Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010

USC research drives breast cancer prevention efforts

Proceeds from many of the pink products for sale during Breast Cancer Awareness Month help fund research. Some of that important research is being done at the University of South Carolina.

The USC studies have found sunlight and seaweed might help prevent breast cancer. Does that mean women should spend all day outside eating seaweed? No. But the studies give researchers hints at prevention strategies worth further study.

Here are some of the USC efforts in recent years:

Get more vitamin D: A study by Susan Steck, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Arnold School of Health, linked low levels of vitamin D with elevated breast cancer risk. The study suggests that African-American women were at higher risk, possibly in part because their dark skin is less efficient than light skin at absorption of sunlight’s ultraviolet rays. UV rays help the body produce vitamin D.

As reported this month at the Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities, 60 percent of the black women in this study diagnosed with breast cancer had low levels of vitamin D, while 15 percent of the white women did. And vitamin D levels were lowest among those with the most aggressive cancer.

Eat more seaweed: Women in the United States have four times higher rates of breast cancer than women in Japan. Scientists long have cited lifestyle differences as the most likely reason for that disparity. Japanese women tend to be smaller, exercise more and eat smaller amounts than American women. What they eat could play a big role.

Jane Teas, a research assistant professor at USC and the South Carolina Cancer Center, has done several studies on the effects of seaweed consumption. Seaweeds are remarkably effective at preventing breast cancer in lab studies using cancer cells in test tubes and in studies of animals given seaweed along with a carcinogen. When Teas gave capsules of seaweed to healthy American women, she saw significant protective changes in hormones related to breast cancer.

Seaweeds are enthusiastically eaten by millions of people in Japan every day. Sushi and seaweed miso soup are the two easiest ways for Americans to eat more seaweed, Teas said.

Eat less red meat: James Hebert, director of the S.C. Cancer Prevention and Control Program and a professor at the Arnold School of Health, has been part of studies on the impact of diet on breast cancer. One of the strongest links found in Hebert’s studies is that women whose diets include multiple daily helpings of butter, red meat or beer have higher rates of breast cancer.

Stem cells show promise: Hexin Chen, an assistant professor of biological sciences, is working on three projects aimed at understanding breast cancer stem cells. The stem cells are at the root of cancer. As studies better reveal the makeup of those stem cells, scientists will have a better idea what kind of ammunition is needed to kill them.

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