Hormone Replacement Therapy Raises Breast Density

September 20, 2005 08:41:06 PM PST

Reporting in the Sept. 21 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, investigators at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle analyzed data from 413 women who took part in the Women's Health Initiative, a randomized trial of more than 16,000 women who received either estrogen plus progestin or a placebo for menopausal symptoms.

The Women's Health Initiative found that women who received the hormone therapy were more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, and were also more likely to be diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. The study also found that women who had hormone therapy were more likely to have abnormal mammograms than women who took the placebo.

In this new study, researchers found that women who had hormone therapy had a 6 percent increase in mammographic density over the first year, while the women taking the placebo experienced a 1 percent decline in mammographic density. After two years, the changes persisted in both groups, but were somewhat weaker.

The findings appear in the Sept. 21 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

In response to the findings, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals issued a prepared statement, saying, "While the study shows an increase in mammographic density in participants on estrogen plus progestin therapy, it is unclear from the study and others whether changes in mammographic density are an actual marker of increased breast cancer risk or simply an interesting biologic effect."

"The information from this most recent publication should be considered as part of the individualized assessment of risk and benefit for women who are taking or considering estrogen and progestin therapies," added Candace Steele, the director of Wyeth global public relations.

More information

Breastcancer.org has more about mammograms.

More Young People Diagnosed With Gum Disease

September 20, 2005 08:41:06 PM PST

The researchers also found that pregnant women with periodontal disease face more than twice the risk of preterm birth and other pregnancy complications, compared to women without periodontal disease. That increased risk is comparable to that of smoking during pregnancy.

Periodontal disease is a progressive condition in which bacteria attack gums and the roots of teeth. In recent years, many studies have also linked chronic gum disease with increased cardiovascular risk, kidney disease and obstetric complications, perhaps due to systemic inflammation.

A team from the Universities of Kentucky and North Carolina at Chapel Hill studied about 400 people in their 20s who planned to keep their wisdom teeth, and found that about 25 percent had periodontal disease with no obvious signs or symptoms of the disease.

"That a quarter of patients in their 20s had periodontal problems with no symptoms was a surprise to us since most people assumed that you don't get periodontal problems until you are 35 or 40. But nobody had looked at wisdom teeth systematically before in a very large study like this," study leader Dr. Raymond P. White Jr. said in a prepared statement.

"Although most people eventually will develop pathology with wisdom teeth, periodontal disease, pericoronitis or tooth decay, it is too early to recommend strongly that everyone has their wisdom teeth removed," White said.

"It is a good idea to have your 3rd molars evaluated before age 25. But since a quarter of people will never have problems with them, a lot depends on how risk-averse one is as to whether their third molars with no detected pathology should be extracted as a precaution," White said.

The findings were presented Sept. 20 at the annual meeting of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in Boston.

More information

The American Academy of Periodontology has more about periodontal disease.

Staying Fit May Fight Joint Pain

September 20, 2005 08:41:06 PM PST

The 14-year study of 866 people (492 runners and 374 controls) concluded that those who got regular exercise experienced 25 percent less joint and muscle pain as they aged compared to less-active people.

According to the Stanford University researchers, the study participants were, on average, in their mid-60s at the start of the study. Each year, the participants filled out a questionnaire on their health status, exercise habits and injury history. The physically active group spent between 6 and 35 hours exercising each week over the course of the study. In contrast, those in the control group were closer to the classic "couch potato."

"Exercise was associated with a substantial and significant reduction in pain even ... despite the fact that fractures, a significant predictor of pain, were slightly more common among runners," the study authors wrote in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy.

Further research is needed in order to better understand how exercise affects musculoskeletal pain in older people, the researchers said.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging has more about exercise and seniors.