Research News for 2008
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Avastin Seems to Offer Benefits in Treating Metastatic Breast Cancer
Women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer who got Avastin plus Taxotere were less likely to have the cancer progress compared to women who only got Taxotere. Cancers treated with Avastin also were more likely to shrink.
-
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.
-
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).
-
Taxol Added to Chemo Combination Improved Survival of Women Diagnosed with Early-Stage Breast Cancer
After surgery to treat early-stage breast cancer, women who got Taxol after the FEC (fluorouracil, Ellence, Cytoxan) chemotherapy combination were more likely to be alive and cancer-free 5 years after diagnosis than women who got only FEC.
-
Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy Can Mean Fewer Skin Issues
Women who received radiation therapy using a special technique known as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), were 17% less likely to develop scaling or peeling skin in the area exposed to radiation compared to women who got radiation therapy using traditional techniques.
-
Link Between Coffee and Tea (Caffeinated and Decaffeinated) and Risk
A large, long-term study shows that coffee, tea, and other caffeinated beverages don't seem to affect breast cancer risk.
