Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Physical Activity And Breast Cancer In South Carolina, Chisom Onyeuku

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between breast cancer incidence and recreational physical activity. It was one of the first studies in the southeastern US to examine incident breast cancer and physical activity in an ethnically diverse cohort of women. In terms of physical activity, both lifetime and recent physical activity were analyzed. All physical activity data were from validated self-reported surveys. The study examined BMI, menopausal status and race as key confounders and effect modifiers. The study found evidence that for Black women, there was a positive relationship between the amount of lifetime physical activity and the odds of incident …

The Effects Of Ketorolac And Its Enantiomers On Breast Cancer Proliferation And Metastasis, Amanda Peretti

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in women. Advanced breast cancer can metastasize to the lungs, liver, bones and brain becoming fatal conditions for many patients. There is a dire need for metastasis preventing medications, however the process required for a medication to become FDA approved for clinical use is long and arduous. Studies have found promising benefits for breast cancer patients given ToradolTM, or racemic ketorolac, as an NSAID during resection surgery. However, long-term use of racemic ketorolac is not recommended. Currently FDA-approved for use in the racemic form, ketorolac has the potential to …

Targeting Oncogenic Mirnas With Small Molecules For Breast Cancer Therapy, Paloma Del C. Monroig

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

The crucial role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer pathobiology has driven the introduction of new drug development approaches such as miRNA inhibition. In order to advance miRNA-therapeutics, there is a need to develop screening strategies that can target tumors in a specific way. Small molecule inhibitors represent an attractive approach to pursue this. However, the absence of molecular structures for most of the miRNAs makes it very difficult to predict which inhibitors can bind to them. Herein we designed a strategy to screen for small molecules by assesing whether they could directly bind/ interact with miR-10b/miR-21. As part of our …

Obesity-Induced Inflammation In Human Mammary Tissue: A Potential Microenvironment Favorable To The Development Of Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Via The Wnt Signaling Pathway, Agathe A. Roubert

Masters Theses

In the United States, over one third of adult women are obese, and one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer and is associated with increased aggressiveness and poor prognosis regardless of menopausal status. However, the mechanisms involved in the relationship between obesity and breast cancer are still not fully understood. Wnt signaling is often elevated in breast tumors (~60%) and is suspected to play a key role in cancer development. It has been shown that inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-1β, …

Interpretation Of Mutations, Expression, Copy Number In Somatic Breast Cancer: Implications For Metastasis And Chemotherapy, Stephanie Dorman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Breast cancer (BC) patient management has been transformed over the last two decades due to the development and application of genome-wide technologies. The vast amounts of data generated by these assays, however, create new challenges for accurate and comprehensive analysis and interpretation. This thesis describes novel methods for fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), and next generation DNA- and RNA-sequencing, to improve upon current approaches used for these technologies. An ab initio algorithm was implemented to identify genomic intervals of single copy and highly divergent repetitive sequences that were applied to FISH and aCGH probe design. FISH …

The Role Of Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element Binding Protein-2 (Cpeb-2) In Breast Cancer, Asma Hasan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Over-expression of inflammation associated enzyme cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 promotes breast cancer progression, metastasis and sustains cancer stem-like cells (SLCs) by activating prostaglandin E₂ receptor EP4. Two COX-2 induced oncogenic miRNAs, miR-655 and miR-526b, target and down-regulate the cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein (CPEB)-2. Hypothesis: Down-regulation of CPEB2 promotes an aggressive breast cancer phenotype through SLC induction and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). We found that high COX-2/miRNA expressing cell lines MDAMB231 and MCF7-COX-2 had significantly lower expression of CPEB2 than MCF7 cells (low COX-2/miRNA). CPEB2 knockdown in CPEB2-high MCF7 cell line resulted in increased migratory and invasive capacity in …

Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation Reduces The Incidence Of Brain Metastasis In A Mouse Model Of Metastatic Breast Cancer, Daniel L. Smith

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is a preventative whole-brain irradiation technique used to reduce the incidence of brain metastasis and improve overall survival in select patients with small cell lung cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A population of breast cancer patients – stage IV, HER2+ or triple-negative – has emerged as having a high risk of developing brain metastases. Because only 10-20% of breast cancer patients diagnosed with brain metastases survive longer than one year, in this high-risk population the benefit of PCI – potential for reduced incidence of brain metastasis and improved overall survival – may outweigh the risks – …

Numerical Simulation Of Terahertz Wave Interaction With Breast Cancer Tumor Tissue Sections, Abayomi Omotola Omolewu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents numerical simulation of terahertz (THz) wave interaction with breast cancer tumor tissue sections. The obtained results are expressed in THz images of heterogeneous material that mimics the excised breast cancer tissue sections. The finite-element software package ANSYS High Frequency Structural Simulator (HFSS) was used in this work. HFSS is a full wave frequency domain three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic simulation package. In this work, four breast cancer tissue models based on pathology images were simulated and images of the models were obtained at 1 THz. An incident Gaussian beam was raster scanned over tissue model configurations and the reflected …

The Role Of Bone-Derived Osteopontin In The Migration And Stem-Like Behavior Of Breast Cancer Cells, Graciella Pio

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The majority of breast cancer deaths occur due to metastasis, with the most common site of breast cancer metastasis being bone. Previous work in our laboratory has established that stem-like breast cancer cells with high aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity and expression of a CD44⁺CD24^- phenotype have enhanced metastatic capacity. This study tested the hypothesis that bone-derived osteopontin (OPN) promotes the migration and stem-like behavior of breast cancer cells. We demonstrate that bone- derived OPN promotes migration, tumorsphere-forming ability and colony-forming ability of whole population and ALDH^hiCD44⁺CD24^- breast cancer cells in bone marrow- …

Cancer Incidence In First And Second Degree Relatives Of Brca1 And Brca2 Mutation Carriers, Haley Streff

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes are associated with increased risks for breast, ovarian, and several other cancers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of cancers in first and second degree relatives of BRCA mutation carriers compared to the general population. A total of 1086 pedigrees of BRCA mutation carriers were obtained from a prospectively maintained, internal review board approved study of persons referred for clinical genetic counseling at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. We identified 9032 first and second degree relatives from 784 pedigrees which demonstrated a clear indication of parental …

How Women Use Art And Art Therapy To Cope With Breast Cancer: A Systematic Exploration Of Published Literature, Diana C. Barnes

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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 …

Is Tamoxifen Prophylaxis Effective In Reducing The Incidence Of Breast Cancer In Women Who Are At High Risk?, Maria Deveau

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this EBM review is to determine whether or not Tamoxifen prophylaxis is effective in reducing the incidence of breast cancer in woman who are at high risk.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language primary studies published from 2005 to 2007.

DATA SOURCE: Three double-blind randomized control trials found using the PubMed and Cochrane database.

OUTCOME MEASURED: The primary outcome by all three studies included incidence of breast cancer.

RESULTS: Three double- blind randomized controlled trials were included in this review. Study by Powles et al showed statistically significant reduction in the incidents of breast cancer …

Mri As An Adjunct To Conventional Mammography Screening For Cancer In Dense Breast Tissue, Rachel Sunmattie Connett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diagnostic methods to effectively image dense breast tissue (DBT) can pose challenges for breast cancer screening. While conventional mammography is the gold standard for breast cancer screening, this technique has a low sensitivity to DBT and can miss about 78% of cancers in DBT, but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a high sensitivity for imaging DBT, and produces a smaller number of false positives. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which conventional mammograms can miss breast cancer in women with DBT and to determine if an adjunct method of imaging DBT might detect breast cancers …

Exploiting Novel Interactions With Parp1 In Dna Repair Proficient Human Breast Cancers, Jennifer Anne Stanley

All ETDs from UAB

Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed cancer amongst women worldwide. Despite advances in treatment, patients with more aggressive basal-like and HER2-positive cancer experience high rates of recurrence and necessitate novel therapeutic approaches. A class of inhibitors targeted against poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARP), important DNA repair proteins, are effective in cancers with a defective DNA repair response. As such, extensive preclinical and clinical research has examined their efficacy in these cancers. Although this data is promising, it is only applicable to a lim-ited patient population. The main goal of this dissertation is to expand the utility of these well-tolerated drugs …

Factors That Influence Breast Cancer Diagnoses In Virginia Women 40-64 Years Old Who Utlized The Every Woman’S Life Program 1998-2012, Melanie C. Dempsey

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines sociodemographic determinants and preventive health behaviors among women 40-64 years of age who participated in the Virginia Department of Health’s Every Woman’s Life breast cancer screening program. Utilizing secondary data, this research sought to explore patterns of breast cancer incidence, mammography screening utilization and sources of health information among low-income women.

The Virginia Department of Health provided a large sample size (N=34,942) on which to perform binary logistic regression analyses. Sociodemographic determinants and preventive health behaviors were analyzed as potential influencing factors in the diagnosis of breast cancer, the stage at the time of diagnosis and source …

"Bent But Not Broken": A Mixed Methods Study Of Mothering During Chemotherapy For Breast Cancer, Julie A. Baltisberger

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis of women, with an estimated 232,670 new cases in 2014. With 89.2% of breast cancer patients surviving five years or longer, studies are needed to investigate the long-term impact of breast cancer on women and families (National Cancer Institute, 2014).

The purpose of this study was to examine, using a mixed methods approach, the impact of chemotherapy on mothering occupations for patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Thirty-one women (mean age=39.6, SD=5.79), with breast cancer of any stage, who were currently undergoing chemotherapy and had at least one child under the age of …

Saying ‘No’: A Biographical Analysis Of The Experiences Of Women With A Genetic Predisposition To Developing Breast/Ovarian Cancer Who Reject Risk Reducing Surgery, Doreen Molloy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Background: Genetic technologies have identified some of the genes implicated in cancer susceptibility. Women with mutations in breast/ovarian cancer-susceptibility genes (BRCA1 and 2) have a lifetime combined risk of breast/ovarian cancer of more than 80%. Risk reducing surgery (RRS) reduces cancer risk by as much as 90% in high risk populations. Despite this, some BRCA1/2 mutation-positive women say no to RRS.

Purpose: To illuminate an understanding of why women at high risk of developing breast/ovarian cancer say no to risk reducing surgery (RRS).

Design: Denzin’s (1989) interpretive biography was combined with Dolby-Stahl’s (1985) literary folkloristic methodology to provide a contextualised …

Improving Understanding Of Colorectal Cancer Screening Decisional Conflict And Breast Cancer Survivorship Care, Kara P. Wiseman

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Behavioral interventions and evidence based guidelines along the cancer control continuum can reduce the burden of cancer.

Objectives: This dissertation aims to increase our understanding of colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) decisional conflict and breast cancer survivorship care. This project: 1) assesses CRCS decisional conflict in a general population, 2) uses the Theory of Triadic Influence to model and evaluate direct and indirect associations between CRCS decisional conflict and colonoscopy adherence, 3) assesses post-treatment breast cancer care.

Methods: Data from a questionnaire administered to randomly selected adults, 50-75 years, living in six MN communities (N=1,268) and the 2010 Behavioral Risk …