Research

Gene search: Doctors at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center in Durham, N.C., are studying a technique that could spare women with breast cancer needless chemotherapy.

The technique, called gene expression profiling, subtypes breast cancer tumors by genetic defects so doctors can tailor treatment.

The technique could spare millions of women from receiving unnecessary chemotherapy, doctors at Duke believe.

"Currently, we have no predictive model to determine who will respond to hormonal therapies and who won't, so we prescribe chemotherapy as a backup measure to ensure the cancer's demise. This one-treatment-fits-all approach leads to a huge amount of overtreatment, with up to 50 percent of women unnecessarily receiving chemotherapy," said Dr. Matthew Ellis, director of the breast cancer program at Duke.

In the study, doctors will use gene chip technology to create a "fingerprint" of each tumor to predict whether it will respond to hormonal therapies. Women in the study will receive letrozole, a drug that inhibits estrogen, which fuels the growth of up to 80 percent of all breast cancers. Patients are being recruited in North Carolina, California and the Boston area.

Tips

Mall madness: Lauren Niemes, executive director of the Nutrition Council of Cincinnati, offers this advice for holiday shopping without the extra calories from the dreaded food court:

Eat before you shop.

Pack a healthful snack of trail mix, mixed nuts or fresh fruit to take along to the mall. You'll save calories and cash.

Start the trip with a lap or two around the mall, and you'll burn off some of the calories from last night's party.

Take your bags to the car after leaving each store. You'll lighten your load and increase your exercise.

Visit restaurants that offer fruit and salads.

Keep a bottle of water handy and you won't need to stop for a pop.

Instead of a coffee break, try hot tea: It's calorie-free.

For more ideas, call 621-3262 or visit www.nutritioncouncil.org.

Calendar

Program: Mamie Harris, founder and director of 4Charis, an AIDS testing and outreach center and ministry at Emmanuel's New Mount Zion Church in College Hill, will talk about the AIDS epidemic in Greater Cincinnati at 8 p.m. Thursday at God's Provisions, 7426 Montgomery Road in Silverton. Free. 794-0079.

Siting

Click: Check out www.iemily.com for a guide to teen girls' health. The site features information on nutrition, emotional and physical fitness and mind/body health.

Shelf help

How to: Blended Medicine (Rodale; $19.95) by Michael Castleman offers advice on how patients can combine mainstream and alternative medicine to get the best mix of health and healing.

Contact Peggy O'Farrell by phone, 768-8510; fax, 768-8330, or e-mail pofarrell@enquirer.com