Updates to The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Breast Cancer
Here you’ll find useful information that complements the book.
Diagnosis
FDA approval of test for breast cancer genes comes with cautions
The US Food and Drug Administration gave its approval to a 23andMe test that screens for a few breast and ovarian cancer genes, but that approval came with a number of caveats.
Breast cancer: Innovative pill may aid diagnosis
Many women with benign breast modules or slow-progressing cancer undergo needless procedures because current diagnostic methods cannot differentiate between harmful and benign tumors. An experimental new pill could change that.
Study: Laser-sonic scan better than mammogram for breast cancer screening
Researchers have developed a quicker, better and cheaper way than mammograms to detect breast cancer: a laser scanner that can find tumors in 15 seconds. Source: Study: Laser-sonic scan better than mammogram for breast cancer screening -...
Surgery
10-Year Results Show That Many Women Don’t Need Axillary Lymph Node Surgery
Source: 10-Year Results Show That Many Women Don’t Need Axillary Lymph Node Surgery
Chemotherapy
What is Genomic Testing?
Genetics can help to tell you your risk for getting cancer, while genomics can help once you have cancer to choose your course of care.
UK National Health Service WILL fund breast cancer tests that could spare women the stress of chemotherapy
Experts say the three tests – Oncotype DX, EndoPredict and Prosigna – will, in future, enable women to have much more personalised treatment. The costs of the tests is not known but it is likely that their manufacturers have significantly reduced the price since January.
Scientists Warn Chemotherapy Treatment May Encourage Aggressive Tumors and Spread Cancer
“It is thought the toxic medication switches on a repair mechanism in the body which ultimately allows tumors to grow back stronger. It also increases the number of ‘doorways’ on blood vessels which allow cancer to spread throughout the body.”
Radiation
Investigating the Cardiac Side Effects of Cancer Treatments
Over the past decade, breast cancer has been a focus of research on cardiac side effects, in part because certain treatments for the disease are known to cause these side effects.Based on this evidence, the American Heart Association recently issued a rare scientific...
Using Oxygen “Microbubbles” to Improve Radiation Therapy
Oxygen-carrying “microbubbles” could potentially improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy in the treatment of breast cancer, findings from a study in mice suggest. Using the bubbles along with radiation slowed tumor growth more than radiation alone, as this NCI Cancer Currents post reports.
Proton Therapy For Left-Sided Breast Cancer: Why Choose This Treatment?
Treatments for breast cancer include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, surgery, and radiation. As there is not one perfect formula to eliminate the disease, many patients will need to undergo a combination of these treatment methods. In some of these cases, however, certain treatments pose higher risks. For women with left-sided breast cancer, it is important to consider what type of radiation is best. Since the tumor is close to the heart, certain treatments can cause significant damage to this vital organ, while other treatments may spare damage to this vital organ. In these cases, proton therapy is often a better option.
Lifestyle Issues
Association of Leisure-Time Physical Activity With Risk of 26 Types of Cancer in 1.44 Million Adults
Leisure-time physical activity was associated with lower risks of many cancer types. Health care professionals counseling inactive adults should emphasize that most of these associations were evident regardless of body size or smoking history, supporting broad generalizability of findings.
Research Confirms That A Mostly Plant-Based Diet Could Save Your Life
Five New Studies Show That Eating Healthy, Primarily Vegetarian Foods Is Associated With Lower Risk Of Chronic Diseases, Weight Gain And Death. Source: Research Confirms That A Mostly Plant-Based Diet Could Save Your Life |...
New Study: Eating Organic Foods Reduces Your Risk Of Getting Cancer
According to a groundbreaking study published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine, an American Medical Association journal, eating organic foods that are free from pesticides is strongly correlated with a dramatic reduction in the risk of cancer. For the study, a team...
Other New Research
Pricey Precision Medicine Is Financially Toxic for Cancer Patients
Medical treatments targeting DNA in tumor cells are celebrated, but insurers often won’t cover the skyrocketing cost. Source: Pricey Precision Medicine Is Financially Toxic for Cancer...
How could designer proteins thwart cancer?
“Our laboratory designed proteins that, for the first time, can actually recognise the single-stranded DNA and bind it. We can basically program these proteins to target them,” he notes. In doing this, the team managed to disrupt the molecular mechanism that cancer would “hijack” in order to fuel the uncontrolled, and thus harmful, growth of cells.
Could blocking these proteins stop breast cancer?
A study suggests that blocking certain epigenetic proteins with drugs could prevent women at high risk of breast cancer from developing the disease. Source: Could blocking these proteins stop breast...