_ Breast CancerAcupuncture Helps Breast Ca Patients By Sondra Forsyth articleUse of electroacupuncture (EA) – a form of acupuncture where a small electric current is passed between pairs of acupuncture needles – produces significant improvements in fatigue, anxiety and depression in as little as eight weeks for early stage breast cancer patients experiencing joint pain related to the use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs). That is the finding of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial examining the intervention led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and published online in July 2014 in the journal Cancer.
_ Breast CancerExposure To Nighttime Light Could Be Dangerous for Breast-Cancer Patients By Jane Farrell articleThe breast-cancer drug tamoxifen is useless if a patient is exposed to even dim overnight light, according to a new study. But it can become effective during the same period in combination with the hormone melatonin.Researchers from Tulane University School of Medicine published the study in the journal Cancer Research. It is the first study to show that melatonin, which regulates sleep and wake cycles, is essential to tamoxifen’s success in treating breast cancer. But melatonin doesn’t work if it’s shut off by exposure to light at night.
_ Breast CancerImmunotherapy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer By Sondra Forsyth articleYale Cancer Center researchers used a new molecular analysis tool to accurately detect the level of an important target for immunotherapy in early-stage breast cancers. The diagnostic test, using RNAScope, measures the amount of PD-L1 (programmed death ligand 1) mRNA in routine formalin-fixed cancer tissues and is devoid of many of the technical issues that plague antibody-based detection methods that have yielded conflicting results in the past. PD-L1 is the target of several novel immune stimulatory therapies in clinical trials.
_ Breast CancerBreast Ca Screening for Older Women = High Cost But No Benefit By Sondra Forsyth articleMedicare spending on breast cancer screening increased substantially between 2001 and 2009 but the detection rates of early stage tumors were unchanged, according to a study done at Yale and published July 16th 2014 in the JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
_ Breast CancerMarginal Benefit from Prophylactic Mastectomy By Sondra Forsyth articleThe choice of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) by women with breast cancer (BC) diagnosed in one breast has recently increased in the US but may confer only a marginal life expectancy benefit depending on the type and stage of cancer, according to a study published July 16th 2014 in the JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
_ Cancer Center12 Things To Do after Your Cancer Diagnosis By Sondra Forsyth article By James Tamkin M.D. and Dave ViselThis article originally appeared on DemosHealth.com. It is adapted from The Myeloma Survival Guide.As a newly diagnosed cancer patient, you are beginning a long, complicated, physically and mentally taxing journey. Here are twelve things to start doing now to make your journey a little easier.
_ Pancreatic CancerThunder God Vine Helps Kill Pancreatic Ca Cells By Sondra Forsyth articleA diagnosis of pancreatic cancer—the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the U.S.—can be devastating. Due in part to aggressive cell replication and tumor growth, pancreatic cancer progresses quickly and has a low five-year survival rate of less than 5 percent.
Breast CancerSome Cancers Respond to Anti-Inflammatory Drugs By Sondra Forsyth articleResearch done at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis raises the possibility that some cancer patients with aggressive tumors may benefit from a class of anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. The investigators published their findings in a 2014 issue of the journal Cell Reports.
_ Breast CancerMany Elderly BC Patients Are Taking Hormone Therapy By Jane Farrell articleWomen over 65 with non-metastatic breast cancer are likely to follow recommendations for preventive hormone treatment. But non-white women were much less likely to have that therapy.The women who had the therapy suffered from estrogen-positive breast cancer and were given either an aromatase inhibitor or tamoxifen. Those hormones prevent tumors from using estrogen to fuel growth.The study was reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Breast CancerA Possible Link Between Carbohydrates and Breast Cancer By Jane Farrell articleLimiting carbohydrate intake could reduce the risk of one type of breast cancer, researchers have found.The findings, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, focused on the cancer whose tumor tissue has the IGF-1 receptor."There is a growing body of research demonstrating associations between obesity, diabetes, and cancer risk," said lead author Jennifer A. Emond, an instructor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College.
_ Beauty & Style Cancer Center Hair Skin Skin cancerSummer Beauty, Health, and Fitness Dilemmas By Sondra Forsyth articleTop experts share tips on how to sidestep some top seasonal ailments so you can savor your summer days.Don’t Get Burned by Skin Cancer
_ Breast CancerBreast Cancer and Malfunctioning Cells in Older Women By Jane Farrell articleScientists are a step closer to understanding why older women are more susceptible to breast cancer.Researchers from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) said their study shows that as women age, cells that that are responsible for maintaining healthy breast stop responding to cues that should prompt them to suppress nearby tumors.According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer is most frequently diagnosed among women aged 55 to 64.
_ Breast CancerChemotherapy and Hospitalization By Jane Farrell articleScientists have zeroed in on which chemotherapy regiments are likelier to lead to hospitalizations for early stage breast cancer patients.The retrospective study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, was conducted by researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. For their analysis, the researchers looked at hospitalization-related insurance claims by patients who were undergoing varying chemotherapy regimens.
Cancer CenterCancer Center Ads Emotional, Not Informative By Adprime Admin articleEmotional reactions to cancer center consumer advertisements may lead to unrealistic expectations and inappropriate treatments, according to a study done at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and published in May 2014 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. A release from the American College of Physicians notes that in response to a rapidly increasing demand for cancer care in the United States, a growing number of cancer centers are marketing their clinical services directly to patients through consumer advertising.
_ Breast CancerDouble Mastectomy Doesn’t Increase Survival By Sondra Forsyth articleMany women diagnosed with cancer in one breast undergo a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) to remove both breasts. Yet removing the unaffected breast has not been shown to increase survival, according to a study done at the University of Michigan and published online May 21st 2014 in Jama Surgery.
_ Breast CancerHope for Beating HER2-Positive Breast Cancer By articleScientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Lonf Island in New York report on May 18th 2014 a discovery that they hope will lead to the development of a powerful new way of treating an aggressive form of breast cancer commonly called "HER2-positive".
_ Breast CancerMisguided Fear of Radiation from Mammograms By articleMisinformation and misunderstanding about the risks associated with ionizing radiation have created heightened public concern and fear that may result in women avoiding mammograms that can detect early cancers, according to the American Roentgen Ray Society(ARRS), a radiology society was founded in 1900 in Leesburg, VA.
_ Breast CancerSleeping Well Boosts Survival for Breast Ca Patients By articleA study done at Stanford and published in the May 1st 2014 issue of the journal Sleep reports that “sleep efficiency”, defined as the ratio of time asleep to time spent in bed, is predictor of survival time for women with advanced breast cancer.