Breast Cancer

A new analysis of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-32 trial presented at the ASTRO 56th Annual Meeting offers substantial evidence that treatment with radiation therapy does not increase the incidence of lymphedema in patients with node-negative breast cancer.

Women who received the hormone suppressor goserelin (Zoladex) along with their chemotherapy were significantly less likely to develop premature ovarian failure and were more likely to have successful pregnancies, than women who received chemotherapy alone, according to findings from the federally funded phase III S0230/POEMS clinical trial.

About 5% to 10% of breast cancers are thought to be hereditary, caused by abnormal genes passed from parent to child.

One of the first studies to prospectively examine women's breast surgery preferences has revealed that newly diagnosed women with breast cancer who decide to undergo contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) aren't relying on evidence-based information, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary patient education and communication.

With more and more data supporting the association between actress Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy and an increase in the amount of patients seeking genetic testing, the attention is on genetic counselors to improve their intake model to more efficiently handle the increased demand.

A new study has shown that while there was an increase in the percentage of women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer undergoing a double mastectomy, the increase was not associated with a lower risk of death compared to breast-conserving surgery plus radiation.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has released a new clinical practice guideline on the treatment of patients with advanced HER2-negative breast cancer.

Helpful eating tips for women who are going through breast cancer treatment

Every year, Cancer Hope Network (CHN) awards a group or individual who has made a difference through their own courageous battle with cancer, or who has helped others through the ordeal of treatment. The Committee evaluates nominees on how they made a difference through a display of courage, spirit, inspiration, or support in the battle with cancer.

The demand for genetic services has never been greater. Vast advances in genetic technology, Angelina Jolie's disclosure that she is a BRCA mutation carrier, and the Supreme Court ruling on gene patents have hurled genetic services into the mainstream. Since the Supreme Court ruling last year, the cost of germline (hereditary) genetic testing has plummeted and now includes panels of genes.

A randomized multi-center trial examining the efficacy of adding the prohormone dehydroepiandosterone (DHEA) to a vaginal bioadhesive moisturizer in postmenopausal survivors of breast or gynecologic cancer has found that daily rather than as-needed use of such a moisturizer significantly relieves symptoms of vaginal atrophy in these women, and that when DHEA is added, survivors report significant improvements in sexual desire, arousal, pain, and overall sexual function.

Archana Ajmera, RN, MSN, WHNP-BC, ANP-BC, nurse practitioner, University of California, San Francisco, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the challenges of managing stomatitis.

New research has found that high risk and minority women receive better cancer care if they are paired with a patient navigator.

Although white women have a higher incidence of breast cancer than African American women (123.2/100,000 versus 118/100,000), African American women have a 40% higher mortality rate.

Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, associate professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan Health System, discusses the benefits of hypofractionated radiotherapy for patients with breast cancer.

Even though universal coverage for postmastectomy breast reconstruction is mandated, a new study has found that the majority of women are deciding not to undergo breast reconstruction surgery following a mastectomy.

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have found that postmenopausal overweight or obese breast cancer patients receiving hormone therapy as part of their treatment who use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have significantly lower breast cancer recurrence rates and a sizable delay in time to cancer recurrence.

Deirdre Kiely, MS, MPA, RN, ANP, nurse practitioner, Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses some of the challenges of getting breast cancer patients to exercise routinely.

Conversations happen across clinical settings every day. In conjunction with her family, a mother makes decisions about radiation, chemotherapy, and surgical treatments for breast cancer.

According to researchers at the University of Washington, the benefits of mammography extend to women older than 75 years, and the findings have the potential to change public health recommendations for breast cancer screening.

Arin Ahlum Hanson, MPH, CHES, manager, Young Women's Initiative, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, discusses the results of a national needs assessment of young women with breast cancer that was conducted by the Young Women's Initiative.

A new study has found that postmenopausal women who undertook regular physical activity equivalent to at least 4 hours of walking per week in the last 4 years had a lower risk for invasive breast cancer compared with women who exercised less during those 4 years.

Women harboring a loss-of-function mutation in the PALB2 gene demonstrated an increased risk of developing breast cancer that was similar to the predisposition seen with mutations in the infamous BRCA gene, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

According to a new study, most women aged 65 and older with non-metastatic breast cancer adhered to their hormone therapy.

A new study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has shown that electroacupuncture produces significant improvements in fatigue, anxiety, and depression in as little as 8 weeks for early-stage breast cancer patients experiencing joint pain related to the use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs).

Taking the breast cancer journey with someone who's been "in your shoes"

Deirdre Kiely, MS, MPA, RN, ANP, nurse practitioner, Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses the results of a breast cancer lifestyle intervention study.

Cardiac events associated with trastuzumab (Herceptin) are mostly reversible and outweighed by significant extensions in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer

This college admissions essay, penned by 17-year-old Samantha Stephens, offers a powerful and poignant reminder of the impact a cancer diagnosis can have on a patient's family and caregivers.

Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, associate professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan Health System, discusses an analysis of the adoption of hypofractionated radiotherapy for early-stage invasive breast cancer.