Breast Cancer Information, News and Updates

Breast cancer trials and treatment is not limited to North America. A University of Edinburgh scientist has developed new procedures to measure the affect of radiation therapy after breast cancer surgery. New procedures can help doctors decide who would benefit from receiving radiation therapy as a follow-up to breast cancer surgery. These new techniques will allow doctors to check tissue samples from breast cancer surgeries to decide who should receive further radiation therapy.

A new trial to be conducted internationally will follow 3700 women to discover the benefits of radiation therapy in women who have a medium risk of recurrence. The study will also follow this group of women to find out if there is a long-term risk of heart damage for those who have undergone radiation therapy. Their goal is to discover if radiation therapy is necessary for those women who are rated as low risk for recurrence of breast cancer. It is important to determine if radiation therapy has any significant impact on the recurrence of cancer in low risk cancer patients.

The new trial will try to identify a molecular signature in breast cancer that may help to decide if radiation therapy is necessary to prevent recurrence of the breast cancer. Tissue from breast cancer surgeries will be used for extensive study in the future. Scientists are concerned about the long-term effect on the heart from radiation and chemotherapy.

The protein brain natriuretic peptide will also be researched to see if it is an early sign of cardiac damage. Electrocardiography and echocardiography will also be used to identify any early signs of cardiac trouble.

This ambitious study would also like to look into the quality of life of breast cancer survivors. They will look at the impact of radiation and chemotherapy, breast reconstruction and other quality of life areas. This massive study will include women from all over the world. More than 120 breast cancer centers around the world have already signed up to take part in this study.

The study could have an impact on the cost of breast cancer treatment. If it can be determined if radiation therapy will not increase survival rates of those patients who are low risk, it could save the medical community and breast cancer patients thousands of dollars. It’s important to remember, the health and survival of breast cancer patients is the main concern of any trial or study carried on throughout the world.

The study may decide if women who were considered low-risk for recurrence of breast cancer would benefit from radiation therapy. Instead of prescribing radiation as a standard follow-up treatment after surgery, some women may not have to undergo the rigors of radiation therapy.

This new international trial is being sponsored and funded by the University of Edinburgh and Lothian Health Board as well as the United Kingdom Medical Research Council. The European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer and Breast International Group will coordinate the efforts of the trials worldwide.

Currently it takes several days to get results from breast tissue removed during surgery.  This may mean a follow-up surgery will be needed because surgeons don’t know if they completely removed the tumor until the samples are tested.  Testing results come days after the surgery is done so surgery may be performed again to get any leftover cancer cells.

A new light-imaging scan has been introduced that uses light rays from a special part of the light spectrum.  The terahertz region may help doctors be sure they have removed all the cancer cells related to the tumor they have removed.  This cuts out the need a second surgery because they have the information they need immediately.

What is terahertz light?  It is found between the microwave and infrared portions of the spectrum.  Researchers discovered that terahertz light can distinguish between normal breast tissue and tissue that is in early stage cancer, and tumors.  This is an exciting discovery!

Terahertz lighting can give the surgeon the tissue analysis he needs during the operation.  After receiving the immediate results he can decide if more tissue needs to be removed.

Having the information during surgery can help the surgeon discover if a more radical approach should be used.  This could aid in pushing up breast cancer survival rates and cause less discomfort for the patient.  There is a benefit to not having repeat surgeries.  The body has less chance of fighting off infection during each successive surgery.

Anytime there is a surgical procedure done, there is always the chance of infection at the surgical site.  Fewer surgeries mean fewer chances for infection.  Surgery may include excessive bleeding which further weakens a patient already suffering from cancer.  The body’s immune system is affected when it has to recover from multiple illnesses and surgeries.

The Radiological Society of North America was happy to give this news release to the general public.  It provides more hope that breast cancer can be successfully treated and may be erased within the next few years.  Light imaging will be able to find out if women still have breast cancer cells in their body and they can be removed immediately.  This allows the breast cancer patient a better chance of cancer remission and less chance of cancer recurrence.

Early tests were performed on 22 women who were having breast cancer surgery.  The terahertz lighting was completely effective in discovering healthy breast tissue from tumor tissue, and cells that were considered precancerous.  This is another remarkable step in breast cancer treatment.

Funding from the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and other private sectors is actively working to find new and better treatments for breast cancer and early detection.

Your continued support to these fine agencies may ensure that you or someone you love will have a better chance of surviving breast cancer.  Thank you for your support.

Technorati Tags: breast cancer, terahertz imaging

There are different types of breast cancer requiring different treatment options. Learn about the different tests that can determine the type of breast cancer you have. You can watch this webcast of an interview with Dr. Maura N. Dickler, Assistant Attending Physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering and Dr. Ruth O’Regan of the Emory University Winship Cancer Institute. They discuss the hormone receptor status as well as the human epidermal growth factor (HER2).

(source: Healthology.com)

Technorati Tags: breast cancer detection, breast cancer news

The different stages of breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society, indicate the size of a tumor and how far the cancer has spread within the breast, to nearby tissues, and to other organs. Specific treatment is most often determined by the following stages of the disease:

Stage 0 or Carcinoma in situ: Cancer is confined to the lobules (milk-producing glands) or ducts (passages connecting milk-producing glands to the nipple) and has not invaded nearby breast tissue.

Stage I: Tumor is smaller than or equal to 2 centimeters in diameter and underarm (axillary) lymph nodes test negative for cancer.

Stage II: Tumor is between 2 and 5 centimeters in diameter with or without positive lymph nodes, or tumor is greater than 5 centimeters without positive lymph nodes.

Stage III: This stage is divided into substages known as IIIA and IIIB:

• IIIA: Tumor is larger than 5 centimeters with positive movable lymph nodes, or tumor is any size with lymph nodes that adhere to one another or surrounding tissue.
• IIIB: Tumor of any size has spread to the skin, chest wall, or internal mammary lymph nodes (located beneath the breast and inside the chest).

Stage IV: Tumor, regardless of size, has metastasized (spread) to distant sites such as bones, lungs, or lymph nodes not near the breast.

Recurrent breast cancer: The disease has returned in spite of initial treatment.

You can find more information about the different stages of breast cancer also at the NCI website.

Technorati Tags: breast cancer stages

This story from the Sun Sentinel reports on Dr. Judith Hurley’s treatment of breast cancer involveing a combination of two cancer drugs - cisplatin and docetaxel - with the biological agent Herceptin given over 12 weeks. In most cases, that combination shrinks the tumors dramatically, so that surgery can remove the rest. After three to six weeks of rest, patients get two more cancer drugs, doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, followed by radiation.

(source: Sun-Sentinel.com)

Technorati Tags: breast cancer therapy