Breast Cancer Newsletters
April 2010
Aspirin May Reduce Breast Cancer Recurrence
New data suggest that women taking aspirin on a regular basis can reduce their risk of breast cancer recurrence.This was learned from the Nurses’ Health Study done in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital,Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. Read more...
March 2010
Radiology and Breast Imaging Groups Say Mammography Should Begin at Age 40
In a challenge to breast cancer screening recommendations issued in late 2009 by the US Preventive Task Force, both the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) advocate the initiation of annual mammography at age 40. Read more...
Radiation Doses Lower With Digital Mammography
Radiation doses are up to 22% lower with digital mammography than with conventional film imaging, say investigators at the University of Colorado−Denver, who participated in the Digital Mammography Imaging Screening Trial. This large study compared both methods of breast imaging among nearly 50,000 women. Read more...
February 2010
Two Bisphosphonates Found to Lower Breast Cancer Risk
Bisphosphonates—in particular, alendronate(Fosamax) and risedronate(Actonel)—appear to lower the risk of invasive breast cancer in women who take these drugs to prevent osteoporosis-related fractures. Read more...
January 2010
Three or More Drinks a Week Raises Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence
Drinking too much alcohol is already known to increase the risk of breast cancer, among other cancers, but now a new study links alcohol consumption to an increased risk of breast cancer recurrence. Read more...
December 2009
Small HER2-Positive Breast Tumors Warrant Adjuvant Treatment
HER2-positive breast cancers, even when they are small, are twice as likely to recur as are small HER2-negative breast cancers, according to results from 2 new studies. Read more...
November 2009
HER2 Testing Before Initiation of Trastuzumab Is Lacking
Although trastuzumab (Herceptin) is known to be effective only in women whose breast cancer tumors express HER2, a new study shows that up to two-thirds of women who are eligible for HER2 testing never receive it. Read more...
Loss of Fingerprints Is a Risk With Capecitabine
Capecitabine can cause fingerprints to disappear. People traveling between countries that require fingerprint identification may need to take a letter from their doctor with them, explaining that loss of fingerprints is an adverse effect of the drug. Read more...
October 2009
PARP Inhibitors Prolong Survival in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
A PARP inhibitor, a new type of drug being used in breast cancer, extended survival by more than 60% in patien ts with triple-negative disease. Investigators tout the PARP inhibitors as a new breakthrough in breast cancer treatment that may receive approval by the Food and Drug Administration within 1 year. Read more...
September 2009
Weight Lifting in Women with Breast-Cancer–Related Lymphedema
In breast-cancer survivors with lymphedema, slowly progressive weight lifting had no significant effect on limb swelling and resulted in a decreased incidence of exacerbations of lymphedema, reduced symptoms, and increased strength. Read more...
August 2009
Metabolic Syndrome Increases Breast Cancer Risk
Metabolic syndrome is known to increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but it may also raise the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Read more...
July 2009
Ginger Helps Reduce Nausea From Chemotherapy
Ginger supplements helped relieve nausea and vomiting in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. In a large study supported by the National Cancer Institute, 3 doses of ginger were studied: 0.5 grams, 1.0 grams, and 1.5 grams. Read more...
June 2009
SSRIs and Tamoxifen: Does the Combination Increase Recurrence?
Suggestions of a possible interaction between antidepressants and tamoxifen that could increase the possibility of breast cancer recurrence have raised controversy over which treatments patients should use for tamoxifen-related hot flashes. Read more...
May 2009
Barbecue Lovers May Have Higher Breast Cancer Risk
Postmenopausal women who consume large amounts of grilled, smoked or barbequed red meat over the course of their lives are at a higher risk for breast cancer, a recent study finds. Read more...
Staying Alive: Physical Activity After Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer have a better chance of surviving if they exercise, even if they take up exercise for the first time. Read more...
April 2009
FDA: Drug Patches Should Be Removed During MRI Scans
To eliminate any risk of skin burns, transdermal medication patches should be removed before patients undergo magnetic resonance imaging scans, the Food and Drug Administration advises.Read more...
Morning Sickness May Lower Breast Cancer Risk
Women who experience morning sickness during pregnancy may have a lower chance of having breast cancer later in life. Read more...
March 2009
Women in Cities Have Higher Breast Density
Women who live in cities are more likely to have denser breast, which can increase the risk of developing breast cancer. Read more...
Simple Early Steps May Help Prevent Lymphedema
Lymphedema that affects the arms can plague women treated for breast cancer long after surgery and radiation therapy are over, but researchers are testing whether some simple steps can help prevent this problem. Read more...
February 2009
Hot Flashes, Bone Pain Signify Response to Adjuvant Breast Ca Treatment
Menopausal symptoms that develop as a reaction to medication taken to prevent breast cancer recurrence are a surprisingly reliable indication that the treatment is working. Read more...
Simple Early Steps May Help Prevent Lymphedema
Lymphedema that affects the arms can plague women treated for breast cancer long after surgery and radiation therapy are over, but researchers are testing whether some simple steps can help prevent this problem. Read more...
January 2009
Small Breast Tumors With High HER2 May Recur
Women who have small breast tumors are generally not treated aggressively, but a new study shows that their risk of experiencing a recurrence is greater than realized and that treatment with Trastuzumab may help to prevent this. Read more...
Lack of Sleep Boosts Cancer Risk
Physically active women need to get enough sleep in order to retain the cancer-preventive benefits of exercise. Read more...
Vitamin D Prevents Cancer, Extends Life
Recent studies show that vitamin D has several health benefits that may lower the risk of death. Read more...
December 2008
In a large National Cancer Institute study, women who took a daily aspirin had a 16% lower risk of developing the most common form of breast cancer. Read more...
Drinking Linked to Breast Cancer
Drinking can significantly raise the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.Read more...
November 2008
Women Don't Link Weight With Cancer Risk
Many women are not aware that being obese increases their risk for several types of cancers. Read more...
Mastectomy, Not Lumpectomy, Best After Recurrence
Women who have had a lumpectomy for breast cancer should not have another one if the cancer recurs.Read more...
Exercise May Be an Antidote to Cancer
Exercise may soon join surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation as a treatment for cancer, researchers say. Read more...
October 2008
Cancer Patients Should Avoid Antioxidants During Radiation, Chemo
Many cancer patients take antioxidants such as vitamin A or E during chemotherapy or radiation therapy, thinking that these supplements may help them. Actually, researchers now report, this may not be a good idea. Read more...
Memory and Attention Intact in Women on Anastrozole
Postmenopausal women who take anastrozole to prevent breast cancer can put their minds at ease concerning cognitive decline. Read more...
Staying Alive: Physical Activity After Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer have a better chance of surviving if they exercise, even if they take up exercise for the first time. Read more...
September 2008
Arm Swelling After Breast Cancer Surgery Responds to Physical Use
Arm swelling after surgery for breast cancer is a common complication, occuring in up to one-third of women, according to a recent study conducted in Australia. Read more...
Coffee and Tea Do Not Raise Breast Cancer risk
Women participating in the Nurses' Health Study did not have a higher risk of breast cancer if they were coffee or tea drinkers. Read more...
Drug for Bone Loss in Breast Cancer Reduces Recurrence
Breast cancer patients who took a drug to prevent bone loss had a one-third lower chance the cancer would return, according to surprising results from a new study. Read more...