Breast Cancer

ST. LOUIS-In a study of 31 breast cancer patients with chronic lymphedema who had failed other treatment methods, 27 showed significant improvement with use of the Reid Sleeve, a custom-designed pattern of soft polymer ridges that apply varying degrees of pressure, Diane Radford, MD, of Washington University, said in a poster presentation.

SAN ANTONIO-Although paclitaxel (Taxol) is still being evaluated as a single agent in advanced breast cancer, to determine optimal dosing and schedule, it is also being studied for use in combination with other cytotoxic agents, as adjuvant therapy in early-stage disease, and as part of high-dose chemotherapy regimens used with stem cell transplant.

SAN ANTONIO-Routine use of radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery is a cost-effective strategy for improving outcome in breast cancer, a computerized decision-analysis study suggest.

The National Cancer Act of 1971 was established when then President Nixon declared the "war on cancer." Since that time, no magic bullet has been discovered, and it is apparent that we have not been victors in the war against the nation's second leading killer. Overall cancer rates have continued to rise, with only a slight decrease in mortality from breast and other cancers. Nevertheless, remarkable progress has been made in the cure of childhood cancers, Hodgkin's disease, and testicular cancer.[1,2]

Tamoxifen is currently the endocrine therapy of choice for early and advanced breast cancer. Attempts to improve the therapeutic efficacy have included altering the triphenylethylene ring structure of tamoxifen, forming

Breast cancer treatment has evolved greatly within the last 25 years. Tamoxifen was first introduced for the

In 1977, tamoxifen, a nonsteroidal antiestrogen, was approved in the United States for the management of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Since that time, tamoxifen's therapeutic role has grown to

Tamoxifen has well-documented activity in reducing breast cancer mortality. In addition, it has several secondary

The ultimate goal of breast cancer prevention strategies is to reduce the incidence of this disease in populations. Greater understanding of recently identified associations of lactation, alcohol, exercise, and diet with breast

Tamoxifen is being evaluated in clinical trials as a preventive agent in women at high risk for breast cancer. This new, potentially long-term therapeutic role has generated some concerns regarding safety, based on the results of

For nearly 20 years, tamoxifen has been successfully used in the management of breast cancer. Tamoxifen is a mixed estrogen agonist/antagonist that has a proliferative effect on the endometrium. The drug has been

Tamoxifen is currently the endocrine treatment of choice for all stages of breast cancer and is the gold standard for antiestrogen treatment. Over the last 25 years, the drug has revolutionized breast cancer therapy. The extension of the use of this agent has occurred because of open dialogue between the laboratory and the clinic, in which laboratory findings led to extension of clinical use. Tamoxifen was originally discovered as part of a contraceptive research program at ICI Pharmaceuticals (now Zeneca). On the basis of the estrogen dependence of many breast cancers, tamoxifen, a potent antiestrogen, was predicted to have anticancer activity. Laboratory and animal studies demonstrated efficacy in breast cancer and an ability to block binding of estradiol to the estrogen receptor of human breast cancer. Preclinical studies showed the benefit of long-term vs short-term tamoxifen treatment, a finding duplicated in the clinic. [ONCOLOGY 11(Suppl 1):7-13, 1997]

Tamoxifen is the most widely prescribed endocrine therapy for breast cancer, with more than 7.5 million woman-years of clinical experience. Tamoxifen has both antiestrogenic and estrogenic activity. The antiestrogenic activity

DALLAS-A new interactive computer program, The Ethics Companion, is currently under development to help physicians think through ethical dilemmas in genetic testing for breast cancer, Gail Tomlinson, MD, PhD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said at a poster paper at the San Antonio meeting.

BOSTON-Neither the presence nor the extent of lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is related to risk of local recurrence in patients with invasive breast cancer treated with conservative surgery and radiotherapy, a retrospective study from the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy has shown.

SAN ANTONIO--A new decision aid, developed by a group of Canadian researchers, uses an audiotape and a workbook to help women with early-stage breast cancer decide between mas-tectomy and breast-conserving surgery with radiation therapy.

CHICAGO--Although mammography is the best screening tool for breast cancer, it misses carcinoma in 15% or more of women with dense breasts. Supplemental, bilateral, high-resolution ultrasound can find these malignancies, Thomas M. Kolb, MD, a New York City radiologist who specializes in breast cancer detection, reported at the Radiological Society of North America meeting.

Tamoxifen citrate has been prescribed to millions of women with breast cancer and has been one of the most important advances in breast cancer treatment over the past 25 years. Because she is a female physician, the

The latest data, published in the December 18th issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, reopen a question that affects millions of women worldwide: whether to continue tamoxifen beyond 5 years after surgery for early-stage breast cancer.

University of Minnesota Cancer Center researcher David Kiang has received a 4-year, $509,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute to study how the molecular changes that occur during lactation can r from the National Cancer Institute to

A new method capable of destroying breast tumors without surgery andside effects has been developed at the Department of Energy's (DOE) OakRidge National Laboratory (ORNL).

ROCKVILLE, Md--The Food and Drug Administration's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted, with one abstention, to recommend the approval of Femara Tablets (letrozole, Ciba-Geigy Corp.) for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women who suffer a relapse or disease progression after antiestrogen therapy.

COLUMBUS, Ohio--Many of the diagnostic tests and procedures following treatment for breast cancer fail to extend survival, as demonstrated by two randomized, prospective studies and nine retrospective studies, said Victor G. Vogel, MD, MHS, director of the Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program at the University of Pittsburgh.

An expert panel of 10 international cancer researchers and practicing oncologists met in Boston to discuss the past, present, and future uses of antiestrogens in the treatment of breast cancer.

Steven T. Rosen, MD, FACP, director of the Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center of Northwestern University, announced that the Center has received a 4-year grant in the amount of $4.27 million from the US Army Medical Research and Materiel

PALM SPRINGS, Calif--A large body of research on toremifene (Fareston) has been accumulated in research carried out over more than a decade in Europe, the United States, and the former Soviet Union, John T. Hamm, MD, of the University of Louisville and Alliant Health Systems, said in his presentation on the phase II trials of the agent.

SAN ANTONIO--Hormone responsiveness is one of the few prognostic markers for breast cancer that actually predicts a better prognosis, Benita S. Katzenellenbogen, PhD, said in her William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

BETHESDA, Md--The American Medical Writers Association is accepting applications for the 1997 Rose Kushner Awards for Writing Achievement in the Field of Breast Cancer. A cash award of $1,000 for the winning entry in each of five categories will be provided through a grant from Zeneca Pharmaceuticals.

CHICAGO--Scintimammogra-phy, a nuclear medicine procedure developed in the early 1990s, has potential as a diagnostic tool for identifying breast cancer in women whose disease hides within dense tissue, said Janet Baum, MD, a radiologist at New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston

An expert panel of 10 international cancer researchers and practicing oncologists met in Boston to discuss the past, present, and future uses of antiestrogens in the treatment of breast cancer. The first articles in this series, based on the symposium presentations, focused on the optimal duration of tamoxifen use (Oct, 1996, page 17) and on the noncancer benefits of tamoxifen weighed against the potential risk of endometrial cancer (Nov, 1996, page 55). This month, the benign endometrial changes associated with tamoxifen use are reviewed. The symposium was sponsored by Zeneca Pharmaceuticals.