Breast Cancer News and Research

Latest Breast Cancer News and Research

Can strength-training exercises reduce or prevent lymphedema symptoms in breast cancer?

In a novel research study to begin this week at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor in Epidemiology, will help to determine the extent to which a slowly progressive program of strength-training exercises is safe for breast cancer survivors with and without symptoms of lymphedema.

25 Oct 2005

Early diagnosis guarantees therapeutic success in breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common tumour amongst the female population. In recent years its prevalence has increased considerably without the reasons thereof being very clear, although lifestyle changes such as first pregnancy taking place at a later age or the reduction in the period of breast-feeding may play an important role.

25 Oct 2005

Cholesterol levels and use of statins are not associated with breast cancer risk

Although some evidence suggests that statins (the most commonly used type of lipid-lowering drugs) may inhibit tumor development and may work in combination with chemotherapy drugs against cancer, studies on the association between the use of statins and breast cancer have had conflicting results

25 Oct 2005

Physical and emotional impact of breast cancer

The psychological and physical effects of breast cancer are being examined in a first-time study that tracks women in the first five years following their diagnosis.

25 Oct 2005

Women satisfied with contralateral prophylactic mastectomy

Mayo Clinic researchers report that most women who have a contralateral (opposite to cancerous breast) prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) are satisfied and would elect this procedure again. Satisfaction with CPM was studied an average of 10 years after the procedure was done. The findings were published online Oct. 3 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

24 Oct 2005

New website in Ontario gives info on hospital waiting lists for surgery

In a new initiative patients in Ontario, Canada can now gain information on waiting times for key surgical procedures from a government website designed to track access to various health services.

24 Oct 2005

Survival benefits of longer-term tamoxifen use may take years to appear

The survival benefits of longer-term therapy using tamoxifen may take at least nine years to develop, according to a new study published in the December 1, 2005 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

24 Oct 2005

Women on breast cancer treatment opt for injections to curb hot flashes

Apparently, given a choice, many breast cancer patients using hormone therapies such as Tamoxifen to cut the risk of recurrence, would opt for pills rather than injections.

24 Oct 2005

New treatments suggest that cancer is on the run!

People suffering from cancer will be encouraged by a cluster of recent reports on successful new treatments for several different forms of cancer.

24 Oct 2005

Testosterone may improve women's sex lives after menopause

The addition of testosterone to hormone therapy in women after menopause enhances their sexual function. However, it may also reduce HDL cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol) in women, according to a systematic review of current evidence.

23 Oct 2005

Breast cancer drug Herceptin a 'stunner'

According to the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) the first trials of the breast cancer drug, Herceptin, tested on women with early stage disease are "simply stunning".

20 Oct 2005

Distress caused by hot flushes seriously under-played

A study by UK researchers of over 200 breast cancer patients receiving hormone treatments such as tamoxifen has found that nearly two-thirds would prefer to take a tablet daily and around a quarter would prefer a monthly injection, given that both treatments would be equally effective and have similar side-effects.

19 Oct 2005

Herceptin results "quite remarkable"

The targeted drug trastuzumab, or Herceptin, previously shown to prolong survival in advanced breast cancer, dramatically reduced the chances of recurrence in patients with early-stage disease when given for one year following standard chemotherapy.

19 Oct 2005

Herceptin therapy highly superior to standard breast cancer treatment

In a joint paper, co-authored by Mayo Clinic's Edith Perez, M.D., and Edward Romond, M.D., of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), researchers report complete and combined results of two trials comparing adjuvant chemotherapy with or without concurrent trastuzumab treatment in women with surgically removed HER2-positive breast cancer.

19 Oct 2005

Majority of women with breast cancer do not need chemotherapy

Researchers are now saying that chemotherapy with drugs called aromatase inhibitors is unnecessary after lumpectomy, radiation and 5 years of Tamoxifen, for the vast majority of women with breast cancer.

19 Oct 2005

Court victory means breast cancer drug Herceptin will be available to more women

The court victory of British woman Barbara Clark to be treated with the breast cancer drug Herceptin, means that now more than 100 breast cancer patients in Cornwall and Devon could soon be prescribed the drug.

19 Oct 2005

Access to genetic counseling and testing are an important part of cancer control

Ten years after the identification of the first breast cancer susceptibility genes so few high-risk minority women have received genetic counseling or testing that the standard methods of calculating risk have not been validated in these groups and the results of genetic testing can still produce surprises.

18 Oct 2005

Data supports use of personal and family history of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or both in making clinical decisions

African American women at high-risk of breast cancer have genetic mutations that would make genetic testing feasible, according to a study in the October 19 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

18 Oct 2005

Treating breast cancer with "MammoSite" study

Treating breast cancer with MammoSite resulted in a low risk of complications and was generally well tolerated, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study presented today at the 47th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Denver.

17 Oct 2005

Breast magnetic resonance imaging helps doctors select best treatment for early breast cancers

Breast magnetic resonance imaging enhances patient selection for accelerated, partial breast irradiation by detecting previously unsuspected, microscopic lesions within the breast, according to a study presented October 17, 2005, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 47th Annual Meeting in Denver.

17 Oct 2005