For a third year, Ricq Pattay, a senior analyst and programmer with the Academic Health Center Information Systems, will participate in Mush for a Cure to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation…

There was some very exciting news announced earlier this week from researchers at the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, that generated considerable attention throughout the scientific community and within the general public and national media.

Masonic Cancer Center researchers uncovered a human enzyme responsible for causing DNA mutations found in the majority of breast cancers. The discovery of this enzyme – called APOBEC3B – may change the way breast cancer is diagnosed and treated.

The findings from a team of researchers led by Reuben Harris, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry, molecular biology and biophysics and a researcher within the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, are published in the latest edition of Nature.

“We strongly believe this discovery will change the way mutations in cancer are viewed and, hopefully, it will allow cancer researchers to develop new treatment approaches that can prevent these mutations before they become harmful,” said Harris.

At some point in their life, one in seven women will be affected by breast cancer.  Second only to skin cancer as the most common cancer in women, more than 200,000 new cases of breast cancer will diagnosed in women each year in the United States.

AHC Gamechanger Douglas Yee, M.D., a University of Minnesota Physicians breast cancer specialist and director of the Masonic Cancer Center, has dedicated his career to the battle against breast cancer – a condition that he himself has only a one percent lifetime risk of developing.

Researchers at the University of Washington have published new research that is giving breast cancer patients and survivors alike a lot to be excited about this week.

In the research, published in the journal Nature, researchers identified four genetically distinct types of breast cancer, and within those subtypes, also found characteristics common to other types of cancer, such as ovarian cancer.

Yesterday, Fox 9 sat down with U of M hematology-oncology expert and University of Minnesota Physicians cancer specialist Anne Blaes, M.D., to discuss the latest research and just what the latest findings could mean in the future.

When it comes to personal wellbeing, many women hold off visiting the doctor until there’s something wrong, even though most health organizations recommend annual exams.

But according to Dr. Peter Argenta, a University of Minnesota Physicians OB/GYN and gynecologic oncology expert, the importance of a yearly exam is twofold:

1. Building the patient-physician relationship. A woman should have an established relationship with a physician who knows how she looks when she’s well, which will help her doctor better interpret changes that happen if she’s sick. Annual exams help build this relationship.
2. Preventative screening. For women at normal risk, preventative screening is recommended to start at age 21, when women should begin cervical cancer screening. Breast cancer screening begins at age 40, and colon cancer screening starts at age 50.

“Most conditions are better treated early in the course of disease, including common conditions such as hypertension and diabetes,” said Argenta. “Some conditions such as colon and cervix cancer can be avoided entirely with routine health maintenance and in these cases, an ounce of prevention may be worth more than a pound of cure.”

So, when do women need to start annual checkups?

Argenta recommends starting annual exams at or around age 18 for women. While this is not a time that medical problems typically present themselves, it’s a great time to start talking about preventative care and building a relationship with a physician. A woman should feel comfortable enough with her doctor to ask about her weight, diet, upcoming screenings and any medications, knowing the doctor is familiar with her history.

For women who want to know what else they can do to stay healthy, Argenta shares the same advice with each of his patients: “Stop or don’t start smoking, wear your seatbelt and monitor your weight no less than once a month. Doing these three things demonstrably saves lives.”

Technology has provided a host of ways to get information into the hands of an end user. Specifically, cell phones have opened up new doors for passing along information via text message or specialized alerts.

Now, U of M researchers from the School of Social Work, Masonic Cancer Center and Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health will receive $675,000 over three years from the Susan G. Komen Foundation to develop new ways to use cell phones to promote breast cancer screening to Korean women.