J11 — March 2009 — Breast Cancer and Asthma

Intro: Researchers at Mayo Clinic are exploring an association between the spread of breast cancer and asthma. They published a study suggesting that a woman with breast cancer, as well as asthma, may be at increased risk of that cancer spreading to her lungs. More from Mayo Clinic.

IN THIS LAB AT MAYO CLINIC, DR. JAMES LEE DISCOVERED AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BREAST CANCER AND ASTHMA. HIS RESEARCH, PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL CANCER RESEARCH, SUGGESTS THAT IF A WOMAN HAS RECURRENT BREAST CANCER AND SHE ALSO HAS ASTHMA, SHE MAY BE AT AN INCREASED RISK OF HER BREAST CANCER SPREADING, OR METASTASIZING, TO HER LUNGS.

"WOMEN WITH ASTHMA WERE GETTING METS TO THEIR LUNGS ALMOST TWO TIMES GREATER IN FREQUENCY THAN WOMEN WHO DID NOT HAVE ASTHMA."

HERE'S THE THEORY ON WHY THIS MAY HAPPEN. WHEN YOU HAVE AN ALLERGIC ASTHMATIC REACTION IN YOUR LUNGS, THE BLOOD VESSELS IN YOUR LUNGS OPEN GATEWAYS TO ALLOW WHITE BLOOD CELLS IN. IF THERE ARE ANY CANCER CELLS CIRCULATING IN YOUR BLOOD STREAM, THEY TOO CAN ENTER THE LUNGS THROUGH THOSE GATEWAYS. ONCE IN THE LUNGS, THE CANCER CELLS CAN BEGIN TO GROW.

DR. LEE SUSPECTS THAT IF BREAST CANCER CELLS CAN ENTER THOSE GATEWAYS TO THE LUNGS, OTHER TYPES OF CANCER MAY BE ABLE TO AS WELL. SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA? DR. LEE IS WORKING ON STUDIES TO SEE IF THIS ASSOCIATION IS TRUE, AND IF SO HE HOPES TO DETERMINE WHETHER TAKING ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ASTHMA MEDICATION WILL REDUCE YOUR CHANCES OF DEVELOPING METASTASES TO THE LUNG. AND UNTIL THAT STUDY IS COMPLETE, HE SUGGESTS IT MAY BE A GOOD IDEA FOR PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA TO TAKE THEIR ASTHMA MEDICATIONS AS PRESCRIBED.

"WE JUST HAVE TO MAKE SURE THEY TAKE THEIR MEDS, IN A VERY RELIGIOUS, A RIGHTEOUS WAY, WHETHER THEIR FEELING BETTER OR NOT, TAKE YOUR MEDS AND THAT ALONE MAY HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL EFFECT ON A LOT OF THESE PATIENTS."

FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS.

Anchor tag: Dr. Lee says up to 8-percent of all women with breast cancer also have asthma. He hopes his research will shed light on the association between the spread of breast cancer and asthma.

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