Breast Cancer

WASHINGTON--The National Institutes of Health, University of Utah, and Myriad Genetics, Inc. have resolved issues involving patenting of the BRCA1 breast cancer gene by agreeing that scientists from all three institutions should be named as joint inventors in current patent applications. The agreement also ensures that exclusive, worldwide commercial rights are retained by Myriad and its licensees, Eli Lilly and Company and Hybritech Incorporated.

SAN ANTONIO--Use of docetaxel (Taxotere) as palliative treatment of advanced breast cancer produced durable responses in almost 70% of patients, including three fourths of those with liver metastases, French researchers said at a

NEW YORK--The woman shyly lifted her sweater, and in halting English apologized for her old brassiere. The left cup was stuffed with a towel where her breast used to be. She had come to Cancer Care, Inc. in Manhattan for help.

SAN ANTONIO--Searches for high-risk markers may ultimately point the way toward the optimal use of breast-conserving surgery for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS); early findings from one study, for example, suggest that a family history of breast cancer may militate against such surgery.

ATLANTA--In laboratory models, the "highest possible doses of chemotherapy" and a combination of agents are necessary to achieve curative therapy in breast cancer, Karen H. Antman, MD, said at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) Educational Conference. But when treating breast cancer with drugs that damage stem cells, "you may not be able

SAN ANTONIO--Identification of the "sentinel" lymph node can eliminate the need for total axillary node dissection in a substantial number of women with primary breast cancer, Peter D. Beitsch, MD, said at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

NEW YORK--Gospel singers, ministers, elected officials, breast cancer survivors, and the president and board of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center came to Harlem to celebrate, with music and soul food, the expansion of the Breast Examination Center of Harlem, a center that has screened more than 24,000 women for breast cancer since its opening in 1979.

SAN ANTONIO--Unresolved questions about accuracy and cost should limit the role of stereotactic core biopsy in breast cancer to low-suspicion lesions and a few other specific indications, advised Monica Morrow, MD, associate professor of surgery and director of clinical breast programs, Northwestern University Medical School.

WASHINGTON--At its most recent meeting, the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) heard a report on the activities and accomplishments of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer (NAPBC), as well as reports from two groups concerned about cancer research funding and grant applications.

In the heart of the Bible Belt, a North Carolina-based company is spreading the gospel that women need to know their bodies, regularly examine their breasts, and receive mammograms yearly after age 40.

New clinical research shows that a noninvasive test, the Breast Biophysical Examination (BBE), may help physicians more effectively detect breast cancer, as well as identify women who do not have cancer. The research, funded in part by the National Cancer Institute, was presented at the 17th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Tamoxifen (Nolvadex), a nonsteroidal antiestrogen, was first approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with breast cancer in 1978. Large clinical trials have demonstrated a recurrence-free and overall survival benefit

Tamoxifen (Nolvadex) is widely used in the treatment of breast cancer. It is effective in the management of both early stage and advanced disease. The recent comprehensive meta-analysis of systemic treatment in early breast cancer reported that tamoxifen reduced the annual odds of breast cancer recurrence by 25%, and the risk of death by 16%, compared with patients not treated with tamoxifen [1]. The benefits are even more pronounced in postmenopausal patients, with 29% decreases in recurrence and 20% reduction in the risk of death. The risk of contralateral primary breast cancer is also decreased by approximately 28% in women receiving adjuvant tamoxifen [2]. This has prompted its use in prevention trials; the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project Prevention trial (NSABP P1) is an ongoing trial randomizing women at high risk for breast cancer to receive tamoxifen or placebo. Tamoxifen's use in otherwise healthy women has brought attention to the few potential toxicities of the drug.

LISBON, Portugal--Studies from the Breast Cancer Cooperative Group and the Clinical Screening Group of the Euro-pean Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) have spotlighted docetaxel (Taxotere) as a promising second- and first-line treatment for metastatic breast cancer. What's more, the EORTC findings indicate that steroid premedication can delay the fluid retention that frequently limits therapy with this taxoid.

WASHINGTON--The effectiveness of breast conservation surgery, as measured by survival of breast cancer patients, is similar to that of mastectomy in day-to-day medical practice, as well as in randomized clinical studies, according to a report by the General Accounting Office (GAO).

In the 1970s, a radical mastectomy represented the sole option for women with breast cancer. Years later, when the issue of quality of life was raised, the era of reconstructive surgery, via silicone gel breast implants--internal prostheses, was born. For

A study published in the June 1, 1994 issue of the journal Blood demonstrates that amifostine (Ethyol), a selective cytoprotective agent, significantly shortens the time to bone marrow recovery in breast cancer patients undergoing high-dose

PRINCETON, NJ--New approaches in radioimmunotherapy for patients with advanced breast cancer have had promising preliminary results, according to research presented at the Fifth Conference on Radioimmunodetection and Radioimmunotherapy of Cancer.

NASHVILLE--Results of a trial of positive-selection purging in breast cancer patients undergoing high-dose chemotherapy/autologous bone marrow or peripheral blood transplantation show that patients who have no evidence of breast cancer in the graft after purging have longer progression-free survival at a median follow-up of 18 months than patients who have persistent evidence of tumor. Purging is performed by selection of CD34+ marrow or peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPCs).

WASHINGTON--The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is disputing the commercial rights to the newly discovered breast cancer gene BRCA1. In a move that could affect how much women pay for screening when such a test becomes available, scientists at the University of Utah and Myriad Genetics, Inc. failed to include NIH as a collaborator when it applied to patent the gene. The NIH has filed a counter application.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 383,000 The American Cancer Society estimates that 383,000 Americans willbe diagnosed with prostatic or breast cancer in 1994.[1] Manyof these individuals will develop painful bony metastases. Asclinicians, it is imperative that we seek out the most