Research News for June 2008
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Molecular Breast Imaging Has Promise
A small study found that molecular breast imaging was similar to breast MRI in detecting breast cancer. Molecular breast imaging costs much less than breast MRI and is easier to interpret than breast MRI.
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Bariatric Surgery Seems to Reduce Risk
A Canadian study found that people who had weight-loss surgery for severe obesity had a reduction in their overall cancer risk by 80% in the 5 years after the surgery.
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Actonel Boosts Bone Health After Chemo
Actonel (chemical name: risendronate), a bone-strengthening medicine, can improve bone health after chemotherapy for breast cancer. Actonel can also lessen the bone weakening that sometimes happens when hormonal therapy is used after chemotherapy.
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Scientists Discover Compound That Blocks Breast Cancer Growth Signals
Researchers have discovered a substance called TPBM that blocks the gene signals that tell an estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cell to grow once estrogen binds to the receptors. TPBM blocks those signals even in ER-positive cancer cells resistant to tamoxifen.
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Evista Reduces Risk of Hormone-Receptor-Positive Cancers in Postmenopausal Women
Results of the RUTH (Raloxifene Use for The Heart) study reinforce earlier research showing that Evista (chemical name: raloxifene) can reduce breast cancer risk in post-menopausal women.
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Mammography Centers Specializing in Screening Tend to Be More Accurate
Mammogram centers that focused on only screening mammograms and had only one doctor who specialized in breast imaging read the screening mammograms were more likely to have accurate screening mammogram readings, according to a new study.
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Metformin Seems to Enhance Power of Chemotherapy
Women who were taking the medicine metformin to treat diabetes were more likely to respond to breast cancer chemotherapy before surgery than diabetic women not taking metformin.
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Xeloda Less Effective Than Standard Chemo for Older Women
Xeloda (chemcial name capecitabine) isn't as good as traditional IV chemotherapy at reducing the risk of breast cancer coming back in women older than 65 diagnosed with early-stage or locally advanced breast cancer (cancer that hadn't metastasized).
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Adding Tykerb to Herceptin Helps if Metastatic Breast Cancer Grows
Women diagnosed with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer that either came back or progressed while getting Herceptin (chemical name: tastuzumab) benefited from adding Tykerb (chemical name: lapatanib) to the treatment plan instead of switching from Herceptin to Tykerb.
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Zometa May Reduce Recurrence Risk
New research suggests that Zometa, a bone-strengthening medicine, may help lower the risk of breast cancer coming back in premenopausal women diagnosed with early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer who aren't being treated with chemotherapy.
