Breast Cancer

Exercise could reduce bone tumor growth

(Medical Xpress)—Weight-bearing exercise, often prescribed to combat bone loss, might have anti-cancer effects. Cornell biomedical researchers report that mechanical stimulation of cancerous bone, in making ...

Cancer created May 07, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Genetic 'fine tuners' control body's own attack against cancer

(Medical Xpress)—The body's own immune system's fight against breast cancer is controlled by genetic 'fine tuners', known as microRNAs, according to a study published in Nature today.

Cancer created May 06, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Scientists develop simple blood test to track tumour evolution in cancer patients

By tracking changes in patients' blood, Cambridge scientists have created a new way of looking at how tumours evolve in real-time and develop drug resistance. The research was published in the print edition ...

Cancer created May 03, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Making cancer less cancerous: Blocking a single gene renders tumors less aggressive

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified a gene that, when repressed in tumor cells, puts a halt to cell growth and a range of processes needed for tumors to enlarge and spread to distant sites. The researchers hope that ...

Cancer created May 02, 2013 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (10) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Decoded: Molecular messages that tell prostate and breast cancers to spread

Cancer cells are wily, well-traveled adversaries, constantly side-stepping treatments to stop their spread. But for the first time, scientists at the University of Michigan have decoded the molecular chatter that ramps certain ...

Cancer created Apr 30, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Big data analysis identifies prognostic RNA markers in a common form of breast cancer

A Big Data analysis that integrates three large sets of genomic data available through The Cancer Genome Atlas has identified 37 RNA molecules that might predict survival in patients with the most common form of breast cancer.

Cancer created Apr 29, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Physicists, biologists unite to expose how cancer spreads

(Medical Xpress)—Cancer cells that can break out of a tumor and invade other organs are more aggressive and nimble than nonmalignant cells, according to a new multi-institutional nationwide study. These ...

Cancer created Apr 26, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Battery of tests on cancer cells shows them as 'squishy,' yet tactically strong

A team of student researchers and their professors from 20 laboratories around the country have gotten a new view of cancer cells. The work could shed light on the transforming physical properties of these cells as they metastasize, ...

Cancer created Apr 26, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Deficiency in p53 anti-tumor protein delays DNA repair after radiation

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have found that a deficiency in an important anti-tumor protein, p53, can slow or delay DNA repair after radiation treatment. They suggest that this is because p53 regulates the expression ...

Cancer created Apr 23, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Metastasis stem cells in the blood of breast cancer patients discovered

Individual cancer cells that break away from the original tumor and circulate through the blood stream are considered responsible for the development of metastases. These dreaded secondary tumors are the ...

Cancer created Apr 22, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New agent might control breast-cancer growth and spread

A new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) suggests that an unusual ...

Cancer created Apr 22, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Discovery opens door for breast, prostate cancer treatments

(Medical Xpress)—A team of Western Australian cancer researchers interested in the strong link between hormones and cancer have discovered three new molecules that may have an important role to play in ...

Cancer created Apr 22, 2013 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Novel monoclonal antibody inhibits tumor growth in breast cancer and angiosarcoma

A monoclonal antibody targeting a protein known as SFPR2 has been shown by researchers at the University of North Carolina to inhibit tumor growth in pre-clinical models of breast cancer and angiosarcoma.

Cancer created Apr 19, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Research suggests 'chemo brain' may involve neurophysiological change

(Medical Xpress)—For many years, breast cancer patients have reported experiencing difficulties with memory, concentration and other cognitive functions following cancer treatment. Whether this mental "fogginess" is psychosomatic ...

Cancer created Apr 19, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New computational model can predict breast cancer survival

Columbia Engineering researchers, led by Dimitris Anastassiou, Charles Batchelor Professor in Electrical Engineering and member of the Columbia Initiative in Systems Biology, have developed a new computational model that ...

Cancer created Apr 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


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.

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