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Public Health

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Theses/Dissertations

Breast cancer

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Markov Decision Process Approach To Strategize National Breast Cancer Screening Policy In Data-Limited Settings, Vijeta Deshpande Oct 2019

Markov Decision Process Approach To Strategize National Breast Cancer Screening Policy In Data-Limited Settings, Vijeta Deshpande

Masters Theses

Early diagnosis is a promising strategy to reduce premature mortalities and for optimal use of resources. But the absence of mathematical models specific to the data settings in LMIC’s impedes the construction of economic analysis necessary for decision-makers in the development of cancer control programs. This thesis presents a new methodology for parameterizing the natural history model of breast cancer based on data availabilities in low and middle income countries, and formulation of a control optimization problem to find the optimal screening schedule for mammography screening, solved using dynamic programming. As harms and benefits are known to increase with the …


Antipsychotic Drug Use And Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk In The Women’S Health Initiative (Whi): A Prospective Cohort Study, Anna George Jul 2019

Antipsychotic Drug Use And Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk In The Women’S Health Initiative (Whi): A Prospective Cohort Study, Anna George

Masters Theses

Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer and the second leading cause of mortality, affecting 1 in 9 women in the United States. Recent studies have shown that antipsychotic drug use is associated with increased prolactin levels, which, in turn, is associated with increased risk of breast cancer. However, studies of the association between antipsychotic drug use and the risk of breast cancer are sparse and have largely been conducted in homogenous populations. Therefore, we evaluated this relationship in postmenopausal women (N = 119 524) in a diverse population of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) cohort. Antipsychotic drug …


Investigations Of The Role Of Acculturation In Cancer Screening And Phthalates In Breast Cancer Risk And Weight And Body Mass Index Change, Mary V. Diaz Santana Jul 2018

Investigations Of The Role Of Acculturation In Cancer Screening And Phthalates In Breast Cancer Risk And Weight And Body Mass Index Change, Mary V. Diaz Santana

Doctoral Dissertations

INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ROLE OF ACCULTURATION IN CANCER SCREENING AND PHTHALATES IN BREAST CANCER RISK AND WEIGHT AND BODY MASS INDEX CHANGE MAY 2018 MARY V. DIAZ SANTANA, B.S., UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO RIO PIEDRAS CAMPUS M.S., UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO MEDICAL SCIENCE CAMPUS Ph.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Katherine Reeves Phthalates, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, are hypothesized to increase obesity and, as a result, risk of obesity-related cancers, such as breast cancer. However, findings are not consistent across studies. Identifying whether phthalates impact obesity is critical for understanding the pathways by which phthalates may affect cancer risk. Experimental …


The Effects Of Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms And Changes In Anthropometry On Breast Cancer Etiology, Victoria Hart Mar 2015

The Effects Of Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms And Changes In Anthropometry On Breast Cancer Etiology, Victoria Hart

Doctoral Dissertations

One of the strongest predictors of breast cancer risk is mammographic density; however, incomplete understanding of the mechanisms relating density to risk has limited its use as a marker for breast cancer susceptibility. Hormone fluctuations during the menopausal transition may influence declines in mammographic density and may also trigger the onset of menopausal vasomotor symptoms (VMS), which have been associated with lower breast cancer risk. The effects of hormone changes on density, VMS, and breast cancer risk are complicated by external factors such as changing body mass and hormone therapy use during the menopausal transition. We evaluated the association between …


Nutritional, Hormonal, And Psychological Risk Factors For Breast Cancer, Susan Nicole Boyer Brown Nov 2014

Nutritional, Hormonal, And Psychological Risk Factors For Breast Cancer, Susan Nicole Boyer Brown

Doctoral Dissertations

Over the course of a lifetime, one in eight women will develop breast cancer. To date, 30-40% of breast cancer cases can be attributed to established risk factors, which supports the need for identification of additional modifiable risk factors. Therefore, we conducted three epidemiologic studies to examine the associations between nutritional, hormonal, and psychological risk factors and breast cancer risk. In our first study, we examined the relationship between urinary melatonin levels and the risk of breast cancer in a nested-case control study within the Nurses’ Health Study II. While limited in some respects, experimental and epidemiologic evidence support the …