Breast Cancer

WASHINGTON--The effectiveness of breast conservation surgery, as measured by survival of breast cancer patients, is similar to that of mastectomy in day-to-day medical practice, as well as in randomized clinical studies, according to a report by the General Accounting Office (GAO).

In the 1970s, a radical mastectomy represented the sole option for women with breast cancer. Years later, when the issue of quality of life was raised, the era of reconstructive surgery, via silicone gel breast implants--internal prostheses, was born. For

A study published in the June 1, 1994 issue of the journal Blood demonstrates that amifostine (Ethyol), a selective cytoprotective agent, significantly shortens the time to bone marrow recovery in breast cancer patients undergoing high-dose

PRINCETON, NJ--New approaches in radioimmunotherapy for patients with advanced breast cancer have had promising preliminary results, according to research presented at the Fifth Conference on Radioimmunodetection and Radioimmunotherapy of Cancer.

NASHVILLE--Results of a trial of positive-selection purging in breast cancer patients undergoing high-dose chemotherapy/autologous bone marrow or peripheral blood transplantation show that patients who have no evidence of breast cancer in the graft after purging have longer progression-free survival at a median follow-up of 18 months than patients who have persistent evidence of tumor. Purging is performed by selection of CD34+ marrow or peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPCs).

WASHINGTON--The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is disputing the commercial rights to the newly discovered breast cancer gene BRCA1. In a move that could affect how much women pay for screening when such a test becomes available, scientists at the University of Utah and Myriad Genetics, Inc. failed to include NIH as a collaborator when it applied to patent the gene. The NIH has filed a counter application.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 383,000 The American Cancer Society estimates that 383,000 Americans willbe diagnosed with prostatic or breast cancer in 1994.[1] Manyof these individuals will develop painful bony metastases. Asclinicians, it is imperative that we seek out the most