Molecule blocks cholesterol and ‘kills breast cancer cells’

Breast cysts are sacs filled with fluid of variableLiable to vary or change. colour and are relatively common breast lumps reported by women or identified during a clinical examination by a doctor. Approximately 7% of all women will encounter a palpable cyst during their lifetime. Although these lumps do not spread, they can vary considerably in size and result in much anxiety. Their presence can also affect the interpretation of clinical examination findings and mammograms. Cysts can be single or multiple, affect one breast or both breasts and are frequently changing in response to hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycleThe monthly sequence by which a woman’s body prepares for potential fertilisation of an egg released from the ovaries, involving thickening of the uterus lining and then shedding of the lining when pregnancy does not occur..

Most cases of nipple discharge are due to normal, benignNot dangerous, usually applied to a tumour that is not malignant. conditions and are usually hormoneA substance produced by a gland in one part of the body and carried by the blood to the organs or tissues where it has an effect.-related. Approximately one third of all women can produce a nipple discharge by gently massaging their breasts. This 'innocent' nipple discharge usually comes from multiple ducts in both breasts in pre-menopausalRelating to the menopause, the time of a woman’s life when her ovaries stop releasing an egg (ovum) on a monthly cycle. women. Blood-stained discharge from a single duct in one breast can be sinister in nature and may represent an underlying carcinomaA malignant tumour (cancer) that is formed from the epithelium, the tissue that covers the open surfaces of organs..

For many women with breast cancerAbnormal, uncontrolled cell division resulting in a malignant tumour that may invade surrounding tissues or spread to distant parts of the body. the standard treatment includes surgery together with radiotherapyThe treatment of disease using radiation., to reduce the chances of the cancer coming back. A new approach, TARGIT, involves radiationEnergy in the form of waves or particles, including radio waves, X-rays and gamma rays. given with a spherical device that is placed where the lump was, thus targeting the tissues that surrounded the tumourAn abnormal swelling., the ‘tumour bed’.

If you have very high cholesterolA substance present in many tissues and an important constituent of cell membranes although high concentrations of a certain type of cholesterol in the blood are unhealthy. levels in your bloodA fluid that transports oxygen and other substances through the body, made up of blood cells suspended in a liquid. it may be due to a geneThe basic unit of genetic material carried on chromosomes. defect. This form of inherited high cholesterol is called familial hypercholesterolaemiaHigh levels of cholesterol in the blood. (FH). This problem affects 1 in 500 people and can cause cholesterol levels higher than 7.5mmol/L (desired level is less than 5mmol/L) in an adult and can lead to early heart disease in the form of anginaA central chest pain caused by insufficient oxygen supply to the heart. or heart attackThe death of a section of heart muscle caused by an interruption in its blood supply. Also called a myocardial infarction..

To be told you have breast cancerAbnormal, uncontrolled cell division resulting in a malignant tumour that may invade surrounding tissues or spread to distant parts of the body. is always a huge shock. Before we consider some of the treatments available I want to make the important point of how much the treatment of breast cancer has improved over the years. In the 1970s only 50% of people with breast cancer survived for 5 years. In the best units that figure is now around 90%. Similarly the 10 year survival rate was only 40% in the 70s and it is now 80%, with a twenty year survival rate of nearly 70%. The fundamental fact is that most people will no longer die from their breast cancer; and the treatments continue to improve.

Introduction

To most people a standard pathology laboratory list of results is more akin to an Egyptian obelisk than anything actually meaningful or useful i.e. four columns of hieroglyphics! It is therefore useful to have our own plain English equivalent of the Rosetta Stone in order to translate some of the pathological hieroglyphs, and that is the purpose of this article.