Hormone therapy linked to lower non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk

Sophia Wang, Ph.D., associate professor at City of Hope's Division of Cancer Etiology and first author of this study, will present the findings at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting on Monday, April 7.

"The connection between lymphomas and menopausal hormone therapy use hinges on understanding the disease's biology and the window of susceptibility," Wang said. "Hormone therapy is of interest because the loss of estrogen coupled with aging in women result in decreased immune function, which can elevate risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma."

For this study, Wang and her colleagues examined data from the Los Angeles Cancer Surveillance Program, comparing 685 postmenopausal women diagnosed with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma to 685 postmenopausal women who did not have the disease and assessing their use of menopausal hormone therapy (either estrogen alone or estrogen with progestin, in either pill, patch, topical cream or injected forms).

After controlling for factors including age, race and socioeconomic status, Wang's team found that women who reported using any form of menopausal hormone therapy were approximately 30 percent less likely to be diagnosed with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, compared to women who reported never using menopausal hormone therapy.

Additional analysis showed that the risk reduction was even greater for women who initiated menopausal hormone therapy at a young age (45 years old or less) and used it for at least five years. This group was approximately 40 percent less likely to be diagnosed with a B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma compared to those who had never used hormone therapy.

Wang said these findings supported one part of her hypothesis, but further research will be needed to determine the exact biological mechanisms that might be linked to a lower non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk. These mechanisms could include supporting a healthy immune system or reducing inflammation.

Wang cautioned that the findings are preliminary and should not change current recommendations and guidelines for menopausal hormone therapy use.

Due to well-established evidence tying menopausal hormone therapy to elevated risks of breast and endometrial cancers, the American Cancer Society recommends that women considering, or using, this therapy to do so at the lowest effective dose for the shortest amount of time needed and that they discuss with their physicians about other treatments to alleviate menopausal symptoms.

Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Wordpress | rfid blocking wallet sleeves

View the original article here

Read More

Major breakthrough in eye disease therapy

Current ratings for:
Major breakthrough in eye disease therapy

Public / Patient:

0  0 ratings

Health Professionals:

0  0 ratings

A major breakthrough has been made by scientists at Trinity College Dublin, with important implications for sufferers of the eye disease Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), which can cause central blindness in sufferers.

The scientists found that a component of the immune system, 'IL-18', acts as a guardian of eyesight by suppressing the production of damaging blood vessels behind the retina at the back of the eye. In addition, in pre-clinical models, it was shown that 'IL-18' can be administered in a non-invasive way, which could represent a major improvement on the current therapeutic options that are open to patients.

"We were initially concerned that IL-18 might cause damage to the sensitive cells of the retina, because it is typically linked to inflammation. But surprisingly we found that low doses had no adverse effects on the retina and yet still suppressed abnormal blood vessel growth," said Assistant Professor in Immunology at Trinity, Sarah Doyle, who is the first author on the paper.

AMD is one of the most common forms of blindness in the aging population. The disease involves a loss of central vision, such that people suffering at advanced stages are unable to read, watch TV, drive, or use computers.

There are two forms of AMD: 'dry' and 'wet'. Dry AMD accounts for the majority of cases, but wet AMD causes over 90% of blindness associated with the disease. In wet AMD, blood vessels underneath the retina begin to grow abnormally, which causes almost immediate central blindness. Because central vision accounts for almost all of our daytime visual acuity, wet AMD sufferers experience severe and profound day-to-day challenges.

Treatment options for wet AMD are currently limited to the end stages of the disease. Regular injections of antibodies must be made directly into the eye to mop up a problematic molecule termed 'VEGF'. However, the Trinity scientists found that IL-18 directly inhibits VEGF production, and that it can work as effectively as the current treatment when administered via a non-invasive intravenous injection in pre-clinical settings.

"Our findings have highlighted the power of industry-academic collaborations, the results of which should lead to clinical deployment of IL-18 as a treatment for AMD in the short term," added Research Assistant Professor in Genetics at Trinity, Matthew Campbell.

The research, published online this week in the high-profile international journal, Science Translational Medicine, was supported by Enterprise Ireland (EI), Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the US-based charity Brightfocus Foundation, and major pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

Vice President of Ophthalmology at GSK, Dr Pete Adamson, said: "A greater understanding of the molecular complexity of diseases such as AMD is critical to the development of new medicines."

Add Your Opinion On This ArticleJoin the discussion

Please note that we publish the name you give us, but we do not publish your email address. We will email you to let you know when your comment has been published but will not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications, operations, or procedures please do not name healthcare professionals by name.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.

View the original article here

Read More