Mastectomy News and Research

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Mastectomy is surgery to remove the breast (or as much of the breast tissue as possible).

Women trust their own judgment when making breast cancer surgery-related decisions

A research team led by Breast Health Fellow Rebecca M. Kwait, MD, at The Breast Health Center at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital, recently presented research indicating that when faced with a decision on the type of surgery to have to remove breast cancer, more women trust their own judgment over the input of their surgeon and even their partner.

7 Jul 2016

Mastectomy followed by standard therapy improves survival in stage IV breast cancer patients

Surgery to remove the primary tumor in women diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, followed by the standard combination of therapies, adds months to the patients' lives, compared with standard therapy alone, an international clinical trial led by a University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute professor revealed.

4 Jun 2016

BRCA gene mutations raise risk of breast, ovarian and other cancers

BRCA Share, a public-private BRCA gene datashare initiative, today announced the public release of a large collection of new data on genetic variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

From Quest Diagnostics 2 Jun 2016

Denosumab drug that inhibits RANKL gene can prevent genetic breast cancer

An international team led by researchers at the Austrian Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna and the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore discovered that genetically determined breast cancer can be largely prevented by blocking a bone gene. An already approved drug could be quickly available and would then be the first breast cancer prevention drug.

1 Jun 2016

Patients undergoing breast cancer surgery with non-opiate anaesthesia may need less painkillers

New research presented at Euroanaesthesia 2016 shows that patients undergoing breast cancer surgery need less painkilling medication post-surgery if they have anaesthesia that is free of opioid drugs.

31 May 2016

Could whole-mount scanning of breast tissue lead to better clinical outcomes? An interview with Dr Martin Yaffe

We actually normally refer to this as whole-specimen imaging of breast tissue.

From Huron Digital Pathology 24 May 2016

Young breast cancer patients see body changes more positively after mastectomy treatment

BODY image identity varies among women who have undergone treatment for breast cancer with many rejecting mainstream body shape ideals, research shows.

4 May 2016

DIEP flap breast reconstruction improves long-term quality of life for breast cancer patients

For women who have undergone mastectomy for breast cancer, breast reconstruction using the abdominal "DIEP flap" provides good long-term quality of life (QOL)—similar to that of women without breast cancer, reports a study in the May issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

30 Apr 2016

New gene testing method can identify mutations, prioritize variants in breast and ovarian cancer genes

A research team led by an award-winning genomicist at Western University has developed a new method for identifying mutations and prioritizing variants in breast and ovarian cancer genes, which will not only reduce the number of possible variants for doctors to investigate, but also increase the number of patients that are properly diagnosed.

29 Apr 2016

Plastic surgeons develop new SADIE flap procedure to reconstruct breast after mastectomy

UT Southwestern Medical Center plastic surgeons have developed a new breast reconstruction technique that combines advantages of two different types of microsurgical procedures using abdominal and other tissue to reconstruct the breast after a mastectomy.

20 Apr 2016

Study links rise in double mastectomy to media coverage of celebrities with breast cancer

An increase in women with breast cancer choosing double mastectomy may be influenced by media coverage of celebrities, a new study finds.

20 Apr 2016

Delay in radiation therapy increases chances of DCIS recurrence in women

Delaying radiation therapy too long after surgery significantly increases the risk of recurrent tumors in women treated for very early, or what is referred to as "stage 0," breast cancer, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

19 Apr 2016

Neo-Bioscore staging system adds HER2 status for precise prognostic stratification of breast cancer subtypes

A new breast cancer staging system developed by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center finds that incorporating tumor biology is a critical prognostic indicator for women who undergo neoadjuvant, or pre-surgical, therapy for breast cancer.

18 Mar 2016

Use of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy tripled from 2002 to 2012 despite no survival benefit

The use of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM), the surgical removal of a breast unaffected by cancer as part of the course of treatment for breast cancer, has more than tripled from 2002 to 2012 despite evidence suggesting no survival benefit over breast conservation, according to a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital published in Annals of Surgery on March 11, 2016.

14 Mar 2016

Clinical review examines benefit of RT in breast cancer patients with BRCA1, BRCA2 mutations

In light of conflicting and inconclusive clinical data on the benefit of radiation therapy in cancer patients with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation, a clinical review examined the current status of data regarding BRCA1 and BRCA2 deficiency and radiation therapy sensitivity and a potential strategy to intensify the effects of radiation therapy (RT) by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi), the pharmacologic drugs under investigation as monotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer in patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

9 Mar 2016

CTRC study provides new insight into how Angelina Jolie gene functions in normal breast tissue

Scientists from the Cancer Therapy & Research Center in San Antonio today (March 4) published work that provides deeper insight into how the Angelina Jolie gene, BRCA1, functions in normal breast tissue and how its loss results in breast cancer.

7 Mar 2016

Ethnic minority women consider cancer as deadly and incurable, study finds

Women from ethnic minorities in the UK are more likely to believe that cancer is incurable and is down to fate than their white counterparts, according to a Cancer Research UK study published in the British Journal of Cancer today.

2 Mar 2016

Muscle-sparing abdominal flaps can reduce complications in women undergoing breast reconstruction

In women undergoing breast reconstruction using their own (autologous) tissue, newer "muscle-sparing" abdominal flaps can reduce complications while improving some aspects of quality of life, reports a study in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

27 Feb 2016

Genetic test use rises in young US breast cancer patients

BRCA testing is becoming more common in women diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 40 years in the USA, research shows, with concerns about genetic risk influencing surgical decisions.

18 Feb 2016

Lipofilling safe for breast reconstruction

For women undergoing breast cancer surgery, a technique called lipofilling—using the patient's own fat cells to optimize the results of breast reconstruction—does not increase the risk of recurrent breast cancer, reports a study in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

31 Jan 2016