Breast Cancer

WASHINGTON-Umbilical cord blood cells alone have no cytotoxic properties, but studies show that when activated with interleukin-2 (IL-2), they may have some therapeutic effects against breast cancer, said Shantaram S. Joshi, PhD, associate professor of cell biology and anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center.

SAN ANTONIO-Results of a large phase III trial show that combining oral capecitabine (Xeloda) with docetaxel (Taxotere) significantly improved overall survival, time to disease progression, and response rates over docetaxel alone in women with anthracycline-resistant metastatic breast cancer.

BETHESDA, Md-Seconding the advice of a Food and Drug Administration review team, the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) has recommended that the FDA approve Femara tablets (letrozole, Novartis) as first-line therapy in postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer.

CHICAGO-Unless relative value reimbursement units for mammography services rise by a factor of three, the US health care system will not be able to keep up with the expected demand for diagnostic and screening examinations for breast cancer, a panel of radiologists said at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

BETHESDA, Md-The aggregate benefit of adjuvant systemic chemotherapy is "greater than many would think," reflecting "real and substantial" progress, Gabriel N. Hortobagyi, MD, professor and chairman of Breast Medical Oncology, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, said at the NIH Consensus Conference on Adjuvant Therapy for Breast Cancer.

PHILADELPHIA-The Women’s Intervention Nutrition Study (WINS) has completed accrual, with some 2,400 women enrolled to date. The study, an NCI-funded, randomized, multicenter national trial begun in 1993, is testing the hypothesis that dietary fat intake reduction as an adjuvant to standard breast cancer therapy will reduce disease recurrence and increase survival in women with localized breast cancer.

BETHESDA, Md-Interim analysis of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-28 trial has shown no additional benefit to adding four cycles of paclitaxel (Taxol) after the standard doxorubicin (Adria-mycin)/cyclophosphamide (AC) regimen in the adjuvant treatment of node-positive breast cancer.

The care of a pregnant breast cancer patient is a challenging clinical situation that historically has placed the welfare of the mother in conflict with that of the fetus. For the woman in this situation, the emotions usually

The care of a pregnant breast cancer patient is a challenging clinical situation that historically has placed the welfare of the mother in conflict with that of the fetus. For the woman in this situation, the emotions usually

The care of a pregnant breast cancer patient is a challenging clinical situation that historically has placed the welfare of the mother in conflict with that of the fetus. For the woman in this situation, the emotions usually

Can tart cherries alleviate cancer pain? Does prayer help heal African-American women with breast cancer? To answer such questions, Johns Hopkins Medicine has been awarded a 5-year, $7.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health

BOSTON-A 16-Gy radiation boost can cut the local recurrence rate by more than half at 5 years for younger breast cancer patients receiving lumpectomy with radiation therapy, according to European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) clinical trial results presented at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology meeting.

HAMBURG, Germany -Recent clinical trials presented at the 25th Congress of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) suggest that new standards for the hormonal treatment of breast cancer may be emerging.

BETHESDA, Md-Both patients and surgeons are being sought for two complementary phase III randomized studies to determine the efficacy of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy in breast cancer patients.

NEW YORK-When Tom Batiuk’s nationally syndicated comic strip Funky Winkerbean began its compelling breast cancer storyline in January 1999, some questioned whether such a serious subject belonged on the funny pages. However, after 2 years of overwhelming support from breast cancer organizations and survivors, “Lisa’ Story” has shown that not even cancer can injure the funnybone.

Congress finally passed a bill (H.R. 4386/S. 662) that allows states to provide medical treatment for women with breast and cervical cancer. At their option (there is no requirement), states can treat women who have tested positive in a screening

The fastest growing segment of the US population is the group over the age of 65 years. In the next 30 years, this group will comprise over 20% of the population. Because 60% of all cancers occur in this age group, there will be an expected rise in the total cancer burden.

The world’s population is aging. Older age is associated with an increase in the incidence of cancer, especially cancer of the breast, lung, prostate, and colon. The management of older patients with cancer is biased by the

BETHESDA, Md-Purchasers of the US Postal Service’s breast cancer awareness stamp have funded $6.7 million in 2-year grants to support novel and innovative research into the disease. The National Cancer Institute has given grants to 31 researchers, and a 32nd grant awaits final approval.

Although the causes and natural histories of breast and cervical cancer are different, the public health responses to these diseases have been similar. Early detection of breast cancer and primary prevention of cervical cancer are possible through community-based screening programs; however, early detection of both breast and cervical cancer is less common among low-income women (defined as up to 250% of poverty level, depending on family size). This report presents morbidity and mortality data regarding breast and cervical cancer, screening recommendations, an update on the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), and recommended priority activities for the NBCCEDP. The NBCCEDP is a major public health effort to increase breast and cervical cancer screening among uninsured, low-income women.

BETHESDA-Combination chemotherapy as an adjuvant treatment for breast cancer yields long-term survival benefits and should be offered to patients, even those whose tumors have not spread beyond the breast, according to a consensus panel convened by the National Institutes of Health. The panel also recommended hormone therapy for women whose tumors have hormone receptors, and radiation therapy for women who have had a mastectomy and are at high risk of recurrence.

High-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic support improves the response rate for patients with metastatic breast cancer. There are many long-term disease-free survivors following high-dose chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood

CHICAGO-Until findings from two recent clinical studies were released, there was no clear indication about the effectiveness of tamoxifen (Nolvadex) or prophylactic mastectomy for reducing the risk of invasive breast cancer in high-risk women.

At the 10th annual conference of the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), Dr. Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, of the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University, outlined the increasing evidence that fetal and childhood diets may have a greater impact on lifetime breast cancer risk than diets during adulthood. Dr. Hilakivi-Clarke described her own work and summarized ongoing worldwide research efforts.

WASHINGTON-Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) shows evidence of inhibiting mammary carcinogenesis and angiogenesis in both animal and in vitro models, said Margot M. Ip, PhD, professor of pharmacology and therapeutics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Approximately 10% to 15% of patients with stage I/II invasive breast cancer will develop a clinically isolated local recurrence. The standard management of an ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence following breast-

WILMINGTON, Delaware-The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign (NBCAM) has launched a new tool to help the public navigate the Internet to obtain the most credible and accurate information about breast cancer. The “Hot Topics” search engine offers “one-stop shopping” for women seeking information about breast cancer, Bette Iacino, national coordinator of NBCAM, said in an interview with ONI.

Approximately 10% to 15% of patients with stage I/II invasive breast cancer will develop a clinically isolated local recurrence. The standard management of an ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence following breast-

Approximately 10% to 15% of patients with stage I/II invasive breast cancer will develop a clinically isolated local recurrence. The standard management of an ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence following breast-

ATLANTA-Overexpression of HER-2/neu may not be as critical to breast cancer prognosis as its activation, according to research reported by Michael P. DiGiovanna, MD, PhD, at the Era of Hope: U.S. Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Meeting. Dr. DiGiovanna is assistant professor of medicine and pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine.