(Press-News.org) SEATTLE – For the first time, scientists have found what could be a causative link between the concentration of circulating Y-chromosome fetal cells in women who gave birth to children of either sex and their risk of later developing breast cancer and colon cancer. The findings show that the presence of fetal cells is a double-edged sword: Women with the lowest concentration of fetal cells were 70 percent less likely to have breast cancer, while women with the highest concentration of fetal cells had a four-fold increased risk for colon cancer when compared with healthy controls.
The how and why of this contradictory role of fetal microchimerism is not known and requires more study, according to Vijayakrishna K. (V.K.) Gadi, M.D., Ph.D, an assistant member of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and senior author of a study that appears online in the European Journal of Cancer.
Scientists at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, led the research, which was based on data from 428 Danish women whose blood was drawn in the mid-1990s when they were cancer free. Ten years later, the cancer status of these women was determined based on an examination of Danish breast and colon cancer registries. Molecular analysis of the blood samples was done at the Hutchinson Center to measure how much microchimerism they had. Male fetal microchimerism was detected in 40 percent of 89 women who had developed breast cancer, and 90 percent of the 67 women who had developed colon cancer. Residual male fetal cells were also found in 70 percent of the 272 women who remained cancer free.
The colon cancer finding was unexpected; no prior studies had ever associated that cancer with fetal microchimerism, Gadi said. The researchers chose to measure microchimerism in women who later developed colon cancer to determine whether the possible beneficial effect of microchimerism is specific to breast cancer, as past studies have shown.
Previous studies, including research by Gadi and colleagues, found associative links between concentrations of fetal microchimerism and a decreased risk of breast cancer as well as a heightened risk of some autoimmune diseases. However, those studies were based on blood drawn from women after the onset of their disease.
"Fetal microchimerism may be highly relevant to later cancer development. However, the study does not allow us to identify the underlying biological mechanisms," Gadi said.
Gadi has a hypothesis (not contained in the study) that the fetal cells could be producing a naturally occurring graft-versus-tumor effect but the effect may be having different impacts based on the cancer type. "There are diseases of the GI tract that are associated with chronic inflammation and it is entirely possible that fetal cells are driving, seeding or initiating that inflammation or are involved in the process," he said regarding the link to colon cancer.
Detection of Y-chromosome fetal cells, thought to originate from previous pregnancies with a male fetus, is common in women. During pregnancy, fetal cells naturally pass into the mother where they can persist in small numbers in the blood and tissues for decades after childbirth.
Interestingly, this latest study also found no obvious association between the number of live-born sons and testing positive for male microchimerism. Overall, 65 percent of women with no live-born sons tested positive for Y-chromosome fetal cells, according to the study.
"A source of Y chromosomes in women with no sons could be unrecognized pregnancies with a male fetus that terminated early," Gadi said regarding a possible explanation.
INFORMATION:
Mads Kamper-Jorgensen of the University of Copenhagen's Institute of Public Health is the study's corresponding author. Colleagues from the Danish Statens Serum Institute, the Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen University Hospital and the University of Washington contributed to the research. The study was funded by the Danish Cancer Society.
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, our interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Our researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health, knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information, please visit fhcrc.org.
CONTACT
Dean Forbes
206-667-2896
dforbes@fhcrc.org
END
UPTON, NY - By measuring how strongly electrons are bound together to form Cooper pairs in an iron-based superconductor, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, Cornell University, St. Andrews University, and collaborators provide direct evidence supporting theories in which magnetism holds the key to this material's ability to carry current with no resistance. Because the measurements take into account the electronic bands and directions in which the electrons are traveling, which was central to testing the theoretical predictions, ...
Intertops Casino players will be climbing Mount Olympus this month to claim their place with the Gods - and win a share of the $70,000 in casino bonus money and cash prizes to be awarded in May.
Buy! Sell! Spin! Intertops Casino customers can now enjoy Bulls and Bears, a new stock market-themed slot game where wild Bull and Bear symbols double the prize and quadruple winnings when they appear together in a winning combination. The Feature Guarantee system ensures that the bonus game is triggered regularly and loads of free spins give a great return on investment.
As ...
Baltimore, MD — Insect glands are responsible for producing a host of secretions that allow bees to sting and ants to lay down trails to and from their nests. New research from Carnegie scientists focuses on secretions from glands in the reproductive tract that help sperm survive and guide the sperm on the trip to fertilize an egg. The gene that controls the development of these glands in fruit flies provides important information about gland development in all insects, as well as potential clues to similar human reproductive glands. Their work is published this month in ...
Reston, Va. (May 3, 2012) – The use of single positron emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) has been reported to change clinical management in a significant number of thyroid cancer patients according to research presented in the May issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Information obtained from these scans not only helps determine the need for radioiodine therapy or alterative options, but also impacts the long-term follow-up strategy.
"In this article I aimed to highlight the role of radioiodine imaging in risk stratification of patients ...
Philadelphia, PA, May 9, 2012 – Shop the perimeter and avoid center isles, don't buy anything at eye level, investigate the label. Grocery shopping can be a daunting task. Moreover, studies have shown that Americans obtain most of their food from grocery stores and their shopping habits are predictive of their consumption of fruits, vegetables, and sugared soft drinks. Many grocery stores are taking an active role in helping consumers make healthful food choices. You may have even seen your grocery store use a nutritional score placed right on the shelf's price label ...
LONDON, ON - In a new study from Lawson Health Research Institute, Dr. Joseph Torchia has identified a new genetic pathway influencing the spread of cancer cells. The discovery of this mechanism could lead to new avenues for treatment.
Regular cell division is regulated by methylation, a series of chemical changes. Methylation modifies DNA to ensure cells divide at a healthy, balanced rate. In cancer, the methylation process is unbalanced, causing cells to resist regulation and divide uncontrollably.
Research suggests changes in genetics play a role in this process, ...
There are two federal laws regarding breast augmentation surgery. The first, passed in 2000, states that it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to have breast augmentation surgery unless such surgery is for legitimate medical or reconstructive purposes. The second, passed in 2006, states that it is illegal for anyone under the age of 22, even in instances of necessary reconstruction, to have silicone breast implants placed. This means, legally, you need to be 18 to get breast implants and 22 if you'd prefer silicone implants.
The reasons behind these laws are relatively ...
Stephanie Woodward, a second-year student at Syracuse University College of Law and a research assistant with the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at SU, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Olinsky Law Group/Burton Blatt Institute Fellowship. The fellowship was established through a generous gift from disability law attorney Howard D. Olinsky L'85, a member of BBI's Board of Advisors and its executive committee.
"The fellowship will provide invaluable practical experience each academic year for a law student interested in the field of civil rights law. ...
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The flexible properties of hydrogels — highly absorbent, gelatinous polymers that shrink and expand depending on environmental conditions such as humidity, pH and temperature — have made them ideal for applications from contact lenses to baby diapers and adhesives.
In recent years, researchers have investigated hydrogels' potential in drug delivery, engineering them into drug-carrying vehicles that rupture when exposed to certain environmental stimuli. Such vesicles may slowly release their contents in a controlled fashion; they may even contain more ...
Astronomers from Queen's University Belfast have gathered the most direct evidence yet of a supermassive black hole shredding a star that wandered too close. The Queen's astronomers are part of the Pan-STARRS international team, whose discovery has been published in the journal Nature today (Wed, 2 May).
Supermassive black holes, weighing millions to billions times more than the Sun, lurk in the centers of most galaxies. These hefty monsters lie quietly until an unsuspecting 'victim', such as a star, wanders close enough to get ripped apart by their powerful gravitational ...
