African women most affected
• Moles linked to higher predisposition
A FRESH insight into why more Nigerian women are having breast cancer has emerged. Three independent studies published this week linked a high intake of red meat such as suya, kilishi, nkwobi, isi ewu, bacon, bush meat, steak, to cancer.
The studies indicate that African women frequently have biologically less favourable subtypes of breast cancer; and they have higher number of moles on their skins, which are linked to increased breast cancer risk.
Most Nigerians eagerly look forward to having another meal of local meat delicacies such as Suya, Isi-ewu, Nkwobi, Kilishi, Shaki and ‘roundabout.’ The consumption and marketing of these red meat-based meals have become big business in most restaurants across the country.
The Guardian reported last April that eating even small quantities of processed meat such as Suya, Kilishi, Nkwobi, Isi ewu, bacon, sausages or salami can significantly increase the risk of dying early from cancer and heart disease.
According to MedlinePlus, moles are growths on the skin. They happen when pigment cells in the skin, called melanocytes, grow in clusters. Moles are very common. Most people have between 10 and 40 moles. A person may develop new moles from time to time, usually until about age 40. In older people, they tend to fade away. Moles are usually pink, tan or brown. They can be flat or raised. They are usually round or oval and no larger than a pencil eraser.
Previous studies had identified many known risk factors that can increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer - including gender, age, family history, obesity and alcohol consumption.
Now, a study published in BMJ (British Medical Journal) has found that higher red meat intake during early adulthood could well be one of these risk factors.
The new study, from a team of United States (U.S.)-based researchers, set out to investigate the association of dietary protein sources in early adulthood with the risk of breast cancer, as other previous work has indicated that lifestyle factors, including diet, may have a greater impact during early adulthood on the chances of developing breast cancer.
The study found that a higher intake of red meat products during early adulthood was associated with a 22 per cent increased risk of breast cancer.
However, the researchers said that the situation could be reversed since a higher intake of poultry during early adulthood was associated with a lower incidence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
According to the researchers, replacing one portion of red meat a day with a portion of another high-protein food such as legumes, poultry, nuts and fish was associated with a 14 per cent lower risk of breast cancer overall and premenopausal breast cancer.
The researchers concluded: “Replacing red meat with a combination of legumes, poultry, nuts and fish may reduce the risk of breast cancer.”
Also, U.S. researchers led by cancer specialists at MedStar Washington Hospital Centre have found that African-American women frequently have biologically less favourable subtypes of breast cancer.
Researchers at the Hospital Center’s Washington Cancer Institute analysed the biology of breast cancer in 100 African-American women, using a method of genomic profiling. These genomic tests look at the expression of genes associated with the risk of recurrence in the population and further characterises the biology of the tumour. The 70-gene Mamma Print test was used to determine the likelihood of a cancer recurrence. Out of the 100 patients, 66 women in the study were found to be high risk, meaning that their tumours had a higher risk of recurrence.
A companion BluePrint test was used to define the specific molecular subtype of each cancer. When classified by both genomic tests, African- American women with stage I to III breast cancer often had gene expression subtypes that were less favourable.
The co-author of the research, Dr. Raquel Nunes, a medical oncologist at the Washington Cancer Institute, presented the data as a scientific poster at the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.
New research published yesterday in journal PLOS Medicine indicates that the number of moles a woman has on her skin may hint at her risk of developing breast cancer.
In two separate studies, American and French scientists found that the more moles a woman had, the greater her average risk of breast cancer. In one study, women with 15 or more moles on a single arm were 35 per cent more likely to develop breast cancer than women with no moles.
While the connection between moles and breast cancer is not obvious, experts pointed to one plausible explanation: estrogen.
The hormone is known to feed the growth and spread of many breast tumours. And there is also some evidence it influences mole growth; moles tend to get larger and darken during pregnancy, for instance.
“They could be a marker of lifetime exposure to estrogen,” said Barbara Fuhrman, an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.
But that’s speculation for now. And there could be other underlying reasons for the association- even some kind of genetic factor, said Fuhrman, who wrote an editorial published June 10 with the studies in the online journal PLOS Medicine.
Her advice to women with numerous moles on their skin: “Don’t panic. This is very interesting biologically, but it probably doesn’t tell us a lot about an individual woman’s risk of breast cancer. It probably tells us more about the general etiology (causes) of breast cancer.”
Source: Guardian News
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