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January 2013 Research News
Regular Screening Increases Detection of Early-Stage Cancers, but Not Later-Stage Disease
January 17, 2013
A controversial study suggests that over the past 30 years, mammograms have found more early-stage breast cancer, but not more advanced-stage disease and may have overdiagnosed a large number of women. Read more…
Digital Tomosynthesis Plus Mammography Improves Detection and Decreases False Positives
January 17, 2013
Combining digital tomosynthesis with conventional digital mammography improves detection of invasive breast cancer by 40% and decreases false-positives by 15%. Read more…
Ultrasound Plus Mammogram Recommended for Women with Dense Breasts
January 14, 2013
Cancer screening for most women with dense breasts should include ultrasound and mammogram, according to new guidelines. Read more…
Women Taking Statins Have Fewer Heart Problems During Anthracycline Chemotherapy
January 14, 2013
A study found that women who were taking a statin during and after being treated for breast cancer with anthracycline chemotherapy had fewer heart problems than women who weren’t taking a statin. Read more…
Fear Pushes Many Women to Choose Double Mastectomy
January 14, 2013
Fear, not actual risk, drives many women to have double mastectomy. Read more...
African American Women Have Lower Breast Cancer Survival Rates Than White Women
January 14, 2013
A large CDC study has found that African American women continue to have lower breast cancer survival rates than white women. Read more…
Older Women Commonly Treated with Chemotherapy Medicines Used “Off-Label”
January 11, 2013
A study found that 19% of chemotherapy medicines given to women 65 and older were used off-label. Read more...
Lower Dose of Radiation Therapy Just as Good as Current Regimen for Early-Stage Breast Cancer
January 8, 2013
A study compared the standard radiation therapy schedule to shorter, lower-dose radiation schedules and found that the risk of early-stage breast cancer coming back (recurrence) was about the same for all the schedules. The lower-dose schedules also had fewer effects on healthy breast tissue. Read more…
MarginProbe System Approved by FDA
January 7, 2013
On Jan. 2, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the MarginProbe System – a device that helps surgeons decide if all the cancer tissue has been removed during lumpectomy. Read more…
Vitamin D Levels May Be Reason Some Women Benefit from Zometa Added to Chemo
January 7, 2013
New results from a large study suggest that postmenopausal women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer who had adequate vitamin D levels got more benefits from Zometa combined with chemotherapy than women who had low vitamin D levels. Read more…
