Breast Cancer
Tamoxifen reduces the risk of invasive and noninvasive breast cancer
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Data from additional years of follow-up of a large randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of tamoxifen for the prevention of breast cancer confirm that the drug reduces the risk of invasive and noninvasive breast cancer, according to a report that appears in the current issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (P-1) began in 1992. More than 13,000 women aged 35 years and older who were at high risk for breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or tamoxifen for 5 years. In 1998, the study’s independent data monitoring committee recommended that the study be unblinded.
Higher placental weight ups breast cancer risk
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For women who have given birth, the risk of breast cancer is directly associated with the weight of the placenta in two consecutive pregnancies, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week. Women with higher placental weight in prior pregnancies are at increased risk for breast cancer, the study indicates.
“Our finding of a positive association between placental weight and breast cancer risk may reflect that exposures to elevated levels of hormones influence the risk of breast cancer,” Dr. Sven Cnattingius, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and colleagues note in the report.
Tamoxifen curbs breast cancer risk, study confirms
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Data from additional years of follow-up of a large study of tamoxifen for the prevention of breast cancer confirm that the drug reduces the risk of the disease in high-risk women.
Tamoxifen “remains the only proven chemopreventive treatment for breast cancer risk reduction,” Dr. Bernard Fisher, from the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues note in their report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute this week.
Higher Placental Weight and Increased Maternal Breast Cancer Risk
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Women with a higher placental weight in prior pregnancies have an increased risk of breast cancer, possibly from the hormones produced by the placenta, according to a study in the November 16 issue of JAMA.
Hormonal factors play a key role in the development of breast cancer, according to background information in the article. Early menarche (first menstruation), late menopause, and long-term use of hormone therapy have been shown to be associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Serum levels of estrogens, progesterone and placental growth hormones are many times higher during pregnancy than during other periods of life, and pregnant women also are exposed to elevated levels of insulin-like growth factors. During pregnancy, these markers have been inconsistently associated with subsequent risk of breast cancer in the mother. It has been hypothesized that placental weight could be an indirect measure of hormone exposure during pregnancy.
Women refuse follow-up tests for breast cancer
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In a study of women with breast cancer, Kaiser Permanente researchers and others examined characteristics of women who refused recommended follow-up testing after a positive breast cancer screening test, or a visit to a medical provider for breast cancer symptoms.
Those refusing were more likely to be 75 or older and have six or more children. The study appears in the Nov. 8, 2005 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Alcohol raises breast cancer risk in HRT users
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Women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) should avoid drinking alcohol because it can raise their risk of developing the most common kind of breast cancer, Swedish scientists said on Tuesday.
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute said they saw an increased incidence of estrogen positive breast cancer, the most common type of disease, especially among women who drank alcohol and took hormones to relieve symptoms of the menopause.
Hot flashes distressing for breast cancer patients
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Hot flashes (or flushes as they’re more commonly called in some parts of the world) remain an important and seriously under-played side effect of tamoxifen and other hormone treatments for breast cancer, leading some women to skip their medication, according to a UK survey of 200 women with breast cancer.
“We underestimate just how distressing the menopausal side effects of treatment are, and women acknowledge that they take drug holidays when hot flushes get really bad,” said Dr. Lesley Fallowfield from the University of Sussex who conducted the survey.
Mutant Gene Linked to Increased Risk of Breast Cancer
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Close relatives of women with a faulty version of the CHEK2 gene as well as bilateral breast cancer are at increased risk for breast tumors of their own, British researchers have reported.
First-degree female relatives of women with bilateral breast cancer and a normal CHEK2 gene are already at high cumulative risk of breast cancer - 23.8% by age 80 compared with an expected cumulative risk of 7.9% for the population as a whole, according to Nicola Johnson, D.Phil., of the Institute of Cancer Research here.
Women on breast cancer treatment opt for injections to curb hot flashes
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Apparently, given a choice, many breast cancer patients using hormone therapies such as Tamoxifen to cut the risk of recurrence, would opt for pills rather than injections.
However the British study reveals that if injections reduced hot flashes, a side effect of such treatments, more than 60 percent of the women surveyed would choose the shots.
Marital status doesn’t affect breast cancer outcome
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A woman’s marital status does not affect the outcome after surgery and radiation for breast cancer and should not be a factor in choosing treatment, Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers reported this week at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology (ASTRO) in Denver, Colorado.
Dr. Shelly B. Hayes presented results of a study of 2,143 women with early-stage breast cancer treated with lumpectomy, which involves surgical removal of the tumor only, and radiation between 1984 and 2003. Women were divided into four groups, according to marital status. Overall, 65 percent were married, 10 percent were single, 10 percent were divorced and 18 percent were widowed.
Herceptin very effective in HER2+ breast cancer
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Two studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine show that treatment with trastuzumab (Herceptin; Roche) can dramatically improve outcomes in women with breast cancers that are HER2-positive.
HER2 overexpression occurs in approximately 15 percent to 25 percent of breast cancers and is associated with a worse prognosis than HER2-negative tumors.
Sharp rise in UK breast cancer survival rates
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Earlier detection and better treatments have pushed up breast cancer survival rates in England and Wales where two thirds of newly diagnosed women are likely to be alive 20 years later, scientists said on Monday.
New figures released by the charity Cancer Research UK show Britain is gaining ground on France, Switzerland and the Nordic countries which have among the highest survival rates for breast cancer in Europe.
Hodgkin’s survivors at risk for breast cancer
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Due to the chest radiation that is often given for treatment, women who survive Hodgkin’s disease are at heightened risk for breast cancer. In fact, in some survivors, the odds of developing breast cancer are as high as 40 percent, new research indicates.
The authors warn, however, that the findings are based on older treatment approaches and, therefore, may not be applicable to women treated today for Hodgkin’s disease, a type of cancer that affects the lymph nodes and organs involved in the body’s immune system.
Breast cancer drug move gives hope to UK patients
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Women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer are to be tested to see if they are suitable for treatment with the drug Herceptin, made by Switzerland’s Roche Holding AG, Britain said on Wednesday.
The move could mean that the lives of 1,000 women a year in England could be saved - the same number saved by the national breast screening program, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
Women often opt for mastectomy for breast cancer
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The results of a survey of a large group of women with early-stage breast cancer suggest that many women are involved in the treatment decision-making process, and that greater patient involvement in treatment decisions is associated with a greater likelihood of undergoing mastectomy.
There is general professional consensus that most women with early-stage breast cancer are good candidates for breast-conserving surgery. However, persistently high rates of mastectomy in these women have fueled concerns about over-treatment and failure to engage women in treatment decisions.
