>"Contradicting earlier reports that suggested severe stress increases a
>woman's risk of developing breast cancer, a British study has found no such
>link.
>...
>Family history of breast cancer, an established risk factor for the
>disease, did not increase risk in this study."
>
>What does that final sentence do to your confidence in this study?

The final sentence doesn't do anything to affect my confidence in this
study.  A study is a study, and they report what they find.  Many studies
are well done, yet come up with different results -- this is how scientific
research works.  In *this* study, the group with a family history of breast
cancer did not have a higher rate of breast cancer.  They just didn't.
Remember that "family history of breast cancer" is used as a PROXY for
carrying the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that greatly increase the odds you will
get breast cancer.  But it is perfectly possible to have one or two or even
more family members with breast cancer, yet still not have anybody carrying
the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.  My sisters and mother now have a "family history
of breast cancer," but there is a 90-95% chance that I do NOT carry the
BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, nor do they.

This study also found that severe stress was not linked to a woman's risk of
developing breast cancer.  Does this mean that stress is never related?  No,
but it does mean in this study it was not.  Just as the recent study showed
no reduction in risk of breast cancer in women who breastfed.

The way scientific research/evidence works is that over the years many
different studies accumulate, and a clear trend either becomes evident, or
it does not.  We have enough research now to be fairly sure of the links
between bottle-feeding with formula and increased risks of many diseases,
even though the occasional study still will not find any advantage to
breastfeeding for a specific disease.  There remains only a single study
linking formula with ADHD, so the jury is still out on that.

No one really knows what causes breast cancer, and it is probably
multi-factorial.  There are two completely different theories about the
natural history of the disease, and good evidence for both theories.  There
are probably many different causes, in different people, just like autism.

Kathy Dettwyler

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