Breast cancer: Good news, bad news
Women who survive breast cancer for at least five years have a 89% chance that it will not recure. But those, who are still suffering and on endocrine treatment are likely to get arthralgia and arthritis.
Breast cancer
Young woman underrepresented in breast cancer studies
More than 250,000 women under the age of forty are living with the disease in the US and 11,000 will be diagnosed in the next year. Even so, young women are underrepresented in many research studies and treatments, according to genomic expert Simon Chin.
Elastography - ready to go
The idea of measuring tissue stiffness using ultrasound is nothing new. But lately the field sets a rapid pace. “Real-time, hand-held elastography is now a commercial reality,” asserts Jonathan Ophir from the University of Texas Medical School.
Every or every second year doesn't make a difference
Researchers compared the Norwegian organised population based mammogram screening every second year and a physician- or self-referrals annual test in the US. Both are equally sensitive, but the recall rate for abnormal results was lower in Norway.
OTC-gel for painless mammograms
It sounds impressively simple: An over-the-counter pain-relieving gel from the drugstore may reduce the uncomfortable and even dolorous feeling women experience during mammography exams, according to the a study published in the online edition of Radiology.
What hips tell about breast cancer
As rocks keep the secrets of the earth, bones might keep those of the body. A new study that will be publish in the September 1, 2008 issue of CANCER suggests, that factors responsible for higher bone mineral density might also lead to higher risk of breast cancer.
Herceptin destroys breast cancer stem cells
The HER2 gene causes a very aggressive kind of breast cancer. It influences the number of cancer stem cells and therefore as well the spreading of metastases. The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center now made the discovery that the drug Herceptin can drastically reduce the amount of the stem cell population in HER2 positive-breast cancer.
Still a lot to learn about breast cancer
Since decades women carefully feel their breast. Hoping that they will not find any evidence for lumps or other changes, that might signal breast cancer. However, a review of recent studies conclude that self-exams do not appear to reduce deaths. Whereas radiation therapy may lower recurrence rate of rare breast cancer.
Is mammography enough for all women?
While in Europe experts still discuss whether mammography screening is the ideal tool to save women from breast cancer, the Wall Street Journal investigated if mammography is really enough. Physicians claim that women with higher risk to develop breast carcinoma should receive MRI or ultrasound.
Siemens - special events at Booth #507
Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics will showcase the combined strengths of Diagnostics Products Corporation (DPC), Bayer HealthCare Diagnostics and Dade Behring.
Sharing news breast cancer has come back is worse than giving initial diagnosis
"Hearing the sad news that breast cancer has returned can be a devastating experience for patients, especially as this means that the disease is no longer curable. Doctors also find imparting this information to women with whom they have developed a trusting relationship over the years extremely distressing. However, optimal use of available treatments will enable more women to stay cancer-free…
Demands for greater supervision of alternative medicine practitioners
The prosecution of two doctors and a faith healer has been ordered by the Dutch appeal court, due to their treatment of a patient who died seven years ago.
Multiple-targeted therapies
The next big development in biological targeted therapies for advanced breast cancer will be drugs acting via multiple mechanisms, experts told delegates attending the 1st Asian Breast Cancer conference, held in New Delhi 9-10 February.
Image-guided radiation therapy
Artiste is a linear accelerator and CT scanner combined. At the German Cancer Research Centre, a team of scientists led by Professors Wolfgang Schlegel and Uwe Oelfke of the Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology division, contributed substantially to the technical development of the Artiste platform. They report that users will be able to observe and correct the actual position, extension and…
Fujifilm's digital mammo goes mobile
Fujifilm Medical Systems USA, based in Stamford, Connecticut, reports that it's CR for mammography (FCRm), a full-field digital mammography system, is now available for use in mobile mammography environments.
Personalised medicine?
'How do you treat the HIV-positive, diabetic, schizophrenic patient presenting with chest pain? By making the necessary information available for personalised medicine'
Sectra launches a new PACS system
Sectra's wide portfolio on show at the ECR this year includes a new PACS workstation, a photon-counting MicroDose Mammography system, pre-operative solutions for orthopaedic surgery and the company's full range of Enterprise Control solutions.
PET-CT for radiation therapy planning:
For individualised radiotherapy, high-precision delineation and characterisation of the tumour is critical. If highest radiation doses are delivered in a targeted fashion, the chance of tumour cell kill increases and tumour control probability is enhanced.
Mammography in Russia
Breast cancer morbidity has been the leading oncology disease (21.8%) in Russia since 1996 - and since 1981 in St. Petersburg. In Moscow, the morbidity has increased 52.4% in last 14 years.
Breast tomosynthesis
A promising mammography screening technology By Andrew Smith PhD, principal scientist at Hologic, Inc. in Bedford, Mass, is involved in research and development of digital imaging systems.
New Optical Breast Imaging System
Advanced Research Technologies Inc. ("ART") announced the first sale of SoftScan® optical breast imaging system to the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre ('Sunnybrook") in Toronto, Canada. Sunnybrook is the first health centre to purchase a SoftScan imaging system since the Canadian company received regulatory approval for commercialization in Europe and Canada for its optical breast imaging…
Cancer will kill 7.6 million people this year
A new American Cancer Society report estimates that there will be over 12 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths (about 20,000 cancer deaths a day) worldwide in 2007. The estimate comes from the first-ever Global Cancer Facts & Figures, the latest addition to the American Cancer Society's family of Facts & Figures publications.
United Kingdom
Brenda Marsh reports on the country's flourishing and expanding breast screening programme
Digital mammography and tomosynthesis
It is hoped that a new technology, digital breast tomosynthesis or 3-D mammography, will overcome three drawbacks of traditional screening mammography: discomfort with breast compression, cancer concealed within overlapping tissue and the limited number of views.
New ways of working: innovation in cancer nursing practice
Change is occurring at a rapid rate in cancer care - in many European countries cancer services are now being provided primarily in an ambulatory or outpatient setting with subsequent change of resources. Karen Luker, Professor of Community Nursing at the Universtiy of Manchester, UK, thinks that specialist nurses should not only refresh their knowledge of existing and new therapies. As the face…
