Malignant disease breast

In recent RT-PCR studies, many kallikreins have been proposed as new biomarkers for malignancies other than prostate cancer. Breast, ovarian, and testicular cancers are the most studied. Certain kallikreins were found to be differentially expressed in various malignancies (up- or downregulated), and the increase or decrease of their expression may be associated with prognosis [43, 58, 70, 89-94]. We have immunohistochemically evaluated some kallikreins in malignant diseases, including two series of prostate and renal cell carcinoma, and have examined their prognostic values [84, 85]. 

In addition to Keshan disease, a dilative cardiomyopathy first described in the Keshan Province of China, Se deficiency has been associated with an increase in various malignant diseases. Thus, well over 50 studies have demonstrated significant reductions in experimental cancer in laboratory animals supplemented with Se. Moreover, reports from Finland and the United States support the hypothesis that Se deficiency results in decreased cellular GPx activity, increases oxidative stress, and increases the incidence of cancer, particularly carcinoma of the breast, prostate, and colon (K13). 

Q7 The total serum calcium concentration is normally about 9.5 mg dl 1. Approximately half of this is bound to plasma protein, mostly to albumin. Most of the remainder is unbound or ionized calcium, which is the physiologically and clinically important form. Hypercalcaemia, normally defined as a serum concentration of >12 mgdl-1, may sometimes be caused by excessive consumption of calcium in the diet. More important pathologically is malignant disease. Hypercalcaemia occurs when there are bone metastases associated with breast or prostate cancer. However, many tumours can produce a PTH-like protein causing elevated serum calcium levels. Furthermore, intoxication and immobilization of vitamin D or excess vitamin D may also cause hypercalcaemia. 

Bisphosphonates are widely used for the prevention and treatment of osteopenia and osteoporosis and for the reduction of skeletal complications in patients with malignant bone disease. Several oral bisphosphonates, including alendronate, risedronate, and ibandronate, are approved worldwide for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, as are intravenous (i.v.) formulations of ibandronate (3 mg quarterly) and zoledronic acid (5 mg annually). Several i.v. bisphosphonates are available for the treatment of the skeletal complications that frequently occur in malignant disease, such as hypercalcaemia of malignancy (HCM), multiple myeloma, and bone metastases associated with solid tumours. Pamidronate is approved worldwide for the treatment of HCM, multiple myeloma, and breast cancer bone metastases. Although not registered for oncology indications in the United States, i.v. ibandronate is widely available elsewhere for HCM and breast cancer bone metastases. 

Male breast cancer is a relatively uncommon disease, occurring less than 1% as often as that in females (K8). About 900 male breast cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States and 300 men die of the disease. Breast cancer represents less than 1% of all malignancies in males, and the median age at which it occurs is several years later than in females, but it has been observed in patients as young as 5 and as old as 93. 

The first written indication of malignant diseases can be found in the old Egyptian Kahun Papyrus as well as the Ebers Papyrus , where cancers of the uterus, breast, bladder, and also Kaposi-sarcoma are mentioned. In the Papyrus of Edwin Smith , even surgical techniques for cancer are described (Fig. 5.114). Already at that time, it had been recognised that surgical intervention has to... 

In contrast, secondary osseous malignancies may occur in about 30%-70% of all malignant diseases. For example, in breast and prostate cancer bone metastases can be found in about 70% and 60%, respectively. Metastatic disease to the bones is strong-... 

As many as 85% of American women have lumpy breasts and may have a clinical diagnosis of fibrocystic breast disease or benign breast disease. Data suggest that benign breast disease or fibrocystic disease is most often not associated with proliferation and that these women are not at an increased risk for developing breast cancer.4 However, it must be noted that lumpy breasts may lead to a delay in diagnosis of breast cancer because of an inability of the patient or physician to detect a true malignant lesion. 

Long-term complications of radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and chemora-diotherapy include gonadal dysfunction, secondary malignancies, and cardiac disease. Patients treated for HL are at increased risk of developing leukemia, GI tumors, lung cancer, and breast cancer. 

Only two short-term prospective studies on the effect of soy on the breast have been performed to date. The first reported the effects of two weeks of soy supplementation on the breast of women who were due to have surgery for either benign or malignant breast disease (Hargreaves, 1999). Soy had no adverse effects on any histological index of proliferation. However, a rise of pS2 protein and lowering of apolipoprotein D was observed in the nipple aspirate of women taking soy compared with controls. (A similar effect has... 

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