News in brief - Sept. 19, 2005

Herceptin linked to heart problems - 1 to 2 cups of coffee a day beneficial? - Brain blood flow could play a role in dementia

Herceptin linked to heart problems

The Food and Drug Administration notified physicians and others on Aug. 31 that analysis from data in a randomized phase III trial of the breast cancer drug Herceptin, or trastuzumab, uncovered a significant increase in heart problems among women who took the drug, compared with those who received chemotherapy alone.

A warning letter from the drug's maker, Genentech, posted on the FDA Web site, was sent to help with the early identification of cardiac toxicity, according to the company.

Preliminary analysis of safety data from the study revealed a statistically significant increase in the three-year cumulative incident of cardiotoxicity among the 1,019 women who took Herceptin, about 4%, compared with 0.8% among a similar number of controls.

Although there were no cardiac deaths among women taking Herceptin, there was one such death among the controls. The company said further analysis is ongoing.

Earlier results from randomized clinical trials showed that patients with early-stage HER-2 positive invasive breast cancer who received Herceptin in combination with chemotherapy had a significant decrease in risk for recurrence of their diseases, compared with patients who received only chemotherapy.

Approximately 20% to 30% of breast cancers produce too much of the HER-2 protein. These tumors tend to grow faster and are generally more likely to recur than are tumors that do not overexpress HER-2.

1 to 2 cups of coffee a day beneficial?

Coffee is the No. 1 source of antioxidants in the U.S. diet, according to research presented on Aug. 28 during the American Chemical Society's National Meeting held in Washington, D.C.

Researchers from the University of Scranton, in Pennsylvania, analyzed the antioxidant content of more than 100 different foods and compared them with a Dept. of Agriculture database on the contribution of each type of food item to the average estimated per capita consumption.

Coffee easily outranked tea, chocolate and cranberries, which are other popular antioxidant sources. Both caffeinated and decaf coffee appear to provide similar antioxidant levels.

Researchers did, however, recommend moderation. "One to two cups a day appear to be beneficial," said Joe Vinson, PhD, professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton. Plus, fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than coffee, he noted, and people don't eat enough of them.

Brain blood flow could play a role in dementia

The volume of blood flowing to the brain may play a significant role in the development of dementia, according to a paper in the September issue of Radiology.

Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to examine the brains of 17 people with late-onset dementia, 16 elderly people without dementia and 15 younger patients who were healthy. Those with dementia had significant damage to their brains as well as reduced blood flow.

The authors suggest that this further implicates cardiovascular health in the ability of the brain to function.

"Our findings not only support the hypothesis that vascular factors contribute to dementia in the elderly, they are highly suggestive that a diminished cerebral blood flow indeed causes brain damage," said Dr. Aart Spilt, lead author and a radiology resident at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands.