Health bulletin: Estrogen link to reoccurring breast cancer

Blood taken from women whose breast cancer returned showed high levels of estrogen even though many had been treated with estrogen-blocking drugs, U.S. researchers.

The findings suggest women who have had breast cancer should take extra steps -- such as regular exercise and weight management -- to reduce their estrogen levels and minimize the risk that their cancer will return.

Estrogen is strongly linked with the initial development of many breast cancers, but few studies have looked at the link between high estrogen levels and cancer recurrence, especially in women who are taking anti-estrogen drugs like tamoxifen.

Cheryl Rock, a professor of preventive medicine at the University of California, San Diego, whose study appears in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, said taking anti-estrogen drugs like tamoxifen may not completely wipe out the hormone's effect in women who have high levels of estrogen. Tamoxifen transformed breast cancer therapy when it was shown to reduce the risk of cancer coming back by close to 50 percent.

Possible vaccine for strep throat

It may be possible to make a safe vaccine against the type of bacteria best known for causing "strep throat" and rheumatic fever, U.S.-based researchers have reported.

The little piece of the bacteria that causes serious disease can be altered slightly into a form that may work as a vaccine, the team at the University of California, San Diego, reported.

Group A streptococcal infections affect more than 600 million people each year and kill 400,000 globally. Most infections cause throat inflammation known as "strep throat," which is easily treated with antibiotics.

But untreated strep throat infections can cause rheumatic fever, an often deadly inflammation of the heart.

In countries where antibiotics are not easily available, rheumatic fever remains common and can weaken the hearts of survivors for life.

More choices for colon screenings

New colon screening recommendations offer choices

New U.S. guidelines on checking people for colon cancer offer a range of choices, including so-called virtual colonoscopies and at-home tests.

The recommendations aim to encourage more Americans to get screened for colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, with 148,810 cases and 49,960 deaths forecast for 2008.

Soldiers show mental strain

More than a quarter of U.S. soldiers on their third or fourth tours in Iraq suffer mental health problems partly because troops are not getting enough time at home between deployments, the Army said.

Overall, about 17.9 percent of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan had mental health problems in 2007, according to an annual Army survey. That is slightly below the 2006 figure of 19.1 percent but relatively consistent with previous years.

Cancer pill could affect fertility

Long-term use of the cancer pill Gleevec may produce fertility problems in women, according to Greek doctors.

Chemotherapy and radiation have long been known to damage the fertility of patients, but little is known about more targeted drugs such as Gleevec, known generically as imatinib.

Happiness may be inherited

You can't buy happiness but it looks like you can at least inherit it, according to British and Australian researchers.

A study of nearly 1,000 pairs of identical and nonidentical twins found genes control half the personality traits that make people happy while factors such as relationships, health and careers are responsible for the rest of our well-being.