Breast Cancer

Two proteins could become important prognostic markers for long-term survival in breast cancer patients, according to researchers at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

After it was reported that 25 labs in Quebec incorrectly identified markers for hormone therapy in 15% to 20% of breast cancer patients, the Canadian Breast Cancer Network called for urgent action to implement systemic changes in national standards for breast cancer testing.

Cell surface coating may play a major role in the spread of breast cancer to the brain, according to a study out of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Three genes-COX2, HB-EGF, and ST6GALNAC5-have been found to mediate the metastasis of breast cancer to the brain, reported lead author Joan Massagué, PhD, and colleagues (Nature online, May 6, 2009)

Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany, has initiated a global phase III trial of BLP25 liposome vaccine (L-BLP25, Stimuvax) in patients with hormone receptor–positive, locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States.[1] Since the early 1990s, breast cancer mortality has steadily declined,[2] and statistical modeling using a Bayesian approach attributes these declining mortality rates to both earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments.[3]

As breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States, there has been a decline in breast cancer–related mortality for the past 2 decades; this is likely related to diagnosis at an earlier stage and the availability of more effective treatment regimens.

Authors Winkfield and Harris kindly submit to the reader an article that reemphasizes the link between local control (LC) and overall survival (OS).

Researchers at Chicago’s Northwestern University reported that Abraxane (nab-paclitaxel) nearly doubled progression-free survival compared with Taxotere (docetaxel) when used as first-line treatment in patients with metastatic breast cancer. William Gradishar, MD, led the phase II, open-label, randomized clinical study of 300 patients with previously untreated metastatic, stage IV breast cancer.

TORONTO-Studies out of the University of California, San Diego, have demonstrated that the SAVI radiation device offers coverage of the breast cancer tumor bed while sparing normal tissue from radiation.

Negative perceptions and tough economic times keep women away from screening programs, but self-examination still highly rated.

The detection of cytokeratin 19-positive/HER2-positive circulating tumor cells in early breast cancer patients both before and after adjuvant chemotherapy predicts extremely poor outcomes, according to European investigators.

Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, will be presented with the Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award at the 2009 ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium in San Francisco. Dr. Arteaga, who is a professor of medicine and cancer biology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and director of the breast cancer research program of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, will deliver the Bonadonna lecture at the symposium.

An MRI study of risk factors for breast cancer in young women, including teenagers, concluded that risk assessment and prevention should start much earlier in life than previously recommended. The Canadian study suggests using imaging techniques that avoid patient exposure to ionizing radiation.

Researchers from Houston’s M.D. Anderson Cancer Center evaluted the prevalence and impact of off-label therapies in breast cancer and found that nearly 35% of women were treated with off-label chemotherapy at some point during their care.

Two new studies reported at this year’s ASCO meeting demonstrated the effect of a new class of targeted therapy called poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors on traditionally difficult-to-treat breast cancers-so-called “triple-negative” breast cancer and BRCA1/2-deficient breast cancers.

Many women have turned to natural forms of hormone replacement for menopause since learning that conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may increase their risks of breast cancer and other health problems. Most women have assumed that “natural” or “bioidentical” HRT is safer than conventional HRT. However, recent research has shown that this is not the case and that, in fact, the risks are probably similar.

Researchers at the University of Michigan discovered a gene that over expresses in about 20% of breast cancers. In order to protect their promising find, they quickly filed for a patent.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law filed a lawsuit charging that patents on two human genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer stifle research that could lead to cures and limit women’s options regarding their medical care.

Information on the relative health benefits and risks of alcohol consumption seems to come out on a monthly basis, but the early days of 2009 were particularly flooded with such reports. Three high-profile studies offered more evidence of a significant association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk.

The management of breast cancer in women under the age of 40 continues to challenge oncologists despite many recent therapeutic advances. The higher rates of breast cancer recurrence and death in this cohort strongly correlate with unfavorable clinicopathologic features

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with over 180,000 new diagnoses of invasive disease annually in the United States, based on recent estimates.[1] Despite advances in therapy, over 40,000 women still die of breast cancer each year in the US.[1] While most women with breast cancer present with early-stage, potentially curable disease, young women face higher risks of recurrence and death compared to older women, which leads to challenges in selecting the optimal treatment strategy for these patients. The clinician is typically confronted with an otherwise healthy patient facing a life-threatening disease, and we are inclined to offer therapies with maximal benefit and minimal longterm toxicity, in the face of frequently inadequate or evolving data on how to achieve this.

Younger women with breast cancer present important management challenges due in part to differences in both tumor biology and individual patient factors. In his article, Peppercorn provides a comprehensive overview of these issues with a particular focus on questions surrounding systemic therapy options.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in young women, and survival rates for young women with breast cancer are lower than for older women with breast cancer. This inferior survival is seen in spite of the fact that younger women often receive more aggressive therapy, as detailed in Dr. Peppercorn’s thoughtful review.[1]

A new federally funded University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study aims to learn whether women at high risk of breast cancer can use exercise to meaningfully reduce their risk of getting the disease.

Asian-American women who consumed large amounts of soy as children have a 58% reduced risk of breast cancer, according to a study conducted at National Cancer Institute’s Clinical Genetics Branch.

The majority of postmenopausal breast cancer patients have tumors that express hormone receptors, so advances in endocrine therapy are clearly important. The optimal use of an expanding array of agents is the subject of active investigation, and presentations at SABCS 2008 added insight regarding the relative efficacy of the various approaches in hormone-sensitive early breast cancer patients.

PHOENIX, Ariz.-Accurate local staging with imaging modalities is important for guiding breast cancer treatment in order to achieve clear margins and avoid recurrent disease.

Estrogen-receptor positive advanced breast cancer patients who have become resistant to endocrine therapies can derive clinical benefit from 6-mg daily doses of estradiol, according to a phase II study from St. Louis’ Washington University .

Evidence continues to mount that a regular yoga practice can support emotional well-being in cancer patients. The latest study by a group at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., found that restorative yoga eased fatigue in women with breast cancer.

Based on preclinical data, antiangiogeneic therapy for cancer is both logical and rational. Tumors secrete proangiogenic factors, and the design of agents that target these factors has great potential to add to and in some cases replace cytotoxic chemotherapy.