February 2008 Research News
Glaxo's Tykerb goes head-to-head with Herceptin
February 29, 2008
A new clinical trial will try to find out whether using Herceptin (chemical name: trastuzumab) alone, Tykerb (chemical name: lapatinib) alone, or both medicines together is better for women diagnosed with stage I or stage II HER2-positive breast cancer. Read more...
Stem cell transplant boosts breast cancer risk
February 28, 2008
A new study shows that women who received a certain type of stem cell therapy and total body radiation have a higher risk of developing breast cancer later in life. Read more...
Breast cancer gene carriers need dual screening
February 26, 2008
Women who have an abnormal BRCA1 gene get more benefits from annual breast cancer screening with BOTH mammogram and MRI, but they also have more false-positive results. Read more...
Hormone therapy hinders breast cancer detection
February 25, 2008
Taking combination HRT (hormone replacement therapy) makes it more likely that a woman will have an abnormal mammogram and can make routine screening mammograms harder to read. Read more...
Diet patterns tied to breast, ovarian cancers
February 21, 2008
A new study on diet patterns links starchy diets to a higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Read more...
Breast cancer drugs increase heart risk slightly
February 19, 2008
A new study adds to the evidence showing differences in side effects between aromatase inhibitors and tamoxifen. Read more...
FDA approves Avastin for breast cancer
February 25, 2008
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Avastin (chemical name: bevacizumab) to treat metastatic breast cancer. Read more...
Hair sample may provide breast cancer diagnosis
February 15, 2008
A very small study has found that x-rays detect a unique pattern in the hair of women diagnosed with breast cancer. Read more...
Common gene boosts breast cancer risk in smokers
February 14, 2008
Smoking can increase breast cancer risk in women with a slowing-acting form of the gene NAT2, which is fairly common in white and African American women. Read more...
Breast cancer risk linked with fertility timing
February 14, 2008
A longer the time between when a woman starts having periods and when her first child is born is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. Read more...
Many women overestimate precancer risks
February 12, 2008
Many women overestimate the risk of DCIS coming back. Read more...
Breast cancer often not ultimate cause of death
February 12, 2008
Older women with hormone-receptor-positive early breast cancer are more likely to die from something other than breast cancer. Read more...
BRCA type sways benefit of anti-cancer surgery
February 12, 2008
The amount of breast and ovarian cancer risk reduction offered by prophylactic ovary removal varies depending on the type of breast cancer gene abnormality a woman has. Read more...
Some breast cancer web sites may misinform
February 11, 2008
A new study finds that while most breast cancer information on the Internet is accurate, web pages on complementary medicine are more likely to contain errors. Read more...
Psoriatic arthritis does not raise risk of cancer
February 8, 2008
People diagnosed with psoriasis do not have a higher risk of breast and other cancers. Read more...
Breast cancer protein doesn't help select therapy
February 1, 2008
Measuring the Ki-67 protein in breast cancers doesn't help decide who would benefit from chemotherapy in women diagnosed with hormone-receptor-positive, node-negative disease. Read more...