Breast Cancer

SAN FRANCISCO-For patients with metastatic breast cancer, adding weekly group therapy to standard care does not appear to improve survival, although psychological and other benefits are seen in certain patients, according to results of a

WASHINGTON-A federal panel has recommended that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) cover the use of positron emission tomography (PET) as an adjunct to standard staging tests in detecting locoregional or distant

The effect of a patient’s race or ethnicity on cancer incidence and mortality rates remains a neglected area of cancer research. However, with cancer statistics differing among various populations, research on racial and ethnic groups could provide clues to cancer trends.

COLUMBUS, Ohio-New evidence suggests that the genetic changes leading to breast cancer occur first in the epithelium of breast tissue, and then are followed by corresponding alterations in the surrounding stroma.

GAITHERSBURG, Maryland-Researchers have identified 18 genes that behave similarly to estrogen-receptor-alpha (ESR1) in patients with estrogen-receptor-positive (ER-positive) breast cancer. The cluster includes seven genes not previously associated with estrogen regulation or with breast cancer, Mihael H. Polymeropoulos, MD, head of pharmacogenetics, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, told ONI in an interview.

SAN FRANCISCO-A new measure to evaluate the effect of preoperative antiestrogen agents on tumor growth in early estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer suggests that fulvestrant (Faslodex, ICI 182,780, investigational) is superior to tamoxifen (Nolvadex). Fulvestrant is an estrogen-receptor downregulator and is considered a pure antiestrogen.

BETHESDA, Maryland-The Avon Products Foundation has awarded $20 million to the National Cancer Institute to help support breast cancer research and expand early-phase clinical trials of promising techniques for prevention, diagnosis, and therapy.

A comprehensive resource from the American Cancer Society (ACS) for anyone interested in the breast cancer experience, A Breast Cancer Journey takes the reader from the time of diagnosis to after treatment is completed. It serves not only as a

LISBON, Portugal-A 16-Gy boost to the tumor bed can slash the local recurrence rate by as much as 50% in younger women with breast cancer who undergo breast-conserving therapy, said Harry Bartelink, MD, PhD, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam.

A panel of top cancer specialists maintains that if a mammogram indicates a biopsy is needed, whenever possible, doctors should perform a minimally invasive breast biopsy rather than a traditional open surgical biopsy.

In a recent survey, the American Cancer Society found that many women are misinformed about breast cancer risk. According to the survey, nearly half of the respondents thought that women in the United States have a 30% to 50% chance

Fenretinide (N-4-hydroxyphenyl-retinamide, or 4-HPR) is a semisynthetic retinoid that was initially developed as a low-dose chemopreventative agent.[1-3] Unlike other naturally occurring retinoids such as all-trans, 13-cis, and 9-cis retinoic acids, fenretinide does not induce systemic catabolism that interferes with the maintenance of effective plasma levels during long-term use. This characteristic, combined with the agent’s low toxicity and its ability to block aspects of carcinogenesis, provided the rationale for the development of fenretinide in lower doses as a chemoprevention agent for breast, prostate, and bladder cancer.

We read with interest the article and reviews of "Current Status of Radiation in the Treatment of Breast Cancer," which appeared in the April 2001 issue of ONCOLOGY.[1] These papers suggest that one of the most controversial areas in this

With the aim of making its website more comprehensive and supportive of women with breast cancer, the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO) has expanded and redesigned www.nabco.org. The new version, which became

Weekly dosing of docetaxel (Taxotere) is active and well tolerated in elderly patients with advanced breast cancer who are considered poor candidates for combination chemotherapy, according to the results of a phase II study published in the

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the use of capecitabine (Xeloda) in combination with docetaxel (Taxotere) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in patients who failed anthracycline therapy.

SAN FRANCISCO-Very high response rates were achieved in a pilot study with the combination of docetaxel (Taxotere), platinum salts, and trastuzumab (Herceptin) in advanced breast cancer. The study, under the leadership of Dennis J. Slamon, MD, of UCLA, involved 62 patients, most of whom had visceral metastases and prior adjuvant chemotherapy. More than half tested positive for HER-2/neu by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).

SAN FRANCISCO-In a multicenter phase II trial reported at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO abstract 178), the new selective estrogen-receptor modulator (SERM) arzoxifene showed antitumor efficacy without endometrial hyperplasia in 112 patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

SAN FRANCISCO-As a salvage therapy in advanced breast cancer patients who have failed prior therapy with anthracyclines or anthracenediones, taxanes, and capecitabine (Xeloda), the investigational antifolate pemetrexed disodium (Alimta) shows promising activity, according to clinical trial results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting (abstract 194).

Would you pay an additional fee to get your screening mammography results right after your examination? In a random survey of 120 women, the majority said no. In fact, one-third of the women said they preferred to get their results at a later

Combination chemotherapy with monthly docetaxel (Taxotere) and weekly gemcitabine (Gemzar) is highly active in patients with metastatic breast cancer who have received prior chemotherapy, according to the results of a phase II study published in

SAN FRANCISCO-Early research suggests that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor Iressa (ZD1839, investigational) may have therapeutic potential in tamoxifen (Nolvadex)-resistant breast cancer, according to a presentation at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO abstract 282).

ROCKVILLE, Maryland-The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a combination of the cancer drugs Xeloda (capecitabine) and Taxotere (docetaxel) for treating patients with metastatic breast cancer whose cancer has progressed after treatment with an anthracycline-containing chemotherapy regimen.

SAN FRANCISCO-Preliminary results of a randomized Intergroup trial (CALGB, RTOG, ECOG) strongly suggest that radiotherapy should not be added to tamoxifen (Nolvadex) in older women who have undergone lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer, said Kevin S. Hughes, MD, Department of Surgical Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

SAN FRANCISCO-Mature survival analyses from the North American Breast Intergroup Trial (INT-0100; SWOG-8814) confirm that chemotherapy plus tamoxifen (Nolvadex) produces better overall and disease-free survival than tamoxifen alone in postmenopausal women with node-positive, receptor-positive breast cancer.

BETHESDA, Maryland-Members of the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) have recommended a change in the endpoint the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses to evaluate hormonal agents as first-line therapy for metastatic breast cancer. The panel considered the issue of revising the design of hormonal therapy clinical trials at the agency’s request.

SAN FRANCISCO-Common cholesterol-lowering agents (statins) may be effective in the chemoprevention of breast cancer in older women, a new study shows. The data were presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO abstract 1647).

Results from three retrospective studies demonstrated that fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) testing of tumor tissue for HER2 gene amplification is an effective method of selecting women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who will

EAST LANSING, Michigan-A study of 841 patients age 65 and older newly diagnosed with breast, colon, lung, or prostate cancer found three predictors of pain and fatigue: advanced stage, more comorbid conditions, and lung cancer, compared with breast cancer (the reference), according to researchers from Michigan State University.

SAN FRANCISCO-In patients with breast cancer, sentinel lymph node mapping enables a detailed pathologic examination of nodal tissue by multilevel microsections with standard hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) and highly sensitive immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. However, the significance of IHC metastases remains unknown.