Breast cancer Archives

Novartis drug Afinitor everolimus helps advanced breast cancer women

Novartis drug Afinitor? helps women with advanced breast cancer live significantly longer without their disease progressing – A pivotal Phase III study shows Afinitor (everolimus) tablets plus exemestane, a hormonal therapy, more than doubled the time women lived without tumor growth (progression-free survival; PFS) and significantly reduced the risk of cancer progression by 57% versus exemestane alone in patients with advanced breast cancer.

$3.5 million Komen award to study rare and aggressive type of breast cancer

TGen breast cancer research benefits from $3.5 million Komen award — Grant enables multi-institute team to study rare and aggressive type of breast cancer – The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is part of a team of medical investigators receiving a $3.5 million grant from Susan G. Komen for the Cure to study triple-negative breast cancer, a highly aggressive form of this cancer that disproportionately affects African-Americans.

Stress linked to breast cancer aggressiveness

Association found between stress and breast cancer aggressiveness – Psychosocial stress could play a role in the etiology of breast cancer aggressiveness, particularly among minority populations, according to study results presented at the Fourth AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities, held.

Breast cancer and cervical cancer rising in developing countries

More women dying from breast and cervical cancer at a younger age in developing countries — Women in high-income countries benefit from medical advances, while an increasing number of women are at risk of dying in poor countries – The number of cases and deaths from breast and cervical cancer are rising in most countries, especially in the developing world where more women are dying at younger ages, according to a new global analysis by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.

Therapy reduces early menopause for women with breast cancer

Therapy appears to reduce rate of chemotherapy-induced early menopause for women with breast cancer – Temporarily suppressing ovarian function with use of the hormone analogue triptorelin reduced the occurrence of early menopause induced by chemotherapy among women with breast cancer, according to a study in the July_20 issue of JAMA.

FDA panel votes to revoke approval for Avastin for advanced breast cancer

Breast Cancer Patients and Families Decry FDA Panel Vote to Remove Life Saving Drug From Approved List – The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, FDA, USA disapproved the Avastin which cited a lack of survival benefit. Now as two more trials have been analyzed — neither showing a survival benefit — the FDA stated that in the balance, the benefit did not outweigh the harm.

Many advanced breast cancer patients do not receive recommended treatment

Nearly half of women with advanced breast cancer in the US not receiving life-saving treatment – UT MD Anderson research finds use of post-mastectomy radiation therapy static despite evidence-based guidelines of its benefits – Forty-five percent of women with advanced breast cancer in the U.S. did not receive postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) despite the publication of evidence-based guidelines outlining PMRT as a potentially lifesaving treatment, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The study, published in the July issue of Cancer, found that PMRT use rates for women with advanced breast cancer have remained static since 1999.

Shanghai Breast Health Resource Center China

Shanghai CDC and Hutchinson Center establish Shanghai Breast Health Resource Center — First ‘learning laboratory’ of the Hutchinson Center-based Breast Health Global Initiative in China – The prevention, early detection and multidisciplinary treatment of breast cancer are important strategies for promoting health and extending a healthy life span. The Shanghai Breast Health Resource Center is an important step in effectively addressing breast cancer, especially to improving breast cancer screening and early detection, which are considered to be the most effective and affordable ways for a rapid reduction of breast cancer disease burden in developing countries like China.

Inform Dual ISH to determine HER2 gene in breast cancer patients

FDA approves new test to help determine if breast cancer patients are candidates for Herceptin treatment – Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women. About 20 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer are HER2-positive. The Inform Dual ISH test allows lab personnel to count the number of copies of HER2 genes on chromosome 17 in a small sample of the breast tumor. Copies of the HER2 gene appear black and copies of chromosome 17 appear red. Patients with more than the normal number of copies of the HER2 gene are considered candidates for Herceptin therapy.

Low carbohydrate, high protein diets may reduce cancer risk

Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets may reduce both tumor growth rates and cancer risk – Eating a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet may reduce the risk of cancer and slow the growth of tumors already present, according to a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. The study was conducted in mice, but the scientists involved agree that the strong biological findings are definitive enough that an effect in humans can be considered.

Radiation improves survival in breast cancer surgery patients

Breast cancer surgery patients benefit from adding radiation therapy – Additional radiation treatment improves disease free survival lessening the chance of cancer recurring in women with early breast cancer who have had breast conserving surgery (lumpectomy), interim results of a new study found. The results will be presented Monday, June_6 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Pfizer drug reduces breast cancer in high risk women

UB played major role in study on drug that reduces breast cancer in high-risk women — Buffalo enrolled more women than any other study site – The drug exemestane significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer in high-risk, postmenopausal women is the result of an international, randomized double-blind phase III clinical trial in which University at Buffalo researchers and hundreds of Western New York women played a critical role, revealed at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.