Tag Archives: womb

Plea from health professionals on behalf of post-menopausal women

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Health professional?Within the last week, a group of health professionals sent an open letter to their fellow specialists about the plight of those post-menopausal women reporting bleeding.

Post-menopausal bleeding indicates a gynaecological abnormality, usually a cancer growth within the womb.

The letter (BMJ 2010; 341:c7407) contains details about how many women reporting bleeding actually get referred for secondary care. Referral rates for patients with postmenopausal bleeding ranged from 66.4% in 55-64 year old patients to 40.1% in those over 85.

Last year the Eve Appeal highlighted the low profile from which gynaecological cancers suffer. Their campaign (with contributions from cancer sufferers and oncology nurses and specialists) focused on the low number of post menopausal women reporting bleeding to their GPs.

Gynaecological cancers are the world’s fourth largest cancer killer of women, with over 1 million women worldwide being diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer every year. Of the gynaecological cancers, womb cancer is now the UK’s most common, with 7,500 cases diagnosed nationwide.

The Eve Appeal, in conjunction with the National Forum for Gynecological Oncology Nurses (NFGON), are focused on improving the chances of women everywhere in beating these killers, by work in improving prediction, diagnosis and timely treatment.

The latest plea by health professionals highlights how much work has to be done – not only in getting more women to see their GPs in such circumstances but also in making sure those women are getting the treatment they need to beat gynaecological cancer.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley recently promised an improvement to the care framework within the NHS, which, if implemented properly, would improve detection and survival rates for womb cancer sufferers. It remains to be seen whether the financial pressure on the NHS, as with other public organisations, will be conducive to improving even the most vital of services.

To get more information about any of the gynaecological cancers, please visit the Eve Appeal at www.eveappeal.org.uk.

 

US company offers storage of stem cells from menstral blood

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US company Cryo-Cell has launched a bank designed for women who want to store their own stem cells, taken from the menstrual blood, as a future health insurance.

Stem cells can be obtained from numerous sources, including the blood, bone marrow and embryos. And a number of private companies, including Richard Branson’s Virgin Health Bank, already offer umbilical cord blood banking for about £1,500.

Cryo-Cell charges a sum of $499 (£238) for processing and a year’s storage of menstrual stem cells.

The woman is sent a collection kit in the post, comprising a cup, collection tubes and a prepaid return shipment to Cryo-Cell.

Menstrual stem cells – which form in the womb lining whichis then shed during a woman’s period – have the advantage of being easily harvested in a painless, non-invasive manner as compared to some other stem cell sources such as bone marrow.

And like other stem cells, early lab work suggests they too have the potential to turn into many other types of cell, including heart, nerve, bone, cartilage and fat, the company claims.

Spokesman for the company, stem cell expert Dr Stephen Noga, director of the Cellular Therapeutics Program, at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, said: “Even one menstrual cycle has the potential to produce millions of stem cells.

“Current research is very preliminary, but given their properties, we believe these menstrual stem cells demonstrate compelling promise to transform regenerative medicine in the coming years.”

Cryo-Cell says on its website that “realistically, it may take several years for these menstrual stem cells to be developed into potential widely-available commercial therapies”.

HRT blamed for 1,000 ovarian cancer deaths

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London: Women taking hormone replacement therapy are 20% more likely to suffer from ovarian cancer, claims a new report. More more than 1,000 women died in the last 15 years after contracting ovarian cancer following hormone replacement therapy it says.

The study published in the latest issue of The Lancet medical journal etimates that 70 deaths a yar are connected to taking the therapy which is dogged with controversy and confusion.

US researchers recently produced evidence to suggest that women int heir 50s on HRT are protected from heart attachs and premature death. This contradicted earlier claims that it put women at risk of heart disease.

This latest study, sponsored by Million Women Study, was started in 1996 suggests that more than 1,300 extra cases of ovarian cancer occured between 1991 and 2005. Of these women, 1,000 died of the disease. It reveals a 20 per cent increase in risk of the disease in women who have taken HRT for at least five years, but says it does not persist if women give up. The study, largely funded by Cancer Research UK, looked at responses from 948,576 postmenopausal women over seven years. It has previously linked HRT with breast cancer.

Overall the statistics mean that over a five-year period there is likely to be one extra case of ovarian cancer among every 2,500 women receiving hormone replacement therapy. For every 3,300 women on HRT, there is estimated to be one additional death from ovarian cancer.

HRT prescribed by the UK’s National Health Service is artificially made hormone replacement usually made from mare’s urine. It is used to combat symptoms of the menopause, including hot flushes, vaginal dryness and night sweats, with a range of drugs including tablets, implants and patches.

Safety concerns led to drug regulatory authorities in the UK and other countries issuing restrictions, including the advice to use it for the shortest time possible, which have continued to deter women from getting treatment. It has been blamed for both womb and breast cancer.GP data shows the number of British women on HRT halved from two to one million between 2002 and 2005.