Women with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer had significantly higher rates of pathologic complete response (pCR) when bevacizumab (Avastin) was added to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, two large clinical trials showed.
< READ MORE >

Significantly more women with HER2-positive breast cancer achieved complete tumor resolution when they received two targeted agents before surgery instead of one, results of a large European study showed.
< READ MORE >

Women had almost double the risk of mastectomy when they received brachytherapy instead of whole-breast irradiation after conservative surgery for early breast cancer, investigators reported here.
< READ MORE >

December 19, 2011
Breast Cancer Brachytherapy May Be Overused

Many women who were not ideal candidates for accelerated partial breast irradiation based on treatment guidelines regularly receive the treatment, according to a population-based study.
< READ MORE >

October 19, 2011
Breast Cancer Study: Radiation Slashes Recurrence, Saves Lives

Radiation therapy following breast conserving surgery reduced the rate of disease recurrence by half, a large meta-analysis found.
< READ MORE >

December 12, 2009
SABCS: Chemo Benefit in Breast Cancer Confirmed

SAN ANTONIO -- After more than two decades of follow-up, anthracycline-based chemotherapy added to tamoxifen continues to offer a survival advantage for postmenopausal breast cancer, according to a study reported here at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and online.
< READ MORE >

September 22, 2009
ECCO-ESMO: Survival in Breast Cancer Improves with Surgery

Women with metastatic breast cancer at diagnosis lived twice as long if the primary tumor was removed, data from a large retrospective study showed.
< READ MORE >

November 4, 2009
HER2 Boosts Recurrence Risk Even for Small Breast Cancers

Small, early-stage breast cancers that are HER2-positive carry a substantial risk of recurrence and metastasis that may suggest a need for trastuzumab (Herceptin) therapy, researchers said.
< READ MORE >

November 10, 2009
Breast Cancer Regimen Effective But Toxic

Adding capecitabine (Xeloda) to standard adjuvant chemotherapy significantly reduced the risk of breast cancer recurrence, but the cost was a substantial increase in adverse events, investigators in a randomized clinical trial reported.
< READ MORE >

November 27, 2009
Estrogen Receptor Activation Predicts Tamoxifen Response

Estrogen receptor status may be a better predictor of tamoxifen response for premenopausal breast cancer patients if functionality of this drug target is considered, researchers found.
< READ MORE >

August 19, 2009
Sequential Strategy No Help in Early Breast Cancer

For postmenopausal women with endocrine-responsive early breast cancer, a sequence of the aromatase inhibitor letrozole (Femara) and tamoxifen holds no advantage over letrozole alone, although it may be better than tamoxifen alone.
< READ MORE >

June 18, 2009
ENDO: HER2 Drug Flips ER Negative to Positive

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cells converted to ER-positive status after exposure to trastuzumab (Herceptin), suggesting a new strategy for treating breast cancer, an investigator reported here.
< READ MORE >

June 17, 2009
Breast Cancer Guide Calls for Personalized Therapy

HOUSTON, June 17 -- In an international consensus statement described as practice-changing, new treatment guidelines for early-stage breast cancer call for use of systemic therapies on the basis of individual tumor characteristics.
< READ MORE >

Feb 9, 2009
Pregnant Women with Breast Cancer Do No Worse Than Others

HOUSTON, Feb. 9 -- Women under 35 with pregnancy-associated breast cancer do just as well in the long term as others with breast cancer, researchers here said.
< READ MORE >

Jan 5, 2009
Breast Cancer Metastasis Gene Identified

PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 5 -- A gene associated with poor-prognosis breast cancer has been identified by genomic profiling studies that may point to a new therapeutic target, investigators here reported. 
< READ MORE >

Nov 22, 2008
Outcomes Differ with Type of Post-Mastectomy Breast Reconstruction

GARDEN CITY, N.Y., Nov. 22 -- For women who've had breast reconstruction immediately after mastectomy, the type of procedure may determine outcomes following radiation, researchers found. 
< READ MORE >

Nov 24, 2008
Breast Cancer Benefit Seen for Bevacizumab Combo

BASEL, Switzerland, Nov. 24 -- The maker of capecitabine (Xeloda) said today that a phase III study showed adding bevacizumab (Avastin) to chemotherapy can increase progression-free survival in women with metastatic breast cancer.      
< READ MORE >

Oct 21, 2008
3-D Doppler May Unmask Malignant Breast Lesions

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 21 -- Noninvasive distinctions between malignant and benign breast lesions emerged more clearly when evaluated by 3-D Doppler ultrasound, investigators here concluded.     
< READ MORE >

Oct 13, 2008
Coffee Drinking Does Not Raise Breast Cancer Risk

BOSTON, Oct. 13 -- Several cups of coffee a day do not seem to pose an overall breast cancer risk, researchers here found in a large cohort study, confirming other research.     
< READ MORE >

Oct 13, 2008
Tamoxifen May Unmask ER-Negative Tumors

HOUSTON, Oct. 7 -- When tamoxifen is used as a chemoprevention agent, it may hasten the diagnosis of estrogen receptor-negative tumors while blocking development of ER-positive lesions, according to a new analysis of a landmark trial.     
< READ MORE >

Sept 25, 2008
ASTRO: Breast Cancer MRI Kinetics May Predict Nodal Status

BOSTON, Sept. 25 -- The MRI-related kinetics of a breast tumor may reveal a patient's lymph node status without surgical sampling, data from a small retrospective study suggest.     
< READ MORE >

Sept 24, 2008
ASTRO: No Benefit Seen for Efaproxiral Against Metastatic Brain Tumors

BOSTON, Sept. 24 -- An investigational radiation sensitizer, efaproxiral (Efaproxyn), had no significant benefit for women whose breast cancers had spread to the brain, a researcher said here.    
< READ MORE >

Sept 23, 2008
Protective Role Seen for Hormone Therapy in BRCA1 Carriers

TORONTO, Sept. 23 -- Hormone therapy did not increase the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women with a BRCA1 mutation, according to a case-control study.
< READ MORE >

Sept 22, 2008
ASTRO: Acupuncture Relieves Vasomotor Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients

BOSTON, Sept. 22 -- For breast cancer patients with treatment-related vasomotor symptoms, acupuncture may offer an effective, durable alternative to drug therapy with fewer side effects, researchers found.
< READ MORE >

Sept 22, 2008
ASTRO: Partial Breast Radiation Effective in Preventing Cancer Recurrence

BOSTON, Sept. 22 -- For women with early stage breast cancer, a week of balloon brachytherapy is as effective as standard whole-breast radiation in preventing recurrence, a researcher said here.    
< READ MORE >

Sept 8, 2008
ASCO Breast: Targeted Therapy May Restore Endocrine Sensitivity to Metastatic Breast Cancer

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 -- Breast cancer that has become hormone insensitive may revert to sensitive status with targeted therapy, investigators reported here.    
< READ MORE >

Sept 8, 2008
ASCO Breast: Survival Benefit of Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy Limited

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 -- Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy improves survival only for younger women with early-stage, hormone receptor-negative disease, analysis of a large government database suggests.   
< READ MORE >

Sept 3, 2008
No Cognition Risks Seen for Breast Cancer Prophylaxis with Aromatase Inhibitor

BRIGHTON, England, Sept. 3 -- In postmenopausal women at high risk for breast cancer, two years of prophylaxis with an aromatase inhibitor did not lead to cognitive impairment, according a placebo-controlled study.  
< READ MORE >

Aug 25, 2008
Breast Cancer Phenotypes Linked to Reproductive Factors

SEATTLE, Aug. 25 -- Different molecular subtypes of breast cancer appear to be influenced by specific reproductive factors, investigators here reported.  
< READ MORE >

Aug 20, 2008
Bisphosphonate Thwarts Bone Loss from Breast Cancer Endocrine Therapy

VIENNA, Austria, Aug. 20 -- In premenopausal patients with early-stage breast cancer taking endocrine therapy, bone mineral density remained stable with a bisphosphonate and improved over time, according to a multicenter randomized trial.   
< READ MORE >

July 31, 2008
Patients Found to Lack Knowledge about Breast Cancer Treatment

ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 31 -- More than half of breast cancer patients are ill informed about the risks and benefits of treatment options, and minority patients know even less, investigators here reported.   
< READ MORE >

July 29, 2008
Two Breast Cancer Screening Systems Equally Effective

BURLINGTON, Vt., July 29 -- Breast cancer screening programs in Vermont and Norway got similar results, despite significant differences in approach, researchers here said.   
< READ MORE >

July 14, 2008
Cancer Stem Cells May Drive Breast Cancer

ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 14 -- Malignant stem cells appear to fuel the growth and spread of aggressive HER2-positive breast cancer, suggesting clues for new therapeutic strategies, investigators here reported.     
< READ MORE >

July 9, 2008
Breast Cancer In Younger Women Shares Common Genetic Factors

DURHAM, N.C., July 9 -- The poorer prognoses of younger women's breast cancers may be the result of a unique set of genomic traits not present in older patients, researchers said.     
< READ MORE >

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 8 -- The FDA has approved a genetic test that can be used to identify breast cancer patients whose tumors are HER2-positive, making them candidates for treatment with trastuzumab (Herceptin).    
< READ MORE >

BALTIMORE, June 26 -- Molecular breast imaging may be a more cost-effective follow-up approach to mammography than MRI for high-risk women and those with dense tissue, according to a small retrospective study.   
< READ MORE >

CHICAGO, June 6 -- Diabetic patients with breast cancer had significantly higher rates of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy if they were taking metformin, data from a small retrospective analysis suggest.    < READ MORE >

CHICAGO, June 2 -- Combining targeted biologic therapies after progression of metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer may improve response despite prior treatment with multiple trastuzumab (Herceptin) regimens.   < READ MORE >

CHICAGO, June 2 -- In recurrent or metastatic breast cancer, bevacizumab (Avastin) significantly improved progression-free survival when added to docetaxel (Taxotere), a multicenter European study showed.  < READ MORE >

CHICAGO, June 1 -- Premenopausal women with early-stage hormone-sensitive breast cancer derived a significant survival benefit when zoledronic acid (Zometa) was added to the adjuvant therapeutic mix, a multicenter Austrian trial showed.       < READ MORE >

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 16 -- A pair of breast cancer trials, described in this MedPage Today audio report, kicked off a pre-meeting release of more than 5,000 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting abstracts.      < READ MORE >

CALGARY, Alberta, May 13 -- A physically active life may reduce a woman's breast cancer risk by 25% to 30%, according to a systematic review of the literature.     < READ MORE >

SEATTLE, May 12 -- Short-term follow-up mammograms for tracking "probably benign" breast lesions miss about 40% of the small minority that are actually malignant, researchers here said.    < READ MORE >

NEW YORK, May 5 -- Women with a history of breast cancer but who are negative for BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 may have a greater risk of occult malignancies than previously believed, a surgeon reported here.    < READ MORE >

SAN DIEGO, April 18 -- Intraductal chemotherapy may have potential as a treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ and possibly breast cancer prevention, according to a feasibility study.    < READ MORE >

NEW YORK, April 16 -- Weekly paclitaxel (Taxol) outdid docetaxel (Taxotere) every week or every three weeks in disease-free and overall survival for women with axillary lymph node or high-risk node-negative breast cancer, researchers here reported.    < READ MORE >

SAN DIEGO, April 14 -- For women with recurrent HER2-overexpression breast cancer, an investigational peptide vaccine tended to reduce mortality although there was no impact on disease reappearance, according to data reported here.   < READ MORE >

NEW YORK, April 8 -- Postmenopausal women who took conjugated equine estrogen doubled their risk of benign proliferative breast disease, researchers here said.    < READ MORE >

SUTTON, England, March 20 -- In early-stage breast cancer, delivery of a lower total radiation dose in fewer but larger fractions reduces effects on normal tissue with no loss in tumor control, according to results of two large randomized trials.    < READ MORE >

NEW YORK, March 11 -- Breast cancer patients with HER2/neu-positive disease can be treated safely with an every-other-week chemotherapy regimen followed by trastuzumab (Herceptin), researchers here found.   < READ MORE >

BOSTON, March 10 -- The aromatase inhibitor letrozole (Femara) can prevent late recurrence of breast cancer, even when patients start on the drug long after stopping adjuvant tamoxifen, researchers here said.  < READ MORE >

LA JOLLA, Calif., March 6 -- High estradiol levels in women who have been treated for early-stage breast cancer may increase the risk of recurrence, researchers here said.   < READ MORE >

ROCKVILLE, Md., Feb. 22 -- The FDA today approved bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with paclitaxel (Taxol) for chemotherapy-naïve patients with metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer.   < READ MORE >

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 15 -- Computer-aided screening mammography reduces the need for more imaging, leads to fewer false-positives, and may detect more malignancies compared with double reading, an analysis of more than 200,000 exams suggested.  < READ MORE >

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 13 -- Women with metastatic breast cancer had significant improvement in progression-free survival when treated with bevacizumab (Avastin) and docetaxel (Taxotere) in combination, the drug makers announced here.  < READ MORE >

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Jan. 29 -- Digital mammography is more accurate than film for women under 50 who are pre- or perimenopausal and who have dense breast tissue, a new analysis of a large randomized trial demonstrated.   < READ MORE >

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 21 -- The FDA has given trastuzumab (Herceptin) the additional indication of adjuvant monotherapy for early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer, Genentech announced here.    < READ MORE >

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 16 -- The FDA has approved a genetic test that can be used to assess risk of tumor recurrence and long-term survival for women with aggressive breast cancers.   < READ MORE >

SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 11 -- Here's a look at intriguing prospects still in early trials in five areas of breast cancer research presented at the recent San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.  < READ MORE >

NEW YORK, Jan. 9 -- BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancer susceptibility mutations are not one-size-fits-all risk factors for malignancies, researchers reported.   < READ MORE >

MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 9 -- To prevent recurrence of node-positive breast cancer, docetaxel (Taxotere) may offer a small advantage if added to anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy, researchers found in a multicenter trial.   < READ MORE >

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