Definitions
California Breast Cancer Research Program's Key Strategies
- Support the best, most innovative research
- Build the research talent pool by training new researchers
- Encourage creativity by financing collaboration across research fields
- Widely disseminate research results to scientists, health care professionals and the public
Including Minority Women in Research
In all the research studies BCRP funds that involve women
or tissues from women, we make it a practice to include
minority women. In addition, some of the studies we fund
are focussed solely on minority women. We also make it a
practice to include low-income women, lesbians, older women
and other groups who don't have equal access to health care
and are often left out of research. California is a very
diverse state, with many different ethnic groups, immigrant
groups, and a mix of urban and rural dwellers. Some of the
research BCRP funds takes advantage of this diversity, and
some of the studies we fund-such as research with
Samoan-American or Hmong-American women-could only be done
in our state.
Epithelial Cells
Several studies in this section deal with epithelial cells.
In the bodies of humans and animals, epithelial cells cover
most surfaces, form glands and line most cavities. The breast
(or the mammary gland in mice, rats and other mammals) is
composed of several types of epithelial cells that are
responsible for producing milk and delivering it to the nipple.
These cells are also the source of most breast cancers. 79 Case
Control Study A case control study, also called a case comparison
or retrospective study, compares a group of people with a disease
("cases") and a group of similar people without the disease
("controls"). Researchers gather information about both groups'
past, such as exposure to a suspected cancer-causing agent,
behaviors (such as smoking, drinking alcohol, occupation), or
biological factors (such as history of the disease in the family,
age of first menstruation). If the people with the disease
have a higher rate of the factor in their past being investigated,
then researchers infer that there is an association between the
factor and the disease. If the association is very strong, and
if it holds in other kinds of studies, the exposure, behavior
or biological factor is a possible cause or contributor to the
disease. At this point, the investigation often shifts to the
lab or clinic to uncover the biological mechanisms behind the
association. As examples, case control studies have identified
smoking as a cause of various cancers, determined the health risks
associated with certain occupations, and pointed to sun exposure
as a risk factor for skin cancer.
Liposomes
Researchers are looking for ways to deliver chemotherapy
directly to tumors, instead of exposing a woman's entire
body to toxic drugs. One promising way is by using
liposomes. Liposomes are tiny fat particles like balloons;
they can be filled with a variety of substances. Research
progress with liposomes is being made on several fronts.
First, putting chemotherapy drugs inside liposomes keeps the
drugs circulating in the blood longer, so the tumor gets
exposed to the drug more. A drug that doesn't work on its
own may work if delivered inside liposomes. Second, putting
antibodies on the liposome surface targets the drug
specifically to cancer cells. Third, liposomes are being
investigated as a way to deliver gene therapy.
Research on Metastasis
The Spread of Breast Cancer Breast cancer spreads through
the blood and lymph system to form tumors in other parts of
the body. Medical science is least able to control this part
of the disease. Early detection won't solve the problem,
because by the time a breast tumor is only 2 millimeters in
size, it has acquired a blood supply and has the potential
to spread. The process of spreading is complex and has many
components. Any component could hold the key to a
breakthrough, so they provide many avenues for research.
Quality of Life
When new breast cancer treatments are tested on humans, the
U.S. and Canadian governments now require researchers to
find out not just how the treatment works against the
disease, but how it affects the patient's quality of life.
Researchers and practicing physicians are also paying more
attention to quality of life. Both developments have come
since the upsurge in breast cancer activism over the past
decade. Quality of life includes psychological well-being
(such as anxiety, depression, mental functioning); physical
functioning (such as the ability to work, play and be
self-sufficient); bodily symptoms (such as pain, premature
menopause, hair loss, nausea); social relationships and a
general sense of well-being that includes spirituality. For
some patients, especially the elderly, quality of life is as
important as added years of survival. QOL is measured by
having the patient fill out a questionnaire.
