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Oncology/Hematology >

Breast Cancer

News, opinions and meeting coverage in oncology/hematology.

Frankie the Dog Fetches - and Finds Thyroid Cancer?

Canine trained in cancer scent detection gives few false positives in early test.

Mammograms: Less Pain, Risk-Based Screens?

Breast cancer screening after 40, a more comfortable mammogram.

Evolution: Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy

Techniques have changed and improved.

BCS: 'Jolie Effect' Drives Genetic Test Referrals

SAN FRANCISCO -- Referrals for genetic testing almost doubled in the first 6 months after actress Angelina Jolie said she would undergo bilateral mastectomy after testing positive for BRCA1 mutation.

Tamoxifen Found in Bodybuilding Supplement

British researchers have found tamoxifen in supplements used by bodybuilders -- an active ingredient that isn't clearly labeled on the bottle.

Bodybuilders Bulk Up Using ... Cancer Drugs?

While steroids are all-stars among performance-enhancing drugs, breast cancer drugs are a lesser-known staple of doping regimens, as are some investigational agents that aren't available on any regulated market.

Arimidex: Top Drug for Breast Ca Prevention?

SAN ANTONIO -- Should anastrozole (Arimidex) be the first choice in pharmacologic primary prevention of breast cancer, based on IBIS-II trial results presented here? No, said most experts.

FDA: Nipple Test No Substitute for Mammogram

A nipple aspirate test shouldn't take the place of mammography or otherwise be used on its own to screen for breast disease, the FDA warned.

Morning Break: Addictive Oreos and Sperm-Slaying Bacon

Health news and commentary from around the Web, gathered by the MedPage Today staff.

Medicare to Pay for More FDG-PET Scans

WASHINGTON -- Up to three scans using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-enhanced positron emission tomography technology can be covered by Medicare for oncology treatment planning, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said.

ASCO: Two Taxol Regimens Similar in Breast Cancer

CHICAGO -- Breast cancer patients obtained the same disease control with less toxicity when they received weekly low-dose chemotherapy instead of a higher dose given every 2 weeks, results of a randomized trial showed.

Metformin Role in Breast Cancer Still Unclear

SAN ANTONIO -- Clinical trials of the diabetes drug metformin in breast cancer yielded a few possible clues to anticancer activity but little else, according to a series of reports.

Effexor May Not Mix with Tamoxifen

SAN ANTONIO -- The antidepressant venlafaxine (Effexor), often given to breast cancer patients to treat the hot flashes associated with tamoxifen therapy, might reduce the effectiveness of the drug, a researcher said here.

Statins May Slow Inflammatory Breast Cancer

SAN ANTONIO -- Inflammatory breast cancer grew significantly more slowly in women who had a history of treatment with statin drugs, findings from a large retrospective review showed.

Repeat CT Scans May Up Breast Ca Risk in Young Women

CHICAGO -- A female teenager who undergoes multiple chest or cardiac CT studies may see her 10-year risk for breast cancer double, researchers said here.

'Scatter' Effects of Mammography Pose Little Risk

CHICAGO -- Scatter radiation from screening mammography is minimal, even to the thyroid, and results in negligible risk to the patient, researchers reported here.

Study Counters WHI on Risk of Hormones in Menopause

Hormone therapy may actually help the heart in some respects for newly menopausal women, a randomized trial showed, although the impact on hard outcomes like stroke and breast cancer still remains to be seen.

Drug Works in AI-Resistant Breast Cancer

SAN FRANCISCO -- A tamoxifen-like drug slowed progression of advanced breast cancer previously treated with a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor, results of a small Japanese trial suggested.

Afinitor Helps Breast Tx in Older Patients

SAN FRANCISCO -- Older patients with advanced breast cancer had significant improvement in progression-free survival when everolimus was added to exemestane, a new analysis of a randomized trial showed.

Young Women Skip Mammo After USPSTF Recs

SAN FRANCISCO -- Rates of screening mammography among women younger than 50 declined within 2 months of a negative recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and have remained below baseline rates, according to a study reported here.

Device May Cut Re-Excision Rate in Breast Cancer

SAN FRANCISCO -- Re-excision after breast-conserving surgery occurred 50% less often with intraoperative margin assessment by a device that distinguishes cancer cells from normal tissue, results of a randomized study showed.

Lying Prone for Radiation Best for Breast Tx

Lying face down for radiation therapy lessens the amount of collateral damage to breast cancer patients' heart and lungs, researchers found.

Doctors Say 45 Common Tests 'Overused'

Nine specialty groups have listed tests and treatments that are frequently overused, such as antibiotics for sinus attacks and CT scans for low back pain, in the first phase of a long-term project.

Komen Official Quits After Controversy

A vice-president at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has resigned in the wake of the controversy surrounding the organization's decision -- since reversed -- to stop funding Planned Parenthood's breast cancer programs.

FDA Revokes Avastin Approval for Breast Cancer

WASHINGTON -- The FDA has announced that bevacizumab (Avastin) is no longer approved for the treatment of breast cancer; the Genentech drug retains its other indications and will remain on the market.

AMA Adopts Policies on Circumcision, Gun Safety

The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates has adopted a number of new policies at its interim meeting, including policies on male circumcision, physician discussion of gun safety, and a new medical coding system that will go into effect in 2013.

MBCS: Lumpectomy 'Safe' for Young Breast Cancer Patients

SAN FRANCISCO -- Lumpectomy doesn't carry higher recurrence or mortality risk than mastectomy for young women with breast cancer, two separate studies found.

Medicare to Keep Paying for Avastin

WASHINGTON -- Medicare will continue to pay for bevacizumab (Avastin) when it's used to treat metastatic breast cancer, even if the FDA decides to remove that indication from the drug, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said.

ASCO: Flaxseed No Help for Hot Flashes

CHICAGO -- Flaxseed will not ease hot flashes for women with menopausal symptoms or breast cancer survivors taking anti-estrogen drugs, according to clinical trial results.

ASCO Breast: Gamma Imaging Tops Breast Ultrasound

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) outperformed breast ultrasound for evaluating patients with indeterminate mammograms in a retrospective comparison of the two imaging techniques, researchers reported here.

ASCO: Survival No Better After Axillary Node Surgery

CHICAGO -- Routine removal of axillary nodes in breast cancer patients with lymph node involvement does not improve survival or lessen the risk of relapse, a researcher said here.

ASCO: Value of RT After Lumpectomy Questioned

CHICAGO -- Postlumpectomy radiation therapy had minimal impact on outcomes in older patients with early-stage breast cancer, data from a larger intergroup trial showed.

ASCO: Cancer Survivors Get Benefit from Yoga

CHICAGO -- Gentle stretching, breathing, and other exercises in a regular yoga program may ease sleep and fatigue problems common among cancer survivors, a randomized trial found.

The Top 10 Medical Advances of the Decade

From genome to hormones, doctors pick the top medical advances of the decade.

ASCO Breast: Even 'Tweens Fear Breast Cancer

SAN FRANCISCO -- Fear about breast cancer starts early, as girls see it affect those close to them and hear reports in the media, researchers found.

ASCO: Bevacizumab (Avastin) May Reduce Progression in Advanced Breast Cancer

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

SABCS: Testosterone Relieves Atrophic Vaginitis in Breast Cancer Patients

SAN ANTONIO -- Intravaginal testosterone may offer relief from atrophic vaginitis without the risks of estrogen to breast cancer patients taking aromatase inhibitors, according to a pilot study.

ASPS: Obese Women Have More Breast Reconstruction Complications

SAN FRANCISCO -- Breast reconstruction surgery in extremely obese women is associated with a high rate of complications, reported researchers here.

ASCO: Five Years of Arimidex Causes Bone Loss

ATLANTA â€” Five years of breast cancer adjuvant therapy with an aromatase inhibitor, can lead to a 6% to 7% loss of bone mineral density, a trigger for osteoporosis for women who are borderline osteopenic when they begin treatment, investigators reported here.

Estrogen Alone Does Not Increase Risk of Breast Cancer

STANFORD, Calif. - Post-menopausal women who took estrogen alone for more than seven years did not have an increased risk of breast cancer, according to a study of more than 10,000 women ages 50 to 79. The data were dramatically different from a sister study stopped in 2002 of estrogen plus progestin.

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