BRCA Article from Ivanhoe’s Medical Breakthroughs 10/13/08
BRCA NEWSWORTHY
Inherited Breast Cancer and Red Wine
You can follow the link to get the entire story!
http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_printStory.cfm?storyid=19919
The article comes from Ivanhoe Newswire & they cited the source: Molecular Cell, published online 10/9/08.
It’s a very short article which quoted study author Dr. Chu-Xia Deng as saying that resveratrol (a key component of red wine & grapes) strongly inhibits the growth or BRCA-1 mutant tumors in both cultured cells & animal models. The compound apparently wards off the cancers by enhancing the activities of SIRT1 (a protein) which reduces Survivin a suspected cancer booster.
Drink more red wine?
BRCA article from Smithsonian.com October 2008
BRCA NEWSWORTHY
HOW BREAST CANCER GENE WORKS
You can follow the link to get the entire story!
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/breast-cancer-genes.html
The article is written by Sarah Zielinski from the Smithsonian Magazine, October 2008.
The article starts off by telling us that even breast cancers can differ. One can be from the inherited gene mutation, and one from environmental exposure. Even two different women with the same BRCA mutation can have different cancers, or no cancer at all.
Women who are BRCA positive have a 36-85% chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime & have a higher risk of developing ovarian & a few other cancers. BRCA positive men are also at risk for breast cancer as well as prostate cancer. BRCA positive women can reduce their risk of developing these cancers by prophylactically removing their breasts, fallopian tubes & ovaries. The article also states the tissue left may still develop cancer, or the cancer could develop possibly in the pancreas (another place BRCA positive people get cancer.) Presently, the mutations in the BRCA gene cannot be repaired.
All cancers are mutated cells that grow and clump and settle in an area or cells divide and go elsewhere in the body- this is metastasis. When the BRCA genes are normal & not mutated they fix damaged DNA in the body. When people are BRCA positive, their gene repair capabilities become broken & cancer can develop.
BRCA article from Smithsonian.com October 2008
BRCA NEWSWORTHY
The ‘Secret Jews’ of San Luis Valley
You can follow the link to get the entire story!
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/28393589.html
The article is written by Jeff Wheelwright from the Smithsonian Magazine, October 2008.
Mr. Wheelwright chronicles the discovery of the BRCA gene mutation in Hispanic Catholic women residing in the San Luis Valley of Colorado & New Mexico. The intriguing part of this discovery is that this gene mutation is found most commonly in Jewish Women. The big questions is why is this gene mutation showing up in Hispanic Catholic women in the San Luis Valley?
One possible answer appears to be that these women may be of Jewish Ancestry dating back to the Spanish Inquisition of 1492! This is a fascinating & informative story!
BRCA article from New York THE SUN 9/29/08
BRCA NEWSWORTHY
With Ovarian Cancer, Awareness Can Be a Key
You can follow the link to get the entire story!
http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/with-ovarian-cancer-awareness-can-be-a-key/86781/
The article is written by Karen Iris Tucker, Special to the Sun September 29, 2008
Ovarian cancer is very difficult to diagnose. The symptoms are bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating & urinary frequency.
Dr. David Fishman is the director of gynecologic oncology at NYU Cancer Institute. He says the most significant risk factor for ovarian & breast cancer is in BRCA positive women. Ashkenazic Jewish women are at a higher risk of carrying BRCA mutations. He states these women may have a mastectomy & oophorectomy. He also said another choice was birth control pills, which has been proven to decrease a woman’s risk for ovarian cancer by 50% after 5 years use.
The Jewish Women’s Foundation of NY has funded an NYU study as to why some at risk women never develop breast or ovarian cancer. Researchers are gathering DNA from Askenazic Jewish women older than 70 who have never developed cancer & then isolate the samples with BRCA mutations. Dr. Harry Ostrer the director of the Human Genetics Program at NYU wants to know why some people with the BRCA mutation never develop cancer & live to a ripe old age. He wants what those people have!