ONS Connect - May 2008 - (Page 8)

JUSTiN [By Deborah McBride, RN, MSN, CPON ®, Contributing Editor] Birth Control pill has prevented 100,000 Deaths in past 50 Years new study has concluded that at least 100,000 deaths from ovarian cancer have been prevented worldwide by the contraceptive pill during the past 50 years. The study found that using oral contraceptives substantially reduces women’s risk of developing ovarian cancer. The study analyzed data from 23,257 women with ovarian cancer and 87,303 women without ovarian cancer. Data were pooled from 45 epidemiologic studies of ovarian cancer conducted in 21 countries. If they are not taking the pill, about 12 women in 1,000 are expected to develop ovarian cancer before age 75. But the figure fell to 8 in 1,000 for those taking the pill. The results showed that the longer women used oral contraceptives, the bigger the reduction in risk of ovarian cancer, and that the risk reduction persisted for more than 30 years after women stopped taking the pill; however, the effect decreased as time went on. Proportional risk reductions for use A during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s were similar, even though typical estrogen doses in the 60s were more than double those in the 80s. Collaborative Group on Epidemiological Studies of Ovarian Cancer, Beral, V., Doll, R., Hermon, C., Peto, R., & Reeves, G. (2008). Ovarian cancer and oral contraceptives: Collaborative reanalysis of data from 45 epidemiological studies including 23,257 women with ovarian cancer and 87,303 controls. Lancet, 371(9609), 303–314. The findings may lead to a blood test to determine which men are likely to develop the disease and who should be closely monitored and perhaps offered hormone-blocking drugs to try to prevent the disease. Zheng, S.L., Sun, J., Wiklund, F., Smith, S., Stattin, P., Li, G., et al. (2008). Cumulative association of five genetic variants with prostate cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 358(9), 910–919. five Genes May increase risk of prostate Cancer combination of five gene variants sharply raises the risk of prostate cancer, according to a new study. Along with family history, the gene combination accounted for nearly half of all cases in a study of Swedish men. The new approach looks at combinations of gene variants rather than single genes. The study involved 2,893 men with prostate cancer and 1,781 similar men who did not have the disease. It was conducted in Sweden because the population is ethnically similar and therefore well suited for gene studies. The results must be verified in other countries and races, where the gene variants may not be as common. The researchers have plans to replicate the study in the United States. Unfortunately, the genes do not identify which cancers need treatment and which do not. They have nothing to do with the aggressiveness of the tumor, only whether a man is likely to develop one. A Down Syndrome Gene May Suppress Tumor Growth P eople with Down syndrome are less likely to get some cancers, according to a report from Johns Hopkins researchers. The researchers say that the extra copy of one gene might help block cancers. As many as 95% of Down syndrome cases are caused by trisomy 21, in which a baby has three rather than two copies of chromosome 21. Advances in medicine have meant that the life expectancy of people with the syndrome has risen sharply and now averages 60 years. This increase has led to studies finding that adults with Down syndrome appear to have a reduced chance of developing certain cancers that involve solid tumors. Researchers used experiments in mice to find out which part, if any, of the extra chromosome might be responsible. When mice designed to develop intestinal cancers were bred with mice that had a third copy of a chromosome, they developed far fewer cancers. The researchers believe that the phenomenon might be exploited to identify a pharmacologic-based approach to prevent tumors in humans. Sussan, T.E., Yang, A., Li, F., Ostrowski, M.C., & Reeves, R.H. (2008). Trisomy represses ApcMin-mediated tumours in mouse models of Down’s syndrome. Nature, 451(7174), 73–75. 8 ONS CONNECT MAY 2008

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ONS Connect - May 2008 Contents Editor's Note Just In ONS Leadership Development Institute A Year in the Life - Month Five Web Content Capitol Connection Notice Nursing Now Caregiver Care Put Evidence Into Practice to Prevent and Manage Constipation in Patients With Cancer Giant Database Allows Scientists to Share Information Calendar of Events Working for You Staying on Top

ONS Connect - May 2008

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