March 2010 Research News

Breast Exam Form Improves Referral Rate
March 31, 2010
Using specific forms to record the results of clinical breast exams may improve the chances of finding suspicious areas. Read more...

Women Who Would Benefit May Not be Getting Radiation After Mastectomy
March 31, 2010
While most women don't get radiation after mastectomy, new research suggests that some women may benefit from it. Read more...

Breast Cancer Cells with High Levels of PARP Enzyme More Likely to Respond to Chemo
March 30, 2010
Research suggests that cancers with high levels of the PARP enzyme are more likely to respond to chemotherapy. Read more...

Beta-Blocker Seems to Reduce Risk of Metastatic Spread
March 30, 2010
New research suggests that beta-blockers may improve breast cancer prognosis. Read more...

Research on Treatment Options for Diagnosed Women with Abnormal Breast Cancer Genes
March 29, 2010
A new study found that women with an abnormal breast cancer gene had the same survival rates whether they had mastectomy or lumpectomy plus radiation. Still, women who had lumpectomy plus radiation were between 4 and 5 times more likely to develop another breast cancer in the same breast compared to women who had mastectomy, unless lumpectomy plus radiation was followed by chemotherapy. Read more...

If Breast Cancer Develops, Breastfeeding Longer Seems Linked to More Aggressive Forms
March 28, 2010
A study suggests an association between breastfeeding for more than 6 months and the likelihood of more aggressive breast cancer, if breast cancer is diagnosed. Read more...

New Treatment Standard Offered for Metastatic HER2-Positive Disease
March 28, 2010
A new study suggests that the combination of Navelbine and Herceptin may be better than Taxotere and Herceptin as the first treatment for HER2-positive, metastatic breast cancer. Read more...

Some Women Who Choose Contralateral Mastectomy Overestimate Risk
March 26, 2010
A very small study suggests that women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer in one breast who are considering removing the opposite healthy breast overestimated their risk of developing breast cancer in the healthy breast. Once the women took time to carefully consider their actual risk of developing a new breast cancer, they usually decided against removing the healthy breast. Read more...

Getting Pregnant Doesn’t Affect Future Survival
March 26, 2010
A new analysis suggests that pregnancy doesn't negatively affect the future survival of women who've been diagnosed with breast cancer. Read more...

HER2 Levels Drop If HER2-Positive Cancers Respond to Chemo Plus Herceptin Before Surgery
March 25, 2010
New research suggests that measuring the drop in blood HER2 protein levels before and after chemotherapy and Herceptin given before surgery may help predict which women are most likely to benefit from Herceptin treatment before surgery. Read more...

Avastin Helps Stop Growth of Metastatic Breast Cancer
March 24, 2010
Research suggests adding Avastin to chemotherapy as the first treatment for metastatic breast cancer increases the length of time before the cancer grows. Read more...

Adding Genetic Information to Breast Cancer Risk Prediction Tool Doesn’t Improve Accuracy
March 18, 2010
A new analysis suggests that adding information on about 10 abnormal genes associated with breast cancer risk to the standard breast cancer risk assessment tool didn't really improve risk prediction compared to using only the standard tool. Read more...

Can Cryotherapy Be Alternative to Surgery?
March 17, 2010
A very small study suggests that cryotherapy may be a safe and effective alternative to surgery to remove breast cancer. Read more...

Genomic Test Results Not Understood by Many Women
March 8, 2010
A small study found that about a third of women who had genomic testing didn't really understand the test results. Read more...

Benefit of Radiation After Mastectomy Isn’t Clear
March 6, 2010
A new study tries to offer more information on whether women who have mastectomy to remove early-stage breast cancer (stage I or stage II) can benefit from radiation therapy after surgery. Unfortunately, there isn't a clear answer. Read more...