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August 19, 2008
Disclosing a Breast Cancer Diagnosis to Family and Friends
Public Release Date: 4-August-2008
Women diagnosed with breast cancer shoulder the emotional burden of disclosing their diagnosis to loved ones, managing the feelings of others at precisely the time when they need support themselves, according to research to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA).
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August 12, 2008
Perceived Medical Discrimination May Discourage Cancer Screening
Public Release Date: 6-August-2008
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Perceived discrimination in medical care translated into lower rates of screening for breast and colorectal cancer in minority patients, investigators here found.
Patients who perceived discrimination in the healthcare setting were up to 70% less likely to be screened, LaVera M. Crawley, M.D., of Stanford, and colleagues, reported in the August issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.
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August 11, 2008
Breast Self-Exam Gets Thumbs Down in Systematic Review
Public Release Date: 16-July-2008
COPENHAGEN -- Breast self-examination does not reduce breast cancer mortality and may cause harm by prompting unnecessary biopsies, according to data on almost 400,000 women.
Women who performed self-examination had virtually identical breast cancer mortality rates as women who did not examine their breasts, Jan Peter Kosters, Ph.D., and Peter C. Gotzsche, Ph.D., of the Nordic Cochrane Center here, reported in a Cochrane Review.
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August 05, 2008
Minorities Less Likely to Know About Breast Cancer Options
Public Release Date: 30-July-2008
Half of patients don’t know how survival differs between surgical options
This release is available in Spanish.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Nearly half of women treated for breast cancer did not know that their odds of being alive after five years are roughly the same whether they undergo mastectomy or breast conserving surgery. Minority women were even less likely to be aware of this important factor of their treatment decision, according to a study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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July 29, 2008
Health Partnership Expands Cancer Screening Services
Public Release Date: 15-July-2008
The Health Partnership of Monroe County, which evolved from the Women's Health Partnership, has expanded its free cancer screenings for women and men and now offers coverage for the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine.
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July 22, 2008
Economics Determine Cancer Survival Worldwide but Race Matters in U.S.
Public Release Date: 16-July-2008
LONDON -- Cancer survival rates differ widely around the world, primarily along economic lines but racially in the U.S., according to the first direct global comparison.
Five-year survival rates for breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer were generally higher in North America, Australia, Japan, and most of Europe than in Africa, South America, and eastern Europe, found Michel P. Coleman, M.B.Bch., M.Sc., of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and colleagues.
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July 15, 2008
Ovarian Cancer's Specific Scent Detected by Dogs
Public Release Date: 26-June-2008
Research published in the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies
Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, and Singapore – Ground-breaking research in the June issue of Integrative Cancer Therapies published by SAGE explored whether ovarian cancer has a scent different from other cancers and whether working dogs could be taught to distinguish it in its different stages.
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July 08, 2008
Cancer Survivors are Living "In Limbo" with Unmet Needs for Care
Public Release Date: 28-May-2008
Many long-term survivors of cancer are not receiving the necessary symptom management that they require to help them live with the consequences of their disease, its treatment, or both, according to a leading professor of palliative medicine.
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June 24, 2008
New Biological Classification of Ovarian Cancer
Public Release Date: 21-May-2008
A thesis from The Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden shows that it might be possible to predict with great probability which women with ovarian cancer will survive the disease before painful treatment with antineoplastic agents. A better prognosis would considerably improve the quality of life of patients since the treatment could be made more effective and thereby result in fewer side effects.
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June 17, 2008
Daily Women's Health Policy Report Examines Breast Cancer News from ASCO Conference
Public Release Date: 4-June-2008
Several breast cancer-related studies recently were presented at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago, which began Friday. Summaries appear below.
June 10, 2008
Managing Symptoms by Mobile Phone may Revolutionize Cancer Care for Young People
Public Release Date: 10-June-2008
London, UK: Researchers are harnessing the powers of digital communications technology to help young cancer patients at home manage the side-effects caused by chemotherapy.
They have given the teenagers and young adults specially adapted mobile phones on which the patients can record and send details of all their symptoms to the medical professionals managing their care. The phones are capable of giving basic advice about the most common symptoms, and if the symptoms are serious enough, the phone triggers an alert at the hospital so that specially trained cancer nurses can ring the patient and, if necessary, ask him or her to come into hospital.
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June 03, 2008
Evidence 'Equivocal' for Antioxidants in Cancer Treatment
Public Release Date: 27-May-2008
SAN DIEGO -- The evidence for supplementing cancer radiation or chemotherapy with antioxidants is "equivocal at best" in the face of serious concerns about potential harm, researchers here said.
While some studies have shown antioxidants can reduce the occurrence of clinically significant side effects, there is also evidence they can lead to lower tumor control, according to Brian Lawenda, M.D., of the Naval Medical Center San Diego, and colleagues.
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May 27, 2008
Kansas Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program for Low-Income, Uninsured Women Runs Out of Funding
Public Release Date: 6-May-2008
The Kansas Early Detection Works program, which provides uninsured low-income women in the state with breast and cervical cancer screenings at no cost, has depleted its operating funds and will delay almost all cancer screenings until July 1, the Wichita Eagle reports.
May 20, 2008
Breast Tumors Grow More Slowly with Age
Public Release Date: 8-May-2008
OSLO, Norway -- In women between 50 and 70, breast tumor growth is faster in those at the younger end of the spectrum, which may have implications for sensitivity of breast cancer screening programs, researchers said.
Continue reading "Breast Tumors Grow More Slowly with Age"
August 21, 2007
First Case of Successful Ovarian Tissue Transplantation between Two, Nonidentical Sisters
Public Release Date: 1-August-2007
A woman, whose ovaries had failed due to damage caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, has received a successful ovarian transplant from her genetically non-identical sister. The transplant restored her ovarian function, she started to menstruate and, after a year, doctors were able to recover two mature oocytes from her ovaries and fertilise them to produce two embryos.
August 06, 2007
Uninsured Women Not Getting Regular Pap Smears
Public Release Date: 16-July-2007
One-fourth of uninsured U.S. women between the ages of 18-64 reported not having had a Pap smear within the last three years when surveyed in 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
This was double the 11 percent rate for women with private insurance and more than the 15 percent rate for women covered by Medicaid or any other public insurance.
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July 26, 2007
Gardasil Adopted by Vaccines for Children Program's 55 Immunization Projects, Merck Announces
Public Release Date: 18-July-2007
Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil has been adopted by all 55 of CDC's Vaccines for Children Program immunization projects, the company announced Monday, Reuters reports (Krawskopf, Reuters, 7/16). VFC provides no-cost immunizations to children ages nine to 18 covered by Medicaid, Alaska Native and American Indian children, and some uninsured and underinsured children (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/8).
July 19, 2007
Pence Amendment Threatens Access to Family Planning Services – Action Needed Today!
Public Policy Alert: 19-July-2007
Today, Representative Mike Pence (R- IN) plans to offer an amendment that would deny Title X funding to Planned Parenthood clinics. This would be an amendment to the House Labor/HHS Appropriations bill that also gives Title X a historic $28 million increase.
July 12, 2007
Requiring HPV Vaccination for School-Age Girls for Upcoming School Year 'Too Soon,' Researcher Says
Public Release Date: 22-June-2007
It is premature to require middle-school age girls to receive Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil for the upcoming school year, Doug Lowy -- head of the National Cancer Institute's Laboratory of Cellular Oncology and one of the scientists responsible for the development of the vaccine -- said on Wednesday, CQ HealthBeat reports (Bartolf, CQ HealthBeat, 6/20).
July 05, 2007
GSK's Experimental HPV Vaccine Cervarix 100% Effective in Preventing Precancerous Lesions, Study Says
Public Release Date: 28-June-2007
GlaxoSmithKline's experimental human papillomavirus vaccine Cervarix has shown as much as 100% effective in preventing advanced precancerous lesions caused by HPV strains 16 and 18, according to preliminary data of a phase III published in the online edition of the journal Lancet, the Wall Street Journal reports (Wall Street Journal, 6/28).
June 26, 2007
Simple Steps Make Breast Cancer Survivors Eager to Exercise
Public Release Date: 18-June-2007
Simple steps, like giving breast cancer survivors an exercise workbook or step pedometer, can improve their quality of life and fatigue levels.
In research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, University of Alberta researchers found that those simple steps, along with a recommendation to exercise, helped breast cancer survivors exercise more than survivors who were only given a recommendation to exercise. More activity led to improvements in quality of life and energy levels.
Continue reading "Simple Steps Make Breast Cancer Survivors Eager to Exercise "
June 18, 2007
Cancer Experts Identify Symptoms for Early Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer
Public Release Date: 14-June-2007
The American Cancer Society, Gynecologic Cancer Foundation and the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists on June 25 are expected to formally announce recommendations for identifying symptoms that could signal early stages of ovarian cancer, the New York Times reports. Experts from the groups are calling on women who experience the symptoms -- which include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and a frequent or urgent need to urinate -- every day for two to three weeks to see a gynecologist.
Continue reading "Cancer Experts Identify Symptoms for Early Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer "
June 13, 2007
Women Well Informed about Breast Cancer, yet Lacking Knowledge about Current Treatments
Public Release Date: 12-June-2007
CancerCare offers five questions to help women learn about breast cancer therapy advances
New York, June 12, 2007 – According to a new GfK Roper Public Affairs survey sponsored by CancerCare, a national nonprofit cancer support organization, while the majority (76 percent) of women surveyed said they know at least a fair amount about breast cancer, many remain unaware of the important recent progress made in treatment. Fewer than one out of four (23 percent) women ages 50-65 have heard of new therapies for breast cancer, revealing a gap between awareness and information that women can use toward better treatment.
June 01, 2007
HPV Vaccine Also Guards Against Vulval and Vaginal Cancer
Public Release Date: 17-May-2007
HELSINKI, Finland, May 17 -- The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil, developed to prevent cervical cancer, also appears to block pre-cancerous vulval and vaginal lesions, researchers said.
Young women given the vaccine had 71% fewer high-grade vulval and vaginal lesions associated with HPV types 16 and 18 than those not vaccinated, regardless of exposure, reported Jorma Paavonen, M.D., of University Central Hospital here, and colleagues in the May 19 issue of The Lancet.
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May 30, 2007
Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer should either Get Exercising or Keep Exercising
Public Release Date: 22-May-2007
The study of over 500 women who had survived breast cancer highlights how physical activity, and more specifically the intensity and amount of physical activity you do before and after cancer treatment, can affect future symptoms and your quality of life.
May 29, 2007
U.S. Parents Not in Favor of HPV Vaccine Mandates
Public Release Date: 25-May-2007
While debate in several state governments continues to grow over school mandates for Gardasil - a vaccine recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for girls ages 11 to 12 that is designed to provide protection against human papillomavirus, or HPV, the virus linked to cervical cancer and genital warts - the majority of U.S. parents have already reached a decision on the issue: They do not want the vaccine to be mandated.
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May 16, 2007
Team Sports Helps Breast Cancer Survivors
Public Release Date: 11-April-2007
Breast cancer survivors may find participation on a team that incorporates physical fitness, such as boating, walking or running, can help improve their quality of life, says a Purdue University sport and exercise psychologist.
"Many of these survivors' emotional, informational and social needs are met through traditional support groups or online groups," says Meghan McDonough, an assistant professor of health and kinesiology who studies the role relationships play in physical activity. "In addition, there are certainly some positive social and quality of life benefits associated with breast cancer survivors being active together and even competing in community events."
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May 08, 2007
Radiation for Breast Cancer Not Likely to Increase Heart Attack Risk
Public Release Date: 6-May-2007
In 1973, two researchers published an article in the journal Lab Investigation saying that radiation to the breast area might damage the capillaries and restrict blood flow to the heart.
Since that time, conflicting reports about the long-term risk of radiation to the heart have been published. According to a study released today in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology* Biology*Physics , the official journal of ASTRO, elderly women who receive radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer appear to have no increased risk of a heart attack after taking pre-existing cardiac risk factors into account. Interestingly, pre-existing cardiac risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia do not potentiate the effects of radiation on the heart.
Continue reading "Radiation for Breast Cancer Not Likely to Increase Heart Attack Risk "
April 23, 2007
Abortion Does Not Add to Breast Cancer Risk
Public Release Date: 23-April-2007.
BOSTON, April 23 -- Neither abortion nor miscarriage contributes to breast cancer risk, according to a prospective observational study of more than 100,000 women.
In the Nurses' Health Study II, premenopausal women were not at an elevated breast cancer risk after induced (hazard ratio 1.01, 95% confidence interval 0.88 to 1.17) or spontaneous abortion (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.01) found Karin B. Michels, Sc.D., Ph.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital here, and colleagues.
Continue reading "Abortion Does Not Add to Breast Cancer Risk"
April 19, 2007
Preoperative Chemotherapy is Safe for Women with Early Stage Operable Breast Cancer
Public Release Date: 19-April-2007
Chemotherapy is frequently given to women with breast cancer after surgery to remove the main bulk of the tumour.
A new Cochrane Systematic Review of existing data shows, however, that using chemotherapy to reduce the size of tumours before surgery does not compromise survival rates and enables women to retain better self-image and overall health because of the reduced impact of the surgery.
April 16, 2007
Health Disparities in Access to Healthcare
Public Release Date: 16-April-2007
Minority individuals are much more likely to develop and die from cancer than the general U.S. population.
Previous research points to lack of health insurance, poverty, language and cultural barriers, and inadequate access to early detection services and good medical care as causes. Research reported today at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) suggests that genetics, in addition to socioeconomic status, are important factors accounting for the disparity of cancer incidence and mortality between African-Americans, Hispanics and Caucasians.
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