Healthcare Updates » WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE

Hot flushes are linked with a significant reduction in breast cancer risk, study finds

admin — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:15:15 +0000

Combining targeted therapies might be required for maximum anti-tumor activity when treating HER2-positive breast cancers, according to two new studies.

Source:
ScienceDaily: Breast Cancer News

Novel methods for improved breast cancer survival

admin — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:04:04 +0000

Researchers asked post-menopausal breast cancer survivors whether they had fallen in the past year and then tracked their falls over a six-month study period. They found evidence that women who have survived breast cancer may fall more often than their peers.

Source:
ScienceDaily: Breast Cancer News

Obesity may increase risk of triple-negative breast cancer

admin — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:08:08 +0000

Using recent advances in genomics, researchers have uncovered a genetic pathway that affects the development of breast cancer, work that could help predict which patients are at risk of relapse for the disease.

Source:
ScienceDaily: Breast Cancer News

Two genes involved in hereditary breast and ovary cancer cases

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:40:40 +0000

Between 5 and 10 percent of breast cancer cases are hereditary, arising because the patient inherits from the father or mother a mutation in a gene that is susceptible to causing the illness. BRCA1 and BRCA2 have already been identified as two of the genes to be monitored. It is estimated that 30 percent of hereditary breast cancer cases are due to mutations in one of these two genes (which suggests, at the same time, that there are other genes involved, but exactly how is still unknown). In any case, few of the mutations found in BRCA1 and BRCA2 could be clearly identified as pathological. The fact is that the mutations found were numerous; their variation even depending on the population.

Obese women less likely to complete mammograms and more likely to report pain with the procedure, study finds

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:20:20 +0000

New findings confirm the risk of breast cancer among women who are obese and not physically active, and suggests additional mechanisms beyond estrogen.

Source:
ScienceDaily: Breast Cancer News

Red wine compound increases anti-tumor effect of rapamycin

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:19:19 +0000

Researchers have discovered that resveratrol -- a compound found in red wine -- when combined with rapamycin can have a tumor-suppressing effect on breast cancer cells that are resistant to rapamycin alone. The research also indicates that the PTEN tumor-suppressing gene contributes to resveratrol's anti-tumor effects in this treatment combination.

Risk of breast cancer recurrence may depend on treating surgeon

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:08:08 +0000

Ductal carcinoma in situ, or non-invasive breast cancer, is typically treated with either breast-conserving surgery -- with or without follow-up radiation -- or mastectomy. The treatment choice depends on clinical factors, the treating surgeon, and patient preferences. Long-term health outcomes (disease-free survival) depend on the treatments received. According to a new study, however, health outcomes also are associated with the treating surgeon.

Women with false-positive mammograms report high anxiety and reduced quality of life

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 02:10:10 +0000

Doctors are calling for women to receive more information about the pitfalls of breast cancer screening, as well as the benefits, after some women who received false-positive results faced serious anxiety and reduced quality of life for at least a year. The study of 385 women found that the 233 with false-positive results - where the mammogram is abnormal but no cancer is present - had to undergo more diagnostic procedures than women with breast cancer before they were given the all clear. And women who had a tendency to be anxious fared much worse if they received a false-positive - estimated to happen in 60% of abnormal mammograms - than if they were actually diagnosed with breast cancer.

Breast cancer incidence rates no longer declining in US women

admin — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:08:08 +0000

Breast cancer can develop very differently in different women. Researchers in Norway are improving breast cancer diagnostics and treatment by identifying the various tumor types. The objective is to find out as much as possible about the various tumor types so that each patient can receive precisely the right treatment at the right time. Women respond differently to available treatments.

Source:
ScienceDaily: Breast Cancer News

Scientists bring cancer cells back under control

admin — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:56:56 +0000

Full-term pregnancy has long been associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer, but a new study finds that the more times a woman gives birth, the higher her risk of "triple-negative" breast cancer, a relatively uncommon but particularly aggressive subtype of the disease. Conversely, women who never give birth have a 40 percent lower risk of such breast cancer.

Source:
ScienceDaily: Breast Cancer News