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Widely Used Heart Drugs Linked to Better Breast Cancer Outcomes
WEDNESDAY, June 1 (HealthDay News) — Beta blockers — safe, inexpensive drugs that have been used for decades by millions of people — may eventually have a role in fighting breast cancer, according to two new studies.
One study suggests that women who are already taking beta blockers to lower blood pressure tend to be diagnosed with breast cancer at an earlier stage of the disease and to have better survival odds.
The second study finds that women who took a beta blocker while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer had a lower risk of recurrence.
Moderate Drinking May Boost Risk of Breast Cancer’s Return
The association seems confined to former breast cancer patients who are postmenopausal or overweight or obese, the researchers noted.
However, drinking moderately (about three to four drinks per week) was not linked to increased risk for all-cause death, and may in fact lower the risk for dying from a non-breast cancer-related health issue, the study suggests.
The observations are reported in the Aug. 30 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology by a team led by Marilyn L. Kwan, a researcher at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif.
The findings are “consistent with what we already know about alcohol’s role in increasing the risk for developing primary breast cancer,” said Kwan.
Breast Cancer Survivors Benefit from Weight Lifting
For many of the more than 2 million American women who are breast cancer survivors, life after their diagnosis can be the archetype of picture-perfect health. From eating copious amounts of fresh vegetables and fruit to faithfully adhering to doctor appointments, many breast cancer survivors lead incredibly healthy lives in an attempt to stave off a recurrence of their disease and keep their health in tip-top shape.
But one healthy behavior that breast cancer survivors have been discouraged to partake in is weight lifting, for it is believed that using weights and exercise machines induces swelling and pain around the breast tissue, particularly for those women who have a higher risk for lymphedema, or swollen and painful fluid-filled nodes that occur on the arms or on the hands. Wome