Campus Chronicle

Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: Pulse

Dr. Ralph

Is Endometrial Cancer hereditary?

Yes, but only for women who carry the nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) genetic abnormality, which is not the majority of the population. This genetic abnormality can be tested for!

Endometrial cancer is primarily a postmenopausal disease and is strongly affected by hormones. Increased risk is found in women who have used estrogen replacement therapy for symptoms of menopause for five years or more (however, the addition of progesterone negates this increased risk); women taking tamoxifen or similar drugs for breast cancer; beginning menses at an early age and beginning menopause at a late age; obesity; women with polycystic ovarian disease; women who have never had children.

Decreased risk is found in women who use combination oral contraceptive medications for more than four years, have diets low in saturated fat and high in fruits, vegetables and soy products and who breastfeed their children.

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Dr. George

My mom swears that if you eat chocolate, you'll break out. However, my friends believe that you can eat chocolate as long as you wash your hands before you touch your face. Which is it?

In a word, neither. Chocolate, along with pizza, potato chips, coca cola and dairy products have all been foods wrongfully blamed for acne. In addition, stress and masturbation are fault-free. (Only bad eyesight and growing hair on your palms are known to result from too much masturbation.) Dirt has been wrongfully blamed as well; however, that doesn't mean it isn't a good idea to wash your face twice a day with soap and water.

Acne is caused by hormonal changes producing overly active sebaceous glands blocked by dead skin cells deep below the surface of the skin. The trapped sebum, the fatty substance secreted by the sebaceous glands, will either break down into its component fatty acids or become infected by a number of bacteria. Both produce inflammation with resultant redness, swelling and pain (i.e. "zits").

Evidence for the hormonal association is the universal onset of acne at adolescence and changes in severity of acne during pregnancy, nursing and even during a woman's menstrual cycle.

And I lied about the masturbation stuff. Rock on.

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Dr. Ralph and Dr. George are Emergency Room physicians with the University of Illinois at Chicago's Medical Center.

As with all medical advice, consult your physician before beginning any regimen or if symptoms persist for more than five days

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