July 2006 Research News

Raloxifene As Effective As Tamoxifen in Reducing Risk of Invasive Breast Cancer
Results show that raloxifene was as effective as tamoxifen in reducing the risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women at increased risk, but with no personal history of the disease. Read more.

Raloxifene and Tamoxifen Offer Similar Quality of Life
STAR trial results seem to indicate that raloxifene offers the same protection as tamoxifen against breast cancer for post-menopausal women at high risk with no personal history of disease. This companion study shows that raloxifene offers the same quality of life as tamoxifen. Read more.

Whole-body PET Scans Have High False Positive Rates for Breast Cancer
Whole-body PET scans appears to have a relatively high rate of false positives for breast cancer. This means that the PET scan tends to show something that looks like cancer but really isn't. These false alarms come with a cost beyond the financial cost of the procedure: inconvenience and emotional stress. Read more.

Calcium and Vitamin D Supplements Don't Appear to Reduce Risk
After 7 years, taking vitamin D and calcium supplements didn't appear to reduce the risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women with no history of disease. Breast cancers diagnoses were about the same for both groups: about 3 percent. Read more.