A breast cancer prediction model

05/30/2005 - J. Tyrer, S. W. Duffy and J. CuzickStat Med. 2005 May 30;24(10):1610-1612
From a clinical point of view, discriminating between women with a high breast cancer risk and those with a low risk is of utmost importance, and proper breast cancer screening and counseling strategies are key in reducing mortality. Recently, a breast cancer risk prediction model incorporating familial risk factors was published in this Journal, the Tyrer model...

Physical activity and survival after breast cancer diagnosis

05/25/2005 - Holmes MD, Chen WY, Feskanich D, Kroenke CH, Colditz GA.JAMA. 2005 May 25;293(20):2479-86. PMID: 15914748
"Physical activity has been shown to decrease the incidence of breast cancer, but the effect on recurrence or survival after a breast cancer diagnosis is not known. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether physical activity among women with breast cancer decreases their risk of death from breast cancer compared with more sedentary women..."

Long-term risk of breast cancer recurrence: the need for extended adjuvant therapy

05/25/2005 Kaufmann M, Rody A. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol.
"On the basis of these results, extended adjuvant letrozole is recommended for all patients completing 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen, including women generally considered at minimal risk."

Sexuality after breast cancer treatment: Changes and coping strategies among Japanese survivors

"Suggestions for medical professionals on how to support women's sexuality after cancer are discussed with reference to the Japanese socio-cultural and medical context."

Exercise reduces fatigue after breast cancer

After being treated for breast cancer, women who engage in moderate exercise have more energy and feel better about their bodies than less active women, a study shows.

Study finds MRI useful for breast cancer

"Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, tracked 58 women with breast cancer. They found that a comparison of MRIs made before chemotherapy and after provided the most useful predictor."

Breast cancer treatment highly effective for treatment of HER-2 type breast cancer

"A new treatment appears to offer great promise for patients with HER-2 positive breast cancer, according to a recent study. When the drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) was combined with chemotherapy for treatment of HER-2 type breast cancer, the results were highly effective in eliminating tumors."

Turmeric fights breast cancer in mice

"Turmeric, a yellow spice used widely in Indian cooking, stops the spread of cancer in mice, US researchers reported on Thursday. Curcumin, an active compound found in turmeric, helped stop the spread of breast cancer tumor cells to the lungs of mice. Tests have already started in people, too... "

Long term use of ibuprofen may be linked to breast cancer

"Ibuprofen, a common painkiller, may be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. In a recent study, women who took the drug on a daily, long-term basis demonstrated an increased risk of developing this disease. Scientists remain skeptical as to the true cause and effect association between the drug and breast cancer. "

Menstrual cycle characteristics and incidence of premenopausal breast cancer

"Overall, longer or irregular cycles at ages 18 to 22 years or in early adulthood were not associated with reduced premenopausal breast cancer risk. However, longer menstrual cycles at ages 18 to 22 years were associated with a lower incidence of premenopausal breast cancer before age 40."

Coping skills affect life after breast cancer

"Young women who are less able to cope with breast cancer and feel ill-prepared for the challenge tend to have a lower quality of life after their diagnosis, according to new study findings. U.S. researchers also found that young women in bad relationships fared worse with breast cancer than women in good relationship or without partners."

Soybean products and reduction of breast cancer risk: a case-control study in Japan

"The present study found a statistically inverse association between tofu or isoflavone intake and risk of breast cancer in Japanese premenopausal women, while no statistically significant association was evident with the risk among postmenopausal women."

Breast cancer lures stem cells to survive

"The first generation of chemotherapy was more targeting the cell division of cancer," said senior investigator Erhard Bieberich. "Now we are entering a new phase where we are targeting more the communication pathways. "

Couples who get closer after breast cancer: frequency and predictors in a prospective investigation

Dorval M, Guay S, Mondor M, Masse B, Falardeau M, Robidoux A, Deschenes L, Maunsell E. J Clin Oncol. 2005 May 20; 23(15): 3588-96
Breast cancer can be a growth experience for couples under certain conditions. This information may help reassure patients and their spouses confronting this disease.

Dual Treatment Caught Almost All Breast Tumors In High-Risk Women

05/16/2005 - HealthDay News
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. Those findings were reported online Monday by The Lancet to coincide with a presentation to the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Orlando, Fla. They echo the results of two smaller studies, one Canadian and one Dutch, that were reported in the past year...

Low-fat Diet, Aspirin, Cut Cancer Relapse

05/16/2005 - Reuters Health
"A low-fat diet and aspirin, both shown to help reduce the risk of cancer, may also help keep it from coming back in some patients, researchers reported on Monday. Breast cancer patients who followed a modest low-fat diet, cutting oils, margarine and red meat, were 24 percent less likely to have their cancer come back, one team found..."

New Breast Cancer Scan Shows Promise

05/09/2005 - American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, news release
Electrical impedance scanning (EIS) is a promising tool for early detection of breast cancer in women younger than 45 years old, a new study has found. The research included 1,163 women who were categorized according to breast cancer risk, based on clinical and biopsy findings. The women were also evaluated using EIS. The study found that EIS was rarely positive for women with the lowest risk of breast cancer but was often positive in women with the greatest breast cancer risk.

Hair X-ray Test Might Spot Early Breast Cancer

05/06/2005 - Reuters Health
Results of an animal study suggest that measuring the way X-rays are diffracted when they pass through a hair could be used to diagnose breast cancer at an early stage, and monitor treatment results.

Post-breast cancer lymphedema in aging women: self-management and implications for nursing

05/01/2005 - Armer JM, Heckathorn PW.J Gerontol Nurs. 2005 May;31(5):29-39
"More than 2 million women living with breast cancer in this country are at lifetime risk for lymphedema (LE) development. Accounting for 25% of all cancer survivors, the majority of these breast cancer survivors are older than 65. Unmanaged LE greatly impacts quality of life for breast cancer survivors, potentially affecting interpersonal and family relationships, functional abilities, occupational roles, self-image, and self-esteem. As the number of breast cancer survivors increases due to improved detection and treatment, it becomes all the more important that health professionals focus on prevention, early detection, and treatment of LE among breast cancer survivors of all ages. A case study of an 88-year-old breast cancer survivor with LE is presented to illustrate the effect of LE on psychosocial issues and functional abilities among aging women. Guidelines for LE prevention and management are presented, with application to the special needs of the older breast cancer survivor. Nursing implications are discussed, with recommendations for future study."

Increase in Breast Cancer Incidence in Middle-aged Women during the 1990s

"This regional difference in trend by age did not appear to be due to screening mammography or environmental exposures. Cohort exposures to breast cancer risk factors, such as oral contraceptive and/or hormone replacement therapy use, may have contributed to these rate increases. Although the reasons remain unclear, the finding may signal a rising risk of breast cancer in this demographic group."

Breast cancer: the role of hormone therapy

05/01/2005 - Creasman WT. Semin Reprod Med. 2005 May;23(2):167-71.
...It would appear from a review of the literature that if there is an increased risk for breast cancer with E or E + P, it is minimal.

Hormonal Therapy for Breast Cancer

05/01/2005 - CA Cancer J Clin. 2005 May-June;55(3):195-198
The hormone estrogen is produced mainly by a woman’s ovaries until menopause (change of life), and then by the adrenal glands and fat tissue. Estrogen causes normal breast tissue to grow, the main reason why women’s breasts are larger than men’s....

Alternative to tamoxifen effective for preventing breast cancer recurrence

05/01/2005 - Mayo Clin Womens Healthsource. 2005 May;9(5):3
No abstract available

Household electromagnetic fields and breast cancer in elderly women

Beniashvili D, Avinoach I, Baazov D, Zusman I. In Vivo. 2005 May-Jun;19(3):563-6.
The relationship between the rate of household low-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) and incidences of mammary tumors was studied in 1290 clinical case-records of female patients aged 60 and more over a period of 26 years, based on the materials of the Edith Wolfson Medical Center, Israel

An Achilles' heel for breast cancer?

Caldecott KW, Chalmers A. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2005 May;12(5):387-8
Two recent reports describe potentially novel therapeutic approaches for treating tumors arising from mutations in the tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. These studies support the idea that selective killing of tumor cells can be achieved by targeting a specific DNA repair pathway on which an individual tumor type has become dependent.