Breast Cancer Archive

Ask the doctor

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Q. A friend has melanoma, and his doctor wants to use a new kind of treatment that boosts the immune system. Can you tell me more?

A. The immune system exists to attack foreign things that enter the body, such as germs. Certain cells of the immune system recognize and attack foreign things. Cancerous cells make chemicals that are not made by normal cells, chemicals the immune system should recognize as foreign. Unfortunately, eight million people around the globe die of cancer each year after their immune systems fail to destroy the cancer. Why do their immune systems fail?

Research we're watching

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Anti-inflammatory medications may play a role in ovarian cancer risk. A study by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that taking low-dose aspirin regularly appears to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 23%. However, long-term heavy use of ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) seems to increase risk.

The study, published online October 4 by JAMA Oncology, looked at data on more than 200,000 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study and Nurses' Health Study II. Among the group studied, 1,054 women went on to develop ovarian cancer. Researchers then looked at what type of medications the women took on a regular basis. They found that women who took at least 10 doses of NSAIDs a week for multiple years had an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Women who took low-dose aspirin regularly seemed to have a reduced risk — but the same was not true among women who took a standard-dose aspirin.

Ask the doctors

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Q. Sometimes I urinate normally, but often I have to wait for the stream to start, or it takes much longer to finish. It may even stop and start, so I have to sit on the toilet much longer than in the past. I do feel that I empty my bladder, but it takes a while. Is this normal?

A. Urinary problems after menopause are common and may be related to age-related hormonal shifts or may have a separate medical cause. For this reason, it's always best to visit your doctor to discuss the problem. Difficulty starting or maintaining a stream of urine may be caused by many factors, including a blockage, an infection, certain medications, or a nerve problem that's affecting your brain's ability to get signals to the bladder, among others. Your doctor will likely recommend tests to search for the underlying cause and to customize your treatment.

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Research we're watching

Eating a Mediterranean-style diet, which is rich in fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and nuts, may help women over 40 reduce the risk of stroke, according to a study published in the journal Stroke.

The study enrolled more than 20,000 adults, ages 40 to 77, who were asked to record what they ate in a seven-day diet diary. Researchers then compared their diet and their stroke risk over a 17-year period.

Ask the doctor

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Q. The Harvard Health Letter has often said that it is generally healthy for women to have one alcoholic drink per day. Yet I hear a recent study showed no benefit. What's the truth?

A. Before answering your question, let's define "one drink": it's 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. And it means having one drink each day of the week, not having seven drinks on Saturday night, sleeping it off Sunday, and begging off until next Saturday night. Now, despite the recent study, we stick with what we've said, which reflects the research of outstanding nutrition scientists at Harvard and elsewhere.

News briefs

Older women: Take note of two new screening guidelines. One is for cervical cancer screening. Recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, published online Aug. 21, 2018, by the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggest that many women ages 30 to 65 can now approach cervical cancer screening in several ways: they can get a cervical cytology (Pap) test every three years; a test for human papillomavirus (which causes most cervical cancer cases) every five years; or they can get a combination of both tests every five years. If you're older than 65, the USPSTF recommends against screening unless you haven't had adequate tests before or you're at high risk for cervical cancer. The other screening guidelines are for urinary incontinence. They come from the Women's Preventive Services Initiative and were published online Aug. 14, 2018, by Annals of Internal Medicine. The guidelines recommend that women get screened for incontinence yearly, regardless of age. "I completely agree with brief annual screening for urinary incontinence for women. A simple question can be used to screen for it, such as, 'Do you have any bothersome urinary incontinence or urinary leaking during the day or night?' If the incontinence is treated early, in some cases, it will not progress and the patient will be able to avoid more invasive, costly, risky, or time-consuming treatment options," says Dr. May Wakamatsu, vice chair of gynecology services at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

In the journals

Following a specific cancer prevention diet may help you lower your overall risk, according to a study in the August 2018 Cancer Research.

The diet from the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) emphasizes a plant-based diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes like beans and lentils, with limited amounts of red or processed meat (no more than 18 ounces per week) and a strong emphasis on eliminating all processed foods, sugar-sweetened drinks, and alcohol.