A review of several studies finds that experts have likely overestimated the risk of breast cancer in women who carry certain genetic predispositions to the disease. Previously studies have found that women who have genetic mutations of BRCA1 (breast cancer gene 1) or BRCA2(breast cancer gene 2) have a 70% to 85% risk of developing breast cancer by age 70. However, the authors of the new analysis say those estimates are flawed because the women in those studies had otherfactors (such as strong family histories) that put them at higher risk of breast cancer than the average woman with a BRCA gene mutation. The analysis may be important for all women considering have preventive breast removal surgery or taking other options because they believe they are at high risk for developing breast cancer.

As far back as ancient Rome, people have suggested that personality can affect health. In the twentieth century, there was talk that women with so-called type A personalities-competitive, aggressive, extroverts-may be more likely to develop breast cancer than their peers. However, a
large Finnish study finds no evidence to support the link between
personality and breast cancer. The researchers believe their findings should reassure women who may believe in this idea and to focus on more established risk factors for the disease.

Though several small studies have suggested that breast-feeding reduces a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, experts have needed assurance from larger, more diverse analyses. Now, a compilation of 47 studies involving 150,000 women from 30 countries has been published that further supports this claim. The analysis-the most extensive study on breast-feeding and breast cancer ever conducted-found that having more children and breast-feeding for a longer period of time protect against breast cancer. The report may provide researchers with important
information in understanding why breast cancer develops.

A small study released by the University of Michigan finds that
mammography screening in women who have undergone a breast
reconstructive procedure called TRAM flap reconstruction may help detect a recurrence of breast cancer before the tumor grows large enough to be felt by touch. Currently, most physicians do not routinely screen breast cancer patients who have had their breasts removed with mastectomy because there is little evidence to show that screening mammography increases the chances of surviving a breast cancer recurrence. While the new study reveals that mammography can be helpful in certain cases, the
new research also shows that a recurrence of breast cancer is unusual in women who have undergone TRAM flap breast reconstruction.

Though experts have known for years that a diet rich in fish provides a host of health benefits, new research explores how fish may work to reduce heart disease risk. In a study of African tribes, researchers found that tribe members who consumed large amounts of fish tended to have lower levels of a so-called obesity hormone called leptin. Leptin has been associated with high rates of cardiovascular disease. Tribe
members who did not consume much meat had higher leptin levels, even though many were the same weight, had similar alcohol intake, etc. The researchers believe the study provides important clues about how fish rich diet can protect the heart.

New guidelines for investigating abnormal Pap test results were recently established by a panel of 121 experts from 29 professional organizations, federal agencies, and national and international health organizations in a conference sponsored by the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP). The new recommendations are based on formal literature reviews of medical articles published between 1988 and 2001 and input from the professional medical community. According to ASCCP, the guidelines are meant to reduce time, and therefore patient stress, involved with interpreting abnormal Pap test
results.