Statins, common cholesterol-lowering medications, may protect women’s hearts from damage caused during chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer, according to new research published in January 2021 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association (AHA). “Two types of cancer medications, anthracyclines and trastuzumab, are effective treatments for… Continue reading Statins May Help Protect Breast-Cancer Patients from Chemotherapy-Related Heart Damage
Tag: chemotherapy
Some Breast Cancer Patients May Not Benefit from Chemotherapy
Postmenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer that has spread to a limited number of lymph nodes, and whose recurrence risk is relatively low, do not benefit from chemotherapy when it is added to hormone therapy, according to initial results from a clinical trial presented at the… Continue reading Some Breast Cancer Patients May Not Benefit from Chemotherapy
Men with Breast Cancer Need More Treatment Options
Although breast cancer is a disease usually associated with women, men can get it too. Because male breast cancer is rare, there is very limited information on how to treat men diagnosed with the disease. “In the absence of better information to guide us, we tend to treat men with breast cancer the same way… Continue reading Men with Breast Cancer Need More Treatment Options
Landmark Study Finds More Breast Cancer Patients Can Safely Forgo Chemotherapy
A 21-gene test performed on tumors could enable most patients with the most common type of early breast cancer to safely forgo chemotherapy, according to a landmark study done at Loyola University in May wood IL and published in June 2018 in the New England Journal of Medicine. A release from the university notes that… Continue reading Landmark Study Finds More Breast Cancer Patients Can Safely Forgo Chemotherapy
American Heart Association: Some Breast Cancer Treatments May Increase Heart Disease Risk
Breast cancer patients may be at an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, and may benefit from a treatment approach that weighs the benefits of specific therapies against potential damage to the heart, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association published in its journal Circulation. The statement is an… Continue reading American Heart Association: Some Breast Cancer Treatments May Increase Heart Disease Risk
When Cancer Comes Back
From the National Cancer Institute, information every cancer survivor should know: When cancer comes back after treatment, doctors call it a recurrence or recurrent cancer. Finding out that cancer has come back can cause feelings of shock, anger, sadness, and fear. But you have something now that you didn’t have before—experience. You’ve lived through cancer… Continue reading When Cancer Comes Back
A New Technique Reduces Side Effects and Improves Delivery of Chemotherapy Drugs
There is a new method for delivering chemotherapy nanodrugs that increases the drugs’ bioavailability and reduces side-effects, say researchers from Carnegie Mellon University. According to a news release from the university, the study, published online in Scientific Reports, shows that administering an FDA-approved nutrition source prior to chemotherapy can reduce the amount of the toxic… Continue reading A New Technique Reduces Side Effects and Improves Delivery of Chemotherapy Drugs
More Patients with Early-Stage Breast Cancer May Not Need Chemo
Women with early-stage breast cancer who had an intermediate risk recurrence score (RS) from a 21-gene expression assay had similar outcomes, regardless of whether they received chemotherapy, according to a February 2017 study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer. A release from the center notes that the encouraging research, published in the journal… Continue reading More Patients with Early-Stage Breast Cancer May Not Need Chemo
Some Lung-Cancer Patients Benefit from Delayed Chemotherapy
Patients with a common form of lung cancer may still benefit from delayed chemotherapy started up to four months after surgery, according to new research from Yale. The study was published online by JAMA Oncology. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined. For patients with non-small-cell… Continue reading Some Lung-Cancer Patients Benefit from Delayed Chemotherapy
How Gut Microbes Help Chemotherapy Drugs
Two bacterial species that inhabit the human gut activate immune cells to boost the effectiveness of a commonly prescribed anticancer drug, French researchers reported in October 2016 in the journal Immunity. The study identifies a new role for Enterococcus hirae and Barnesiella intestinihominis in activating cancer-fighting T cell immune responses, thereby enhancing the effects of… Continue reading How Gut Microbes Help Chemotherapy Drugs
Women Who Use Alternative Medical Techniques Tend to Postpone Chemotherapy
Women with early stage breast cancer were less likely to start chemotherapy if they used alternative therapies, according to latest research led by Heather Greenlee, ND, PhD, associate professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. The study, one of the first to examine the interaction betweeh complementary alternative medicine (CAM) and… Continue reading Women Who Use Alternative Medical Techniques Tend to Postpone Chemotherapy
Breast Cancer Treatments: An Overview
Researchers are constantly working to find new and better ways to diagnose and treat breast cancer. Here, from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is an overview of what the existing treatments are. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research… Continue reading Breast Cancer Treatments: An Overview
If Your Pet Is Diagnosed with Cancer: What You Need to Know
Any pet owner who has been told their animal has cancer knows the two emotions: anxiety for the beloved pet’s life, and hope for an effective treatment. “Many people consider their dogs and cats members of the family,” says Food and Drug Administration veterinarian Lisa Troutman. “Just as FDA reviews drugs for humans for safety… Continue reading If Your Pet Is Diagnosed with Cancer: What You Need to Know
Fish Oil Could Cause Resistance to Chemo
Researchers at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam found that consuming herring and mackerel as well as three kinds of fish oils, raised blood levels of the fatty acid, which experiments in mice suggest may induce resistance to chemotherapy used to treat cancer. The study was published online in April 2015 by JAMA Oncology. A… Continue reading Fish Oil Could Cause Resistance to Chemo
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
Cancer Patients: Eating Well During The Holidays
You’re heading into the usual round of holiday feasts with a feeling of anxiety, maybe even dread, not because you’re afraid of putting on a few pounds, but because you’re undergoing treatment for cancer and have no interest in food. Or maybe you’re hosting the party this year, and you’ll have a friend or family… Continue reading Cancer Patients: Eating Well During The Holidays
Improved Quality of LIfe for Lung-Cancer Patients
African-American and older patients with advanced lung cancer can be effectively treated with a new, federally approved therapy, according to researchers from the University of Cincinnati. Such patients are not good candidates for chemotherapy. The findings were published in the journal Libertas Academica. The treatment the researchers focused on is gefitinib, a drug that’s already… Continue reading Improved Quality of LIfe for Lung-Cancer Patients
Study: A Better Way to Avert Hair Loss during Chemotherapy
Researchers are moving closer to developing a largely effective device that can eliminate the hair loss that happens with chemotherapy treatments. The latest step in developing scalp cooling devices came from researchers at the University of Huddersfield, UK, who are collaborating with a company to analyze the science behind the process of hair cooling. Paxman… Continue reading Study: A Better Way to Avert Hair Loss during Chemotherapy