Diet May Reduce Breast Cancer Return

[Guest guest]

The first experiment to show that low-fat diets could help

prevent a return of breast cancer reveals, after longer follow-up,

that the benefit was almost exclusively to women whose tumor

growth was not driven by hormones.

To get the full story, click here:

http://www.informationonbreastcancer.info/breast-cancer.htm

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[Guest guest]

A quote from the article that shows the difference between relative

and absolute statistics:

" Five years later, cancer had returned in 9.8 percent of the diet

group and 12.4 percent of those on standard diets, which translated

to a modest 24 percent lower risk for the group as a whole.

But the result barely reached statistical significance, meaning the

difference almost could have occurred by chance alone. The new

results, with longer follow-up, put the difference for the overall

group at 21 percent and even weaker statistically. "

Now wouldn't you consider a 24% or even a 21% lower risk

significent? Those are relative statistics and according to the

article " barely reached statistical significance " That is a 2.6%

absolute benefit.

After reading the research on Herceptin it turns out that the 50%

relative lowered risk for Her2 positive women, taking Herceptin

after chemo therapy, translates into a 5.5% absolute benefit as far

as lower risk is concerned. My what one does learn about treatments

with a little research! Statistics can be manipulated any way the

study coordinator or pharmacutical company wishes, by using relative

statistics, to benefit the powers that be and that is not

necessarily us! Cancer is big business with big profits and

sometimes I think we, and our quality of life, get lost in the

equation!

Ruth

>

> The first experiment to show that low-fat diets could help

>

> prevent a return of breast cancer reveals, after longer follow-up,

>

> that the benefit was almost exclusively to women whose tumor

>

> growth was not driven by hormones.

>

> To get the full story, click here:

> http://www.informationonbreastcancer.info/breast-cancer.htm

>

>

>

> __________________________________________________

>