Breast Cancer News and Research

Latest Breast Cancer News and Research

Biomarkers allow doctors to match therapy to patient

Genetic variations ensure that no two people are exactly alike, nor are their cancers.

13 Apr 2008

Triple-negative breast cancers doesn't always mean cancer spread

Triple-negative breast cancers are a heterogeneous group and may not always be associated with lymph node spread, a new study shows.

13 Apr 2008

Screening mammography in elderly patients beneficial

Although guidelines keep changing regarding screening mammography in elderly patients, those older than 70 years old continue to benefit from this exam, showing that with frequent mammograms breast cancers can be found sooner, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Jacobi Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in Bronx, NY.

11 Apr 2008

Newly diagnosed breast cancer patients benefit from ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration

Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (USFNA) of the lymph nodes is a safe, useful, and minimally invasive procedure for diagnosing metastatic disease in patients who are undergoing preoperative staging for breast cancer, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the Rhode Island Hospital/Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, RI.

11 Apr 2008

Mammography and sonography used together can help rule out breast cancer in patients with palpable lesions

When mammography and sonography are used together to evaluate palpable breast lesions, they can rule out cancers in most patients, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Baystate Health in Springfield, MA. However, uncommonly, malignancies cannot be diagnosed using this imaging protocol.

11 Apr 2008

New understanding of cancer stem cells

By revealing the inner workings of a common cell-to-cell signaling system, University of Michigan biologists have uncovered new clues about mysterious and contentious creatures called cancer stem cells.

10 Apr 2008

Looping genes may hold a key to understanding breast cancer

Another piece of the puzzle that is breast cancer has been found by University of Queensland researchers.

10 Apr 2008

Soy appears to protect against development of breast cancer

Evidence is growing from animal and human studies that genistein, a potent chemical found in soy, protects against development of breast cancer - but only if consumed during puberty, says a Georgetown University Medical Center researcher in the British Journal of Cancer published online today.

10 Apr 2008

Scientists turn normal skin cells into cancer stem cells

With a bit of genetic trickery, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have turned normal skin cells into cancer stem cells, a step that will make these naturally rare cells easier to study.

10 Apr 2008

Drug used for aggressive breast cancer on PBS from May 1st

The addition of the breast cancer drug Lapatinib (Tykerb) to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) means will mean cheaper access for Australian women with an advanced stage of breast cancer.

9 Apr 2008

Conjugated equine estrogen increases benign breast disease risk

Women who took conjugated equine estrogen, a commonly prescribed form of estrogen, had more than twice the risk of developing specific types of benign breast disease as women who took a placebo, according to a randomized controlled trial published online April 8 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute .

9 Apr 2008

Double binding sites on tumor target may provide future combination therapy

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues at Merck Serono Research in Germany have found that two drugs bind to receptor sites on some tumors in different places at the same time, suggesting the possibility of a new combination therapy for certain types of cancer.

9 Apr 2008

Benefits of some cancer drugs exaggerated because trials were stopped early

Italian scientists say the benefits of some cancer drugs may be exaggerated as a rising number of trials are stopped early.

9 Apr 2008

Green tea may provide breast cancer protection

Green tea is high in the antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin-3- gallate) which helps prevent the body's cells from becoming damaged and prematurely aged.

8 Apr 2008

T-cadherin affects blood vessel growth in breast cancer, hormone from fat cells may play a role

Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) may have found a new option for targeted breast cancer therapy by showing the link between a certain protein and the formation and development of blood vessels that feed breast tumors.

7 Apr 2008

Salivary diagnostics

Accuracy, convenience, and non-invasiveness are the most critical characteristics for any diagnostic tool.

7 Apr 2008

Discovery of new genetic links to psoriasis

In the first comprehensive study of the genetic basis of psoriasis, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered seven new sites of common DNA variation that increase the risk of the troublesome skin condition.

4 Apr 2008

Researchers learn how signaling molecule orchestrates breast cancer's spread

A study led by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) has uncovered how breast tumors use a particular type of molecule to promote metastasis -- the spread of cancer cells. Metastasis is the cause of approximately 90 percent of all cancer-related deaths.

4 Apr 2008

Human breast tumors' 'microenvironment' primes them for metastasis

The environment within primary breast tumors can "empower" cells that break free and enter the bloodstream to successfully invade other organs, researchers report in the April 4th Cell, a publication of Cell Press.

4 Apr 2008

Disparities in postmastectomy breast reconstruction

In a new study examining disparities in postmastectomy breast reconstruction, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston, Mass., concluded that lack of patient-provider discussion may contribute to socioeconomic, age and race-related inconsistencies in the use of breast reconstruction after mastectomy.

3 Apr 2008