Good news and bad regarding breast cancer
December 15th, 2006 | by Craig R. Harmon |The good news is that “Rates of the most common form of breast cancer dropped a startling 15 percent from August 2002 to December 2003, researchers reported yesterday. Very good news indeed. Not as good as hearing that breast cancer was a thing of the past but usually good news has to be gotten where one can find it.
The bad news, the drop in that form of breast cancer may have come at the expense of hot flashes and other effects of estrogen loss due to menopause. Notice that I say “may have come”. The article makes plain that there is no proof of causality. However, the researchers state that the reduction in the use of hormone replacement therapy following reports that such therapy may contribute to the risk of breast cancer “seem[s] to perfectly explain the data and he and his colleagues could find no other explanation.”
6 Responses to “Good news and bad regarding breast cancer”
By vern on Dec 15, 2006 | Reply
Something I am curious about, but couldn’t really tell from the article; how much impact was made on this study by the ever-increasing lack of health insurance.
How many more people would they have info about had those people had insurance.
Another thing is; how many people have been getting hormones via some method other than insurance, either because they don’t have insurance or it isn’t covered, or some such reason.
While this report is encouraging, I don’t think it can be taken by itself as solid proof of a decrease.
By vern on Dec 15, 2006 | Reply
Everytime I post a comment I get the following result;
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Does your blog hate me?
By Craig R. Harmon on Dec 15, 2006 | Reply
Vern,
Well, it’s not my blog and I don’t hate you. I occasionally have difficulties posting and, sometimes, even getting the front page to display properly. Since I have no control over the page, its design, its implementation or the server, I can only commiserate and hope that you have better results in the future.
As to the effects upon the study of a lack of insurance, I’m not sure how it is relevant to the results why women have stopped hormonal replacement therapy. The pertinent issue appears to be that many women have stopped taking the therapy and, noticed as a concurrent phenomenon rather than as a result, a lowering of the incidence of one type of breast cancer.
I’m not a scientist, I haven’t reviewed the study, I don’t know enough of epidemiology, the methodology of scientific research etc., to say whether the lack of insurance effects the results. I can only say that I can’t see how it would.
Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
By vern on Dec 16, 2006 | Reply
No need to apologize. Sh!t happens.
By Jersey McJones on Dec 16, 2006 | Reply
I have the answer for you, Vern. Craig doesn’t like to look at these facts…
JMJ
By Craig R. Harmon on Dec 16, 2006 | Reply
Craig doesn’t like to look at these facts…
You know next to nothing about me. Since I don’t recall ever having a discussion with you about insurance, you know jack-shit about what I like to look at.
Dammit man but you can be an ass sometimes.