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A new guideline issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) suggests that women can wait three to five years in between Pap tests, which detect signs of abnormalities, including those induced by the human papillomavirus (HPV), the Washington Post reported.... Full Story

The study, which was published in Nature Cell Biology, looked at laboratory mice who had their Elf5 removed, and found that not only were the animals unable to make milk, but the cells in the mammary glands also began to resemble stem cells, which is usually a sign of cancer.

"We found that when Elf5 levels are low or absent, epithelial cells become more like stem cells, morphing into mesenchymal cells, changing their shape and appearance and migrating elsewhere in the body. This is how cancer spreads," said study author Satrajit Sinha, Ph.D.

The researchers reported that these findings may be useful in treating and diagnosing breast cancer and possibly other forms of cancer. According to Dr. Sinha, one useful way to utilize the research is to mimic the repressive effects of Elf5 in a manufactured drug. The researchers are currently mapping the activity of the molecule to see how it operates in a larger bodily system.

Breast cancer statistics... Full Story