http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Breast cancer patients who say they have people with whom they have a good time, or have "positive social interactions" with, are better able to deal with pain and other physical symptoms, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published today in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-fun-friends-ease-pain-breast.html Cancer Thu, 09 May 2013 04:11:33 EST news287291423 Drinking coffee could decrease the risk of breast cancer recurring in patients taking the widely used drug Tamoxifen, a study at Lund University in Sweden has found. Patients who took the pill, along with two or more cups of coffee daily, reported less than half the rate of cancer recurrence, compared with their Tamoxifen-taking counterparts who drank one cup or less. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-coffee-breast-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:40:03 EST news286093348 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a method for assessing the effect of tamoxifen, a common drug to prevent the relapse of breast cancer. The key lies in monitoring changes in the proportion of dense tissue, which appears white on a mammogram, during treatment. Women who show a pronounced reduction in breast density during tamoxifen treatment have a fifty per cent reduction in breast cancer mortality. This tool provides doctors with the possibility to assess whether a patient is responding to tamoxifen at an early phase of treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-mammograms-reveal-response-common-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:00:01 EST news285854929 A team of researchers at the IRCM, led by Dr. Jean-François Côté, made an important discovery in breast cancer, which will published online this week by the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The Montréal scientists identified the DOCK1 protein as a potential target to reduce the progression of metastases in patients suffering from breast cancer, the most common type of cancer in women. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-scientists-potential-metastases.html Cancer Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:06:46 EST news285260796 One-quarter of women who should take hormone-blocking therapies as part of their breast cancer treatment either do not start or do not complete the five-year course, according to a new study led by University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-percent-dont-breast-cancer-treatment.html Cancer Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:29:58 EST news284725791 New research from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center finds that the protein HER2 plays a role even in breast cancers that would traditionally be categorized as HER2-negative – and that the drug Herceptin, which targets HER2, may have an even greater role for treating breast cancer and preventing its spread. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-notion-herceptin-her2-positive-breast-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:00:01 EST news281091527 Women who have had the lymph nodes under their arm surgically removed during breast cancer treatment are warned to avoid certain practices that can cause lymphedema—a condition that causes chronic, painless swelling in the arm. Now, a new study published in the March issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons suggests that the vast majority of women who undergo breast cancer operations worry about developing this complication and that this fear far exceeds their actual risk of getting lymphedema. In fact, most women adopt four to five commonly recommended measures to prevent this incurable condition despite little data supporting the efficacy of these precautionary behaviors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-breast-cancer-patients-lymphedema.html Surgery Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:44:18 EST news281018650 Australian scientists have shown in the laboratory how a 'transcription factor' causes breast cancer cells to develop an aggressive subtype that lacks sensitivity to estrogen and does not respond to known anti-estrogen therapies. The research, which has significant implications for breast cancer treatment, is published December 27 in the open access journal PLOS Biology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-factor-future-breast-cancer-treatment.html Cancer Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:00:11 EST news275848914 The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has just released its annual report on the top cancer advances of the year. Clinical Cancer Advances 2012: ASCO's Annual Report on Progress Against Cancer, highlights major achievements in precision medicine, cancer screening and overcoming treatment resistance. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-american-society-clinical-oncology-issues.html Cancer Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:00:12 EST news273757673 Patients' preferences are often misinterpreted or ignored in treatment decisions, leading to a "silent misdiagnosis" that is damaging to both doctors and patients, warn experts on BMJ today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-patient-treatment-decisions-experts.html Health Thu, 08 Nov 2012 18:30:04 EST news271613806 A project based at The University of Queensland is helping women who have survived breast cancer to lose weight and live healthier, longer lives. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-breast-cancer-survivors-weight-longer.html Cancer Fri, 26 Oct 2012 09:35:11 EST news270462893 (HealthDay)—Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and physical exercise improve endocrine and urinary symptoms as well as physical functioning in patients with breast cancer treatment-induced menopause, according to research published online Oct. 8 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-interventions-breast-cancer-induced-menopause.html Cancer Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:50:01 EST news269194427 After surgeons removed the tumor from her breast last November, Karen Hajiaskari, of Hamburg, N.Y., was deemed cancer-free. But for the next five years she will take a drug called tamoxifen, a medication that's commonly used to prevent a breast cancer recurrence. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-additional-medicines-recurrence-issues.html Cancer Sun, 07 Oct 2012 15:30:01 EST news268839720 Women treated for breast cancer after menopause with aromatase inhibitors have very high levels of sexual difficulties, including low interest, insufficient lubrication, and pain with intercourse. It is an important and underestimated problem, say the authors of a study published online in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-breast-cancer-treatment-sexual-difficulties.html Cancer Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:51:26 EST news267720671 A gene that may possibly belong to an entire new family of oncogenes has been linked by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) to the resistance of breast cancer to a well-regarded and widely used cancer therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-oncogene-future-therapy.html Cancer Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:24:03 EST news266599428 Scientists at Tulane University School of Medicine, led by Dr. James Antoon and Dr. Barbara Beckman, have characterized two drugs targeting sphingosine kinase (SK), an enzyme involved in cancer growth and metastasis. New treatments specifically attacking cancer cells, but not normal ones, are critical in the fight against cancer. The results, which appear in the July 2012 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, demonstrate the role of SK in drug resistance and therapeutic potential of SK inhibitors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-drug-resistant-cancer-inhibition-sphingosine.html Cancer Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:38:44 EST news263731115 A new method of delivering a commonly used breast cancer drug could result in considerably less time spent in hospital for some women undergoing breast cancer treatment, according to the results of a Phase 3 trial published Online First in The Lancet Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-herceptin-delivery-method-vastly-breast.html Cancer Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:30:01 EST news263660969 Decoding the DNA of patients with advanced breast cancer has allowed scientists to identify distinct cancer "signatures" that could help predict which women are most likely to benefit from estrogen-lowering therapy, while sparing others from unnecessary treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-scientists-decode-dna-breast-tumor.html Genetics Sun, 10 Jun 2012 13:00:06 EST news258548280 MILWAUKEE - After already having been through breast cancer treatment, Michelle Luckiesh did not think twice when doctors at Waukesha Memorial Hospital told her they had a new mammography device that may be able to detect tumors earlier than with conventional mammography. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-3d-technology-traditional-mammography.html Other Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:40:01 EST news254136912 Women undergoing treatment for breast cancer might fight off distressing side effects and improve psychological well-being by staying off the couch. According to the University of Miami (UM) study, women who are physically active during treatment have less depression and an enhanced quality of life and report less debilitating fatigue. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-quality-life-breast-cancer-treatment.html Cancer Sat, 14 Apr 2012 05:41:30 EST news253600872 A new supplement in the journal Cancer outlines an innovative model to address a wide range of physical issues faced by women with breast cancer and offers hope for improved function and full participation in life activities for patients through rehabilitation and exercise. A panel of experts proposes a prospective surveillance model (PSM) that could reduce the incidence and severity of breast cancer treatment-related physical impairments. The model was developed over the past year by a panel of internationally known experts, with the support of the American Cancer Society and input from national healthcare professional organizations and advocacy groups. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-outlines-breast-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:26:04 EST news253279544 More than 60 percent of breast cancer survivors report at least one treatment-related complication even six years after their diagnosis, according to a new study led by a researcher from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The findings are part of a special issue of Cancer devoted to exploring the physical late effects of breast cancer treatment and creating strategies to prevent, monitor for, and treat these conditions in the nation's 2.6 million survivors of the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-breast-cancer-patients-treatment-related-side.html Cancer Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:06:56 EST news253206385 Breast cancer patients treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) instead of standard whole breast irradiation (WBI) have a lower incidence of acute or chronic toxicities, according to a study in Practical Radiation Oncology (PRO), the official clinical practice journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-imrt-side-effects-breast-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:50:18 EST news252154210 Testing a breast cancer tumour for its genomic signature can help identify which patients will need adjuvant systemic therapy (additional chemotherapy) after surgery, and spare its use in those for whom it is not necessary, according to the results of a study to be presented to the 8th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-8) today. Dr. Sabine Linn, an Associate Professor of Medical Oncology at The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, will say that this is the first study where such a test has been incorporated in decision-making about adjuvant systemic therapy, and that the results are promising. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-genomic-patients-chemotherapy-adverse-effect.html Cancer Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:01:09 EST news251625569 Radiotherapy treatment (RT) after surgery for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) still has a major protective effect against recurrence more than 15 years later, according to the results of an international trial. Researchers found that the use of RT in addition to surgery could reduce the chances of a local recurrence (the cancer coming back in the same breast) by 50%. Results from the trial, which has one of the longest follow-ups of a large group of patients in the world to date, will be reported today to the 8th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-8). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-radiotherapy-dcis-recurrence-years.html Cancer Thu, 22 Mar 2012 05:10:41 EST news251611826 Even though a large clinical study demonstrated that radiation has limited benefit in treating breast cancer in some older women, there was little change in the use of radiation among older women in the Medicare program, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in the March Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-evidence-benefit-older-breast-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:00:03 EST news250167131 Hot flushes and night sweats (HFNS) affect 65-85% of women after breast cancer treatment; they are distressing, causing sleep problems and decreased quality of life. Hormone replacement therapy is often either undesirable or contraindicated. A new study published Online First by The Lancet Oncology shows that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a safe and effective treatment for these women, with additional benefits to mood, sleep, and quality of life. Furthermore, CBT could be incorporated into breast cancer survivorship programmes and delivered by trained breast cancer nurses, conclude the authors, led by Professor Myra Hunter, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK. The study was funded by Cancer Research UK. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-safe-effective.html Cancer Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:30:02 EST news248449349 University of Manchester scientists are developing a test that will help identify patients who will benefit from a new breast cancer treatment, thanks to a research grant worth almost £180,000 from Breast Cancer Campaign. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-scientists-breast-cancer-treatment.html Cancer Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:53:43 EST news246520413 (Medical Xpress) -- Scientists based at Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute have discovered how receptors for the female sex hormone oestrogen attach to a different part of the DNA in breast cancer patients who are more likely to relapse, according to a study published in Nature today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-reprogrammed-oestrogen-linked-aggressive-breast.html Cancer Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:07:46 EST news244919238 (AP) -- Doctors were mostly hoping to prevent complications and relapses when they gave young women a medicine to keep their bones strong during breast cancer treatment. Seven years later, they found it did more than that: The bone drug improved survival, as much as many chemotherapies do. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-bone-drug-boosts-breast-cancer.html Cancer Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:10:01 EST news242621950