Health Headlines - September 25

Study Suggests Link Between Stress and Aggressive Breast Cancer

A new study finds that black and Hispanic women with breast cancer suffer more stress than white women, and the researchers connected the extra stress to more aggressive tumors.

But, the study authors cautioned that the research is preliminary and doesn't provide insight into whether the women's stress levels already were high before diagnosis, whether the stress levels increased after diagnosis, or whether the increased stress caused the cancer to be more aggressive.

Still, the findings point to one possible -- if unconfirmed -- explanation why breast cancer is generally worse in black and Hispanic women, said study lead author Garth H. Rauscher.

"One possible reason for that, among others, could be differences in the role of stress in influencing the development of breast cancer," said Rauscher, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago's School of Public Health.

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CDC Considers Vaccinating Boys, Not Just Girls, for HPV

U.S. health authorities now recommend that girls and young women be vaccinated against human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease that is a known cause of cervical cancer, but that recommendation does not extend to boys and young men.

At least for now.

A debate that's been simmering over whether males also should be vaccinated for human papillomavirus, or HPV, could come to a head in October at a meeting of a key advisory committee of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner.

HPV is widespread among men. An international study published in March in The Lancet found that half of all adult males in the United States may be infected with the virus.

More than 40 strains of HPV exist, and all are passed along by skin-to-skin contact, usually during sexual relations, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Many With Irregular Heartbeat Unaware of Raised Stroke Risk

Half of the 2.7 million Americans affected by an irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation, deny or do not know they are at greater risk for stroke, according to a new survey from the American Heart Association (AHA).

"While there's a lot known about atrial fibrillation, there's a lot unknown as well," Dr. Mark Estes III, professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, said in a news release from the heart association. "The American Heart Association's goal for atrial fibrillation is to bridge those knowledge gaps through research and education. By helping people better understand their risks, we can impact treatment and prevention of atrial fibrillation and atrial fibrillation-related strokes."

The AHA surveyed 502 people living with atrial fibrillation. Despite being the third-leading cause of death in the United States (behind heart disease and cancer), the survey revealed that just 8 percent of those polled considered stroke to be their greatest health concern. On the contrary, 25 percent said they were not at risk for stroke and another 25 percent didn't know if they were at risk.

Moreover, the AHA survey revealed that only two-thirds of those polled received information on their increased risk of stroke from their doctor. Of the 66 percent that did talk to their doctors, 21 percent said they were told they have no risk for stroke.

"Patients need to be aware of this risk and have serious conversations with their health care providers about what they should be doing to prevent stroke," concluded Estes.