Word: estrogen
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BROCCOLI. This member of the cabbage family is rich in a little-known substance called indole carbinol, which breaks down estrogen, a hormone that seems to promote the development of certain breast tumors. Scientists believe about a cup of broccoli every other day could contain enough indole carbinol to prevent the growths. So far, research has shown a pronounced effect on mice; preliminary studies are being carried out on 50 women who are at high risk for such cancers. Broccoli and its relatives also contain beta carotene, a substance that could help ward off lung, throat and bladder cancer...
Researchers focusing on the role of fat in the development of cancer have been particularly intrigued by the estrogen connection. Biologists have long known that estrogen is produced not only in the ovaries but also in fat cells. Obese women have higher levels of estrogen than thin ones -- a probable factor in their greater risk of breast cancer after menopause...
...been only in the past five years that researchers have found a link between estrogen levels and fat in the diet. Women who eat lots of hamburgers, thick shakes and other fatty foods have higher overall levels of estrogen and especially large amounts of the "biologically active" form. Equally significant, endocrinologist David Rose of the Naylor Dana Institute in Valhalla, N.Y., has found that when women switch to a very low-fat diet (20% of total calories), their estrogen levels quickly drop by 20%. Advocates of the dietary-fat theory regard this observation as a crucial bit of supporting evidence...
...kind of drug treatment depends on many things, including a woman's age and the biology of her tumors. The cancer cells of postmenopausal patients often require the hormone estrogen in order to grow. If lab tests show the presence of estrogen receptors in a tumor (a sign of a good prognosis), therapy with tamoxifen, an estrogen-blocking drug, is usually recommended. It reduces the risk of disease recurrence by approximately 20%, with relatively mild side effects...
Younger women and those who have no estrogen receptors usually receive combinations of two to five chemotherapy agents, such as Cytoxan and methotrexate, over a period of four months to a year. Because these drugs target rapidly dividing cells, they not only destroy cancer cells but also cells in the hair follicles, the lining of the digestive tract and the bone marrow. That produces the dreaded side effects of chemo: hair loss, nausea and a decline in infection-fighting white blood cells. Premature menopause can be another consequence. Even this harsh treatment provides no guarantee of a cure, though...