Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions

Inflammation and Breast Cancer

C-reactive protein may be prognostic

Publish date:: May 26, 2015

Inflammation can influence breast cancer development, according to a case-control study of 2,862 patients prior to diagnosis and a random-effect meta-analysis of 5,371 patients from 11 studies. Researchers reported:

• In one group of study patients, higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were associated with increased relative risk of breast cancer, with no significant variation by tumor invasiveness or hormone receptor status
• In another group, higher CRP levels were not associated with increased overall risk of breast cancer, or for tumor invasiveness or hormone receptor status
• Meta-analysis showed a modestly increased risk for women in the highest vs. the lowest categories of CRP

Citation: Wang J, Lee I-M, Tworoger SS, et al. Plasma C-reactive protein and risk of breast cancer in two prospective studies and a meta-analysis. [Published online ahead of print May 20, 2015] Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-15-0187.

This Week's Must Reads

Younger adults present with more advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma,

PDAC: Tumor reduction after neoadjuvant therapy may predict postsurgical survival,

Mortality risks rise with age, infections, but not inhibitor status in persons with non-severe hemophilia A,

‘Impressive’ local control with MRI-guided brachytherapy in cervical cancer,

U.S. mothers underestimate role breastfeeding plays in curbing breast cancer,