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Query: UMLS:C0598934 (tumor growth)
 58,965 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The stage at which breast cancer is diagnosed is an important determinant of prognosis. In contrast to the many investigations of the relationship between alcohol consumption and the risk of developing breast cancer, few have examined how alcohol consumption may affect the stage of this cancer at diagnosis. This article examines the relationship between alcohol intake and breast cancer stage and assesses consumption in relation to the volume of drinks consumed per week and the patterns of consumption 1 year prior to the breast cancer diagnosis. A total of 1191 women, aged 40 to 84 years, with newly diagnosed breast cancer were identified through the population-based Metropolitan Detroit Cancer Surveillance System, a participant of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute. Of these, 1011 (85%) were interviewed 2 to 4 months following diagnosis. The analyses for this article were limited to 920 cases with local and regional stage disease. The bivariate analysis showed that frequent drinkers were more likely than abstainers or infrequent drinkers to present with regional disease. Logistic regression showed that frequent drinkers were 1.45 times more likely than infrequent drinkers to be diagnosed with later stage breast cancer (95% CI: 1.01-2.10; p = 05). The association between alcohol consumption and disease stage may be due to the relationship between heavy consumption and other unhealthy behaviors. In addition, women who drink more frequently may have less awareness of and access to cancer screening services. Heavy exposure to alcohol may also contribute to accelerated tumor growth once breast cancer is present.
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PMID:Alcohol consumption and breast cancer stage at diagnosis. 966 Mar 24

Cancer and pregnancy coincide in about one in 1,000 pregnancies. One of the most common malignancies associated with pregnancy is breast cancer. Women with pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) have a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with metastatic disease and estrogen receptor (ER) negative tumors than do non-pregnant women. Controversies exist regarding the effect of pregnancy on breast cancer prognosis. Some researchers suggest that pregnancy does not affect breast cancer prognosis, whereas others claim the opposite. Although PABC is usually discovered in an advanced stage, breast cancer metastasis on the placenta is a rare event. During cancer progression, the surrounding microenvironment co-evolves into an activated state through continuous communication with the malignant cells, thereby promoting tumor growth. The effect of pregnancy and placental environment on breast cancer biology is the issue of this review. Placental and cancer cells implantation processes share similar molecular pathways. This suggests that placental factors may affect breast cancer cells biology. Previously, we analyzed the effect of first trimester human placenta on breast cancer cells. Breast cancer cells were co-cultured with placental explants during their implantation on matrigel substrate. We found that the placenta reduced ER expression on the cancer cells and induced their migration and invasion abilities. As a result of it, breast cancer cells migrated away from the placental implantation sites. Hormonal pathways were involved in these phenomena. These results may explain the high incidence of metastases during pregnancy in on the one hand and the rarity of metastases on the placenta on the other hand.
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PMID:[THE EFFECT OF PREGNANCY ON BREAST CANCER]. 2648 Jun 21