Cancer News: Breast
Concurrent therapy not necessary for breast cancer patients with HER-2, study says
Giving trastuzumab and anthracyclines at the same time is effective at treating HER-2-positive breast cancer, but there is concern that this combination can be associated with an increased risk of cardiac toxicity.
New solution in detecting breast-cancer related lymphedema
Viewed as one of the most feared outcomes of breast cancer treatment, doctors struggle detecting and diagnosing breast-cancer related Lymphedema -- a condition affecting the lymphatic system and causing psychosocial distress and physical challenges for patients.
Study finds new explanation for resistance to breast cancer treatment
Breast cancers that initially respond to hormone therapies such as tamoxifen eventually become resistant to treatment, and a new study finds this may be because of a mutation in the receptor present in the cancer cell to which tamoxifen binds, according to data published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Obesity a major risk factor in developing "basal-like" breast cancer
Women who are obese face an increased risk of developing an aggressive sub-type of breast cancer known as 'basal-like', according to research conducted at the University of North Carolina.
Roche says Kadcyla wins European approval
Roche said its drug Kadcyla, a treatment for an aggressive form of breast cancer, had been approved in Europe following U.S. approval in February.
Internet-based intervention improves cancer-related sexual dysfunction in women
An Internet-based intervention may significantly improve both sexual function and satisfaction in women with sexual dysfunction years after treatment for breast or gynecologic cancer, according to a randomized trial reported in the November issue of the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Leslie R. Schover, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues also found that the intervention may reduce emotional distress and improve the overall quality of life in these women after treatment.
High-fat diet during puberty speeds up breast cancer development
New findings show that eating a high-fat diet beginning at puberty speeds up the development of breast cancer and may actually increase the risk of cancer similar to a type often found in younger adult women.
Negative BRCA testing may not always imply lowered breast cancer risk
Women who are members of families with BRCA2 mutations but who test negative for the family-specific BRCA2 mutations are still at greater risk for developing breast cancer compared with women in the general population, according to a study published in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention journal.
Researchers turn to machines to identify breast cancer type
Researchers have created a computer algorithm that successfully predicts whether estrogen is sending signals to cancer cells to grow into tumors in the breast. By finding this hormone receptor, known as estrogen receptor positive, physicians can prescribe anti-estrogen drug therapies, improving patient outcomes.
Regulatory approval for biosimilar trastuzumab for treating breast cancer in India
A biotechnology company announced today that it has received Marketing Authorization from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for its biosimilar Trastuzumab being developed jointly with Mylan, for the treatment of Her 2 metastatic breast cancer.
3D breast screen may cut recall rates
Advanced, digital breast tomosynthesis may reduce recall rates and increase cancer detection compared with digital mammography, researchers reported.
Dense breasts riskier in younger women
The increased risk of cancer for women with denser breasts may be stronger in younger women, researchers reported.
Fewer mammograms mean more positive nodes?
The frequency of mammography may not have an impact on the size of tumors when they're discovered, but fewer screens may be associated with more lymph node positivity, researchers reported.
Obesity, smoking might threaten implants after mastectomy
Obesity and smoking increase the risk of implant failure in women who undergo breast reconstruction soon after breast removal, according to a new study.
Two in three patients will be surviving by end of decade
The number of people dying from breast, prostate and bowel cancer will almost halve by 2020, new figures suggest.
Targeted agent combinations in focus for breast cancer
Breast cancer treatment via targeted agent combinations (including Herceptin, Tykerb, Taxotere, Paraplatin, Avastin, Arimidex and Aromasin) will be in focus at an upcoming symposium.
Keep on exercising, researchers advise older breast cancer survivors
One year of exercise can ensure steady maintenance of bone density to help prevent fractures. To build and maintain muscle strength, it is best for older breast cancer survivors to follow an ongoing exercise program of resistance and impact training.
Metastatic breast cancer patients may not benefit from surgery and radiation after chemotherapy
Metastatic breast cancer patients do not benefit more if, after a response to initial chemotherapy, they are treated with radiotherapy and surgical removal of the breast tumor and nearby lymph nodes.
Herceptin plus Taxol highly effective in low-risk breast cancer
Almost 99% of small, node-negative, HER2+, lower-risk breast cancer patients were cancer-free at least 3 years after taking a combination of the drugs Herceptin and Taxol, a study has found.
Study identifies highly effective treatment option for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer
For patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, combining the chemotherapy drugs docetaxel & carboplatin with the HER2-targeted therapy trastuzumab was identified as an ideal post-surgery treatment option.
Avoiding radiotherapy is an option for some older patients with breast cancer
Breast cancer patients over 65 may omit radiotherapy if they receive hormone therapy after breast-conserving surgery for hormone receptor-positive, axillary node-negative breast cancer.
Breast cancer patients most likely to benefit from trastuzumab if they have high levels of immune cells
HER2-positive breast cancer patients with most immune cells in their tumors benefited the most from presurgery treatment with chemotherapy and trastuzumab.
Breast cancer cases cut by more than 50% in high risk women by taking anastrozole
Post-menopausal women at high risk of breast cancer taking the drug anastrozole for 5 years had 53% less chances of developing the disease.
Breast cancer subtype benefits less from treatment due to gene mutations
HER2 and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer women benefit much less from pre-surgery treatment with chemotherapy and HER2-targeted therapies if their cancer had one or more specific mutations.
Breast cancer survivors who exercise feel less drug-associated joint pain
Breast cancer survivors taking aromatase inhibitors experienced less joint pain if they exercised while on treatment, according to results presented at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Subgroup of women with metastatic breast cancer improved disease progression through new drug combination
Hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer women had longer periods of disease stability when the drug dasatinib was added to a standard antihormone therapy, letrozole.
Not all breast cancer needs radiation
Older women with low-risk breast cancer who skipped radiation therapy saw small impact on recurrence risk and no effect on survival, a randomized trial showed.
Cancer deaths rise to 8.2 million, breast cancer sharply up
Cancer deaths globally rose to 8.2 million in 2012. Breast cancer deaths increased 12%, while diagnoses were 20% compared to 2008, probably due to lifestyle changes in developing nations.
Nipple test not an effective breast cancer screening tool, FDA warns
Breast cancer screening by nipple fluid test is not as effective as mammography, which leads to earlier diagnosis & improves treatment odds, according to US regulators.
Young breast cancer patients often undergo unnecessary procedures
More than 1 in 3 younger, early stage breast cancer patients undergo unnecessary imaging procedures -including position emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine bone scans (NMBS) and tumor markers (TM)- at the time of staging and diagnosis, according to new research.