Breast Cancer

Court: Can human genes be patented? (Update)

The Supreme Court grapples Monday with the question of whether human genes can be patented, and the ultimate answer could reshape U.S. medical research, the fight against diseases like breast and ovarian ...

Genetics created Apr 15, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

US top court to hear case on gene patents

The US Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday on whether to allow private entities to patent genes they have isolated and identified, a decision that could have far-reaching implications for genetic research.

Genetics created Apr 13, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Tomosynthesis improves detection of infiltrating ductal carcinoma in patients with increased risk

Tomosynthesis (3D mammography) is better able to show infiltrating ductal carcinoma than 2D mammography in women at increased risk of breast cancer, a new study shows.

Cancer created Apr 13, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New breast imaging algorithm brings breast cancer diagnosis and treatment to underserved area of Uganda

Radiologists are a step closer to implementing a program in an underserved region of Uganda for diagnosing and treating women with palpable breast masses.

Cancer created Apr 13, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Ten years on, still much to be learned from human genome map

(HealthDay)—As scientists mark the 10th anniversary Sunday of the completion of the Human Genome Project, they will note how that watershed effort has led to the discovery of the genetic underpinnings of ...

Genetics created Apr 12, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

A novel surface marker helps scientists 'fish out' mammary gland stem cells

Stem cells are different from all other cells in our body because they retain the remarkable genetic plasticity to self-renew indefinitely as well as develop into cell types with more specialized functions. However, this ...

Cancer created Apr 11, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study finds new drug target for metastatic breast cancer

Research led by Dr. Suresh Alahari, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, is the first to report that two specific tumor suppressor genes work in concert to inhibit the ...

Cancer created Apr 11, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Roche sales up 5 percent amid rush for Tamiflu, cancer drugs

Swiss drug giant Roche said Thursday that heightened demand for its Tamiflu drug amid a severe flu season, as well as for its cancer medicines had sent its first-quarter sales up five percent, beating analyst expectations.

Medications created Apr 11, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New strategy helps young lymphoma patients avoid radiation treatment

(HealthDay)—A new treatment approach may mean that young people with a form of lymphoma can go without radiation therapy, sparing them side effects or raised cancer risks down the road.

Cancer created Apr 10, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Pfizer breast cancer drug gets breakthrough label

Pfizer Inc. says its experimental pill for advanced, often deadly breast cancer has been designated as a breakthrough therapy by the Food and Drug Administration.

Cancer created Apr 10, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Signature of circulating breast tumor cells that spread to the brain found

Some breast tumor circulating cells in the bloodstream are marked by a constellation of biomarkers that identify them as those destined to seed the brain with a deadly spread of cancer, said researchers led by those at Baylor ...

Cancer created Apr 10, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Spring cleaning in your brain: New stem cell research shows how important it is

Deep inside your brain, a legion of stem cells lies ready to turn into new brain and nerve cells whenever and wherever you need them most. While they wait, they keep themselves in a state of perpetual readiness ...

Neuroscience created Apr 10, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New approach evaluates effect of physical activity on estrogen metabolism in postmenopausal women

Researchers have generated new insights into the ways in which physical activity affects how much estrogen is broken down and secreted in the urine of postmenopausal women. These findings enhance understanding of the potential ...

Cancer created Apr 10, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Studies show increasing evidence that androgen drives breast cancer

Estrogen and progesterone receptors, and the gene HER2 – these are the big three markers and/or targets in breast cancer. Evidence presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 adds a fourth: androgen receptors.

Cancer created Apr 10, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Probe to detect spread of breast cancer gets distribution boost

A device co-developed by a University of Houston (UH) physicist to detect the spread of breast cancer and allow physicians to better plan intervention is extending its market reach, bringing it another step ...

Cancer created Apr 09, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Breast cancer (malignant breast neoplasm) is a type of cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas. Breast cancer is a disease of humans and other mammals; while the overwhelming majority of cases in humans are women, men can sometimes also develop breast cancer.

The size, stage, rate of growth, and other characteristics of the tumor determine the kinds of treatment. Treatment may include surgery, drugs (hormonal therapy and chemotherapy), radiation and/or immunotherapy. Surgical removal of the tumor provides the single largest benefit, with surgery alone being capable of producing a cure in many cases. To somewhat increase the likelihood of long-term disease-free survival, several chemotherapy regimens are commonly given in addition to surgery. Most forms of chemotherapy kill cells that are dividing rapidly anywhere in the body, and as a result cause temporary hair loss and digestive disturbances. Radiation is indicated especially after breast conserving surgery and substantially improves local relapse rates and in many circumstances also overall survival. Some breast cancers are sensitive to hormones such as estrogen and/or progesterone, which makes it possible to treat them by blocking the effects of these hormones.

Worldwide, breast cancer comprises 22.9% of all cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) in women. In 2008, breast cancer caused 458,503 deaths worldwide (13.7% of cancer deaths in women). Breast cancer is more than 100 times more common in women than breast cancer in men, although males tend to have poorer outcomes due to delays in diagnosis.

Prognosis and survival rate varies greatly depending on cancer type, staging and treatment. However, survival rates across the world are generally good. Overall more than 8 out of 10 women (84%) in England that are diagnosed with the disease survive it for at least 5 years.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Latest Spotlight News

'Gap' for HIV vaccine efforts after latest setback

The hunt for an HIV vaccine has gobbled up $8 billion in the past decade, and the failure of the most recent efficacy trial has delivered yet another setback to 26 years of efforts.

Consuming coffee linked to lower risk of detrimental liver disease, study finds

Regular consumption of coffee is associated with a reduced risk of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), an autoimmune liver disease, Mayo Clinic research shows. The findings were being presented at the Digestive Disease ...

Ketamine shows significant therapeutic benefit in people with treatment-resistant depression

Patients with treatment-resistant major depression saw dramatic improvement in their illness after treatment with ketamine, an anesthetic, according to the largest ketamine clinical trial to-date led by researchers from the ...

New research identifies risks, interventions for children's GI health

An increasing number of U.S. children are experiencing gastrointestinal issues that require interventions to resolve, according to research presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW).

Returning genetic incidental findings without patient consent violates basic rights, experts say

Informed consent is the backbone of patient care. Genetic testing has long required patient consent and patients have had a "right not to know" the results. However, as 21st century medicine now begins to use the tools of ...

Vicious cycle: Obesity sustained by changes in brain biochemistry

With obesity reaching epidemic levels in some parts of the world, scientists have only begun to understand why it is such a persistent condition. A study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry adds substantially to the st ...

White matter imaging provides insight into human and chimpanzee aging

(Medical Xpress)—The instability of "white matter" in humans may contribute to greater cognitive decline during the aging of humans compared with chimpanzees, scientists from Yerkes National Primate Research ...

Melon focus headband turns to Kickstarter for rollout plans

(Medical Xpress)—What if the quality of your work depends more on your focus on the piano keys or canvas or laptop than your musical or painting or computing skills? If target users can be convinced, they ...

Temporal processing in the olfactory system

The neural machinery underlying our olfactory sense continues to be an enigma for neuroscience. A recent review in Neuron seeks to expand traditional ideas about how neurons in the olfactory bulb might encode information about ...

AIDS science at 30: 'Cure' now part of lexicon

Big names in medicine are set to give an upbeat assessment of the war on AIDS on Tuesday, 30 years after French researchers identified the virus that causes the disease.