11 December 2015 This past week, two well known public figures made announcements regarding their cancer. The actress Rita Wilson, who underwent a bilateral mastectomy in March, stated that “I am cancer free” and “100% healthy”. Former President Jimmy Carter, who is being treated for melanoma with metastasis to his liver and brain, announced that on a recent scan, “they didn’t find any cancer…
Read more5 December 2015 Approximately 60% of women undergoing annual screening mammography over a 10 year period will be called back for additional views. Often these are in women with dense breast tissue, which can make it more challenging to read mammograms. Many of these callbacks are false alarms, also known as false positives - the abnormality may resolve with additional…
Read more3 December 2015 Dense breast tissue has been linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer, although studies report a variable influence of breast density compared to other known risk factors. A new study published in the journal European Radiology calls into question the association of breast density and breast cancer. Researchers evaluated MRI scans to determine breast density…
Read more25 October 2015 The American Cancer Society has issued new guidelines for screening mammography, and they are sparking a lot of discussion. Previous guidelines, which have been in place since 2003, have recommended: Annual mammography beginning at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health Clinical breast exam (CBE) [exam by a physician] about every 3…
Read more15 October 2015 A recent study has noted that African American and Hispanic women are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive forms of breast cancer. Drs. Lu Chen and Christopher Lee published their findings, Racial Disparities in Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment by Hormone Receptor and Her2 Status, in a recent issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and…
Read more14 October 2015 The discussion on whether or not DCIS is cancer, and how best to treat it, continues. A study published recently in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Dr. Lawrence Solin and colleagues evaluated the risk of developing an invasive cancer if radiation therapy was not performed after lumpectomy for DCIS. This was a prospective non-randomized trial. Patients were enrolled from…
Read more14 September 2015 A study just published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that a Mediterranean diet (MeDiet) supplemented with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) was associated with a lower rate of breast cancer. Dr. Miguel Martinez-Gonzalez and co-authors were studying the effects of dietary interventions in men and women at high risk of cardiovascular disease. While the study was not initially designed to…
Read more08 September 2015 Rather write another post about increasing mastectomy rates (see Science vs. Personal Choice) I asked Dr. Oliver Bogler to provide his perspective as a male breast cancer patient and cancer researcher. Guest post by Dr. Oliver Bogler The observation published in JAMA Surgery (doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2015.2657) that prophylactic contralateral mastectomies are on the rise in men with breast cancer…
Read more24 August 2015 A study published in JAMA Oncology raises more questions regarding appropriate treatments for ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS). I wrote about surgery for DCIS about a month ago. The controversy continues. The JAMA Oncology study by Dr. Steven Narod and colleagues used the SEER Database to try to determine if treatment for DCIS improves the death rate. They found that breast cancer-specific mortality was…
Read more30 July 2015 A study published today in the Journal of Medical Internet Research demonstrated that breast cancer patients participating in an online support community based on twitter had increased knowledge and decreased anxiety regarding their condition. The Breast Cancer Social Media (#BCSM) community was founded in 2011 by two breast cancer survivors. Weekly tweet chats are held on various topics…
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