New way to assess risk of breast cancer recurrence
November 22, 2017
But new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine suggests that looking at the immune cells in those lymph nodes - instead of the tumor cells - will yield a more accurate forecast. The finding could help clinicians determine which cancers to treat more aggressively to ensure the cancer goes away and doesn't come back. "Immune changes in the lymph node almost perfectly predict clinical outcome, much better than any other prognostic factor that is available today," said Peter P. L...
Recent evidence suggests caution in prescribing hormone therapy for breast cancer
November 21, 2017
Because aromatase inhibitors reduce the rates of recurrence in women with early-stage postmenopausal breast cancer, these agents are not only becoming widely used in breast cancer treatment, but also being explored for their potential to prevent the disease in women at high risk. While focusing on this therapy's promise, advocates have tended to downplay one of its drawbacks. Women treated with aromatase inhibitors often experience joint pain and musculoskeletal aching--severe enough, in some ca...
Sentinel node biopsy, when performed before chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, is very reliable
November 20, 2017
Lymphatic mapping and sentinel node biopsy, when used to determine how far the cancer has progressed into the lymph nodes, can help some patients avoid the pain and discomfort of full armpit node removal, which often causes swelling, numbness and infection. The surgical technique hasn't been used until now in women with large breast tumors because of a lack of data proving its reliability. But the new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine may provide t...
Early clinical signs of ovarian cancer
November 19, 2017
Although patient complaints of abdominal pain and swelling are not specific for ovarian cancer, the researchers found that only about one quarter of women with these symptoms underwent pelvic imaging, or other tests to diagnose ovarian cancer, in a timely manner. Ovarian cancer has been thought of as a silent killer, coming to the attention of physicians only at its late stages when prognosis is poor. Adding to ovarian cancer's deadly pattern is that it is a fast growing tumor, progressing fro...
Children who eat fries raise their risk of breast cancer later in life
November 18, 2017
The U.S. researchers say that in a study of American nurses they found that one additional serving of fries per week, at ages three to five, increased breast cancer risk by 27 percent. Study leader, Dr. Karin Michels, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School, says that research is finding more evidence that diet early in life could play a role in the development of diseases in women later in life. She says this study provides additional evidence that breast cancer m...