University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center plastic surgeons have developed a new breast reconstruction technique that combines advantages of two different types of microsurgical procedures using abdominal and other tissue to reconstruct the breast after a mastectomy. A release from the university explains that flap-based procedures use a woman’s own tissue taken from the abdomen,… Continue reading Innovative Technique for Reconstructing Breast after Mastectomy
Tag: Breast Cancer
Older People May Be Getting Cancer Screenings That Are Not Recommended
An estimated 15.7 percent of people 65 or older may have received screenings for prostate and breast cancers that were not recommended because the patients had limited life expectancies of less than 10 years, according to an article published online in January 2016 by JAMA Oncology. A release from the publishers notes that existing guidelines… Continue reading Older People May Be Getting Cancer Screenings That Are Not Recommended
Travel Distance Affects Reconstructive Breast-Cancer Surgery
Long travel distances are still a significant obstacle to breast reconstruction after surgery, according to a new study. The research was reported in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). “While greater patient awareness and insurance coverage have contributed to breast reconstruction rates in the United… Continue reading Travel Distance Affects Reconstructive Breast-Cancer Surgery
Breast-Cancer Drug May Help Fight Other Cancers
A new drug that’s been shown to fight breast cancer alone and in combination with endocrine therapy also combat other types of the illness, according to a University of Pennsylvania study published in JAMA Oncology. Palbociclib targets the rapid division of tumor cells by inhibiting the activity of the enzymes CDK4 and CDK6, which propel… Continue reading Breast-Cancer Drug May Help Fight Other Cancers
Ultrasound Is Comparable to Mammography for Breast Cancer Detection
The use of ultrasound (US) in detecting breast cancer has been shown to be comparable in its sensitivity to that of mammography and should be considered when testing for the disease according to a study published December 28th 2105 in the JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. A release from the publisher notes that… Continue reading Ultrasound Is Comparable to Mammography for Breast Cancer Detection
Breast Cancer Drugs’ Side Effects May Depend on Patient’s Age
Two leading breast cancer drugs cause different symptoms depending on the age of the woman who is taking the drug, researchers say. The findings could be an important step toward personalized medicine for women with breast cancer, said Dr. Patricia Ganz, director of the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Prevention and Control Research program and… Continue reading Breast Cancer Drugs’ Side Effects May Depend on Patient’s Age
A Double Treatment for Breast Cancer
Researchers have developed a combination treatment that may lead to new therapies for breast cancer. The treatment, developed by scientists from University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland, have for the first time successfully combined anti-cancer molecules with a therapy that stimulates to attack tumor cells. The discovery was reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine. In nearly… Continue reading A Double Treatment for Breast Cancer
Detection of Early-Stage Breast Cancer Increases With Age
The mammography detection rate of an early-stage but potentially invasive type of breast cancer rises with age, according to a large new study from Germany published online in October 2015 the journal Radiology. A release from the Radiological Society of North America explains that ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a type of breast cancer confined… Continue reading Detection of Early-Stage Breast Cancer Increases With Age
BREAKING: American Cancer Society Issues New Mammogram Guidelines
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has just released updated recommendations on mammograms – a move that is sure to add to the debate about at what age, and how frequently, women should get the potentially life-saving procedure. The guidelines, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), said that women can start getting… Continue reading BREAKING: American Cancer Society Issues New Mammogram Guidelines
What You Should Know about Male Breast Cancer
Although it’s uncommon, breast cancer can occur in men, and it can be serious. According to the American Cancer Society, about 2,350 cases of invasive male breast cancer will be discovered in 2015, and about 440 men will die of the illness. Those figures highlight the importance of knowing as much as possible about male breast… Continue reading What You Should Know about Male Breast Cancer
Optical Method for Faster, More Accurate Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
A new optical method for more quickly and accurately determining whether breast tissue lesions are cancerous is described by University of Illinois researchers in the August 2015 issue of Journal of Biomedical Optics, published by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. A release from SPIE notes that the researchers report on a quantitative… Continue reading Optical Method for Faster, More Accurate Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
“One and Done” Breast Reconstruction
Some women with breast cancer can now undergo a “one and done” approach combining nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate single-stage implant (SSI) breast reconstruction in a single procedure, according to a report in the July issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). A release from… Continue reading “One and Done” Breast Reconstruction
Encouraging Breast-Cancer News
Are we making progress in the battle against breast cancer? Statistics indicate it’s possible; as this post from the National Cancer Institute indicates, mortality rates have been declining. Here is what the NCI experts have to say: Breast cancer mortality rates have been declining among women in many western countries since the 1970s. Overall, breast… Continue reading Encouraging Breast-Cancer News
Partial Breast Radiation As Effective As Whole Breast Therapy
Women who were diagnosed with breast cancer and treated with a one-week regimen of partial breast radiation after their lumpectomy showed no increase in cancer recurrence or difference in cosmetic results compared to women who received post—surgical radiation of the entire breast for up to six weeks. The two-decade study, conducted by researchers from UCLA,… Continue reading Partial Breast Radiation As Effective As Whole Breast Therapy
Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancers: Moving Toward More Precise Prevention
By NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D. Inherited mutations in the BRCA1 gene and closely related BRCA2 gene account for about 5 to 10 percent of all breast cancers and 15 percent of ovarian cancers [1]. For any given individual, the likelihood that one of these mutations is responsible goes up significantly in the presence… Continue reading Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancers: Moving Toward More Precise Prevention
Ultrasound Helps Show Which Breast Ca Patients Need Lymph Nodes Removed
Which breast cancer patients need to have underarm lymph nodes removed? Mayo Clinic-led research is narrowing it down. A study published in the February 2015 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology finds that not all women with lymph node-positive breast cancer treated with chemotherapy before surgery need to have all of their underarm nodes… Continue reading Ultrasound Helps Show Which Breast Ca Patients Need Lymph Nodes Removed
Breast Reconstruction Over Age 65: Implants vs. Patients’ Own Tissues
Older women don’t have an increased overall risk of complications from implant-based breast reconstruction after mastectomy, but women aged 65 or older are at increased risk of blood clot-related complications after tissue-based breast reconstruction. Those are the findings of a study published in the February 2015 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical… Continue reading Breast Reconstruction Over Age 65: Implants vs. Patients’ Own Tissues
How to Get The Best Mammogram Possible
Editor’s Note: Mammograms are one of the most commonly performed procedures for women, and there is little argument about their value in detecting breast cancer. But not all mammograms are equal, and you owe it to yourself to get the best one available. Here, from the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is an explanation… Continue reading How to Get The Best Mammogram Possible