NCI breast-cancer analysis shows that risks are not colorblind

December 12, 2007

A report in JNCI unveils a model of breast-cancer risk assessment created specifically for African-American women. Based in part on data from the Women’s Contraceptive and Reproductive Experience (CARE) study, the new CARE model shows that 30% of African-American women should have qualified for the STAR trial of breast cancer prevention. That protocol used the standard NCI Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (BRCAT), which judged only 15% eligible.

The new tool is not recommended for women who have BRCA mutations or a history of breast cancer.

Last July, Howard University researchers reported that a modified version of the BCRAT (or Gail model) was even worse at predicting risk in this population than the original Gail model itself.

A meta-analysis in JCO last year revealed that African-Americans have poorer outcomes from breast cancer treatment irrespective of socioeconomic factors. Risk counseling based on erroneous assessment must be among the reasons.

See what else you can find in the categories that sort your results by document type:

Clinical Trials for Patients
Learn more about the CARE study assessing breast cancer risk among white and African American women.

Practical Articles and News
Locate the Gail model itself on the National Cancer Institute website. (The new CARE model isn’t there yet. The NCI says it will be there shortly.)

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Posted by Cranky Aged Mama

FDA reviewing Chantix suicide risk

December 4, 2007

New smoking cessation drug linked with suicide ideation

As well as acne and depression, add smoking to the conditions whose medical treatment may cause suicidal thoughts. The FDA is assessing postmarketing reports that mood changes may accompany use of varenicline (Chantix). Some Chantix users reporting suicidal thoughts had no prior history of psychological issues.

A study published last month hints at a genetic basis underlying this adverse reaction to some medications. Maybe someday there will be a test for this particular drug hazard.

Is Chantix more effective than Zyban (bupropion)? It still isn’t settled.

SearchMedica organizes the results into clinically useful categories to speed your search for relevant information:

Clinical Trials for Patients
New clinical trials are testing the potential of the MAOI antidepressant selegiline for smoking cessation.

Practical Articles and News
An FDA document (written for people taking the antidepressant SSRIs also linked with suicidal thoughts) suggests ways to recognize and address the problem in yourself or a family member.

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Posted by Cranky Aged Mama

JAMA Examines Stress-Caused Disease

October 29, 2007

The biomedical community remains skeptical that stress can cause physical disease, says a commentary in the October 17, 2007 Journal of the American Medical Association. The author goes on to describe the neural pathways by which this may happen and the observational evidence that it does.

It’s time to develop good stress-relief strategies and test them in randomized trials, the article concludes.

Besides mentioning cancer and cardiovascular disease, the editorial notes growing evidence that stress affects the course of HIV disease.

A separate article in the same issue reviews the effects of chronic stress on the heart.

See all SearchMedica search results from JAMA.

Clinical Trials for Patients
A search in this category shows numerous clinical trials underway to treat stress in people who have diseases, and two that simply test stress-relief strategies (reiki and massage therapy).

Practice Guidelines
Find guidance for treating anxiety disorders in patients with HIV/AIDS.

No Comments » | Alternative Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Cranky Aged Mama