Breast Cancer

A common blood protein test can predict which breast cancer patients are at risk for recurrence after mastectomy. The test may eventually help direct treatment decisions, speculate researchers from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at

NEW ORLEANS-A prospective study in colorectal cancer patients has found that sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping correctly predicts the presence or absence of nodal metastases, with a very low incidence of skip metastases (disease in a non-SLN), as it does in melanoma and breast cancer.

NEW ORLEANS-Preoperative lymphoscintigraphy can be used to identify women with primary breast cancer who have multidirectional lymphatic drainage. This appears to occur in about 10% of breast cancer patients, who can then have these areas dissected or included in radiation ports.

Weighing in unambiguously on the controversy over the National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus statement on

Long known to be instrumental in fueling the growth of breast cancer, estrogen may spur the same process in lung cancer, according to the findings of a University of Pittsburgh study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for

This is a comprehensive 701-page volume filled with excellent illustrations, photographs, tables, and schematics. The overall structure of the book takes the reader from molecular oncology issues through pathology, diagnosis, staging, treatment, and a

NEW ORLEANS-The vast majority of patients offered tamoxifen (Nolvadex) for primary chemoprevention of breast cancer decline it, even after exposure to an educational intervention program, investigators from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center reported at the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) Cancer Symposium.

TAMPA, Fla-Anecdotal reports suggest that the selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) commonly prescribed for depression might be efficacious in alleviating hot flashes in breast cancer survivors without the risks associated with hormonal therapies. Vered Stearns, MD, of the Lombardi Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, discussed her research at the American Cancer Society’s 42nd Annual Science Writers Seminar.

WASHINGTON-A survey has found that breast cancer researchers largely support legislation to “minimize the risk of exploitation of medical information by commercial sources and otherwise adequately protect patient privacy.” However, they also are concerned about “unbridled privacy laws” that would “delay or discourage scientific progress through quality research.”

San Antonio-New data presented at the 22nd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium indicate that hormone-receptor status may play a critical role in the effectiveness of adding tamoxifen (Nolvadex) to adjuvant chemotherapy in high-risk node-negative breast cancer patients.

CHICAGO-Breast conservation followed by radiotherapy is an effective treatment approach for invasive breast cancer in medically indigent black women, but prompt initiation of the radiotherapy and adequate radiation dose are necessary to achieve optimal results, according to a study presented at the 85th Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

SAN DIEGO-Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) did not shorten survival in women who received it after surviving breast cancer, Wendy R. Brewster, MD, reported in a plenary presentation at the 31st annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO).

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is sponsoring a Consensus Development Conference on Adjuvant Therapy for Breast Cancer, to be held in Bethesda, Maryland, on November 1-3, 2000.

ORLANDO-“Adjuvant therapy for breast cancer can be improved through the use of new agents, such as taxanes,” Edith A. Perez, MD, said at the Joint Cancer Conference of the Florida Universities. Dr. Perez is associate professor of medicine, Mayo Medical School, and director of the Clinical Investigation & Breast Cancer Program, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida.

Women treated with tamoxifen (Nolvadex) had a 13% higher risk of disease progression than those treated with anastrozole (Arimidex), according to the North American and the European Tamoxifen or Arimidex Randomized Group Efficacy and

DALLAS-A new blood test technique to detect breast cancer cells may be 10- to 100-fold more sensitive than any current techniques, Jonathan W. Uhr, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, said at the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s National Grant Conference.

SAN ANTONIO-A computerized palpation device might offer an objective complement to clinical breast examination for detection of suspicious lumps, according to findings reported at the 22nd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Lesion size as determined by the computerized palpation device better correlated with the palpable extent of the excised lesion than did size as determined by ultrasound, mammography, or clinical breast examination.

CHICAGO-In a screening program for young women with a high susceptibility for developing breast cancer, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) proved more effective than mammography or ultrasound in detecting cancers, German researchers reported at the 85th Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

DALLAS-The antitumor powers of a venom protein from the southern copperhead snake are being studied at the University of Southern California. Results of early studies suggest that the protein, contortrostatin (CN), combines antagonism of breast cancer progression and inhibition of angiogenesis, making it a unique agent for control of breast cancer growth and proliferation.

For many oncologists and their patients with metastatic breast cancer, these are quite confusing times. A growing body of evidence suggests that pure dose-escalation strategies of high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell support are unlikely to provide much additional benefit in patients with advanced breast cancer.[1] In fact, selection bias may explain much of the potential benefit seen in so many single-arm high-dose chemotherapy studies.[2]

Drs. Olin and Muss provide an excellent review of current state-of-the-art treatments and treatment strategies for patients with metastatic breast cancer. They explore a number of the existing questions in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and emphasize the need for ongoing clinical trials.

In 1999, metastatic breast cancer claimed the lives of almost 45,000 women. For the vast majority of patients, metastatic breast cancer is an incurable disease with a median survival of only 2 to 3 years after diagnosis. The

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla-The 17 institutions of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) are adhering closely to their own practice guidelines for breast cancer, according to a report given by the NCCN Outcomes Committee.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is sponsoring a Consensus Development Conference on Adjuvant Therapy for Breast Cancer, to be held in Bethesda, Maryland, on November 1-3, 2000.

CHICAGO-Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was able to find tumors in two thirds of 47 patients with stage II or III occult primary breast cancer with a high degree of sensitivity, avoiding mastectomy in nearly half of the women, Elizabeth Morris, MD, reported at the 85th Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

ROME-The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has extended its breast cancer awareness programs internationally with the establishment of affiliates in Italy, Argentina, Germany, and Greece. The Dallas-based foundation has 117 local US affiliates.

At the 1999 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Dr. Susan Love, noted breast surgeon, author, and patient

ROME-A panel of cancer experts has called upon clinicians to do more to inform and counsel their patients about clinical trials. The plea was voiced during a webcast discussion sponsored by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and held at the 5th Annual Multidisciplinary Symposium on Breast Diseases.

According to the first cost-effectiveness analysis of tamoxifen (Nolvadex), high-risk women who use tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer should be reimbursed by medical insurance in the same way as other preventive drugs and procedures are

n DALLAS-A vaccine for breast cancer patients using fusions of dendritic cells and cancer cells is currently in phase I clinical testing, said Jianlin Gong, MD, Division of Cancer Pharmacology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and instructor in medicine, Harvard Medical School.