The following highlights recent news of state actions on abortion- and human embryonic stem cell research-related legislation.
Abortion
Stem Cell Research
“Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
A collaboration between doctors at the University of Miami and members of the Haitian community in Southern Florida is attempting to address mammography screening and breast cancer among Haitian women living in the U.S., the Miami Herald reports. Statistics show that 45% of Haitian women with breast cancer were diagnosed in late stages of the disease, compared with 44% of black women and 34% of white women. Erin Kobetz, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, in 2004 established a community advisory board to address the issue, and local Haitian community leaders helped her determine how to study breast cancer among Haitian women and how to ask the women questions in a culturally sensitive manner. Community health workers are trying to reach 1,500 Haitian women to ask them about mammograms and breast cancer. According to preliminary findings, some women have received mammograms because they were ordered by their physicians, while others have never had a mammogram because it is not one of their main health concerns. In addition, some women reported traditional beliefs about health care, including use of herbal medicine and the belief that illness is an expression of Voodoo. Larry Pierre, executive director of the Center for Haitian Studies, Health and Human Services, said, “We just have to explain to people that just because you don’t see a disease, you can’t skip prevention.” Cuerna Blot, vice president of the Haitian American Nurses Association, said, “People have changed their minds about screening because of family and friends who have died from breast cancer. Women should not have to die of something they can prevent” (Valdemoro, Miami Herald, 3/8).
“Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Changes in breast density within a three year period may impact breast cancer risk, according to a new study. The two measurements of breast density needed to calculate that change may better predict a woman’s risk of breast cancer than a single measurement.
High breast density is a strong predictor of breast cancer risk, but researchers did not know whether changes in breast density over time would affect this risk. Karla Kerlikowske, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues looked at breast density data from 301,955 women aged 30 and older who had received at least two mammograms between January 1993 and December 2003. Of those women, 2,639 were diagnosed with breast cancer within 12 months of their last screening.
An increase in breast density was associated with a greater risk of breast cancer, regardless of the woman’s original breast density measurement. Women with lower breast density after their second mammogram had a reduced risk of breast cancer, except for those who were initially in the highest density group.
“It is not known why some women may have an increase in breast density over time with increasing age,” the authors write. “Decreasing weight, increased alcohol intake, or changes in diet or medication may contribute to increasing breast density, and their possible effects on changes in breast density over time warrant further study.”
Contact: Steve Tokar, Communications Manager, Northern California Institute for Research and Education
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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Other highlights in the March 7 JNCI
Note: The Journal of the National Cancer Institute is published by Oxford University Press and is not affiliated with the National Cancer Institute. Attribution to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute is requested in all news coverage. Visit the Journal online.
Contact: Liz Savage
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
Women who were treated with radiation for breast cancer during the 1980s may be at an increased risk for heart disease compared with the general population, according to a new study in the March 7 Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Despite this increased risk of heart disease, radiation therapy has been previously shown to improve the chances of surviving breast cancer.
Breast cancer patients treated with radiation therapy during the 1970s are thought to have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but those treatment procedures are now considered obsolete. However, studies on the association between more modern radiation therapies and cardiovascular disease in breast cancer survivors have been inconclusive.
Maartje Hooning, M.D., of the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam, and colleagues compared radiation treatment options, looking for differences in heart disease incidence among 4,414 10-year survivors of breast cancer who were treated between 1970 and 1986. Approximately half of the patients were treated for breast cancer between 1970 and 1980 and half were treated after 1980.
After a median follow-up of 18 years, the researchers identified 942 cases of cardiovascular disease, heart failure being the most common (382 out of 942). The breast cancer patients had an increase in the risk of heart attack, angina (chest pain due to an oxygen shortage in the heart), and congestive heart failure, compared with the general female population. The incidence of angina seemed to increase over time.
The researchers found differences in cardiovascular disease incidence depending on the type of treatment. Overall, patients who received radiation therapy had a greater risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those who received only surgery. In fact, the women who received only surgical treatment had a lower risk of heart attack than the general female population.
To examine the effects of changes in radiation therapy techniques over time, the researchers compared cardiovascular disease incidence in patients who were treated before and after 1980, when a new therapy to conserve breast tissue was introduced. From 1970 to 1979, patients who received radiation therapy had nearly 1.5 times the heart disease risk of patients who did not receive radiation. That rate fell to 1.35 (and was not statistically significant) for patients treated between 1980 and 1986.
The region of the body that received radiation influenced the risk of heart disease as well. For the period from 1970 to 1979, women who had radiation therapy to either the left or right side of the area between the ribs and the breastbone had an increased risk of heart attacks as well as congestive heart failure compared with patients who received little or no radiation to the heart. After 1980, patients treated with radiation to the same area had an increased risk for congestive heart failure, but not heart attacks.
The researchers were surprised to find that smoking had an unexpectedly large effect on the risk of heart disease. “We found that the joint associations between radiotherapy and smoking and [heart attack] risk were greater than expected when individual risks were summed. Consequently, the advice to stop smoking appears to be even more important for irradiated patients and should be given at the time of treatment,” the authors write.
An accompanying editorial by Sharon Giordano, M.D., and Gabriel Hortobagyi, M.D., of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, points out another surprising finding. A certain type of chemotherapy treatment, known as CMF, was associated with a greater risk of congestive heart failure among patients in the study. “Although anthracycline-based chemotherapy is known to cause congestive heart failure, heart failure is not an expected outcome for patients who were treated with CMF chemotherapy. “This association could represent a long-term toxicity of which we were previously unaware, or, as noted by the authors, could possibly be related to induction of menopause,” the authors write. “More plausibly, it could be either a spurious finding or related to residual confounding [variables] because all patients who received chemotherapy were also treated with radiation.”
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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Contact:
* Article: Danielle Cardozo, press office, Netherlands Cancer Institute
* Editorial: Laura Sussman, press office, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Citation:
* Article: Hooning MJ, Botma A, Aleman BMP, Baaijens MHA, Bartlelink H, et al. Long-Term Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in 10-Year Survivors of Breast Cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 2007; 99: 365-375
* Editorial: Giordano SH, Hortobagyi GN. Local Recurrence or Cardiovascular Disease: Pay Now or Pay Later. J Natl Cancer Inst 2007; 99: 340-341
Note: The Journal of the National Cancer Institute is published by Oxford University Press and is not affiliated with the National Cancer Institute. Attribution to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute is requested in all news coverage. Visit the Journal online at http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/.
Contact: Liz Savage
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
A woman’s breast cancer diagnosis can wreak as much havoc on her emotions as it does on her physical health. Mothers who experience bouts of depression during their battles with breast cancer may find that the effects reach beyond their own psyches to those of their children. According to data analyzed by University of Pittsburgh researchers and reported this weekend at the American Psychosocial Oncology Society’s Fourth Annual Conference in Austin, Texas, children of depressed breast cancer patients were more likely to be concerned or anxious about their mother’s cancer and its implication for their families.
While children’s emotional responses to their own illnesses are well-documented, this study, “The Effect of Depressed Mood in Mothers with Breast Cancer on Their Children’s Illness-Related Concerns,” is the first to examine the relationship between children’s concerns and a mother’s cancer-related depression.
“This data should prompt new considerations among oncology clinicians,” said Beth R. Grabiak, M.S.N., C.R.N.P., a doctoral candidate in the health and community systems department at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing who led the data analysis. “We need to think about the impact depression has on the breast cancer patient’s entire family as she undergoes treatment for her cancer.”
The results were obtained through a secondary analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial that was funded by the National Institutes of Health and led by University of Washington researchers. That primary study, called “Enhancing Connections,” collected information from a cross-section of 155 mothers with stage 1, 2 or 3 breast cancer and 155 of their children aged 8 to 12 years from six states. When more than one child was in the home, each mother selected one child to be followed by the study.
Mothers’ depression was measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), while children’s concerns about the illness were determined by their responses to a 93-item questionnaire. In addition to quantifying total illness-related worries, the questionnaire responses also shed light on three subcategories: treatment-related concerns, existential concerns and family-related concerns.
When adjusting for other variables like children’s age and gender, depression in mothers with breast cancer significantly predicted children having higher overall concerns about the illness. Furthermore, depression significantly predicted increased family-related worries in the children.
“It would be expected for children to worry about their mothers in the face of a difficult illness. It’s somewhat surprising, however, that children’s anxieties extended to concerns about the entire family,” Ms. Grabiak said.
“This study’s results have important implications for the mental well-being of families affected by breast cancer. Well-intentioned parents may hesitate to talk openly about the disease’s emotional impact in an effort to protect their children, who in turn may attempt to hide their concerns and suffer in silence. Yet, the child’s anxieties never disappear. They often are manifested in other ways, such as withdrawn behavior,” Ms. Grabiak said.
Most estimates suggest that nearly one quarter of women diagnosed with breast cancer have young children, meaning that as many as 100,000 children will be impacted by the diagnosis this year alone. Ms. Grabiak suggests that, while not every breast cancer patient will become depressed, health care providers who are involved in cancer treatment should look for signs of depression in their patients, too.
“The oncology team’s responsibility goes beyond treating the cancer alone,” she said. “Spotting depression early and referring a mother to treatment has clear benefits for her entire family.”
While this study’s results are noteworthy, the subject has great potential for further exploration. Because this data was culled through a secondary study, a primary study on the topic should be conducted to further validate the results. Additionally, an examination of longitudinal data, as opposed to the cross-section examined in this work, would shed more light on the relationship of children’s illness-related concerns and their mother’s depression.
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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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CONTACT: Clare Collins
The research was funded by the National Cancer Institute. Additional researchers on the project were Susan M. Sereika, also of the University of Pittsburgh, and Frances Marcus Lewis, of the University of Washington School of Nursing.
Kelli McElhinny
University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences
Advocates at a National Breast Cancer Coalition forum on Monday said that annual funding should be increased to $150 million for a Department of Defense program that involves researchers and patient advocates in breast cancer research spending decisions, CQ HealthBeat reports. The program, which was launched in 1992, received $150 million annually from fiscal year 2002 to FY 2005, and it received $127.5 million in both FY 2006 and FY 2007, according to the National Breast Cancer Coalition. A letter being circulated by Reps. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), Tom Davis (R-Va.), Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and James McGovern (D-Mass.) says that the program has led to new methods of extracting breast cancer cells at early stages, the development of the breast cancer drug Herceptin, and research on the interaction of genetic and environmental factors in causing the disease. The letter, which is being given to appropriators, says that “we do not yet know how to prevent the disease” and that there is not a cure or an “accurate, reliable early detection method” (CQ HealthBeat, 3/5).
“Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: IMDS) a pioneer in laser optical breast imaging systems, announced that Sergey Telenkov, Ph.D., IDSI Research Scientist, presented an abstract, “Fourier-Domain Methodology for Depth-Selective Photothermoacoustic Imaging of Tissue Chromophores,” at the 14th International Conference on Photoacoustic and Photothermal Phenomena in Cairo, Egypt, January 6 - 9, 2007.
Telenkov presented results from a collaborative effort with the University of Toronto, through which a novel imaging modality was developed: a hybrid technology referred to as photothermoacoustic (PTA) imaging. Biomedical applications of PTA methodology have been pursued by numerous research groups over the past decade because of the potentially high-resolution functional imaging capabilities that could result, significantly exceeding those available to purely optical modalities. The team’s results demonstrated the attractive features of the FD-PTA technique including high signal-to-noise ratio, depth-selective imaging and excellent axial resolution without high peak-power nanosecond laser exposure.
“My primary research objective as a member of the R&D group at IDSI is the reliable detection of breast cancer. CTLM technology clearly demonstrates the potential to help solve this important problem. However, hybrid techniques such as photothermoacoustic imaging may provide additional advancements to the current imaging modality, especially in terms of spatial resolution,” Telenkov explained.
Telenkov’s results on FD-PTA imaging will be also presented at the March 2007 meeting of the American Physical Society in Denver, Colorado.
The CTLM(R) system is a new continuous wave laser breast imaging system that utilizes state-of-the-art technology and patented algorithms to create 3- D images of the breast. The procedure is non-invasive, painless, and does not expose the patient to radiation or require breast compression. In the United States, Imaging Diagnostic Systems is seeking FDA Premarket Approval (PMA) for the Computed Tomography Laser Mammography (CTLM(R)) system to be used as an adjunct to mammography. The FDA has determined that the Company’s clinical investigation is a non-significant risk (NSR) investigational device study because it does not meet the definition of a significant risk (SR) device under 812.3(m) of the investigational device exemptions (IDE) regulation (21 CFR 812). The CTLM system is limited by United States Federal Law to investigational use only in the United States. The Imaging Diagnostic Systems CTLM system has received other registrations including CE, CMDCAS Canadian License, China SFDA, UL, ISO 9001:2000, ISO 13485:2003 and FDA export certification.
As contemplated by the provisions of the Safe Harbor section of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, this news release may contain forward-looking statements pertaining to future, anticipated, or projected plans, performances and developments, as well as other statements relating to future operations. All such forward-looking statements are necessarily only estimates or predictions of future results or events and there can be no assurance that actual results or events will not materially differ from expectations. Further information on potential factors that could affect Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc., is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We expressly disclaim any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc.
http://www.imds.com
U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Frost on Thursday ruled an Ohio law that allows only members of religions with “historically held conscientious objections” to union membership to opt out is discriminatory, the Columbus Dispatch reports.
The case involves Carol Katter, a Catholic teacher in the St. Mary’s School District in western Ohio who opposes abortion rights. Katter said she refused to pay dues to the National Education Association because she said the union supports abortion rights. Katter sued the State Employment Relations Board after the panel ruled against her claim for a religious exemption, the Dispatch reports.
Frost in his ruling wrote that the law discriminates among religions by recognizing the Mennonite and Seventh-day Adventist objections to joining unions while denying the same right to others. “The statute further differentiates between two employees who have the same religious beliefs, are members of churches with formal doctrines against supporting labor unions, but one of the churches has recently embraced a doctrine, while the other has historically embraced it.”
Frost ruled that Katter and others who opt out of unions will have to pay the equivalent of their dues to qualified nonreligious charities and will be entitled to the protections of the union. The NEA and the Ohio Education Association did not return calls for comment (Nash, Columbus Dispatch, 6/26).
“Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: IMDS) a pioneer in laser optical breast imaging systems, will exhibit new CT Laser Mammography (CTLM(R)) clinical cases at the annual European Congress of Radiology (ECR 2007), March 9-13, in Vienna, Austria. IDSI will be located at Expo A #115.
“We are pleased to present many impressive clinical case posters from some of our clinical sites, commented Deborah O’Brien, IDSI’s Senior Vice President. “The posters compare CTLM with conventional mammography, ultrasound, and MR. One of our featured posters, a work-in-progress from Catholic University in Rome, Italy, compares CTLM to MR for detecting remaining angiogenesis after neoadjuvant therapy. The MR studies were negative after treatment, but CTLM remained positive. Biopsy confirmed that cancer was still present, suggesting that CTLM may be more sensitive than MR for treatment monitoring. These results reveal exciting possible future applications for CTLM technology.”
One of the largest medical meetings in Europe and the second-largest radiology meeting in the world, ECR 2007 will attract approximately 16,000 participants.
The CTLM(R) system is a new continuous wave laser breast imaging system that utilizes state-of-the-art technology and patented algorithms to create 3- D images of the breast. The procedure is non-invasive, painless, and does not expose the patient to radiation or require breast compression. In the United States, Imaging Diagnostic Systems is seeking FDA Premarket Approval (PMA) for the Computed Tomography Laser Mammography (CTLM(R)) system to be used as an adjunct to mammography. The FDA has determined that the Company’s clinical investigation is a non-significant risk (NSR) investigational device study because it does not meet the definition of a significant risk (SR) device under 812.3(m) of the investigational device exemptions (IDE) regulation (21 CFR 812). The CTLM system is limited by United States Federal Law to investigational use only in the United States. The Imaging Diagnostic Systems CTLM system has received other registrations including CE, CMDCAS Canadian License, China SFDA, UL, ISO 9001:2000, ISO 13485:2003 and FDA export certification.
As contemplated by the provisions of the Safe Harbor section of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, this news release may contain forward-looking statements pertaining to future, anticipated, or projected plans, performances and developments, as well as other statements relating to future operations. All such forward-looking statements are necessarily only estimates or predictions of future results or events and there can be no assurance that actual results or events will not materially differ from expectations. Further information on potential factors that could affect Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc., is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We expressly disclaim any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc.
http://www.imds.com/
The following highlights recently released journal articles on women’s health issues.
Breast Cancer
Pregnancy & Childbirth
“Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.