Assessing the risk of breast cancer

Re “The cure for what we don’t know,” Opinion, Nov. 27

Dr. Susan Love and Sue Rochman’s outstanding commentary omitted one essential fact. And that is that breast cancer, like colon cancer and some other cancers, has a family link. There is an increased risk of breast cancer in women whose close relatives (mothers, sisters) had breast cancer.

This is important because those women should be especially alert. In families with increased risk of breast cancer, genetic counselors are available at most major medical centers who can help evaluate individual risk and discuss strategies to possibly reduce that risk.

STEVEN B. OPPENHEIMER

Northridge

The writer is director of the Center for Cancer and Developmental Biology at Cal State Northridge.

*

I find it curious that those in the medical profession would summarily dismiss without further discussion the claim that red meat causes breast cancer. Although they recognize the likelihood of a correlation between the reduction of the widespread use of hormone replacement therapy and a slowdown in tumors, they apparently do not appreciate the deleterious effects of humans ingesting hormones through our meat and dairy supply.

The question posed should not be whether red meat causes breast cancer but whether hormone-laced red meat causes breast cancer. I am disheartened that those in the medical profession would not advise unsuspecting consumers to err on the side of caution and simply choose foods that do not have hormones added.

Enough already with pleas for more evidence and research. We should be adopting a better-safe-than-sorry approach and end our paralysis by analysis.

JILL CHAPIN

Santa Monica