Breast Health

The use of 40 Gy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks is as effective and causes less damage to nearby tissue than a higher total dose of radiotherapy for breast cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) advisory committee cleared the way for the approval of pertuzumab (Perjeta) to treat patients before they have surgery to remove their HER2-positive tumors. If approved, pertuzumab would be the first neoadjuvant drug approval for any form of cancer. The drug was already approved by the FDA for treatment of late-stage breast cancer last year.

A new multicenter analysis shows that most deaths from invasive breast cancer occur in women who don’t get routine mammograms. The findings, published in Cancer, point to a need to encourage routine screening in women younger than age 50.

A recent study published in The Lancet Oncology looked at the likelihood of survivors developing arm lymphedema and found that roughly 20% of breast cancer survivors were likely to develop the condition.

Researchers suggest that recommendations for the universal screening of breast cancer with mammography be reassessed.

Prolonging treatment with adjuvant tamoxifen from 5 years to 10 years decreases risk of breast cancer recurrence (15% reduction over 5 years of therapy) as well as mortality (25% reduction at year 10) for women in the initial stages of breast cancer. Richard Gray, MD, MSc, of the University of Oxford, UK, presented this finding from results of the aTTom trial (Adjuvant Tamoxifen: To Offer More?) at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago in early June.

A large-scale observational comparison of 2D vs 3D mammography by researchers at a Texas breast center shows a benefit for 3D technology in cancer detection rates.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s (USPSTF) 2009 recommendation has done little to change women’s minds about the need for routine screening in their 40s.

Metabolic syndrome is more likely to develop in postmenopausal survivors of breast cancer than in postmenopausal women who never had the disease.

A mammogram showing an abnormal finding can result in stress and anxiety for as long as 3 years for some women, even if the finding is determined to be a “false positive,” according to a study that appeared in the March/April issue of The Annals of Family Medicine.

A study has found that nearly 1 in 4 women (23%) newly diagnosed with breast cancer reported symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) shortly after diagnosis. Black and Asian women were more likely to report such symptoms. The study, called “Racial Disparities in Posttraumatic Stress After Diagnosis of Localized Breast Cancer: The BQUAL Study,” has been published online ahead of print in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

On February 12, the Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee (IBCERCC) released the report “Breast Cancer and the Environment: Prioritizing Prevention.” The report is a result of the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act, which was passed by Congress in October 2008. The act required the US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the IBCERCC, composed of federal and nonfederal members, to examine the current state of breast cancer and the environment research and make recommendations for eliminating any knowledge gaps.

A review of new publications by the Update Committee for the American Society of Clinical Oncology found that the guidelines for the follow-up and management of patients with breast cancer who have completed treatment are still sound.

Women with primary breast cancer diagnosed at an advanced stage are at increased risk for the development of contralateral breast cancer (CBC), according to the results of a population-based study conducted in Sweden.

The FDA has approved a new ultrasound device to detect breast cancer in women with dense breasts. It will be used in conjunction with standard mammography in asymptomatic women with a negative mammogram.

In patients with heavily pretreated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, combination treatment with lapatinib and trastuzumab was associated with a median survival benefit of 4.5 months, according to the final results of a phase III study.

The findings of several recent studies involving breast cancer is lending further evidence to the idea that genetics and genomics will soon be the primary focus of diagnosing and treating cancer.

The benefits and risks of breast cancer screening have often been debated by the clinical and epidemiological realms, with key arguments centering around overdiagnosis.

The association between breast cancer and cadmium, a heavy metal that can be found in food, cosmetics, water, and air, has been explored in several new studies with varied findings.

Fatigue, which can plague patients’ years after cancer treatment has ended, may be the result of inflammation. Now, a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology has found that omega-3 may help reduce fatigue associated with inflammation in these patients.

Women with a history of breast cancer have a one in five chance that the cancer will recur within 10 years of treatment. With that in mind, researchers have developed a blood test that can detect cancer recurrence sooner and with more sensitivity than previous blood tests.

Magnetic resonance imaging can be helpful and cost-effective in detecting breast cancer in certain patient populations, according to new research presented at the 8th European Breast Cancer Conference in Vienna, Austria.

Group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective tool in reducing menopause-related symptoms in women with a history of breast cancer, according to new research published in The Lancet Oncology.

Over the past few years, there has been great concern over the presence of alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens) in consumer products and their link to breast cancer. These compounds have been found in human blood, milk, urine, and breast tissue.

Findings published in the latest issue of Cancer Prevention Research suggest that antiestrogen supplements help decrease the risk of subsequent melanoma in patients with breast cancer.

Decreases in bone mineral density and an increased risk of arthritis may be linked to bilateral oophorectomy, according to new research presented at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Lymphedema, swelling caused by a blockage in the lymphatic system, can occur as a result of surgical or radiation therapy associated with breast cancer treatment. Since some research has shown that exercise after breast cancer treatment has been associated with developing lymphedema, clinicians often advise patients to avoid exercising. But is this truly necessary?

In an expected move, the FDA has withdrawn its accelerated approval of Avastin (bevacizumab) for the treatment of breast cancer. Specifically, bevacizumab is no longer indicated for use in combination with paclitaxel for patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer who have not undergone chemotherapy.

Nearly everyone agrees that breast milk is unmatched as the optimum source of nutrition for infants. Human milk not only provides the perfect balance of vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates and fat, it also contains valuable antibodies from the mother that have been proven helpful in preventing infection in infants.

The purpose of breast compression is to continue the flow of milk to the baby once the baby no longer drinks (open-pause-close type of suck) on his own. Breast compression simulates a letdown reflex and often stimulates a natural letdown reflex to occur. The technique may be useful for