A family history of breast cancer is the single best predictor of a health woman's risk of developing the disease. The long term objective of the proposed research is to investigate two possible pathways by which stress associated with this familial threat of breast cancer could further increase the health risks of these women: 1) Psychological factors (e.g., distress) may influence biological processes that play important roles in health and disease; 2) Fear and distress about breast cancer may influence women's decisions to engage in screening behaviors (e.g., mammography) that permit early detection and increase the likelihood of curative treatment. In addition, the project seeks to investigate the possibility that the consequences of stress associated with having a positive family history may be stronger in African American women, for whom the fear of developing breast cancer may be especially high. The proposed project has three aims. The first is to investigate the lasting psychological, biological, and behavioral consequences of having a family history of breast cancer. A naturalistic longitudinal study is proposed, in which 100 health women with family histories of breast cancer (Risk Group) and 100 with no cancer in first degree relatives (Comparison Group) will be assessed on three separate days approximately a month apart. Half of the women in each group will be African American and half will be white.
Specific Aim 2 is to examine psychological and biological reactions to exposure to cues associated with the threat of breast cancer. An experimental study is proposed, in which 80 health women from each of the Groups in Study One will undergo assessments of psychological, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and immune variables before and after exposure to breast-cancer specific cues. Again, half of the women in each Group will be African American and half white.
Specific Aim 3 is to explore the impact of women's negative emotional reactions to the threat of breast cancer screening guidelines. The data from the naturalistic and experimental studies will be combined to investigate the possibility that strong stress reactions to the threat of cancer may inhibit breast cancer screening behaviors.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01CA072457-05
Application #
6137579
Study Section
Behavioral Medicine Study Section (BEM)
Program Officer
Mc Donald, Paige A
Project Start
1997-03-01
Project End
2002-12-31
Budget Start
2000-01-04
Budget End
2002-12-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2000
Total Cost
$421,119
Indirect Cost
Name
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
078861598
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10029
James, Gary D; Bovbjerg, Dana H; Hill, Leah A (2016) Ethnic differences in inter- and intra-situational blood pressure variation: Comparisons among African-American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American, and European-American women. Am J Hum Biol 28:932-935
James, Gary D; Bovbjerg, Dana H; Hill, Leah A (2015) Daily environmental differences in blood pressure and heart rate variability in healthy premenopausal women. Am J Hum Biol 27:136-8
Van Berge-Landry, Helene M; Bovbjerg, Dana H; James, Gary D (2010) The reproducibility of ethnic differences in the proportional awake-sleep blood pressure decline among women. Am J Hum Biol 22:325-9
van Berge-Landry, Helene M; Bovbjerg, Dana H; James, Gary D (2008) Relationship between waking-sleep blood pressure and catecholamine changes in African-American and European-American women. Blood Press Monit 13:257-62
James, Gary D; Gastrich, Heidi J; Valdimarsdottir, Heiddis B et al. (2008) The rate of urinary cortisol excretion at work is persistently elevated in women at familial risk for breast cancer. Am J Hum Biol 20:478-80
Dettenborn, Lucia; James, Gary D; Britton, Julie A et al. (2008) Higher levels of central adiposity in healthy premenopausal women with family histories of premenopausal breast cancer. Am J Hum Biol 20:355-8
Wright, Caroline E; Erblich, Joel; Valdimarsdottir, Heiddis B et al. (2007) Poor sleep the night before an experimental stressor predicts reduced NK cell mobilization and slowed recovery in healthy women. Brain Behav Immun 21:358-63
Wright, Caroline E; Valdimarsdottir, Heiddis B; Erblich, Joel et al. (2007) Poor sleep the night before an experimental stress task is associated with reduced cortisol reactivity in healthy women. Biol Psychol 74:319-27
Dettenborn, Lucia; James, Gary D; Valdimarsdottir, Heiddis B et al. (2006) Breast cancer-specific intrusions are associated with increased cortisol responses to daily life stressors in healthy women without personal or family histories of breast cancer. J Behav Med 29:477-85
Dettenborn, Lucia; James, Gary D; van Berge-Landry, Helene et al. (2005) Heightened cortisol responses to daily stress in working women at familial risk for breast cancer. Biol Psychol 69:167-79

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