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Treatment
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Archives: quality of life |
Five-day radiation may not spare tissue
A five-day course of radiotherapy to treat breast cancer may expose as much lung and heart tissue to potentially toxic radiation as does the standard six weeks of treatment, say researchers at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. Read more about it.
Women not getting reconstruction info
Women with breast cancer faced with treatment decisions often are not told by their surgeons about the possibility of breast reconstruction after a mastectomy, a study finds. When these conversations do occur, many more women choose mastectomy, researchers found. Read more about it.
Avastin not good for breast cancer
Cancer drug Avastin should not be approved to treat women with breast cancer, a U.S. advisory panel recommended. Read the report.
AIs after tamoxifen show benefit
Postmenopausal women with breast cancer who successfully complete five years of tamoxifen therapy derive significant benefit from an additional three years of therapy with the anastrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, according to study findings published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Read about it.
Web MD offers reconstruction guide
Web MD offers a guide to those looking for info about reconstruction. It's sponsored by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and includes info which you can use to ask questions of your own doctors. The guide includes plenty of links, too. Check out the guide.
How long to take aromatase inhibitors?
The big question for anyone taking Arimidex or Aromasin is how long to stay on these. While tamoxifen was given for five years, studies still aren't showing if five years of aromatase inhibitors is enough.
The 2008 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium featured a presentation going over this issue. Read a description of the talk at Breast Cancer.org.
Chemo drugs may have toxic effects
Drugs such as Neuplasta and Neupogen may have unintended side effects, according to the journal, Blood. In laboratory tests on mice, researchers found that such medications often used to reduce toxic side effects of chemotherapy induced bone loss and helped tumors grow in bone. Resarchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are recommending increased awareness of bone health during cancer treatments. Read more about it.
UPDATE: The FDA announced in November that it approved new labeling warnings for Epogen, Procrit, and Aranesp. The FDA says the new warnings address the potential risks of these drugs, which in excessive doses, can cause tumor growth and shortened survival in patients with advanced breast, head and neck, lymphoid and non-small cell lung cancer. Read the report.
HER2-Neu patients have another weapon
For women with HER2-Neu who develop a resistance to Heceptin, the new drug Tykerb may offer some help. Read more about it.
AIs and bone loss
According to results presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, women who are treated with aromatase inhibitors experience bone loss. However, this bone loss is not likely to cause osteoporosis in women with normal bone density before beginning therapy, but those who begin the therapy and already have lost bone may need treatment. Read the article here.
Women stop taking tamoxifen before five years
Almost a quarter of women treated for breast cancer stop taking tamoxifen within one year, a new study shows, which is a rate twice as high as indicated by previous studies. Read some of the reasons.
Improved treatment for HER2-neu negatives
We've heard a lot lately about the advantages of Herceptin for women with HER2-neu positive breast cancer. Now, there's news about improved treatment for those who are HER2-neu positive. According to an article recently published in the Annals of Oncology, the use of high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation improves outcomes of women with early, HER2-neu negative breast cancer. Read more about it.
Pregnant women can withstand treatment
A substantially greater number of pregnant women have been treated now than ever before, providing a growing confidence in the safety and positive outcome of chemotherapy for pregnant breast cancer patients, according to new research. Read more about it.
Tumor biology dictates hormonal therapy choices
The characteristics of breast cancer tumors can help physicians choose the most effective treatment sequence with tamoxifen and the newer aromatase inhibitors, according to a study led by researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Read more about it.
Partial radiation safe, mild
As a treatment for early breast cancer, accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) results in good to excellent cosmetic outcomes in nearly all patients and is associated with only mild toxic effects, new research shows. With APBI, radioactive "seeds" are placed in the breast that deliver radiation to the tumor site instead of to the whole breast as typically occurs with standard radiation therapy. Read more about it.
Research questions benefits of cutting fat
Clinical data from the Women’s Health Initiative reveals that decreasing total dietary fat intake does not lower the risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer or cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women.Read more about it.
COX-2 inhibitors, NSAIDs may prevent cancer
Daily use of COX-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex or Vioxx was associated with a 71 percnet reduction in the risk of breast cancer. Aspirin and ibuprofen also showed a risk reduction. Read more about it.
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Evista as effective as tamoxifen in prevention
For women taking tamoxifen to reduce risk of breast cancer, raloxifen (brand name Evista) is as effective and presents fewer side effects, according to results of the STAR trial.
For details, check out BreastCancer.org's explanation of what this news may mean to women who already have been treated for breast cancer.
Treatment decisions made by facility location
Women with localized breast cancer are more likely to receive breast conserving surgery and radiation, instead of mastectomy, if radiation therapy facilities are nearby. Read the article.
Aromasin approved for early stage care
The FDA approved the aromatase inhibitor, Aromasin (exemestane), for early stage hormonal therapy for postmenopausal women. Read the report.
Femara beneficial even years after treatment
Another aromatase inhibitor, Femara, offers advantages even for women who have gone years beyond their treatment, according to a new report. Read the report.
Dose dense chemo effective for ER-negatives
Researchers are finding that dose dense chemotherapy regimens are benefial for estrogen receptor negative patients. Read the report.
Can surgery spark rapid tumor growth?
According to "indirect" evidence from a new analysis of trial data, removing a breast cancer can cause rapid growth of tumors elsewhere in the body, researchers at the Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School found. Read the report here.
Arimidex approved for early breast cancer
The FDA approved Arimidex (anastrozole) for treatment of early hormone-positive cancer in postmenopausal women in September. Read the article here.
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Drug combo successful for HER-2 positives
The BCIRG 006 clinical trial shows that Herceptin (trastuzumab) and Taxotere (docetaxel) plus carboplatin reduces the risk of a cancer recurrence compared to chemo alone in women with HER2-positive breast cancer. About 30 percent of breast cancers are HER2-positive. The combination also alleviated some of the risk of heart complications that Herceptin may cause. Read the article here.
Progesterone receptor gives clues
According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancers that are estrogen receptor positive but progesterone-receptor negative are more aggressive than breast cancers that are positive for both receptors. Findings indicate that this also may be why some tumors become tamoxifen-resistant. Read the report here.
Mitotic activity predicts recurrence
A test to determine the mitotic activity index in cancer cells of women with early-stage, lymph node-negative breast cancer may serve as a good predictor of risk of recurrence, as well as indicate the level of agressive therapy. Read the report.
Faslodex, Arimidex produce similar results
The journal Cancer reports that for women with advanced breast cancer, Faslodex (fulvestrant) and Arimidex (anastrozole) produced similar survival rates. Read the report here.
Chemo safe for pregnant women
The Journal of Clinical Oncology reports that women in their second or third trimesters of pregnancy may safely undergo chemotherapy for breast cancer. Read the report.
Aromatherapy fails to help anxiety
The Journal of Clinical Oncology reports that aromatherapy during radiation treatment did not appear to reduce anxiety in any of cancer patients and may actually increase it. Read the report.
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Calendula better than Biofine
According to a recent article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, calendula (Calendula Officinalis) appears more effective than trolamine (Biafine) at reducing or preventing the incidence of dermatitis caused by radiation in the treatment of breast cancer. Read the report.
Taxotere tops Taxol
Taxotere (paclitaxel) is better than Taxol (docetaxel) in interfering with cancer cell division, according to researchers. Read the report here.
Lymph nodes may predict recurrence
Even though we keep reading about new techniques such as gene assays and other ways to discover the properties of breast cancer tumors, lymph nodes still offer insight. Researchers have found that lymph nodes contain immune cells that fight invasion, and testing the levels of these cells may be a method of predicting recurrence. Read the report here.
Researchers caution against supplements
Researchers with the Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors (BCERF) at Cornell University say that women using supplements and herbal treatments should be careful, as these products are unregulated and may be unsafe. While the report doesn't say there is no benefit in soy, red clover, black cohosh and other herbal preparations, it does question the safety of these products. Read the report here.
Obese women may be shortchanged
Obese women who have chemotherapy may not be getting the right mixture and quantity of the drugs, according to a new study. Read the report here.
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Women want fertility information
As younger women face breast cancer, they want information about fertility and how it will be affected by cancer treatment. At least one study has found what may be a way to treat breast cancer and preserve fertility with a different drug protocol. Read the report here.
Anemia may signal worse prognosis
Women with anemia during chemotherapy may have worse survival rates than women who don't have this blood ailment, according to a new study. Read the report here.
Chemo, then surgery, has advantages
Ever wonder why some women have chemotherapy first, then surgery? Here's a good article from from the National Breast Cancer Web site that outlines the reasons, as well as who are good candidates for this therapy.
Herceptin new tool for early stage breast cancer
Herceptin targets breast cancers that are HER-2 positive and has long been used in treating advanced cancers. Now, researchers say that combining this drug with chemotherapy and using both before surgery in early stage breast cancer may eliminate 42 percent more tumors than chemotherapy alone. Read more about the report, which appears in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Avastin with chemo delays progression
Avastin (bevacizumab) combined with standard chemotherapy delays progression of cancer in women with previously untreated or metastatic breast cancer, according to results of a clinical trial. Read more here.
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Advexin reduces tumor size
Advexin reduces tumor size an average of 80 percent when used with traditional chemotherapy drugs before surgery, according to research reported at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Read more here.
Neulasta reduces infection
The Journal of Clinical Oncology reports that Neulasta dramatically reduces infection and hospitalization when used during each chemotherapy cycle. Read more here.
Radiation-related heart disease declines
According to the National Cancer Institute, the risk of death from heart disease caused by radiation therapy for breast cancer continues to decline. Read more here.
Chemo really does work
Breast cancer studies performed from 1973 to 1985 show that adjuvant chemotherapy (CMF) indeed prevents relapse of distant disease, according to a report in the British Journal of Medicine. Read more here.
Abraxane may top Taxol
Abraxane has been approved by the FDA for treatment of advanced breast cancer. It may control cancer better than Taxol, and because it does not contain Cremophor as Taxol does, patients don't need steroids. Read more here.
Radiation helps mastectomy patients
Pre-menopausal breast cancer patients who undergo mastectomy followed by chemotherapy may live longer if they also receive radiation. Read about the study here.
Invasive lobular may not need chemotherapy
Chemo may not be necessary to a good prognosis for women with invasive lobular breast cancer, according to a recent study. Women with the disease may do as well without it. Read about the study here.
Technique could save nipple
Mastectomy usually means losing your nipple and areola, which presents the greatest challenge in reconstruction. Now, Italian researchers have developed a techniqute to save these. Read about the study here.
Chemo can come before or after surgery
For some patients, choosing chemo before or after surgery has little effect on outcome, according to a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Read more here.
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Hospital choice has little to do with survival
Survival after cancer surgery appears to have little do so with whether a patient chooses a "center of excellence" or high-volume hospital, according to a report from the University of Michigan. Read the report here.
Chemotherapy+hormonal treatment better than hormonal alone
Ten-year follow-up data on a large group of postmenopausal women with hormone-dependent breast cancer show an survival benefit for sequential chemohormonal therapy versus hormonal therapy alone. Read the report.
Arimidex trumps tamoxifen - again
Even after discontinuation, anastrozole (Arimidex) is better than tamoxifen in disease-free survival and prevention of metastases, according to The Lancet. Read the report here or at The Lancet.
High-risk women decline tamoxifen
More than one-third of women at high risk for breast cancer decline to take tamoxifen, according to an article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Read the report.
Treatment helps liver mets
Ablating breast cancer metastases to the liver may be as effective as resection to extend survival, according to the journal Radiology. Read more here.
Premenopausal women benefit from chemo
Premenopausal women have an increased risk of recurrence if they are treated with mastectomy alone. A new article in Breast Cancer Research finds that adjuvant chemotherapy is effective in such patients. Read more here.
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Premenopausal women benefit from new radiation
Women under 35 years of age with breast cancer can reduce the risk of recurrence by almost 20 percent if they are treated with a new radiation regimen following surgery according to a new study. Read more here.
Tamoxifen users risk stroke
A new analysis of tamoxifen studies completed since 1980 shows that women who took tamoxifen had an increased risk of stroke compared to women in those same trials who took a nonactive placebo or other therapies. Read more here.
..but maybe chemotherapy affects stroke risk
Researchers report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that tamoxifen therapy does not increase stroke risk, but rather point to chemotherapy as a risk for stroke. Read more about it here.
Bone loss an issue
Bone mineral density (BMD) may not be a typical concern of oncologists, but for those who treat postmenopausal women, it is an issue. Two studies released at this year's ASCO meeting looked at two perspectives of this issue in postmenopausal women. One study showed that taking raloxifene (Evista, Eli Lilly) to prevent osteoporosis has a positive adverse effect: preventing invasive breast cancer. The other study showed exemestane (Aromasin, Pfizer), a new therapy for treating breast cancer, does not increase the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Read more about it here.
Vitamins may support immune system during chemo
Breast cancer patients who take a multivitamin or extra vitamin E experience a smaller decrease in important immune cells, a common side effect of chemotherapy, new research suggests. Read the research here.
Immediate reconstruction okay
Women who undergo mastectomy for breast cancer can have reconstruction at the time of surgery without delaying chemotherapy new research shows. Read more about it.
Ellence shows lower heart risk
The Journal of Clinical Oncology reports that two chemotherapy regimens using different doses of Ellence (epirubicin) are associated with a low risk of heart damage in women with breast cancer. This is the first sub-study to evaluate patients more than eight years after they completed adjuvant treatment. Ellence is an alternative to anthracyclines. Read more here.
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Taxotere approved for early stage, node positive
In August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the chemotherapy drug Taxotere (docetaxel) in combination with Adriamycin (doxorubicin) and Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide) for lowering the risk of recurrence in women with early-stage, node-positive breast cancer. Read more here.
New test offers quick results for metastatic patients
The CellSearch test offers hope that women with metastatic breast cancer will be able to decide more quickly whether or not to continue with a particular treatment, depending on how well it is working for them. The FDA approved CellSearch in January but it isn't widely available. Those interested should ask their doctors about clinical trials. Read more here.
Spotlight on older women:
When you consider that breast cancer affects women of all ages, it's easier to understand why not all treatments are appropriate for all patients. Here are three articles that pertain to older women with breast cancer.
- Tamoxifen for the prevention of breast cancer appears to be most cost-effective for women ages 40-50 who are at a significant risk for the disease, according to Obstetrics & Gynecology. However, it isn't cost-effective for women ages 60-65 unless their five-year risk is very high. Read the details.
- Radiation after lumpectomy benefits women over 50, too, by lowering the chance that the cancer may return in the breast. Read the study here. And, women over 70 also benefit. Read that study here.
More opting for chemo before surgery
You probably already know women who had chemotherapy before surgery to shrink tumors and test their response to the drugs. Now, that is becoming more of a common procedure. Read about it here.
Radiation interferes with reconstruction
As radiation is prescribed more frequently for mastectomy patients, surgeons are finding that its effects change reconstruction procedures. Read about it here.
Radiation prescribed for more and more cases
Radiation is becoming more commonly prescribed, even for patients with tumors that wouldn't have required it a few years ago. Read about it here.
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Doxil may be kinder than adriamycin
One of the most effective chemotherapy drugs for metastatic (advanced) breast cancer is Adriamycin (chemical name: doxorubicin). But a new type, Doxil, may have fewer serious side effects. Read the study here.
Taxotere continues to trump other drugs in trials
Researchers at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium reported that patients whose chemo included Taxotere had better disease free survival than those with more traditional adriamyacin-based cocktails. Read these reports, from Artemis, the Johns Hopkins Web site for breast cancer, and the BreastCancer.org report.
Lumpectomy okay even for young patients
A Danish study found that lumpectomy is an option even for young breast cancer patients, who often have more aggressive tumors than older patients. Read more here.
Studies still underway on neoadjuvant therapy
The largest single-institution study of its kind has found that breast conserving therapy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy offers a good outcome as long as patients meet a certain profile, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Neoadjuvant means administering chemo first to shrink the tumor and avoid mastectomy, as well as discover if the tumor is responding to the chemo. However, not everyone is a candidate for this treatment. Read more about the determining factors here.
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Chemo sucks, but be sure you get the full dose
Study finds that fewer than half get the full chemotherapy dose, due to delays in treatment or reduced dosages. This study looks at early stage breast cancer patients, many of whom had low white blood counts that sparked the change in dose frequency or intensity.Read more about it here.
Bisphosphonates can treat bone mets
Pamidronate and zoledronic acid, both intravenous bisphosphonates, are effective in treating bone metasteses. This article from People Living With Cancer explains it all for you. Read more about it here.
One week radiation may be all that is necessary
Instead of six weeks of radiation, one week may be enough, according to this study.
Radiation may be more beneficial than tamoxifen for DCIS
Women with DCIS may benefit from radiation more than from tamoxifen, according to a British study. Read more >>>>>
Anastrozole leads to increased bone fracture incidence compared to tamoxifen
Those using Arimidex instead of tamoxifen should be especially aware of their bone health, according to a new study that showed Arimidex users were about 60 percent more likely to experience bone fractures. Read more >>>>>
Letrozole after Tamoxifen? Yes, study says
A new study says letrozole after five years of tamoxifen further reduces risk of recurrence. Read this report from Breast Cancer.org or go directly to the New England Journal of Medicine's home page to read more about the study.
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Radiation beneficial for DCIS patients
A British study says women with the ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), have fewer recurrences if they get radiation therapy after having the cancerous tissue removed. In the United States, most women with DCIS who have a lumpectomy also get radiation. This latest study should reassure women that their radiation treatments are appropriate and effective, and spur others to ask why they aren't getting radiation if their oncologists don't recommend it. Read this article from Cancer.org or this one from BreastCancer.org.
The Lancet is reporting that radiation is actually more effective than Tamoxifen in treating DCIS. Read more >>>
Delayed nausea more common that thought
Many chemotherapy patients report serious nausea a day or two later than on the day of their treatments, according to a Johns Hopkins Medicine article.
Taxotere irritates eye ducts
An uncommon but significant side effect of Taxotere is tear duct irritation. A study reported by BreastCancer.org says more than half of patients who suffered the problem had blocked or narrowed ducts. Read more >>>
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Chemo-fog isn't all in our heads
From the "I Already Knew That" Department: Chemofog (or Chemo Brain) may be a true ailment, not just a figment of our (compromised) imaginations. Read the latest here.
Depressing news about anti-depressants
Two recent studies found an elevated risk of breast cancer in women 11 to 15 years after heavy exposure to tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and a small increase in the risk of breast cancer in women using antipsychotic dopamine antagonists. On the list of TCAs: Asendin, Anafranil, Norpramin, Surmontil, Rhotrimine and Paxil. These do not carry a risk, according to the studies: Elavil, Ludiomil, Aventryl, Triptil, Zoloft and Prozac. Read the details here.
Biafine skin treatment soothes skin that is burned or itchy during radiation treatments. It already is being prescribed in the Bloomington area, but you may want to ask for it. You also can visit the company's Web site