Breast Cancer

While 90% of cancers occur as a result of factors related to lifestyle, the environment, or aging, 5% to 10% of cancers are passed down from generation to generation. Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis in American women.

The anthracyclines doxorubicin and epirubicin are among the most effective cytotoxic treatments developed for the treatment of breast cancer.

Lymphedema develops in nearly half of women treated for breast cancer, and the evidence is growing that upper body exercise is a good way to reduce the risk. Studies show that it's crucial to discuss this at the time of diagnosis, and to bring it up periodically afterwards.

According to a new study by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, postmenopausal women who experience hot flushes and other menopause symptoms may have a 50% lower risk of developing the most common forms of breast cancer.

A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that smokers are more likely to develop breast cancer than nonsmokers.

Genentech, owner of Roche, submitted its response yesterday to the FDA’s proposal to withdraw approval for Avastin (bevacizumab) for the treatment of HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

“How long have I had this cancer, Doctor?” This is a question that patients frequently ask their oncologist.

In their article, Patrone et al utilize a modified version of Collins’ law to estimate the age of breast, lung, and colorectal cancers. Collins’ law, which states that the period of risk for recurrence of a tumor is equal to the age of the patient at diagnosis plus 9 months, has been applied primarily to pediatric tumors, in particular embryonal tumors.[1,2] The results from the application of Collins’ law to these tumors have been reasonable, although exceptions have been reported and the law is not applicable to all cancers.[3,4] Its utilization in adults in the manner used in this paper is therefore unique.

The cancer stem cell (CSC) theory was first proposed to explain the fact that only a small proportion of leukemia or solid tumor cells have the capacity to induce growing tumors in immunodeficient mice.[1,2]

The brief review by Federici et al in the current issue of this journal is a cogent restatement of an argument that has accompanied the cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis almost from its inception.

The authors of “How Long Have I Had My Cancer, Doctor?” have addressed a question often contemplated by patients when they receive a diagnosis of cancer.

The choices that patients and clinicians make when dealing with cancer are dictated by time, whether they are arranging for screening mammography and colonoscopy, compiling treatment plans, or determining follow-up intervals and the age of freedom from follow-up.

The publication of the landmark paper by Al-Hajj et al, which demonstrated that breast cancer cells capable of tumor outgrowth when transplanted into the cleared mammary fatpad of immunocompromised mice could be prospectively identified using cell surface markers,[1] galvanized the cancer stem cell debate among breast cancer researchers and launched an exponential increase in papers exploring “breast cancer stem cells.”

Researchers at Baylor and affiliated institutions reported in the January issue of the New England Journal of Medicine that the addition of iniparib to chemotherapy improves the clinical benefit and survival of patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, without significantly increased toxic effects.

The number of patients in the U.S. treated with radiation has increased at an average annual rate of about 7% between 2007 and 2009, according to the “2010 Radiation Therapy Market Summary Report” by IMV. Breast, prostate, and lung cancers continue to be the cancer types treated most frequently with radiation.

In a data analysis involving more than 10,000 breast cancer patients, adding radiation therapy to breast-conserving surgery reduced the risk of breast cancer recurrence within 10 years by nearly 15% and reduced the overall chance of dying from the disease by nearly 4% (from 25.4% to 21.7%). These findings provide oncologists with specific numbers they can give their patients when discussing the use of post-lumpectomy radiation therapy and the risk of recurrence, according to the study authors.

Impressive results from an ongoing study of an anti-HER2 antibody-drug conjugate in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer has already fast-tracked a phase III trial.Trastuzumab-DM1 (T-DM1) has demonstrated comparable results to standard treatment but with much less grade 3-4 toxicity in phase II trial results.

An interesting interview aired yesterday on NPR's Fresh Air. During a routine mammogram on Dr Marisa Weiss, a breast cancer oncologist and founder of breastcancer.org, a tumor was discovered.

Ten-year follow-up results from the BCIRG 001 trial make a case for TAC therapy over FAC. In another study, researchers suggested a link between aromatase inhibitor therapy and breast density.

Results from an observational study strongly indicated that circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are an independent prognostic marker in metastatic breast cancer at first-line chemotherapy, and an early predictive marker of clinical benefit after one cycle of chemotherapy. But questions remain about the value of CTCs for guiding treatment decision-making.

The SUCCESS adjuvant therapy trial enrolled 2,026 women with primary breast cancer and no clinical evidence of metastatic disease. Disease-free survival at three years was 88.1% in women with one or more circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in their peripheral blood before undergoing chemotherapy compared with 93.7% in women with no CTCs.

Researchers from the ATAC and BIG 1-98 trials reported that CYP2D6 testing is not ready for prime time for gauging response to tamoxifen. While of the leading researchers in the field of CYP2D6 genotyping posed some key questions that need to be answered before CYP2D6 can be officially ruled out, or embraced, in clinical practice, these study results strongly suggest that CYPD2D6 testing should not be part of the standard of care, said Claudine Isaacs, MD.

An update of a long-term denosumab (Xgeva) trial offers another bisphosphonate as an alternative to zoledronic acid (Zometa) that is more convenient, less toxic, and more effective in bone metastases. But oncologists need to perform an oral exam of patients with bone metastases before placing them on denosumab.

As the FDA considers whether to rescind approval for bevacizumab (Avastin) in the adjuvant setting, “disappointing” results from the GeparQuinto study indicate the agent may be best reserved for patients with triple-negative disease.

Results from the GINECO group study demonstrate Afinitor’s ability to buy more time for patients while Xgeva makes everyday life less painful.