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Patients having stray tumor cells in the blood should receive aggressive treatment

The presence of circulating tumor cells in the blood appears to have no relationship to survival in women who have just been diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, according to new research from Fox Chase Cancer Center.

9 Dec 2011

Sebelius overrules FDA on 'morning after' pill's OTC availability

The decision to keep the contraceptive pill "Plan B" behind the counter could shield the Obama administration from a bruising battle with conservatives but comes at the expense of liberal groups who are "shocked" at the decision.

9 Dec 2011

Initial results from whole-genome sequencing trial for triple negative breast cancer

Initial results from an ongoing clinical trial, the first designed to examine the utility of whole-genome sequencing for triple negative breast cancer, were reported today during the CRTC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

9 Dec 2011

VDF, CDC and VDC to educate women about gender-specific DVT risks

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot in the deep veins in the legs. These clots can break loose and travel to the lungs, causing a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism (PE). Even when they don't, they can cause permanent damage to the leg veins that results in long-term pain, swelling, and disability of the leg.

9 Dec 2011

Ovary removal in younger women may lead to low-bone mineral density, arthritis

Having both ovaries removed before age 45 is strongly associated with low-bone mineral density and arthritis in later years, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins oncologists and epidemiologists. The analysis covered several thousand women who took part in a U.S. government-sponsored, multiyear national health study, and excluded women whose ovaries were removed due to cancer.

9 Dec 2011

Women with non-melanoma skin cancers more likely to have smoked cigarettes

Women who have non-melanoma skin cancers are more likely to have smoked cigarettes compared to women without skin cancer, said researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., who published study results in a recent issue of Cancer Causes & Control.

9 Dec 2011

Binge drinking linked to risk of sexual victimization among freshman women

Many young women who steer clear of alcohol while they're in high school may change their ways once they go off to college. And those who take up binge drinking may be at relatively high risk of sexual assault, according to a study in the January issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

9 Dec 2011

Forbes interviews Sarah Brown about her work in maternal, child health advocacy

Sarah Brown, international advocate for global maternal and newborn health and wife of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, answers questions about her work from Forbes contributor Rahim Kanani in this interview excerpt.

9 Dec 2011

Breakfast cereals high in sugars: Report

In a new report by the Environmental Working Group, 84 popular brands of breakfast cereals were reviewed. The report suggested that many of these contain a high amount of sugar.

8 Dec 2011

Breast cancer risks and management updates

A new report that looks at the environmental factors that affect risk of breast cancer is out. It suggests that women can reduce their risk by avoiding unnecessary medical radiation, forgoing hormone treatments for menopause that combine estrogen and progestin, limiting alcohol intake and minimizing weight gain.

8 Dec 2011

Sebelius overturns FDA on morning after pill access

The Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius this Wednesday has overturned the Food and Drug Administration's plan to remove the age limit on who can buy Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd's Plan B One-Step pill – commonly known as the “morning after pill” without a prescription.

8 Dec 2011

Women face disproportionately high risks from climate change, UNEP report says

"Women, particularly those living in mountain regions in developing countries, are facing disproportionately high risks to their livelihoods and health from climate change, as well as associated risks such as human trafficking, according to a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)," released at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, the UNEP News Centre reports.

8 Dec 2011

Young women who binge drink are at high risk of sexual assault

Many young women who steer clear of alcohol while they're in high school may change their ways once they go off to college. And those who take up binge drinking may be at relatively high risk of sexual assault, according to a University at Buffalo-led study in the January issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

8 Dec 2011

Study raises questions about breast cancer therapy

The study, which looked at Medicare records of more than 130,000 women, found that those who underwent the faster treatment, called brachytherapy, were about twice as likely to have a mastectomy in the following five years -

8 Dec 2011

Zoledronic acid increases bone mineral density, reduces recurrence in postmenopausal breast cancer

The addition of zoledronic acid to adjuvant endocrine therapy increased bone mineral density and reduced the risk for disease recurrence among postmenopausal women with early hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, according to new data from the ZO-FAST trial.

8 Dec 2011

Ixabepilone-sunitinib combination holds potential against chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer

The use of two drugs never tried in combination before in ovarian cancer resulted in a 70 percent destruction of cancer cells already resistant to commonly used chemotherapy agents, say researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

8 Dec 2011

Combination of two anti-estrogen drugs extends survival time of women with breast cancer

Post-menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer may have a new treatment option that could lengthen their lives, according to results of a study by the SWOG clinical trials network that were presented at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

8 Dec 2011

Adjuvant zoledronic acid shows promise against ER-positive premenopausal breast cancer

Researchers have proven the continuing effectiveness of treating patients with estrogen receptor-positive premenopausal breast cancer with adjuvant zoledronic acid in addition to adjuvant endocrine treatment including ovarian function suppression.

8 Dec 2011

African American women are less psychologically affected by being overweight

While all obese women are less satisfied with the weight-related quality of their lives than women of 'normal' weight, black women report a higher quality of life than white women of the same weight. In addition, black women appear to be more concerned about the physical limitations resulting from their obesity, than by the potential psychological consequences of being overweight or obese.

8 Dec 2011

Notch inhibitor appears to treat breast cancer

In a novel therapeutic approach to treating breast cancer, Loyola University Medical Center researchers are reporting positive results from a clinical trial of a drug that targets tumor stem cells.

8 Dec 2011