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Breast Cancer

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Paxil Blocks Tamoxifen, Lowers Survival Odds Against Breast Cancer

February 9, 2010

MONDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) — Women with breast cancer who take both tamoxifen and the antidepressant Paxil may increase their risk of dying because Paxil reduces tamoxifen’s effectiveness, Canadian researchers report.

“Paxil can deprive women of the benefit of tamoxifen, especially when it is used in combination with tamoxifen for a long time,” said lead researcher Dr. David Juurlink, division head of clinical pharmacology and toxicology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto. Read More

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Financial Woes Add Anxiety to Breast Cancer Diagnosis

February 8, 2010

MONDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) — Financial pressure puts low- and medium-income women at particularly high risk for anxiety and depression after being diagnosed with the noninvasive breast cancer ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a U.S. study has found.

The study included 487 women with newly diagnosed DCIS who completed questionnaires about their financial, mental and physical health at the start of the study and again nine months after diagnosis. Read More

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Approval Expanded for Breast Cancer Drug Tykerb

February 1, 2010

MONDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded approval for Tykerb (lapatinib) to include postmenopausal women with hormone- and HER2-positive advanced breast cancer who require hormone therapy.

The new approval is for Tykerb’s use in combination with a second anti-cancer drug, Femara (letrozole), the agency said in a news release. Read More

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Herceptin Again Proves Mettle Against Breast Cancer

January 29, 2010

THURSDAY, Jan. 28 (HealthDay News) — High-risk breast cancer patients with HER2-positive tumors benefit from receiving the targeted therapy Herceptin while undergoing chemotherapy, new research shows.

“It’s in a European journal [The Lancet], but it’s something many of us in the U.S. have already begun to do,” said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. “It just confirms what has really become standard of care in this country, but it’s very nice to see it done in a scientific way,” he added. Read More

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Radiation Dose Lower With Digital Mammography

January 21, 2010

THURSDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) — Digital mammography delivers significantly less radiation than conventional mammography, and the reduction in radiation exposure may be greater for women with larger and denser breasts, a new study has found.

In the study, researchers analyzed data from 5,102 women who received both digital and standard film mammography. Read More

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Therapy May Relieve Breast Cancer Surgery Complication

January 13, 2010

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 13 (HealthDay News) — A common complication of breast cancer surgery can be prevented or reduced if patients receive physical therapy, including massage and shoulder exercises, soon after their operation, a new study suggests.

Secondary lymphedema — caused by damage to the lymphatic system during treatment — results in fluid retention and arm swelling. It affects 71 percent of patients within 12 months of breast cancer surgery and can cause disfigurement, anxiety, depression and emotional distress. Read More

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Start Mammograms by 40, Breast Imaging Experts Say

January 5, 2010

TUESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) — Annual breast cancer screening should begin at age 40 for most women and start earlier — between 25 and 30 — for those at high risk for the disease, say new recommendations from the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI).

The new guidelines challenge controversial U.S. Preventive Task Force recommendations issued late last year that said women don’t need to start having mammograms to screen for breast cancer until they’re 50, and only need to be screened every other year. Read More

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Acupuncture May Cut Hot Flashes, Boost Sex Drive in Breast Cancer Patients

December 30, 2009

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 30 (HealthDay News) — Acupuncture is just as good as standard medication to ease hot flashes and other uncomfortable symptoms in women undergoing breast cancer treatment.

And as an added bonus, the needle treatment may boost the patient’s sex drive and contribute to clearer thinking.

“I think the data shows you that acupuncture is a good option for these patients [and] it has no side effects,” added Dr. Eleanor Walker, division director of breast services in the department of radiation oncology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and lead author of a study appearing online Dec. 28 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Read More

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Many High-Risk Women Refuse Breast MRI

December 22, 2009

TUESDAY, Dec. 22 (HealthDay News) — For women at high risk of breast cancer, an MRI can help detect malignancies early and is often suggested in addition to annual mammograms. Yet, 42 percent of such women in a new study said no to the test.

“We were surprised that so few women wanted to have MRI, even though it was no cost to them,” said study author Dr. Wendie A. Berg, a breast imaging specialist at Johns Hopkins’ Green Spring Station in Lutherville, Md. Read More

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Needle Biopsy Works Well in Diagnosing Breast Cancer

December 15, 2009

TUESDAY, Dec. 15 (HealthDay News) — When it comes to diagnosing breast cancer, women and their doctors have some options, but new research suggests that the less invasive “core needle biopsy” procedure is nearly as effective in diagnosing breast cancer as an open surgical procedure is, with fewer complications than the surgical version.

The new analysis, scheduled to published in the Jan. 5 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, looked over data from more than 100 studies comparing different biopsy methods. It found that core needle biopsy and surgical biopsy provided women with roughly similar results. Read More

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