Dieting for two days every week could reduce women’s chances of developing breast cancer by almost half, scientists have found.
A study found that when overweight women were put on a restrictive diet there was a reduction of up to 40 per cent in cancer-causing hormones following an average drop in weight of 13lb.

The Wythenshawe Hospital study was led by Dr Michelle Harvie and examined 100 overweight women from Greater Manchester, with half following a 650-calorie-a-day diet for two days a week, and the rest following a 1,500-calorie-a-day diet for the entire week.

After six months on the diets, the women’s levels of the hormone leptin was down 40 per cent, their insulin levels down 25 per cent and their levels of inflammatory protein down 15 per cent. All three have been linked to breast cancer.

The other women followed a 1,500-calorie-a day Mediterranean diet. They showed similar weight loss and hormone reductions.

Dr Harvie said the new diet could be a life-saver for women who found it difficult to stay on a diet for a week.

Among the women who took part in the trial was research professor Gillian Haddock, who had been in a high-risk group for the disease. She lost a stone in six months on the diet and is now recommending it to her friends.

Pamela Goldberg, chief executive of the Breast Cancer Campaign, said: “There are many breast cancer risk factors that can’t be controlled, such as age, gender and family history – but staying at a healthy weight is one positive step that can be taken.

“This intermittent dieting approach provides an alternative to conventional dieting which could help with weight loss, but also potentially reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.”

Prof Haddock said: “I felt it was a really good study to be part of, and could provide women with some new options to improve their health.

“I had a family history of breast cancer, so I was relatively high risk. I found traditional diets, with calorie counting and preparations difficult to stick to.

“I used to follow the 650-calorie diet on a Monday and Tuesday and it was great because I knew that by Wednesday I would be eating normally.

“It really suited me, I did it on my busiest work days and I would mainly have the milky drinks while I was at work so I didn’t have to worry about shopping or taking in a specially prepared packed lunch.”

Example of 650 calorie day

Breakfast:
Fruit tea and a banana, or mug of milky coffee

Mid-morning:
Can of diet cola, or cup of tea and plum

Lunch:
Carrot and coriander soup and half-pint of milk, or salad, glass of squash and half-pint of milk

Mid-afternoon:
Glass of squash, or glass of sparkling water and satsuma

Dinner:
Soy sauce and ginger stir-fry with two vegetables and glass of water, or vegetable curry with two veg, half-pint of milk and cup of tea

Supper:
Pint of milk, or hot milk with cinnamon and sweeteners.

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/Dieting-for-two-days-a-week-can-almost-half-the-risk-of-breast-cancer

Annual breat screening for women in their 40s with a family history of breast cancer may save lives, research suggests.
The NHS breast screening programme currently offers mammograms to women aged between 50 and 70.

But UK researchers say a pilot study suggests regular mammograms should be given to younger women who have relatives with breast cancer.

A cancer charity said more data was needed to weigh up risks and benefits.

The study, published in the journal Lancet Oncology, looked at women deemed at moderate risk of breast cancer because they have relatives with the disease.

Screening is considered unjustified in women with no family history of breast cancer because of the risk of a false-alarm.

Women at high-risk – because they are thought to have a gene mutation associated with the disease – are already closely assessed, with many given MRI scans or offered early surgery.

The study recruited 6,710 moderate risk women across the UK who were given mammograms to check for signs of breast cancer every year for four years.

These women are not currently included in the main NHS breast screening programme, which offers mammograms to women aged 50-70 every three years.

The researchers, led by Professor Stephen Duffy of Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, compared cancer rates and deaths in this group with women from other trials who were not given annual screening.

They say the women given screening were significantly more likely to be alive 10 years after a diagnosis of cancer than women in the two control groups.

Professor Duffy told the BBC: “It means that annual mammography does reduce the risk of dying of breast cancer in this group of moderate risk women.

“It means they can go and seek medical help knowing that there is something that can be done.”

Rough figures suggest that it would probably save an extra 50 lives a year, he added.

“It doesn’t sound like much but it means alot to the people who are in that group because they have relatives who have had breast cancer,” he explained. “It’s not a huge expense to the NHS.”

But Hazel Nunn, senior health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said the full picture was not yet clear.

“Since it seems 5,000 women would need to be screened to save one life, it will be important to weigh up these benefits carefully against potential risks of routine mammography before deciding whether screening really is the best course of action for this group,” she said.

“We await the results of further research measuring the risks.”

The NHS Breast Screening Programme said plans were in place to extend screening to women with a family history of breast cancer in the future.

Assistant Director, Sarah Sellars, said current guidelines for women at risk of breast cancer because of their family history recommend that certain women should be offered surveillance.

She said these services were currently commissioned locally but in the future would be run by them.

“In the future, the NHS Breast Screening Programmes will be taking on responsibility for routinely screening higher risk women under 50,” she said.

“Several breast screening sites are currently testing the software to be able to manage these women effectively. This service will sit alongside our current breast screening programme for women aged 50 years old and over.”

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/breast-examinations-should-be-extended

Cholesterol lowering drugs used to prevent heart problems can reduce the risk of bowel cancer by 12%, a study has suggested.
The beneficial effect of statins emerged from an analysis of 22 studies involving more than 2.5 million participants.

“Statin use was associated with a statistically significant reduction in colorectal cancer,” said lead research Dr Jewel Samadder, from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in the US.

The most common type of statins, known as lipophilic, had the greatest impact.

Statins block the production of cholesterol in the liver and help prevent the build up of hard deposits on the walls of arteries.

They are normally taken by people with diabetes, at risk of heart attacks or with abnormally high cholesterol levels.

But long-term statin use has been associated with a reduced risk of several cancers, including breast, prostate, lung, pancreas and liver – and now bowel.

“Our findings suggest that randomised controlled trials designed to test the hypothesis that statins reduce the risk of colorectal cancer are warranted,” said Dr Samadder.

The findings were presented today at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in San Antonio, Texas.

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK, affecting around 38,600 people a year.

About 16,260 people in the UK die from the disease each year, though death rates are falling.

From: http://www.independent.co.uk/statins-cut-bowel-cancer-risk-by-12-per-cent

Tributes have been paid to agony aunt Claire Rayner, who has died at the age of 79.The award-winning journalist had remained poorly after intestinal surgery in May. She died in hospital near her home in Harrow in London.

She told her relatives she wanted her last words to be: “Tell David Cameron that if he screws up my beloved NHS I’ll come back and bloody haunt him.”

Her husband Des Rayner said he had lost his soul mate and best friend.

She worked for the Sun, Sunday Mirror and Woman’s Own and was named medical journalist of the year in 1987. She also wrote a string of novels.

Her restaurant critic son, Jay, told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme: “She had been through a hell of a lot of health troubles over the last five months and some of us thought towards the end that she actually just wanted to give up.

“But late on Sunday night, when things were looking a bit bleak, she was offered one last chance and I honestly thought she would say, ‘No, just let me go,’ and she didn’t.

“It was very much in the nature of her that she said, ‘I will try the dialysis.’ It didn’t work, unfortunately. She had led an absolutely amazing life and I am very, very proud of her.”

Mrs Rayner, who had two other children – Amanda and Adam – and four grandchildren, will have a humanist funeral for family and close friends.

A former nurse and midwife, for many years she was also president of the Patients Association.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer at 70, but beat the illness. In 2006 she wrote about her experience on the BBC

Mr Rayner, who was also her agent and manager, said: “Through her work she helped hundreds of thousands of people and doubtless, by talking frankly about the importance of safe sex in the 80s when almost nobody else would discuss it, helped to save thousands of lives.

“Right up until her death she was being consulted by both politicians and the medical profession about the best way to provide the health services the nation deserved and nothing mattered to her more than that. Her death leaves a vacancy which will not be filled.”

Her son Jay added that she had been a great parent and a great journalist who did not shy away from controversy.

“The thing about her was she was an agent provocateur, she liked to make mischief, she liked to infuriate people,” he said.

In 1996 she was awarded the OBE for “services to women’s issues and health issues”.

She was involved with 50 charities, and was a member of the Prime Minister’s Commission on Nursing and the last government’s Royal Commission on the Care of the Elderly.

Born into a Jewish family, she later became president of the British Humanist Association, whose chief executive, Andrew Copson, said: “Claire Rayner found meaning and inspiration in living and the enjoyment of life, in trying to fulfil her potential, and in the wonders of nature and the marvels of the cosmos.

“She was a remarkable woman with broad interests and deep sympathies who lived an exemplary humanist life and we all feel lucky to have known her and to have had her support for so many enjoyable years.”
Campaigner

The chief executive of the Patients’ Association, Katherine Murphy, expressed her “deep sadness” at the news and added: “For almost 30 years Claire has devoted so much of her time and energy to championing patients’ issues. She was a figurehead and inspiration to us all.”

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes also paid tribute to Mrs Rayner, who joined the party in 2001.

She wrote in the Independent at the time that she felt disillusioned with Labour after 50 years of supporting them.

Mr Hughes said: “Claire’s campaigning was an inspiration to millions and especially to Liberal Democrats, who were so proud that she was a member of our party.

“Continuous work and campaigning to improve our National Health Service for all our patients will be the best sort of tribute our country can give her.”

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11520609

More than 10,000 cases of breast and bowel cancer could be prevented each year if people took more exercise, such as going for brisk walks.
Just 45 minutes a day of activity at a moderate level could prevent about 5,500 cases of breast cancer in the UK.

At least 4,600 bowel cancer cases could also be stopped if people were moderately active for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week, research showed.

Moderate activity is described as any type of exertion which gets the heart beating faster and makes people breathe more deeply.

Shorter bouts of exercise are also just as effective as longer sessions – it is the total time spent on activity that is important.

The calculations, from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), show the importance of diet and exercise in lowering the risk of developing cancer.

Alongside brisk walking, other activities that would count include cycling at a leisurely pace, dancing, swimming at a leisurely pace, gardening and vacuuming combined with other housework.

According to the WCRF, exercise also cuts the risk of women developing womb cancer.

And because people who exercise tend to be more likely to keep a healthy weight, their risk of dozens of other cancers is lower than people who are overweight or obese.

Health experts warned last week that obesity was placing an “overwhelming” burden on the NHS as figures showed a 785% rise in weight-loss surgery.

Some doctors are “skirting around the rules” and not insisting on months of lifestyle change and pharmaceutical treatment before allowing patients to undergo surgery, specialists said.

Operations carried out for the most obese people in England have soared over the past five years, according to the NHS Information Centre.

Data for 2003/04 showed there were 480 procedures, rising to 4,246 in 2008/09.

Dr Rachel Thompson, deputy head of science at the WCRF, said people should aim to be physically active for at least half an hour every day.

“There is now very strong evidence that being physically active is important for cancer prevention,” she said. “Even relatively modest increases in activity levels could prevent thousands of cancer cases in the UK every year.

“These figures also show you do not have to go to the gym every day to benefit.

“You can reduce your cancer risk just by making small changes and this is highlighted by the fact that so many cancer cases could be prevented through something as simple as brisk walking.

“By taking up walking as a hobby or even walking to the shops instead of taking the bus or car, people can make a real difference to their health.”

Henry Scowcroft, science information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “You don’t have to be an athlete to reduce your cancer risk.

“There’s solid evidence that certain cancers – including breast and bowel cancer – are less common in people who do regular, moderate exercise such as brisk walking.”

From: http://www.independent.co.uk/moderate-exercise-could-prevent-cancer

Breast cancer rates are more than four times higher in the UK than in Eastern Africa, new World Health Organisation figures show.
Some 87.9 per 100,000 British women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, compared to just 19.3 women per 100,000 in Eastern Africa.

The statistics come from the World Health Organisation’s global database of disease prevalence.

Eastern Africa includes countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) said some of the difference is because British doctors are better at diagnosing and recording cases.

However, it warned that British lifestyles – including a high incidence of obesity, too much drinking and a lack of exercise – were contributing to high rates of breast cancer at home.

Research has shown that around four out of 10 cases in British women could be prevented if women kept to a healthy weight, drank less alcohol and were more active.

Women in Eastern Africa drink much less alcohol than British women and obesity is far less common. They are also much more likely to breastfeed – which lowers the rates of breast cancer even further.

According to the statistics, the highest rates of breast cancer in the world are in Belgium, which had 109.4 cases per 100,000 women in 2008.

Breast cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK, with around 46,000 new cases each year. The disease kills about 12,000 British women annually.

Dr Rachel Thompson, deputy head of science for the WCRF, said: “The fact that breast cancer rates in Eastern Africa are so much lower than in the UK is a stark reminder that, every year in this country, thousands of women are diagnosed with a case of cancer that could have been prevented.

“That such a large difference in breast cancer rates exists between these two areas is a real concern. Also, it is not just Eastern Africa that has significantly lower breast cancer rates.

“The rate here is double that of South America, for example, and more than three times that of Eastern Asia.

“The fact that rates of breast cancer are much lower in other parts of the world highlights the fact that breast cancer is not inevitable.

“This means we need to do more to get across the message that just by making relatively simple changes to our lifestyle such as drinking less alcohol and maintaining a healthy weight, women can reduce their risk of breast cancer.”

Dr Caitlin Palframan, policy manager at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: “It is difficult to directly compare these two populations side by side as it is likely that many breast cancer cases in Eastern Africa are not diagnosed or recorded.

“Breast cancer is thought to be due to a combination of lifestyle, genetic and environmental factors and many of these may differ between the UK and other populations.

“Although some risk factors cannot be changed women can reduce their risk by drinking less alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly.”

From: http://www.independent.co.uk/uk-breast-cancer-rate-higher-than-east-africa

The NHS is sending millions of patient records and confidential medical notes to India for processing — despite a pledge by Labour that personal information would not be sent overseas.
It is the first time that databases of names, addresses and NHS numbers of patients have been sent abroad, along with private information about medical appointments.

NHS managers, under pressure to cut costs, are implementing the changes despite warnings about poor security in some offshore centres.

The Sunday Times has identified seven primary care trusts in northeast London, serving more than 1.5m people, that have begun to send patient details overseas. The databases are administered by about 200 workers in Pune, western India.

Although companies handling the records in India said security was “paramount”, there is a risk of patients being identified if the NHS numbers are matched with anonymised clinical notes carrying NHS numbers, already being sent to India by more than 30 trusts.

Typically, a set of clinical notes will be based on a consultant’s findings during a session with a patient, which he will read into a voice recorder during or after the appointment.

The recording is then transferred to a computer and sent to India, where it is transcribed. One source involved in processing the information said patient names can crop up during the appointment and may then inadvertently be included with the clinical data.

Workers in India are also producing letters for patients with appointments for cervical smear tests and breast screenings.

Pilot schemes for NHS offshore transcription services began more than four years ago and have rapidly expanded. The Royal Free hospital in London, the Derby hospitals trust and the Newham University hospital trust are among those sending clinical notes overseas.

Labour ministers have been anxious to allay concerns about the confidentiality of patient information since the launch of a £12 billion scheme to computerise health records.

In January 2007 Caroline Flint, then health minister, told parliament the project would “expressly preclude the transfer of patient information outside the United Kingdom”.

Trusts, however, believe they may send patient information outside the UK if it does not come under the electronic records project.

John Hemming, the Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley and an expert on IT projects, said: “Given the government’s track record of losing data in this country, it is worrying that data are being sent overseas. Every transfer of information adds to the risk of it being lost.”

The possible risks of transferring patient data overseas were exposed last year when undercover reporters from ITV1’s Tonight programme were able to buy health records from a private hospital in London, processed in India. The sellers claimed to have access to thousands of UK medical records.

The transfer of primary care trust records is being handled by NHS Shared Business Services, a joint venture between the Department of Health and the IT company Steria.

From: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article7086816.ece

Health Direct urges you to opt out of labour’s snoopers charter- whilst you still can!

A woman has been denied an operation on the NHS after paying for a private consultation to deal with her severe back pain after cancer.

Jenny Whitehead, a breast cancer survivor, paid £250 for an appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon after being told she would have to wait five months to see him on the NHS. He told her he would add her to his NHS waiting list for surgery.

She was barred from the list, however, and sent back to her GP. She must now find at least £10,000 for private surgery, or wait until the autumn for the NHS operation to remove a cyst on her spine.

“When I paid £250 to see the specialist privately I had no idea I would be sacrificing my right to surgery on the NHS. I feel victimised,” she said.

The case will reopen the debate over NHS policy towards patients who pay for some of their care privately. Following a Sunday Times campaign in 2008, the government ordered the NHS to stop withdrawing care from patients who received additional private treatment or drugs.

Cancer sufferers were being barred from further NHS treatment after buying potentially life saving medicines not offered by the health service.

Whitehead’s case, which has shocked her local Labour MP, reveals that patients who go private in despair at long waiting lists still risk jeopardising their NHS treatment. Department of Health officials admit it remains official policy.

Whitehead, 64, a former museum assistant from Yorkshire who works as a volunteer at a hospice, went to her GP in December for back pain. Because of her breast cancer history, she was immediately offered an MRI scan to check the disease had not returned. It revealed a cyst on her spine, pressing against her sciatic nerve. Her GP referred her to a consultant at Airedale NHS hospital.

She was told the next available NHS appointment was in May, so she accepted the offer of a private slot to see him the following week.

“My husband and I are retired and don’t have a lot of money, but I am in intense pain and couldn’t face the thought of waiting months just for an initial consultation,” she said.

The specialist promised to add her to his NHS waiting list for surgery. After two months, however, hospital managers told her she had been barred from the waiting list because she had seen the surgeon privately.

Now her only alternative to paying £10,000 privately is to go back to her GP, seek another referral to the same specialist, this time on the NHS, and face another 18-week wait.

“We will scratch together the money if we absolutely have to, but I feel it’s incredibly unfair,” said Whitehead. “I’ve paid full National Insurance contributions all my working life and feel I should get this operation on the NHS.”

Ann Cryer, who is standing down as Labour MP for Keighley, has written to the hospital urging it to reconsider. She told Whitehead that she had been “badly let down and ill advised”.

Bradford and Airedale NHS trust said it was looking into the case “as a matter of urgency” but added: “Anyone who chooses to pay for a private outpatient consultation cannot receive NHS treatment unless they are then referred on to an NHS pathway by their consultant.”

From:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article7100968.ece