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Current Issue: May 2008

Many women diagnosed with a precancerous breast lesion known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) face a low risk of a recurrence or of developing invasive breast cancer, says a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.


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April 2008

Not only does hormone replacement therapy raise the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, it raises the risk of a specific type of malignancy called lobular breast cancer. Researchers, reporting in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, also found that the cancer risk appeared earlier than the five-year period cited by other research.

March 2008

The gene mutation BRCA1, which is known to increase the risk of breast cancer, is prevalent among Hispanics and young African-American women with breast cancer, says a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

February 2008

A new radiological diagnostic tool called stereo mammography allows clinicians to detect more lesions and could significantly reduce the number of women who are recalled for additional tests following routine screening mammography. A 3-D view of breast tissue may provide a more accurate method of detecting breast cancers, say researchers at the Radiological Society of North America meeting.

January 2008

Women diagnosed with breast cancer who have a mastectomy are increasingly choosing to have their other healthy breast removed as a preventive measure.

December 2007

Breast cancer death rates continue to decline more than 2 percent annually, a long-running trend that can be traced to early detection and better treatments, according to a new American Cancer Society (ACS) report.

November 2007

There appears to be little or no link between breast cancer and acrylamide, a substance found in many baked and fried foods, say researchers at an American Chemical Society meeting.

October 2007

While a healthy diet remains a mainstay of cancer prevention, eating more than the recommended amounts of fruits, vegetables, and fiber will not give you added protection against breast cancer recurrence, says a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

September 2007

Current methods of gauging a woman's breast cancer risk that rely on her family history may underestimate the danger, says a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

August 2007

A sophisticated radiation therapy system safely allows the delivery of a higher daily dose for breast cancer patients and shortens the treatment time for women from six or seven weeks to just four, researchers say.

July 2007

Tamoxifen helps prevent breast cancer in women at high risk for the disease who have also had their ovaries removed as part of a hysterectomy, says a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

June 2007

Women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer should have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the other breast in addition to mammography, says the American Cancer Society (ACS).

May 2007

Breast cancer treatment trials that are funded by drug companies are more likely to show positive results than studies sponsored by other sources, say researchers in the journal Cancer.

April 2007

A genetic "signature" that consists of 186 genes combined together can predict the risk of recurrence for some common cancers, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

March 2007

The mammogram is changing for the better, say experts trained in breast imaging. New computer-driven technologies should make the yearly exam more accurate and easier on patients than ever before.

February 2007

Women who are heavier in young adulthood have a lower risk of developing breast cancer before they reach menopause, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

January 2007

Steaks, hamburgers, and other red meat could raise younger women's risk for an estrogen-linked form of breast cancer, says a report in Archives of Internal Medicine.

December 2006

A breast biopsy is the preferred follow-up procedure to confirm a cancer diagnosis, even though several other test options exist and may be offered by physicians, according to a report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

November 2006

Women who are physically active in the year before they receive a diagnosis of breast cancer are more likely to survive the disease, according to a study reported in the journal Cancer.

October 2006

Women whose mothers took DES, a synthetic estrogen, while pregnant have nearly double the risk of breast cancer, according to a report in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

September 2006

Older American women are not getting as many mammograms as they say, or think they are, according to a report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

August 2006

African-American women who are premenopausal are twice as likely to get a certain type of breast tumor, one that is a particularly virulent form of breast cancer, than other women, according to a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

July 2006

Researchers have defined aspects of disabling fatigue that persists for years in almost one-third of breast cancer survivors, says a report in the medical journal Clinical Cancer Research.

June 2006

The benefit of breast cancer chemotherapy may depend on the status of estrogen receptors lying on the surface of tumor cells, according to an analysis reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

May 2006

Younger women with non-BRCA hereditary breast cancer are up to six times more likely to develop a new cancer in the other breast in the next 20 years, when compared with the general population, according to a study reported in the medical journal Cancer.

April 2006

Older and younger women derived similar decreases in death rates from breast cancer and in recurrence when they were on the regimens containing the more aggressive chemotherapy, according to a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

March 2006

Targeted radiation that sends medicine directly to the site of a breast cancer tumor and takes only five days to complete has shown success in early studies, say experts.

February 2006

Even though estrogen can trigger the growth of breast cancer cells, small doses of the hormone can also help kill tumor cells, according to a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

January 2006

The results of a 13-year study confirm that tamoxifen, a medication long used to treat breast cancer, can also prevent the malignancy in healthy women at high risk for the disease, according to a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

December 2005

Many breast cancer patients who are using hormone therapies such as tamoxifen to cut the risk of recurrence prefer tablets over injections, given a choice, says a new report in the Annals of Oncology.

November 2005

Progress in the early detection and treatment of breast cancer is paying lifesaving dividends, with continuing decreases in mortality rates, according to a new American Cancer Society (ACS) report.

October 2005

Concerned about cancer recurrence, women with breast cancer often choose a mastectomy over a less-drastic lumpectomy when they have control over the decision, according to a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

September 2005

A new study reported in the medical journal The Lancet offers more evidence for a move away from tamoxifen as the standard medication for postmenopausal women with early breast cancer whose tumor is fueled by estrogen.

August 2005

Results from several breast cancer-related research studies were presented at the recent "Era of Hope" meeting of the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program.

July 2005

Mammography coupled with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), conducted on an annual basis, would catch almost all tumors in women at high risk for breast cancer, according to a study reported in The Lancet.

June 2005

Researchers have identified a gene mutation that may contribute to certain cancers, including breast cancer, say researchers in the New England Journal of Medicine.

May 2005

Women with a common thyroid problem called hypothyroidism are less likely to develop invasive breast cancer than women with normal thyroid function, according to a study reported in the medical journal Cancer.

April 2005

Researchers report they have found a pattern of 76 genes, something geneticists call a

March 2005

Adding radiation therapy to chemotherapy improves survival in patients with high-risk breast cancer who have had a modified radical or full mastectomy, say researchers in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

February 2005

A new genetic test could one day spare many women diagnosed with breast cancer from the rigors of chemotherapy, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

January 2005

A study has found that women taking raloxifene for osteoporosis have an added benefit - the medication may also significantly reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

December 2004

A new study that will look at 50,000 sisters of women diagnosed with breast cancer opened today for enrollment across the US.

November 2004

The majority of women in the US are getting their first screening mammogram for breast cancer at age 40, as recommended by health experts, according to a new report in the medical journal Cancer.

October 2004

A new blood test holds promise for improving the treatment of advanced breast cancer, researchers report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

September 2004

For a small group of women with a genetic or family history for breast cancer, regular MRI breast screening may be the best way to spot tumors early, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

August 2004

Many women ignore recommendations to undergo regular mammograms, and as a result miss out on the lifesaving benefits of the screening exam, according to a study reported in Cancer, a journal of the American Cancer Society (ACS).

July 2004

The activity of two genes may tell physicians who will succeed on tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer and, more importantly, who will fail, according to a new report in the medical journal Cancer Cell.

June 2004

Women often avoid getting mammograms because they are afraid of the pain, but the fear is unfounded, according to report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

May 2004

The first head-to-head comparison of the drugs tamoxifen and exemestane in women with advanced breast cancer showed the latter was not only safe, it also improves disease-free survival.

April 2004

Genetic testing is a process for determining genetic alterations that may be linked with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

March 2004

Women with breast cancer have fewer adverse effects from chemotherapy and less fatigue when using virtual reality as a distraction intervention during treatments.

February 2004

Active smoking appears to play a larger role in the development of breast cancer than previously thought, according to a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

January 2004

Because partial-breast irradiation is seen as a promising alternative treatment for breast cancer patients who have just had a lumpectomy, the NCI has this treatment under study.


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