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Only lung cancer surpasses breast cancer as a cause of death from cancer. However, the burden of cancer is not borne equally across racial and ethnic groups. In the United States, African American women have significantly higher mortality rates from breast cancer than white women. Delayed follow-up of breast abnormalities and delays from diagnosis to treatment may contribute to higher mortality. This study examined factors associated with delays to diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in a group of white and African American women. Identified from tumor registry records were 247 women with pathology-confirmed first primary in situ and invasive breast carcinomas with no known previous cancer diagnosis. Factors associated with delays from provider recognition of abnormality to breast cancer diagnosis (diagnostic delays) and from diagnosis to treatment (treatment delays) were determined using chi-square tests and logistic regression. Factors that were considered included age, race, stage of disease at diagnosis, tumor size, type of abnormality, type of medical service at presentation, and prior mammogram within the past two years. The proportion of women experiencing diagnostic delays was high, with more African American women experiencing delays than white women (34% versus 17% respectively). African American and white women did not differ in distribution of stage of cancer at diagnosis. Significantly smaller tumor sizes were found in women experiencing diagnostic delays compared to those not experiencing delays. Conversely, women experiencing treatment delays were significantly older and had larger tumor sizes compared to those not experiencing delays. More African American women experienced delays in diagnosis; however these delays did not appear to affect outcomes. Older age as a significant factor in treatment delays suggests that comorbidities as well as other possible barriers to treatment warrant further investigation in older women. The reasons for racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes remain and call for further study. KEYWORDS breast cancer; early detection, cancer disparities, mammography DOI: 10.1080/03630242.2010.530928

Treatment with monoclonal antibody (mAbs) is a viable therapeutic option in cancer. Recently, these mAbs such as cetuximab, herceptin, etc., have been used as targeting agents to selectively deliver chemotherapeutics to cancerous cells. However, mechanisms of nanoparticles-mAbs interactions with the target cells and its effect on intracellular trafficking and mechanism are currently unknown. In this paper, we demonstrate that the distinct patterning and dynamics of anti-EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) antibody cetuximab (C225)- induced EGFR internalization in pancreatic cancer cells with variable receptor expression is altered upon nanoconjugation. Nanoconjugation uniformly enhanced C225-induced EGFR endocytosis in PANC-1, AsPC-1, and MiaPaca-2 cells, influenced its compartmentalization and regulated the involvement of dynamin-2 in the endocytic processes. Receptor endocytosis and its intracellular trafficking were monitored by confocal microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The role of dynamin-2 in EGFR endocytosis was determined after overexpressing either wild-type dynamin-2 or mutant dynamin-2 in pancreatic cancer cells followed by tracking the receptor-antibody complex internalization by confocal microscopy. Significantly, these findings demonstrate that the nanoconjugation cannot be construed as an innocuous reaction involved in attaching the targeting agent to the nanoparticle, instead it may distinctly alter the cellular processes at the molecular level, at least antibody induced receptor endocytosis. This information is critical for successful design of a nanoparticle-based targeted drug delivery system for future clinical translation. EGFR | nanoparticle | dynamin | pancreatic cancer doi/ 10.1073/pnas.1006507107

The article discusses the case of a 76-year old healthy woman to better understand the cases in which screening for colorectal cancer should be recommended. Some of the advantages, disadvantages and uncertainties of screening tests in the detection of colorectal cancer are highlighted.

The article assesses the need for screening for ovarian cancer at the request of a 56- year old female patient despite pelvic and rectal examinations being normal. The criteria for of the World Health Organization for conducting screening for the condition are presented with emphasis on screening of postmenopausal women.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2008.11.026 Byline: Jeannette M. Schenk, Marian L. Neuhouser, Daniel W. Lin, Alan R. Kristal Abstract: Nutrition intervention trials in patients undergoing surgical treatment for cancer offer a unique opportunity to study the mechanisms and pathways that underlie diet and cancer associations in target tissues. However, due to the short time period between diagnosis and treatment, traditional dietary intervention methods are not feasible. This report describes a novel dietary intervention program designed to elicit rapid and complex dietary change during a condensed study period. The intervention, based on Consumer Information Processing, used standardized menus and exchange lists to guide food choices, and was delivered using a single, in-person session followed by telephone-based counseling. This intervention program was used in a small pilot study evaluating the short-term effects of dietary change in men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer. Eight men were randomly assigned to either a low-fat/low-glycemic load or standard American diet during the 4 weeks preceding prostate surgery. Participants completed 24-hour dietary recalls each week, and were weighed at baseline and at surgery. Compared to men in the standard American arm (n=4), men in the low-fat/low-glycemic arm (n=4) reported consuming less total fat (51.0[+ or -]36.0 vs 93.5[+ or -]8.4 g/day, P=0.06), and had a lower glycemic load (134.8[+ or -]6.0 vs 266.3[+ or -]36.8 units/day, P<0.001). Men in the low-fat/low-glycemic arm lost a mean of 5.3[+ or -]1.7 kg and men in the standard American arm gained 0.8[+ or -]4.5 kg (P=0.04). Results of this small pilot study suggest that a relatively simple and minimally burdensome dietary intervention can elicit rapid and complex dietary changes that are maintained over a 4-week study period. Further studies in larger and more diverse populations are needed to fully understand the potential of this novel intervention approach. Article History: Accepted 7 July 2008

The British National Health Service (NHS) normally follows recommendations for medicines and treatment laid down by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). But NICE is quite often criticized for its decisions with regards to release of appraisals and its controversial decision regarding cancer drugs.

Epithelial ovarian cancer originates in the layer of cells that covers the surface of the ovaries. The disease spreads readily throughout the peritoneal cavity and to the lymphatics, often before [...]

A research analyzing the potential of different selection strategies that form a collection for increasing the accuracy of the medical diagnostic decision support systems for the early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer is presented.