Cancer News: Breast
Chemoresistant breast cancer outcomes not improved by bisphosphonate treatment
Chemoresistant breast cancer patients treated with bisphosphonate zoledronate did not benefit, according to initial results of a phase 3 clinical trial presented at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
AbbVie drug in regimen against difficult type of breast cancer shows promise
Triple-negative breast cancer patients who received treatment containing an experimental AbbVie drug prior to surgery may have a significantly better response, compared to those who get a standard chemotherapy regimen, according to clinical trial data.
Chemotherapy combination before surgery for triple-negative breast cancer shows promise
Adding the chemotherapy drug carboplatin and/or the antibody therapy bevacizumab to standard presurgery chemotherapy resulted in more triple-negative breast cancer patients with no residual cancer detected at surgery, in a phase II clinical trial.
HER2 breast cancer treatment shows resistance for specific mutations
A common mutation in HER2-positive breast cancer reduced the odds of pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant therapy by 50%, according to an analysis of 2 large clinical trials.
Metastatic breast cancer: metabolite of tamoxifen appears promising
Aromatase inhibitor-resistant metastatic breast cancer patients showed promising results with a main metabolite of the tamoxifen drug.
Endocrine treatment for breast cancer finds potential support from leukemia drug
Metastatic breast cancer patients starting endocrine therapy had delayed disease progression after taking the leukemia drug dasatinib (Sprycel), however, the drug failed to affect clinical response.
Surgery no help in metastatic breast cancer
Breast cancer found metastatic at diagnosis had similar outcome even if the primary tumor and axillary lymph nodes were removed, two clinical trials showed.
Early stage breast cancer outcomes not improved by adding fluorouracil
Fluorouracil, a widely used chemotherapy drug, offers no benefit when added to standard treatment for early-stage, node-positive breast cancer.
Surgery for ovarian cancer risk reduction finds support in research
Women carrying a fault in any of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 high-risk genes have an increased risk of dying from breast and/or ovarian cancer. Many, including Angelina Jolie, choose to undergo surgery to remove their healthy breasts, ovaries or both before the disease affects them.
Fatigue after breast cancer treatment in study focus
A new research study will focus on which women are at highest risk for fatigue after treatment for breast cancer, and why.
Breast cancer risk and sugar uptake may be related
A leading authority on breast cancer, has shown that aerobic glycolysis (glucose metabolism in the presence of oxygen) is not the consequence of the cancerous activity of malignant cells but is itself a cancerous event.
Breast cancer surgeons report improved visualization of radiation therapy treatment area
The BioZorb™ three-dimensional surgical marker dramatically improves visualization of the treatment area for radiation planning and therapy, according to a presentation at the prestigious San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2013.
Breast cancer risk still not understood despite Angelina Jolie's mastectomy
A new study shows that awareness of Angelina Jolie's preventive mastectomy did not increase understanding of breast cancer risk.
Is breast cancer risk lower if following a tomato diet?
Eating a diet that includes plenty of tomatoes may prove important for lowering breast cancer risk, findings from a preliminary intervention study suggested.
BRCA testing against breast and ovarian cancer encouraged for high-risk women
Family history of breast or ovarian cancer triggers a recommendation for women to undergo testing for mutations in the BRCA cancer susceptibility genes.
Breast cancer patients with young children often skip radiation therapy
Breast cancer patients with young children often skip the recommended radiation treatments, due to worries about the time involved, according to researchers.
Breast cancer discovery could stop metastasis
A therapy to stop a cell mechanism driving the spread of breast cancer to other body parts (metastasis) has been discovered.
Side effects from breast cancer drugs may be eased through "any" acupuncture
Both real and fake acupuncture treatments may help alleviate side effects of drugs commonly used to treat breast cancer. Findings may help clinicians improve care for cancer patients.
Breast cancer metastasis to the brain may be protein driven
Cancer metastasis from the breast to the brain may be due to a protein, according to new research.
Breast cancer metastasis explained by stem cell properties
Breast cancer stem cells were shown to be responsible for metastasis in specific ways. This discovery may enable the use of markers towards more effective treatments.
Multiple sclerosis patients may have increased cancer risk
Multiple sclerosis patients were shown to have increased risk of developing cancer, especially breast cancer. This contradicts earlier studies and requires additional research.
Breast cancer chemotherapy more effective when started within 1 month of surgery
Chemotherapy after surgery (called adjuvant chemotherapy) for breast cancer should not be delayed for more than 60 days.
Triple negative breast cancer cells effectively targeted in labs
New hope for a potential cure for triple negative breast cancer came from a recent discovery of an engineered virus against these tumor cells.
Breast cancer drug shows promise in mid-stage trial
An experimental breast cancer drug by Pfizer significantly delayed progression of symptoms in a mid-stage trial, as tested in post-menopausal women with locally advanced or newly diagnosed disease that had spared to other parts of the body.
Breast cancer hormone receptors discovered may offer new treatment options
Androgen and vitamin D receptors were found as possible targets for breast cancer treatment, beyond estrogens which are the focus of current such treatments.
Brachytherapy has mixed results as breast cancer treatment
Research after lumpectomy showed that older breast cancer patients were more likely to undergo mastectomy after brachytherapy, compared to radiation therapy. However, they fared better than those who did not receive any radiation.
Genetic testing in advanced breast cancer can help identify optimal treatments
A study of the entire DNA (whole genome testing) among 400 women with advanced breast cancer may help doctors identify optimal treatments based on genetics.
Risk of most common breast cancer type increased by smoking
Young women smoking a pack a day for 10 years or more have 60% higher risk of developing the most common type of breast cancer, according to the latest study.
Double mastectomy "better" for early breast cancer patients with BRCA gene mutation
According to a study, early stage breast cancer patients with the BRCA gene mutation had better prognosis with a double mastectomy (compared to single mastectomy).
Breast cancer survival possibly predicted by gene testing
A panel of 55 genes may predict if breast cancer will become invasive. The gene panel represents tumor suppressor & genetic alterations, and will require further testing before it could be used.