Cancer News: Breast
Lower dietary fat linked with improved breast cancer outcomes
Among patients with early stage breast cancer who reduced their dietary fat intake, death rates were much lower for those who had hormone-unrelated disease.
Early stage breast cancer patients under radiation therapy for too long
2/3 of early stage breast cancer patients receive longer radiation therapy than necessary after surgery (3-4 weeks longer than in the guidelines), in the USA.
Triple negative breast cancer patients should get genetic testing
A study found that most triple-negative breast cancer patients should undergo genetic screening to evaluate recurrence risk, and risk to other family members.
Gene mutations found to increase risk of second breast cancer
Women who have had a tumor in one breast, and who have genetic risk for breast cancer, are at higher than average risk to develop a tumor in the other.
Breast cancer risk reduced by staying active and fit
New research shows: Postmenopausal women may have 20% less risk of breast cancer if they exercise vigorously. Women with the most body fat had 55% higher risk.
Chest radiation for Wilms tumor increases breast cancer risk
A study shows that when a child receives chest radiation for Wilms tumor (a rare childhood cancer), it faces an increased risk of breast cancer later in life.
Breast cancer risk predicted more efficiently by genomic sequencing
A new study shows that genomic sequencing can help women identify and manage their genetic risk for breast cancer better than what previously estimated.
More breast cancer patients choose reconstruction after mastectomy
New data from more than 1 million women shows that more high-risk breast cancer patients are choosing breast reconstruction after mastectomy.
Remarkable benefit for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients
HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients can benefit from the addition of an agent to standard treatment, in unprecedented results from a clinical trial.
Endocrine therapy in some hormone receptor positive breast cancer patients
Older HR+ breast cancer patients with small tumors may have similar benefit from radiation therapy alone, without combining it with endocrine therapy.
Lymphedema risk and radiotherapy in node negative breast cancer patients
According to a secondary analysis of a large trial, radiation therapy does not increase the risk of lymphedema in patients with node-negative breast cancer.
Study: wearing a bra does not increase breast cancer risk
A new study showed that post-menopausal women's risk of breast cancer does not increase because of wearing a bra.
Breast conserving therapy may have better outcomes than mastectomy
Patients with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer may benefit more from breast-conserving therapy compared to mastectomy.
Saving ovaries during chemotherapy for breast cancer: mixed results
A substance added to chemotherapy for breast cancer patients had a non-significant increase in pregnancies, and resumption of menstruation, in a clinical trial.
Double mastectomy and reconstruction cause more complications than single operation
Breast cancer patients undergoing double and single mastectomy with reconstruction have higher rates of implant loss, transfusion needs & longer hospital stay.
Two new genes may be related to breast cancer: PALB2 & MEN1
Breast cancer risk increased by 5-9 times in women with mutations in the PALB2 gene, investigators reported. Increased risk is suspected for the MEN1 gene too.
Breast cancer recurrence in overweight women reduced by aspirin
New research across 20 years shows that regular use of aspirin can reduce recurrence of hormone-related breast cancer in overweight and obese women by half.
Some breast cancer patients may not benefit from 2nd mastectomy
According to a new study, women without a BRCA gene mutation with early stage breast cancer will not gain a survival benefit if they remove the healthy breast.
Women with breast cancer may overestimate secondary risks
Young women with breast cancer often overestimate both their chance of developing cancer in the other breast and how much removal of that breast is likely to protect them, a new U.S. study suggests.
Less is more for radiotherapy in early breast cancers
Giving radiotherapy in fewer, larger treatments is at least as safe and effective at treating early breast cancer as the international standard dose, according to the 10-year follow-up results of a major Cancer Research UK trial, published in The Lancet Oncology.
Angelina and breast cancer copycat surge: Doctor warns patients are requesting double mastectomies even if they don't need one
Women inspired by Angelina Jolie are demanding breast removal surgery – even if they don’t need it - a leading doctor has warned. Tests for high-risk cancer gene have risen by 67% since Jolie's operation, and double mastectomies in the UK have quadrupled since then.
ASCO and the CAP release updated guideline on HER2 testing in breast cancer
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) today issued a joint, updated guideline aimed at improving the accuracy and reporting of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) testing in patients with invasive breast cancer.
New imaging technique can identify breast cancer subtypes and early treatment response
An optical imaging technique that measures metabolic activity in cancer cells can accurately differentiate breast cancer subtypes, and it can detect responses to treatment as early as two days after therapy administration, according to a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Scientists identify genetic errors in 12 major cancer types
Examining 12 major types of cancer, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified 127 repeatedly mutated genes that appear to drive the development and progression of a range of tumors in the body. The discovery sets the stage for devising new diagnostic tools and more personalized cancer treatments.
After breast cancer surgery, patient assistance programs can help
(HealthDay News) -- Patient assistance programs make it more likely that breast cancer patients will get additional treatments after they have surgery, and receive other kinds of support, a new study finds.
Women with abnormal cancer screening may receive delayed care due to social barriers
Social barriers (including housing and income) cause delays in cancer screening follow-up for some women, according to a recent study.
Breast cancer 'rising in under-40s' across Europe
Cases of breast cancer in women under 40 are rising across Europe, research suggests.
A variety of cancers destroyed by drug combination therapy
Results from a recent preclinical study have shown that a new drug combination therapy being developed effectively killed colon, liver, lung, kidney, breast and brain cancer cells while having little effect on noncancerous cells. The results lay the foundation for researchers to plan a future phase 1 clinical trial to test the safety of the therapy in a small group of patients.
Exercise May Help Breast Cancer Survivors Battle Bone Loss
Aerobics and strength-training exercises may help reduce bone loss and the risk of fractures in breast cancer survivors, a new study suggests.
“One-stop” radiotherapy could offer an alternative to lengthy and inconvenient post-surgery procedures for breast cancer
Two new studies, published in The Lancet and The Lancet Oncology, show that targeted radiotherapy delivered during surgery could offer a viable alternative to current procedures – which require women to attend daily radiotherapy sessions for weeks after surgery – for some women undergoing surgery for early breast cancer.