Nicotine May Directly Promote Development Of Breast Cancer
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Cancer / Oncology, Smoking / Quit Smoking
Scientists have discovered that when nicotine binds to nAchRs (nicotinic acetylcholine receptors), it may not only promote addiction, but breast cancer as well. We know that non-nicotine components of smoking are carcinogens, however, very little is known about how nicotine acts on cells to encourage cancer growth, the scientists explain.
While previous studies have linked smoking to increased breast cancer risk, they have not been accompanied by molecular biology studies to determine why. In this present study, scientists reveal a link between nicotine itself and breast cancer risk – not just the other non-nicotine components of smoking.
You can read about this study in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, August 23rd (2010) issue.
Yuan-Soon Ho, Ph.D., Taipei Medical University, and team examined 276 breast tumor samples from anonymous donors to Taipei Medical University Hospital. They wanted to determine whether subunits of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor were overexpressed in breast cancer cells compared with other normal cells. Read more
Late Diagnosis Linked To One Thousand Breast Cancer Deaths Every Year
Nearly a thousand deaths from breast cancer could be avoided each year if short term survival rates in England were among the best comparable* countries in Europe, according to research presented at the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) conference yesterday.
The study** shows if England matched Norway and Sweden’s survival rates for breast cancer, 957 deaths could be prevented annually in women whose cancer is diagnosed so late that they usually die within two years of diagnosis.
When breast cancer is caught early, treatment is often milder and more effective. Survival rates soon after diagnosis can be used as an indicator of whether the disease is being caught early or late.
Professor Henrik Møller, lead author from King’s College London, said: “This study has important implications for women in this country. We could prevent nearly a thousand deaths from breast cancer each year by getting the disease diagnosed earlier, particularly in older women. Read more