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The Latest Information from the Medical Front

Do Carbs Increase Cancer Risk?
You may have been cutting back on carbs to try to lose weight, but now you might have another reason to keep sweets and starches to a minimum. A study conducted in Mexico of almost 2,000 women has shown a possible link between high carbohydrate intake and breast cancer risk. According to the study, women who got more than 62 percent of their calories from carbs were 2.2 times as likely to develop breast cancer than those who limited carbs to 52 percent or less. The culprit seems to be sucrose, the sugar found in many soft drinks and sweet snacks. While researchers noted that further study is necessary to truly understand the link and determine exactly what kind of diet changes will result in optimum cancer prevention, eating low-fiber, high-carb foods in moderation is definitely best for your overall health.

New Advances, New Hope
Every year brings scientific advances for new, effective breast cancer detection and treatment. One recent advance is the development of HER2-targeted drug therapies.

Up to 25 percent of breast cancers produce too much of a protein known as HER2, which results in more aggressive cancer growth and a worse prognosis. Fortunately, for women with this condition, new drug therapies offer a renewed hope. There are several HER2-specific therapies that target these types of cancers, and studies have shown that women receiving these treatments have a lower chance of recurrence and a longer rate of survival than women who do not. In one study, more than 70 percent of women treated with the HER2 drug Herceptin in addition to their chemotherapy were cancer free after three years.

New Genetic Variants for Breast Cancer Discovered
Researchers have discovered two new genetic variants for breast
cancer. By studying the DNA of 1,100 women with breast cancer and 1,100 women without breast cancer, researchers were able to pinpoint these new genetic variants — and they noted that as studies continue, more variants are likely to be discovered. What’s the significance? Well, knowing which genes are linked with breast cancer will give doctors and scientists a better understanding of the biology behind breast cancer, which could help predict a woman’s risk of developing the disease. It could also pave the way for better, more effective and more targeted prevention, detection and treatment.

Cutting-Edge Chemotherapy May Change Treatment
Recent preliminary studies of a new class of drugs called PARP inhibitors have shown great promise — and may point the way to a big change in breast cancer treatment. In one study, a PARP inhibitor was given to women alongside their chemotherapy, and was shown to markedly increase the effectiveness of treatment. In another study, where women received the PARP inhibitor on its own with no other treatment, the results were also encouraging; women in
the study showed significant shrinkage of their cancer. Right now, PARP inhibitors are still in the experimental stage and available only through studies. But further studies are planned over the next year, and it is very likely that these drugs will be approved by the FDA in the near future.

Through advancements like these and the hard work and dedication of people and organizations, there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors alive in the U.S. today. This is the largest group of cancer survivors in the country.

Source: Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.