Breast Cancer News and Research

Latest Breast Cancer News and Research

New legislation provides women 40 to 49 with free mammograms

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed HB1606 by a unanimous vote of 197-0. This legislation, known as the Women's Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Screening Act, provides women aged 40 to 49,access to free mammograms.

4 Jul 2005

Mammography use exceeds targets although some are still reluctant

Mammography use by women over 40 is on the rise and already exceeds the target set by the government-led Healthy People 2010 initiative, according to a new study that also shows, for the first time, that breast cancer screening rises with age.

1 Jul 2005

European women soon to have access to new breast cancer drug

European women suffering from breast cancer will soon have access to the breast cancer drug Arimidex after British authorities granted approval for the drug to be used in a wider range of European women with breast cancer.

29 Jun 2005

New breast cancer drug not available to all who need it

Unless things change breast cancer patient Barbara Clark will probably have to sell her house to pay for an expensive drug called Herceptin.

28 Jun 2005

Research into a protein for treatment of cancer brings prestigious award

Although primarily known for its roles in obesity and reproduction, the protein leptin has been linked to breast cancer in a study which is the recipient of the prestigious Susan G. Komen Foundation award.

28 Jun 2005

First mammogram - what women want!

Women in their 40s considering their first screening mammogram want information on potential harm and benefits and want to participate in the decision-making process, according to a study in the June 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

28 Jun 2005

Breast cancer growth regulator sEGFR holds promise for more targeted treatment

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have discovered the breast cancer growth regulator sEGFR, which may be a useful tool in monitoring a patient's responsiveness to treatment with the drug letrozole.

27 Jun 2005

The CMS demonstration project in oncology

The PricewaterhouseCoopers study that the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) commissioned shows that an estimated $13 billion will be saved from Medicare spending for cancer care through 2013. This is $8.8 billion more than the original intent of Congress in passing the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA).

22 Jun 2005

Some men with breast cancer may be having unnecessary radiotherapy

A study carried out at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, showed that men whose cancer had not spread beyond the breast were almost six times more likely to be given radiotherapy than were women with the equivalent stage of disease.

21 Jun 2005

Doing the Moonwalk for fun and money

In a major effort to raise awareness as well as cash for research, thousands of women wearing elaborately decorated bras walked a marathon-length route through the night in UK capital, London.

20 Jun 2005

High-volume medical centers better at treating cancer

Patients with certain complex cancers fare better under the care of doctors and hospitals that do the most of that kind of surgery, a new review of studies finds.

19 Jun 2005

MRI measurement of breast tumor volume predicts whether a patient's cancer will return

The study, performed at the University of California-San Francisco, of 58 breast cancer patients found that the best way to predict a patient's recurrence-free survival is to review the initial MR examination (before the patient has chemotherapy) and the final MR examination (after chemotherapy has been completed).

16 Jun 2005

Indigenous health gap wider in New Zealand

The health gap between Maori and European New Zealanders is wider than that between American Indians and the US majority white population in the United States, a researcher from The University of Auckland has found.

16 Jun 2005

Doctor blames parents for return of sick girl's cancer

Thirteen year old Katie Wernecke is back in hospital after doctors confirmed the girls Hodgkin's disease had returned.

16 Jun 2005

Overweight and obese women with breast cancer may be undertreated

Overweight and obese women with breast cancer may receive reduced doses of chemotherapy drugs, which may put them at greater risk of cancer recurrence, according to a study in the June 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

13 Jun 2005

Women in the UK most anxious about breast cancer

A new survey has found that one in three British women would be willing to have both breasts removed if they thought they were at high risk of breast cancer.

13 Jun 2005

Many breast cancer patients experience longterm arm and hand swelling after treatment

More than 55 percent of 580 breast cancer patients in a study, experienced swelling in the arms or hands , a condition known as lymphedema, after surgical removal of either the breast or the tumor.

13 Jun 2005

Half of 580 women diagnosed with breast cancer in one study experienced lymphedema

The good news is that there are nearly two million breast cancer survivors in the United States , and survival rates continue to increase for patients with this disease. But the flip side is that survival can present its own set of little-known complications.

12 Jun 2005

Digital mammography no better than traditional film X-rays in the ability to detect cases of breast cancer

Digital mammography provides no clear-cut improvements over traditional film X-rays in the ability to detect cases of breast cancer, says a new technology assessment report. The technology does, however, offer other benefits, including slightly lower radiation doses for patients, that may prompt its increasing use despite its much higher costs.

10 Jun 2005

Exercise helps recovery after chemotherapy for breast cancer

Exercise after chemotherapy for breast cancer boosted the activity of infection-fighting T cells in women who worked out regularly, according to data from a study conducted at Penn State University under the direction of Andrea Mastro, professor of microbiology and cell biology.

10 Jun 2005