In Brief

Extract

Ovary Removal Linked to Higher Death Rates

Premenopausal women who have had their ovaries removed but do not receive adequate hormone replacement therapy have a higher risk of death from several causes, a study shows.

Walter Rocca, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues monitored 1,293 premenopausal women who had one ovary removed, 1,093 premenopausal women who both ovaries removed, and 2,390 controls. The authors found that premenopausal women who had their ovaries removed and did not receive adequate hormone therapy had an increased risk of death from hormone-related cancers and brain or cardiovascular disease. The risk became evident only 10 or more years after the procedure.

The study was published in the October issue of Lancet Oncology .

Study Identifies Genes Associated With Prostate Cancer Risk in African American Men

Several regions of the human genome probably contain genes that, when altered, are linked to prostate cancer risk in African Americans, according to a study from 12 research centers.