More women with early-stage cancer in one breast are deciding to have preventive surgery to remove the other, cancer-free breast, say researchers in a new study published in JAMA Surgery.

The scientists looked at data from more than 1.2 million women age 20 and older who had been diagnosed with invasive cancer in one breast. One-third of those patients between ages 20 and 44 chose a preventive mastectomy in 2012, up from 10 percent eight years earlier. There was a similar increase among women age 45 and over, but that group is less likely women to undergo the procedure.

It's not known what exactly is driving the increase — data on whether preventive mastectomies actually provide health benefits is scant — but one factor may be heightened use of genetic testing to identify patients at high risk of developing breast cancer.

Body Of Knowledge

For most of us, our eye color never changes, but in a small percentage of adults, coloration can become noticeably darker or lighter due to changing amounts of the pigment melanin over time. Some ocular diseases, such as pigmentary glaucoma, can change color, as can traumatic eye injury. (The late rock star David Bowie had one hazel-colored eye and one blue-colored eye, which he attributed to a blow to the head as a child.) Genetics is another reason: Between 10 and 15 percent of people experience inherited gradual changes in eye color.

Get Me That, Stat!

The average age of a working scientist is increasing. In 1993, according to a recent study, it was 45 years old; in 2010, it was approaching 49. The reason, say researchers, is partly the consequence of an aging baby boomer generation and partly the result of a 1994 law barring university professors from being forced into retirement.

Life in Big Macs

One hour of general aerobic exercise burns 446 calories (based on a 150-pound person) or the equivalent of 0.6 Big Macs with cheese.

Counts

87: Cost, in millions of dollars, that the state of Michigan has agreed to pay to identify and replace thousands of unsafe water lines in the city of Flint, where residents are plagued by contaminated water

Source: STAT

Doc Talk

FLK: funny-looking kid

Phobia Of The Week

Myxophobia: fear of slime, also known as blennophobia

Never Say Diet

The Major League Eating record for horseshoe sandwiches (a Midwestern specialty consisting of open-faced toast topped with a hamburger patty, French fries and cheese sauce) is 6 pounds, 5 ounces in 12 minutes, held by Joey Chestnut.

Best Medicine

Two cows are standing in a field.

One cow says to the other: "So what do you think of mad cow disease?"

The other cow replies, "'I dunno. I'm a chicken."'

Observation

"My doctor is nice; every time I see him, I'm ashamed of what I think of doctors in general."

—American author Mignon McLaughlin (1913-1983)

Medical History

This week in 1954, mass testing of the Salk polio vaccine began, involving 1.8 million children.

Self-Exam

Q: What is the average age of a human fat cell?

A: 10 years

Medical Myths

You can't burn off fat... at least not in the sense that fat cells actually disappear. From birth through your early 20s, the number of fat cells in your body increases, but after that it remains static. Fat cells that die are replaced, but the total number doesn't increase. When you lose weight by burning more energy than consuming, you're shrinking those fat cells (as they are drained of lipids for energy), but you don't lose them entirely.

Curtain Calls

Major League Baseball player Len Koenecke (1904-1935) played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants, but is better remembered for his final out.

Koenecke had a serious drinking problem, which became so bad that he was cut from the Dodgers in the middle of a road trip in 1935. After drinking a quart of whiskey, Koenecke took a commercial flight home, during which he became belligerent and was finally shackled to his seat by the plane's crew.

At the next stop, Koenecke was left behind. He chartered a plane to Buffalo, but got into a dispute with the pilots during the flight and ultimately attempted to take control of the aircraft. They responded by hitting him on the head with a fire extinguisher, causing a fatal cerebral hemorrhage. The two pilots were charged with manslaughter, but found not guilty.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.