Alcohol Linked to Breast Cancer

It might counteract susceptibility to specific form of breast cancer: Study

(NEWSER) - If you’re a black woman with plans to have a lot of kids, you might want to breastfeed them. Why? Because African-American women are especially susceptible to a specific form of breast cancer that isn’t linked to estrogen or progesterone levels—unless, a new study suggests, they breastfeed. After tracking 47,000 black women for 13 years, researchers discovered that those who had more children were more susceptible to the cancer than those who had one or none, but that breastfeeding counteracted much of that risk, the LA Times reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Finally, some good news for migraine sufferers: Those awful headaches come with a reduced risk of breast cancer, according to a new study. The researchers aren’t sure why that would be the case, but they suspect a connection with estrogen and other hormones. “It’s pretty clear that migraine, like breast cancer, is a hormonally related disease,” said one. “Many triggers for migraine are also things that reduce estrogen levels.” More»

Researchers see low estrogen levels as common denominator

(NEWSER) - A history of migraine headaches can reduce a woman’s risk of breast cancer, Reuters reports. The odd correlation has emerged from research done by cancer doctors in Seattle. “Overall, women who had a history of migraines had a 30% lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who did not have a history of such headaches,” a researcher said. More»

But side effects of treatment can make it harder to shed pounds

(NEWSER) - There may be a direct connection between weight and breast cancer in women, MSNBC reports. Overweight women “have more exposure to estrogen,” one doctor said, "which we think increases their risk of several different cancers.” Breast cancer patients across the country are now coupling their therapy with weight loss programs, but the side effects of cancer treatment can make it even harder to shed the pounds. More»

Testing could lead to hormone therapy for susceptible women

(NEWSER) - Scientists have identified versions of a gene that confer a 50% greater chance of developing estrogen-responsive tumors, Bloomberg reports. The study, published in Nature Genetics, found two common gene variants on chromosome 5 that correlated with higher incidences of the types of cancer that respond to estrogen levels. Genetic testing could indicate which women might benefit most from hormone-blocking therapy. More»