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Although Merck is seeking government approval to market its human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to women aged 24-45, a large study has concluded that the benefits of such a preventative vaccine are low — as are the benefits of frequent HPV screening for older women. 10,049 18-97-year-old women from Guanacaste, Costa Rica participated in the study; 93.6% were followed for an average of 7 years. Results indicated that newly detected HPV infections declined sharply with age and, in older women, the infections did not typically progress to pre-cancerous stages. About one-third (36%) of women aged 18-25 had newly detected HPV infections, compared to 13.5% of women aged 42 or older. Regardless of age, newly detected HPV infections were associated with very low risk of persistence and most cleared on their own. Age was not associated with the rate of progression for more serious forms of HPV.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, March 2010
The benefits of plant-based and low-fat diets are becoming more obvious. These diets minimize ingestion of known carcinogens and maximize consumption of nutrients that protect against cancer. A recent study suggests that a woman’s nutritional patterns in the 3-5 years before receiving an epithelial ovarian cancer diagnosis may influence survival. (Epithelial cells cover the ovaries’ outer surface.) The study examined the diets of 341 Cook County (IL) women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer between 1994-1998. Women who ate more plant-based and low-fat diets had 10-15% better survival rates 9 years after diagnosis. Consumption of 5 servings of fruits and/or vegetables (especially of yellow and cruciferous vegetables like greens, cabbage, broccoli, etc.), conferred the most benefits. Women who reported eating red meat and cured, processed meats daily had substantially poorer survival than those who ate those foods less than 4 times a week. The results don’t directly address how diet influences survival, but raise issues to be explored in future research.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association, March 2010
In recent years, women with cancer in one breast (unilateral breast cancer) have increasingly sought preventative mastectomy of their cancer-free breast, although most women with unilateral breast cancer do not develop cancer in the other breast. A recent study examined preventative mastectomy’s survival outcomes. Using data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, researchers identified 107,106 women with breast cancer who had had mastectomy between 1998-2003, and a subset of 8,902 women who had a preventative mastectomy of their cancer-free breast in the same period. In the latter, women under age 50 who had early-stage, receptor negative tumors had a 4.8% increased chance of surviving five years compared with those who did not have a preventive mastectomy. Since only this specific subset benefited, the authors suggest that preventative mastectomy may be unnecessary for most women with unilateral breast cancer.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, March 2010