Keep abreast of what your patients are currently seeing in the media with our round-up of popular news stories, available from WHF as abstracts with links to the full-text articles.

From the week of April 14, 2008:

Breast Cancer Vaccine Works Against Deadlier Form of Disease

Breast cancer patients with a high expression of the protein HER2-neu may be able to significantly reduce their risk of recurrence with a new breast cancer vaccine. This form of breast cancer tends to be deadlier than other types and represents about one-fourth of all breast cancer cases. Women with a high expression of HER2-neu who received the vaccine reduced their mortality rate by 50%. Women with a low or intermediate expression of the protein reduced their mortality rate by 100%. In the initial trial the vaccine was well-tolerated by the women who received it. The vaccine is designed to activate the immune system to recognize the cancer as an invader. It is meant to prevent recurrence of cancer in women who have already had the disease. There are currently no treatment options for women with a low or intermediate expression of HER2-neu other than the traditional options of surgery or chemotherapy. The vaccine has been licensed by a biotechnology firm that is now planning phase III clinical trials. Thus far, it has had more success than any other cancer vaccine.

Read the full story on washingtonpost.com

New HPV Vaccine Promising in Mice

The HPV vaccine Gardasil has attracted a great deal of attention since it as approved by the US FDA in 2006. The vaccine is given over the course of 8 months in three doses and protects against 4 types of HPV, including the 2 HPV types that are most associated with the development of cervical cancer. Although Gardasil has been a major breakthrough in the prevention of HPV and cervical cancer, many researchers felt they could improve on the vaccine. Researchers cite cost, 3 doses, number of strains of HPV protected against, and pain of the injection as areas for improvement. A new vaccine for HPV has recently gotten favorable results in experiments with mice. A synthetic vaccine, it would be administered to patients as a nasal spray. Optimally, researchers would like the vaccine to be effective in a single dose, that would protect against all cancer-causing types of HPV. Synthetic vaccines can me made in a lab with chemicals rather that using biological systems. Coupled with its administration as a nasal spray, this could significantly reduce the cost of the vaccine. A spray would also address the pain associated with injections of Gardasil, which may act as a deterrent for teenage girls.

Read the full story on healthday.com

Delaying Pregnancy Can Carry Consequences

An increasing number of women are putting off having children until they are well in their 30s, or sometimes older. Women cite their careers, desire to travel, and saving money before having children as their top reasons to delay pregnancy. Many women are also postponing marriage or enjoying life with their new spouse before adding children to their family. However, delaying pregnancy too long can significantly reduce a woman’s chance of conceiving naturally, or at all. Women over the age of 35 have roughly a 15% chance of conceiving each month. Women are most fertile for contraception 14 days after the first day of their last menstrual period. There are also lifestyle modifications that can increase a woman’s fertility. Smoking and drug use can affect men’s and women’s fertility, so couples who are trying to conceive should cease these activities. Other recommendations include women’s taking a folic acid supplement before conception to prevent birth defects, getting immunizations up to date to prevent infection during pregnancy, and relaxing. Couples should generally try to conceive naturally for 12 months before seeking professional help.

Read the full story on cnn.com

Smoking, Drinking, Cholesterol May Be Alzheimer's Risk Factors

Two recent studies indicate that certain lifestyle behaviors in midlife are associated with the development of dementia later in life. In one study, which included 938 patients age 60 and older diagnosed with possible or probable Alzheimer’s disease, heavy smokers (people who smoked 1 or more packs of cigarettes a day) and heavy drinkers (more than 2 drinks a day) had an earlier onset of the disease. For heavy drinkers, the disease developed an average of 4.8 years earlier, while heavy smokers developed Alzheimer’s an average of 2.3 earlier than non-heavy smokers. These studies indicate that Alzheimer’s disease can build up for many years before symptoms are present. Patients who do not impair their cognitive abilities with smoking and drinking are better able to compensate for the initial onset of the disease. Researchers do not understand the association, but they have also found a link between high blood cholesterol in middle-aged patients and the development of Alzheimer’s several decades later. A cause and effect relationship between the two has not been determined, but in a study of almost 10,000 patients, high cholesterol levels at midlife were often predictive of the development of Alzheimer’s disease years later.

Read the full story on healthday.com