AAV MISSION

"Advocates Against Violence" was created to bring awareness to the life changes that occur from living in violent environments. We consider violent environments to include domestic violence (DV), intimate partner violence (IPV), child abuse, neglect, and sexual molestation (CANSM), random violence and those whom are affected by natural disasters.

Our Mission

We hope to bring awareness to victims of violence in all its forms and report information that affects those whom are affected by natural disasters. We hope to provide resources and spread awareness through research that will provide links to resources that will help victims of violence (family violence, domestic violence, child abuse, child neglect, child endangerment, child molestation, and those suffering from natural disasters (tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcano eruptions, etc.). Moroever, we hope to include resources for victims of violence in all forms including victims of random violence (muggings, armed robbery, kidnapping, school violence, etc.).

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Breast cancer risk varies among different progestins used in hormone replacement therapy, study finds

Breast Cancer Risk Varies Among Different Progestins Used in Hormone Replacement Therapy, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Aug. 12, 2010) — Progestins are used in hormone replacement therapies to counteract the negative effects of estrogen on the uterus and reduce the risk of uterine cancer. However, evidence in recent studies and clinical trials has demonstrated that progestins increase the risk of breast cancer. Now, University of Missouri researchers have compared four types of progestins used in hormone replacement therapies and found significantly different outcomes on the progression of breast cancer in an animal model depending on the type of progestins used.

"Synthetic progestins have different biological effects, due to differences in their structure, stability and how they interact in the body," said Salman Hyder, the Zalk Endowed Professor in Tumor Angiogenesis and professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center. "Clinical use of progestins requires caution. These powerful steroids should only be prescribed when a person has no latent, or dormant, cancer and does not have a family history of cancer. However, it is difficult to diagnose latent tumor cells in women since there are no symptoms."

In the study, researchers compared the effects of four clinically relevant progestins on breast cancer tumors in an animal model. The progestins used in the study were the synthetic progestin medroxporgresterone acetate (MPA), norgesterel (N-EL), norethindrone (N-ONE) and megestrol acetate (MGA). In the United States, most women on hormone replacement therapy are treated with MPA, the progestin in Prempro, Hyder said.

"Although previous studies using an animal model for breast cancer found that MPA functions as a tumor promoter, this study show that N-EL and N-One, when administrated using the same protocol as used for MPA, strongly inhibited tumor development," Hyder said. "Thus progestins seem to have tumor-stage specific effects, which determine whether these will function as tumor promoters or tumor suppressors. Progestins, such as N-EL and N-ONE, may have potential as preventive agents in women with no history of breast disease or family history of breast cancer. These progestins may also have a preventive role in post-menopausal women who are at an increased risk for developing breast cancer due to ingestion of combined estrogen/progestin (MPA) hormone replacement therapy and may have early stage disease."

The study is published in the September issue of Cancer Prevention Research from the American Association for Cancer Research.