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In Brief
Fewer Mammography Facilities May Cause Access Problems In The Future, Experts SayThe number of mammography facilities decreased worldwide between 2001 and 2004, often for financial reasons, a study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office reports.
Mammography can detect small, early-stage breast cancer, and regular assessment may reduce breast cancer deaths. The number of women getting mammograms increased between 2000 and 2003; however, the number of mammography facilities, radiologic technologists, and physicians who could interpret results decreased between 2001 and 2004. The government's experts suggest that the nation currently has adequate facilities for the number of patients who need treatment, but a declining number of personnel in the field may cause problems in the future.
Canine Cancer Linked to Ancient Virus
A common canine cancer has been linked to a lone Siberian wolf or dog that carried a tumor-producing virus more than 250 years ago.
A team of scientists led by Robin Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., of the University College London, conducted forensic DNA tests on certain venereal tumors, called canine transmissible venereal tumors, in 16 dogs and 40 samples archived on five continents. They discovered that each of the tumors was genetically different from the infected dog.
The authors suggest that these contagious tumors were transmitted between dogs during sex. The study provides a way to think about cancers as parasitic or contagious diseases in other species.
The paper was published in the August 11 issue of Cell.
Brain Cancer Linked to Lead Exposure
Occupational lead exposure is associated with brain cancer, according to a new study.
Edwin van Wijngaarden, Ph.D., of the University of Rochester in New York, and colleagues assessed the association between lead exposure and brain cancer in 317,968 people who had been surveyed about their occupations between 1979 and 1981. Their jobs were classified based on the amount of lead workers were probably exposed to.
The authors found that people with jobs that exposed them to lead had a 50% higher chance of developing brain cancer than those who did not. They suggest that lead exposure is associated with brain cancer.
The study was published in the September 1 issue of the International Journal of Cancer.
Obesity Can Lead to Worse Outcomes in Patients With Aggressive Ovarian Cancer
Obesity has been linked to aggressive ovarian cancer outcomes, including cancer recurrence and death, a new study shows.
Andrew Li, M.D., of the Cedars-Sinai Women's Cancer Research Institute in Los Angeles, and colleagues examined 216 patients with aggressive epithelial ovarian cancer and assessed the relationships among obesity, diagnosis, and outcome. Women who were obese had lower survival rates, a shorter time to recurrence, and earlier deaths than women of normal body weight.
The study was published August 28 in Cancer.
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