Posts by tag
breast cancer
Study shines new light on breast cancer’s sweet tooth
Breast cancer cells impair the function of pancreatic islets to make them produce less insulin than required, resulting in higher blood glucose levels in breast cancer patients compared to women without cancer. The study, published in Nature Cell Biology (30th…
Lumpectomy as effective as mastectomy in young breast cancer patients
Women under 40 with non-metastatic breast cancer experience similar survival regardless of whether they are treated with mastectomy or lumpectomy. The abstract presented at the American Society of Breast Surgeons annual meeting, held in Las Vegas, April 2022, showed that…
Early exercise helps avoid shoulder problems after breast cancer treatment
Introducing a physiotherapy-led exercise programme following treatment for breast cancer reduces upper limb disability. The UK study, published in The British Medical Journal (online 11 November), found no increase in complications, lymphoedema or adverse events for patients allocated exercise. “Our…
Fit, susceptible, or frail? Updated recommendations for managing breast cancer in older people
Management of breast cancer in older women should include routine use of geriatric assessments. Recommendations from an updated multidisciplinary taskforce, which includes members of the European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists and International Society of Geriatric Oncology, published in Lancet…
Breast cancer surgery should be a job for certified specialists – an appeal
Many women, knowing they need surgery for breast cancer, are afraid of looking disfigured after their operation. The question, on day one, is how and where to find a specialist breast surgeon. Personal recommendations cannot always be relied on. Often,…
Updated MINDACT results reveal chemotherapy benefit in some breast cancers varies by age
Updated results of the MINDACT trial confirm that women with early-stage breast cancer, who were assessed to be at high clinical but low genomic risk for recurrence, and did not receive chemotherapy, continue to have excellent distant metastasis free survival…
Bridging the Age Gap in Breast Cancer: A treatment selection tool for the over-70s
Q. Surgery tends to be a bigger issue for older people, and physicians need reliable guidance on who is likely to benefit and who could be harmed. You looked at selection practices and outcomes at 56 breast units across the…
Oncology providers urged to offer healthy life style advice to breast cancer survivors
Breast cancer survivors commonly experience treatment-related factors, such as fatigue, depression and discomfort, presenting barriers to the adoption of healthy life styles. The US questionnaire study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (1 February 2021),…
Studies provide clarity on breast cancer genes for genetic panels
Two large case control studies have defined eight genes considered useful to include on genetic panels for predicting risk of breast cancer. The two studies, one by The Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC), led by Doug Easton in Cambridge, and…
Therapy targeting androgen receptors opens new chapter for hormone driven breast cancers
Androgen receptor activation exerts potent antitumour activity in oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer. The international study, published in Nature Medicine (18th January), has important therapeutic implications for women with metastatic breast cancers that are oestrogen receptor positive, including those who…