Implants May Cause Rare Cancer

[Guest guest]

Breast implants may be linked to rare cancer-FDA January 26, 2011

By Richwine and Heavey

Women with breast implants may face an increased risk of a rare immune-system

cancer near their implants, U.S. regulators said on Wednesday.

Health officials need more data to tell if the implants are related to the

cancer and are asking doctors to report any confirmed cases, the Food and Drug

Administration said in a statement. Overall the agency still considers implants

safe.

Safety concerns have dogged breast implants for years. Silicone breast implants

were banned for most U.S. women in 1992 after some complained the devices leaked

and made them chronically ill. Widespread sales resumed in 2006 with FDA

approval over sharp protests from consumer advocates.

" This is exactly the kind of problem we were concerned about when we said we

don't know enough about these products and whether they are safe, " said Amy

Allina, policy director at the National Women's Health Network.

http://tinyurl.com/4s43evs

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STEM CELLS AFTER HIGH DOSE CHEMO:

Following the delivery of high-dose chemotherapy to patients for the treatment

of cancer, infusion of stem cells is necessary to ensure recovery of bone marrow

function and production of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Historically, stem cells were harvested from bone marrow, but more recently,

many cancer centers have adopted the practice of collecting stem cells from

peripheral blood.

REMOVING CELLS RESPONSIBLE FOR GVHD:

Techniques for removal of specific T-lymphocytes from stem cell collections are

now available. This process is very appealing because specific groups of

T-lymphocytes can be removed or even added back based on the number of cells

necessary to achieve the desired effect in the patient. For example, the cells

responsible for graft-versus-host disease could be removed and those necessary

for engraftment could be infused into the patient.

Scientists have also discovered that stem cells have certain markers (antigens)

on their surface that distinguish them from other cells. One of the main

antigens on stem cells is the CD34 antigen and positive selection is one

technique that has been developed for the separation of stem cells from other

cells. CD34 selection uses a device that binds the CD34 positive stem cells and

removes them from the other cells in the stem cell collection. CD34 positive

selection devices are capable of removing large numbers of non-specific

T-lymphocytes from the stem cell product. Unfortunately, they also remove

25%-50% of the stem cells, immune cells and other cells. Many cancer centers are

using CD34 positive selection devices and other techniques of stem cell

processing. This is an attempt to change the cell content of stem cell

collections in order to improve the safety and potential benefit of allogeneic

stem cell transplant.

GOOD NEWS FOR BMT PATIENTS:

Donor White Blood Cell Infusions: In patients who do not have graft-versus-host

disease, infusions of white blood cells from the donor are being evaluated to

prevent or treat cancer recurrences that occur after allogeneic stem cell

transplant. In some studies, donor white cells are combined with a biologic

response modifier such as interleukin-2 to further enhance the

graft-versus-leukemia reaction.

http://tinyurl.com/4chyng7

FYI,

Lottie Duthu