Cancer Today
Breast cancer mortality rate down by 27%
THE NUMBER of people dying from breast cancer in Ireland has fallen since the 1980s, but mortality rates from the disease are still the second highest in Europe, new research shows.
The study of 30 countries by French researchers showed the Irish rate dropped by about a quarters as a result of better screening, the availability of new treatments and speedier diagnosis.
Breast cancer mortality fell by almost 27 per cent in Ireland between 1989 and 2006, with the decrease beginning in 1991, according to the study in the British Medical Journal .
Changes in breast cancer mortality ranged from a 45 per cent decline in Iceland to a 17 per cent increase in Romania, the scientists led by Philippe Autier from the International Prevention Research Institute in France.
In France, Finland and Sweden, mortality decreased by 11 per cent, 12 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.
Overall, the breast cancer mortality rate across the 30 European countries fell by a fifth to 24 in 100,000 deaths, with the reduction tending to be greater in countries with a higher mortality in 1987-1989.
The study, which examined World Health Organisation data, found Spain to have the lowest rate at 18.9 in 100,000 deaths.
Tony O’Brien, interim director of the HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme, said that the statistics provided justification for the major organisation of cancer control under way in Ireland since 2007.
He said that the data, which was analysed up until 2006, was from a time when Ireland was making progress but not as rapidly as other countries as the organisation of services was not done as effectively as it could have been.
Women being diagnosed with breast cancer now can be assured that they are being treated in systems equal to those of the best in Europe.
“They will have the same survival rates as people in other European countries,” Mr O’Brien said.
He added that the National Breast Screening Programme had the potential to make a significant contribution to lowering mortality rates in the State. “I am confident Ireland will be at the top of the league table at the next round of statistics.”
The Irish Cancer Society has welcomed the decrease in mortality rates, saying breast cancer has the best survival rate of any cancer in Ireland.
To further reduce the mortality rate, it was necessary to ensure women were taking up invitations for free mammograms to help detect cancer at early stages, a spokeswoman said.
She said a reason for Ireland having a higher mortality rate than Britain in 2006 was possibly because the free breast-screening programme was only being implemented at the time and was not fully in place until 2009. The spokeswoman added that the programme’s introduction and advanced treatments had reduced the mortality rate.
According to CSO data, 739 women died from breast cancer in 2008, while 2,838 new cases were diagnosed.
(irishtimes.com)
‘Electronic nose’ detects type of cancer through patient’s breath
A device that can detect if one has cancer or not through his or her breath alone can now also detect the type of cancer the patient has, according to scientists who developed the breath test.
Preliminary results of the trial of the breath test device on 177 volunteers showed it can identify if a patient had lung, breast, bowel or prostate cancer.
The study on the breath test device conducted at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel was published in the British Journal of Cancer. Technion’s Professor Abraham Kuten co-authored the study.
The device is a sensor that uses gold nanoparticles to detect chemicals emitted by cells in people with growing cancer. The chemicals are present in the breath.
The sensor could be helpful in the early detection of cancer or before a tumour becomes visible in X-rays.
“If we can confirm these initial results in large-scale studies, this new technology could become a simple tool for early diagnosis of cancer along with imaging. It could also be an easy way to assess and monitor the effectiveness of cancer treatment and detect relapses earlier,” Kuten was quoted as saying by Theaustralian.com.
Salmonella can kill cancer cells
When the food poisoning bacteria was injected into melanoma tumours in mice, the injected tumours – and those in other parts of the body – shrank.
According to the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, the presence of the bad bacteria signalled to the body to attack like cells, including the cancerous ones infected with salmonella.
“We now have a ‘gun’ to kill specifically tumour cells,” said lead study author Maria Rescigno, in medical journal Science Translational Medicine. “We are inducing an immune response to that ‘fingerprint’ which is specific for the tumour.”
Dr Rescigno’s team successfully vaccinated the mice against melanoma by using the salmonella, and the hope is to use the technology to develop a similar vaccine for humans.