December 2008 Research News

SABCS: Breast Cancer Fear Common Among Adolescent Girls
December 30, 2008
A study by Breastcancer.org founder and president Marisa Weiss found that many teen girls worry about breast cancer and think their risk of breast cancer is higher than it really is. Read more...

SABCS: Breast Cancer Risk No Higher for BRCA1/2-Negative Women from Mutation-Positive Families
December 16, 2008
A large, 18-year study suggests that women who have a family member with an abnormal breast cancer gene but don't have an abnormal gene themsevles don't have higher-than-average breast cancer risk. Read more...

SABCS: Breast Cancer Patients May Get Estrogen Exposure from Skin Creams
December 17, 2008
New research shows that certain skin lotions contain forms of estrogen, even though these ingredients aren't listed on the label. Read more...

SABCS: Breast Cancer Effects of HRT Are Short Lived
December 16, 2008
New information from the Women's Health Initiative shows that breast cancer risk goes back down 1 to 2 years after combination hormone replacement therapy is stopped. Read more...

SABCS: Neoadjuvant Trastuzumab Improves Event-Free Survival in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
December 14, 2008
Herceptin given in combination with chemotherapy BEFORE surgery for HER2-positive locally advanced breast cancer has been shown to improve survival without the breast cancer coming back. Read more...

SABCS: Breast Cancer Risk Varies in Young Women with Benign Breast Disease
December 15, 2008
Benign breast disease increases a woman's risk of breast cancer; the size of the increase depends on the pathology of the benign disease and family breast cancer history. Read more...

SABCS: Combination Endocrine Therapy Delays Metastatic Breast Cancer Progression
December 15, 2008
A new study shows that treating hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer with the combination of Femara and Tykerb offers more benefits than Femara alone. Read more...

SABCS: Bone-Preserving Drug May Have Antitumor Activity
December 15, 2008
Research suggests that Zometa, a medicine used to strengthen bones, may slow breast cancer growth. Read more...

SABCS: Upfront Letrozole Could Have Survival Advantage over Tamoxifen
December 16, 2008
For the first time, research suggests that the aromatase inhibitor Femara improves overall survival compared to tamoxifen. Read more...

SABCS: Exemestane Modestly Improves on Tamoxifen for Initial Adjuvant Therapy
December 15, 2008
Research shows that the aromatase inhibitor Aromasin reduces the risk of the cancer coming back somewhat better than tamoxifen in post-menopausal women diagnosed with early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. Read more...

SABCS: Breast Density May Reveal Tamoxifen Benefit for Chemoprevention
December 15, 2008
A new study suggests that tamoxifen is successful at reducing breast cancer risk only in high-risk women whose breast density decreases by 10% or more during the first year or so of treatment. Read more...

SABCS: Meta-Analysis Finds Aromatase Inhibitors 'Somewhat Better' than Tamoxifen
December 12, 2008
A review of a number of studies confirms that aromatase inhibitors reduce the risk of early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer coming back better than tamoxifen in post-menopausal women. Read more...

SABCS: Women at Genetic Risk of Breast Cancer Don't Want to Hear It by Phone
December 12, 2008
This very small study done in Pennsylvania and New Jersey found that when people were told about breast cancer gene test results over the phone, they often had more worries and stress than when the results were told to them in person. Read more...

SABCS: Estradiol May Restore Breast Tumor Sensitivity to Aromatase Inhibitors
December 12, 2008
A small study found that estradiol, a form of estrogen, can make advanced-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers that have stopped responding to hormonal therapy start responding again in some cases. Read more...

SABCS: Air Travel Holds Little Lymphedema Risk for Breast Cancer Survivors
December 12, 2008
A small study suggests that flying on an airplane poses little risk for bringing on lymphedema in people who've had breast cancer surgery. Read more...

SABCS: Investigational Osteoporosis Drug May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
December 11, 2008
A new selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) called Oporia (chemical name: lasofoxifene) has been shown to improve bone health and reduce the risk of breast cancer, especially hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer, in post-menopausal women. Read more...

New Chemotherapy Agents Cut Advanced Breast Cancer Mortality in Half
December 9, 2008
Newer chemotherapy medicines and regimens, as well as targeted therapy medicines, are helping women with advanced-stage breast cancer live longer. Read more...

RSNA: Breast Specific Gamma Imaging Detects Hidden Lesions
December 3, 2008
Breast specific gamma imaging, also known as molecular breast imaging, can find other breast cancers that weren't detected by a mammogram or physical exam, a small study suggests. Read more...

RSNA: For Women with Breast Cancer and Augmentation, Partial Irradiation Effective
December 1, 2008
In a small study, internal radiation after lumpectomy didn't cause the capsules of existing breast implants to contract, leading to good cosmetic results. Read more...