All Types of Alcohol Linked to Breast Cancer Risk

A recent study by Kaiser Permanente Researchers has found that the effects of alcohol on breast cancer are the same, regardless of whether a woman drinks wine, beer, or liquor. The ethyl alcohol found in those drinks and the quantity consumed are the factors that weigh heavily on breast cancer risk. Researchers believe the increased risk from three or more drinks a day is similar to the increased breast cancer risk from smoking a pack of cigarettes a day or more. They claim that "Population studies have consistently linked drinking alcohol to an increased risk of female breast cancer, but until now there has been little data, most of it conflicting, about an independant role played by the choice of beverage type."

The team of Kaiser Permanente researchers studied the drinking habits of over 70,000 women of varying ethnicities who had supplied information during health exams between 1978 and 1985. By the year 2004, 2,800 of these women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Researchers analyzed three aspects of the records; they compared alcohol intake among women who favored specific beverages, the frequency of drinking each beverage type, and the role of total alcoholic intake compared with women who drank less than one drink a day.

The results found no difference among the varying types of alcoholic beverages, even when wine was divided into red and white. Researchers found the risk of breast cancer rose by 30 percent in women who drank more than three drinks a day. They claim that "We think that the heart protection benefit from alcohol is real, and is probably derived largely from alcohol-induced higher HDL or "good" cholesterol, reduced blood clotting and reduced diabetes." However, they warn "Our findings provide more evidence for why heavy drinkers should quit or cut down."

What Women Know About Breast Cancer Treatment Options

Women in the US have around a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer at some stage in their lives, and a three percent chance of dying from it. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women the world over, and is second only to heart disease in total numbers of deaths caused.

Treatment of breast cancer is an extremely important issue - yet many women do not know their treatment options for breast cancer. What do most women know about treating breast cancer, and what can cancer hospitals do to help women make better informed choices?

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide, the leading cancer in women, and the second leading cause of death in women worldwide. It has an incidence rate more than twice that of cervical cancer and colorectal cancer, and three times as high as lung cancer in women. It follows that breast cancer is one of the most researched and publicized conditions - however, many groups in our society know little about their treatment options for breast cancer.

Recent research has revealed that nearly half of women being treated for breast cancer did not know that their odds of survival were just as good whether they underwent a complete mastectomy, or breast conserving surgery. One of the greatest impacts of breast cancer on its survivors is on their mental health and self-image. The loss of a breast can have a huge impact on how a woman feels about herself, which in turn affects her general health and the attention she pays to her body.

The study was carried out by The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. It discovered that many women do not understand the differences between treatment options for breast cancer, and minority women are even less likely to be aware of the impact their decisions will have on their prognosis. This was found to be true even though surgeons communicated the differences to their patients in all cases - the information simply didn't seem to be integrated into the decision making process.

One factor that the researchers note is that information about breast cancer treatment must be communicated in a culturally appropriate and sensitive way. With medical tourism and overseas treatment now creating a large part of the cancer-treatment demographic, this clear communication is more important than ever.

Hospitals which focus on medical tourism, like Bangkok Hospital in Thailand, as well as Bumrungrad in Thailand, understand the importance of cultural sensitivity when communicating with patients. Bangkok Hospital, for example, takes a range of steps to make sure that overseas patients feel as 'at-home' as possible while in the hospital, with different dietary options, doctor that speak several languages, as well as translators for all the languages not spoken by the doctors themselves, and signage and information provided in several languages.

In many cases, patients may find that doctors in Thai hospitals for breast cancer like Bangkok Hospital and Bumrungrad have their treatment options more clearly communicated to them than they would in the West. Both of these cancer treatment hospitals in Thailand have specialized breast care clinics, focusing on early detection and diagnosis, as well as treatment of breast cancer in Thailand.

Given the more international, diverse focus of Thailand's breast cancer hospitals, treatment as a medical tourist may make more sense, and provide better outcomes for women with breast cancer.

* This article also published on ezinearticles.com