Carcinoma In Situ
Young Women with DCIS Have Higher Risk of Recurrence
(10/14/2009)
Researchers from Canada have reported that women age 44 or younger with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast have a higher rate of recurrence than older women following breast-conserving surgery and radiation therapy. These results were presented at the ASCO 2009 Breast Cancer Symposium in San Francisco, October 8-10, 2009.
Surgical Decision-making in Early-stage Breast Cancer
(09/16/2009)
Researchers from the University of Michigan and several other centers in the United States have reported that patients with early-stage breast cancer who take an active role in decision-making tend to opt for mastectomy over lumpectomy, despite the fact that the procedures have been shown to produce equivalent outcomes. The details of this study appeared early online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute on August 31, 2009.
Weight Lifting May Be Safe for Breast Cancer Survivors with Lymphedema
(08/14/2009)
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have reported that a program of twice-weekly, slowly progressive weight lifting increased strength and reduced lymphedema symptoms without affecting arm and hand swelling in breast cancer survivors with stable lymphedema. These results were published in the August 13, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Early Diagnosis of Second Breast Cancers Improves Survival
(07/16/2009)
Researchers from Italy have reported that early detection of second breast cancers leads to early-stage diagnosis and improved survival. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the Annals of Oncology on March 17, 2009.
Women Treated for Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) Fail to Get Yearly Screening Mammography
(07/06/2009)
Researchers from several U.S. medical centers have reported that women with DCIS treated with lumpectomy often fail to follow the guidelines for annual screening mammography. The details of this study appeared in the July 1, 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Inflammatory
Herceptin® Improves Survival of Women with HER2+ Locally Advanced Breast Cancer
(02/05/2010)
Researchers affiliated with the NOAH trial have reported that the neoadjuvant and adjuvant administration of Herceptin® (trastuzumab) to chemotherapy improves event-free survival (EFS) of women with locally advanced or inflammatory HER2+ breast cancer. The details of this randomized study were published in the January 30, 2010 issue of the Lancet. Preliminary results of this study were recently presented at the 2008 annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Tykerb® Monotherapy Active in HER2-positive Refractory Inflammatory Breast Cancer
(06/06/2008)
Researchers from Israel reported that Tykerb® (lapatinib) monotherapy provides significant response rates among women with HER2-positive, recurrent inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), even among those refractory to Herceptin® (trastuzumab). These results were recently reported at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
95% of Website Breast Cancer Information Is Accurate
(02/20/2008)
Researchers from the University of Texas in Houston have reported that approximately 95% of information about breast cancer that is found on the Internet is accurate but current quality criteria do not detect inaccurate information especially on sites dealing with complementary or alternative medical (CAM) information. These results were recently published in the journal Cancer.
Tykerb® Effective in Inflammatory Breast Cancer
(12/20/2006)
According to results recently presented at the 2006 annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), Tykerb (lapatinib), either alone or in combination with Taxol® (paclitaxel) provides activity in inflammatory breast cancer.
Second Opinion Can Change Treatment Course in More Than Half of Breast Cancer Cases
(12/06/2006)
Researchers from the University of Michigan have reported that a second opinion from a multidisciplinary cancer clinic changed treatment management in more than half of patients with breast cancer.
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Metastatic
Iressa® plus Arimidex® Improves Progression-free Survival in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer
(03/16/2010)
Researchers from the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have reported that the addition of Iressa® (gefitinib) to Arimidex® (anastrozole) improves progression-free survival (PFS) in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer. The details of this study were published in the March 15, 2010 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
Neratinib Active in Women with HER2-positive Breast Cancer
(03/15/2010)
Researchers involved in an international multicenter trial have reported that neratinib is active for the treatment of patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer who have or have not received Herceptin® (trastuzumab). The details of this study were published in the March 10, 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Avastin® Not Contraindicated in Patients with CNS Metastases
(03/08/2010)
Researchers from France have reported that patients with central nervous system (CNS) metastases have similar rates of whether or not they receive Avastin® (bevacizumab). The details of this study appeared in the January 2010 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
Tykerb Approved for Initial Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer
(02/04/2010)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded its approval of Tykerb® (lapatinib) to include initial treatment of metastatic, postmenopausal breast cancer that is both HER2-positive and hormone receptor-positive. In this setting, Tykerb is approved for use in combination with the aromatase inhibitor Femara® (letrozole).
Xeloda® Adds to Effectiveness of Herceptin® and Taxotere® Regimen for Metastatic Breast Cancer
(02/01/2010)
Researchers involved in an international multicenter study (CHAT) have reported that the addition of Xeloda® (capecitabine) to Herceptin® (trastuzumab) and Taxotere® (docetaxel) improves response rate and progression-free survival in women with advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. However, Xeloda increased toxicities significantly. The details of this study were published early online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on December 28, 2009.
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Recurrent
Neratinib Shows Promise in Treatment of HER2-positive Breast Cancer
(12/18/2009)
Researchers involved in an international Phase I/II study have reported that the addition of neratinib to Taxol® (paclitaxel) produced promising response rates among women with metastatic, HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer. These results were presented at the 2009 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS).
Follow-up Presented of Nexavar® plus Taxol® Study for Treatment of Advanced Breast Cancer
(12/17/2009)
Researchers involved in an international randomized Phase IIB study have reported that the combination of Nexavar® (sorafenib) and Taxol® (paclitaxel) improves progression-free survival (PFS) compared with Taxol plus placebo in patients with advanced or metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer. These results were presented at the 2009 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Updated Study Results Show Survival Benefit in Advanced Breast Cancer from Adding Tykerb® to Herceptin®
(12/17/2009)
Researchers affiliated with the EGF104900 trial have confirmed that the combination of Tykerb® (lapatinib) and Herceptin® (trastuzumab) is more effective than Tykerb alone in women with HER2-positive, metastatic breast cancer that has progressed during treatment with Herceptin. These results were presented at the 2009 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Addition of Avastin® to Chemotherapy Delays Breast Cancer Progression
(12/17/2009)
According to the results of two Phase III clinical trials, the addition of Avastin® (bevacizumab) to first- or second-line chemotherapy delays cancer progression but may not improve overall survival among women with advanced breast cancer. These results were presented at the 2009 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS).
Nexavar® Has Significant Activity in Metastatic Breast Cancer
(09/30/2009)
Researchers involved in a Spanish-Brazilian Phase IIb randomized trial (SOLTI-0701) have reported that the combination of Nexavar® (sorafenib) and Xeloda® (capecitabine) improves progression-free survival (PFS) compared with Xeloda plus placebo in patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer. The details of this study were presented at the Joint 15 – 34th EXMO Multidisciplinary Congress in Berlin, September 20-24, 2009.
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Screening/Prevention
Does Multivitamin Use Increase the Risk of Breast Cancer?
(04/05/2010)
Researchers from Sweden have reported a 19% increased risk of breast cancer in women taking multivitamins. The details of this study were published early online on March 24, 2010 in the American Journal or Clinical Nutrition.1 However, other large studies have not found such an association.
Danish Study Finds No Survival Benefit from Mammography Screening
(03/29/2010)
Researchers from Denmark have reported that they were unable to find evidence that women living in areas of routine mammography screening had a decreased risk of death from breast cancer compared with women living in areas without routine mammography screening. The details of this study were published early online on March 23, 2010 in the British Medical Journal.
Effectiveness Documented of Prophylactic Mastectomy for Women with BRCA1/2 Gene Mutation
(03/24/2010)
Researchers from the Netherlands have reported that prophylactic mastectomy is very effective in preventing breast cancer in women with BRCA1/2 mutations. The details of this study were published in the March 2010 issue of the Annals of Surgery.
Low-income Women Experience Delayed Follow-up of Abnormal Mammograms
(03/18/2010)
Researchers affiliated with Harvard University and the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (BCCEDP) have reported that there is a significant delay in follow-up diagnostic tests and treatment following a positive mammogram in one-third of low-income women participating in this program. The details of this study were published early online in the Archives of Internal Medicine on March 16, 2010.
Bisphosphonates for Osteoporosis Treatment May Decrease Risk of Breast Cancer
(03/04/2010)
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin have reported that the use of bisphosphonates for osteoporosis treatment may reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. The details of this study were published in the March 1, 2010 issue of the British Journal of Cancer.
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Stage I Node Negative
Delay in Radiotherapy Increases Risk of Relapse Following Lumpectomy for Breast Cancer
(03/26/2010)
Researchers from the Dana Farber Cancer Center have confirmed that starting radiation therapy as soon as possible after beast conserving therapy in older women with localized breast cancer decreases the risk of local recurrence. The details of this study were published in the March 13, 2010 issue of the British Medical Journal.
Oncotype DX® Predicts Recurrence Risk in Node-negative and Node-positive Breast Cancer Treated with Tamoxifen or Anastrozole
(03/10/2010)
Researchers affiliated with the TransATAC Study have reported that the Oncotype DX® test predicts the risk of distant cancer recurrence in postmenopausal women with early, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer with both node-negative and node-positive disease treated with tamoxifen (Nolvadex®) or anastrozole (Arimidex®). These results were published early online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on March 8, 2010.
Oncotype DX® Recurrence Scores Similar in United States and Asia-Pacific
(03/03/2010)
Researchers have reported that the results of the Oncotype DX® breast cancer test are similar among patients in the United States and Asia-Pacific, suggesting that the test may help guide breast cancer treatment decisions in both regions. These results were presented at the 6th Annual Conference of the Organisation for Oncology and Translational Research (OOTR) in Japan in February 2010.
Regular Aspirin Use Decreases Distant Recurrences and Decreases Breast Cancer Deaths in Women with Early-stage Breast Cancer
(02/26/2010)
Researchers affiliated with the Nurses’ Health Study have reported that women with early-stage breast cancer living at least one year after diagnosis have a decreased risk of distant relapse and lower mortality if they are regular users of aspirin.
Low to Moderate Alcohol Intake Not Associated with Increased Mortality After Breast Cancer
(02/22/2010)
Researchers from the University of California at San Diego have reported that “light alcohol intake regardless of body weight did not increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence or all-cause mortality in this cohort of middle-aged women previously diagnosed with breast cancer.” The details of this study were published early online on February 16, 2010 in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.
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Stages II-III
Supportive Care