Breast Cancer News and Research

Latest Breast Cancer News and Research

Elderly women with early-stage breast cancer live longer with radiation therapy and surgery

Elderly women with early-stage breast cancer live longer with radiation therapy and surgery compared with surgery alone, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have found.

30 Oct 2012

Social factors might explain racial and ethnic disparities in breast tumor aggressiveness

Racial and ethnic disparities in breast tumor aggressiveness might be explained by social factors that influence the developing tumor and place those in disadvantaged groups at higher risk for aggressive breast cancer, according to data presented at the Fifth AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities, held here Oct. 27-30, 2012.

30 Oct 2012

Low-dose radiation PCT developed for breast screening

US researchers have developed a high-resolution, low-dose phase contrast X-ray tomography for diagnosis of breast cancers that delivers a 74% reduced radiation dose compared with conventional PCT.

29 Oct 2012

Botanical treatment holds hope for triple-negative breast cancer

A unique formula made from medicinal mushrooms, traditional Chinese herbs and other natural ingredients inhibits aggressive, human triple-negative breast cancer and breast-to-lung metastasis in mice. This is the third peer-reviewed study to demonstrate the botanical formula's anticancer effects.

29 Oct 2012

AstraZeneca commences FASLODEX Phase III study for hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer

AstraZeneca today announced the start of a Phase III study (FALCON), a global clinical trial which will involve 450 postmenopausal patients with hormone receptor-positive locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have not previously been treated with any hormonal therapy. The Phase III study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of fulvestrant 500 mg compared to anastrozole 1 mg in this patient population.

29 Oct 2012

Nonclinical data on Provectus PV-10 oncology drug presented at 27th SITC

Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development-stage oncology and dermatology biopharmaceutical company, presented nonclinical data on PV-10 at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 27th Annual Meeting on October 26 and 27, 2012 in North Bethesda, MD.

29 Oct 2012

Tumor count in the breast an important consideration for providing radiation therapy

Not all women diagnosed with operable breast cancer present with a single tumor; some have multifocal disease appear in the breast, which means multiple tumors found in the same breast quadrant, while others have multicentric disease, where multiple tumors are found in separate breast quadrants. Multifocal or multicentric disease is not a standard indication to receive radiation after mastectomy. For patients who undergo lumpectomy, radiation dose and extent is not altered based on multifocal or multicentric disease compared to patients presenting with a single tumor.

29 Oct 2012

Living examples of hope and determination against cancer

Their battle with cancer is not the only thing that unites the Labrada sisters of Houston who are now cancer-free and strong advocates for women taking charge of their bodies.

29 Oct 2012

Alternate method to precisely tag breast cancer tumors

When surgeons operate to remove a tumor, determining exactly where to cut can be tricky. Ideally, the entire tumor should be removed while leaving a continuous layer of healthy tissue, but current techniques for locating the tumors during surgery are imprecise. Now a multidisciplinary team from the University of California, San Diego, is developing an alternate means of precisely tagging breast cancer tumors for removal or targeted destruction.

29 Oct 2012

Triapine shows promise in treating breast cancer

Students at Tennessee Tech University are developing and testing a series of chemical compounds that show promise of stopping cancer in its tracks.

29 Oct 2012

Data shows association between increased weight and breast cancer survival varies by race/ethnicity

An extreme body mass index or high waist-to-hip ratio, both measures of body fat, increased risk for mortality among patients with breast cancer, but this association varied by race/ethnicity, according to recently presented data.

29 Oct 2012

Non-Hispanic black women more likely to die from breast cancer

Non-Hispanic black women diagnosed with breast cancer, specifically those with estrogen receptor-positive tumors, are at a significantly increased risk for breast cancer death compared with non-Hispanic white women.

29 Oct 2012

CTCtrap can capture circulating tumour cells in cancer patients

The 7.5 millilitres of blood contained in a standard sample tube is not nearly enough to detect circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in the blood of patients with metastatic breast cancer, prostate cancer, or colorectal cancer with a high enough degree of reliability. These CTCs are the cause of metastases in cancer patients. If they can be effectively characterized, it is possible to arrive at a prognosis and to determine the most effective course of treatment.

26 Oct 2012

Roundup: New laws on breast screening irk some doctors; Improved school meals cut obesity; More Coloradans use ER

In a sign of the improving national economy, Medicaid spending growth this year slowed to 2 percent as enrollment in the state-federal health insurance program for the poor also slowed for the third consecutive year, according to a report released Thursday. In 2011, Medicaid spending soared by nearly 10 percent, which helped put the entitlement program in the crosshairs of politicians looking to lower the federal deficit and ease pressure on state budgets.

26 Oct 2012

Exercise at home may relieve lymphedema in breast cancer

Women who complete an at-home exercise program designed to treat breast-cancer-related lymphedema have significantly reduced excess limb volume measurements after 6 months compared with their peers who undertake standard care alone, show study results.

25 Oct 2012

Study confirms Elf5 protein as tumor suppressor of breast cancer

A protein that is necessary for lactation in mammals inhibits the critical cellular transition that is an early indicator of breast cancer and metastasis, according to research conducted at the University at Buffalo and Princeton University and highlighted as the cover paper in November issue of Nature Cell Biology.

25 Oct 2012

Scientists develop new breast cancer screening method with less radiation

Scientists have developed a way to produce three-dimensional X-ray images of the breast at a radiation dose that is lower than the 2D radiography methods used in clinics today. The new method enables the production of 3D diagnostic computed tomography (CT) images with a spatial resolution 2-3 times higher than present hospital scanners, but with a radiation dose that is about 25 times lower.

25 Oct 2012

Review describes link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer

An excellent review article from two scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the USA to be published in Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2012, describes the epidemiologic and basic scientific evidence linking alcohol consumption to the risk of breast cancer.

24 Oct 2012

Combination of phase contrast tomography and EST can produce high-quality 3D breast images

Like cleaning the lenses of a foggy pair of glasses, scientists are now able to use a technique developed by UCLA researchers and their European colleagues to produce three-dimensional images of breast tissue that are two to three times sharper than those made using current CT scanners at hospitals. The technique also uses a lower dose of X-ray radiation than a mammogram.

23 Oct 2012

Full-body exercise and CDT best ways to minimize lymphedema

Nearly 40 percent of breast cancer survivors suffer from lymphedema, a chronic condition that causes body limbs to swell from fluid buildup, as a result of lymph node removal and radiation therapy.

23 Oct 2012