case–control study in Greece. Eight hundrednd twenty women with histologically confirmed breast cancer were compared with 1548 control women. Dietary data were collectedhrough a 115-item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Data were modelled by logistic regression, with adjustment forotal energy intake and established breast cancer risk factors, as well as mutual adjustment among the micronutrients. Amongost-menopausal women, there was no association between any of the micronutrients evaluated and risk of breast cancer. Amongremenopausal women, β-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E were each inversely associated with breast cancer risk, but afterutual adjustment among the three nutrients only β-carotene remained significant; the odds ratio (OR) for a one-quintilencrease in β-carotene intake was 0.84 (95% confidence interval 0.73–0.97). The inverse association observed with β-carotene intake, however, is slightly weaker than the association previously observed with vegetable intake in these data,aising the possibility that the observed β-carotene effect is accounted for by another component of vegetables. ©1999 Cancer Research Campaig

The ChromaTest, a digital color contrast sensitivity analyzer, for diabetic maculopathy: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: To assess the ability of the Chromatest in investigating diabetic maculopathy. METHOD: Patients with Type 2 diabetes and no concurrent ocular pathology or previous laser photocoagulation were recruited. Visual acuities were assessed followed by colour contrast sensitivity testing of each eye using Chromatest. Dilated fundoscopy with slit lamp biomicroscopy with 78 D lens was then performed to confirm the stage of diabetic retinopathy according to the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study. RESULTS: 150 eyes in 150 patients were recruited into this study. 35 eyes with no previous laser photocoagulation were shown to have clinically significant macular oedema (CSMO) and 115 eyes with untreated non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) on fundus biomicroscopy. Statistical significant difference was found between CSMO and NPDR eyes for protan colour contrast threshold (p = 0.01). Statistical significance was found between CSMO and NPDR eyes for tritan colour contrast threshold (p = 0.0002). Sensitivity and specificity for screening of CSMO using pass-fail criterion for age matched TCCT results achieved 71% (95% confidence interval: 53-85%) and 70% (95% confidence interval: 60-78%), respectively. However, threshold levels were derived using the same data set for both training and testing the effectiveness since this was the first study of NPDR using the Chromatest CONCLUSION: The ChromaTest is a simple, cheap, easy to use, and quick test for colour contrast sensitivity. This study did not achieve results to justify use of the Chromatest for screening, but it reinforced the changes seen in tritan colour vision in diabetic retinopathy

Vitamin D supplementation and breast cancer prevention : a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

In recent years, the scientific evidence linking vitamin D status or supplementation to breast cancer has grown notably. To investigate the role of vitamin D supplementation on breast cancer incidence, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing vitamin D with placebo or no treatment. We used OVID to search MEDLINE (R), EMBASE and CENTRAL until April 2012. We screened the reference lists of included studies and used the “Related Article” feature in PubMed to identify additional articles. No language restrictions were applied. Two reviewers independently extracted data on methodological quality, participants, intervention, comparison and outcomes. Risk Ratios and 95% Confident Intervals for breast cancer were pooled using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 test. In sensitivity analysis, we assessed the impact of vitamin D dosage and mode of administration on treatment effects. Only two randomized controlled trials fulfilled the pre-set inclusion criteria. The pooled analysis included 5372 postmenopausal women. Overall, Risk Ratios and 95% Confident Intervals were 1.11 and 0.74–1.68. We found no evidence of heterogeneity. Neither vitamin D dosage nor mode of administration significantly affected breast cancer risk. However, treatment efficacy was somewhat greater when vitamin D was administered at the highest dosage and in combination with calcium (Risk Ratio 0.58, 95% Confident Interval 0.23–1.47 and Risk Ratio 0.93, 95% Confident Interval 0.54–1.60, respectively). In conclusions, vitamin D use seems not to be associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer development in postmenopausal women. However, the available evidence is still limited and inadequate to draw firm conclusions. Study protocol code: FARM8L2B5L

Smoking before the birth of a first child is not associated with increased risk of breast cancer: findings from the British Women's Heart and Health Cohort Study and a meta-analysis

It has been suggested that the period between puberty and first birth is a time when the breast is particularly susceptible to carcinogenic effects. In a cohort of 3047 women aged 60-79 years (N=139 breast cancer cases), we found no association between smoking before the birth of a first child and breast cancer risk: fully adjusted (for age, number of children, age at birth of first child, age at menarche, age at menopausal, hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy, ever use of oral contraception, use of hormone replacement therapy, alcohol consumption, body mass index, childhood and adulthood social class) odds ratio 1.06 (95% confidence interval: 0.72, 1.56). The pooled estimate from a meta-analysis of our study and 11 previously published studies (N=6528 cases) was 1.07 (0.94, 1.22). We conclude that smoking prior to the birth of a first child is not associated with increased risk of breast cancer