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6:05 PM EDT, May 14, 2013
Should I get a double mastectomy if I have a high likelihood of breast cancer?
Angelina Jolie’s decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy to reduce breast cancer risk was a natural move given that she carried a dangerously faulty gene, cancer surgeons said, but it’s a decision that really befits only a select group of women.
6:46 PM EDT, May 7, 2013
Will aerobics help me avoid breast cancer?
There's a fair amount of circumstantial evidence that regular exercise reduces a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. But contradictory findings, and lingering questions as to how physical activity would work to ward off breast cancer, have clouded the picture, apparently leaving some women...
4:13 PM EDT, April 24, 2013
Why do minorities have to wait longer for breast cancer surgery?
Among young women diagnosed with breast cancer, black and Hispanic patients were more likely to wait weeks for treatment, in a new study from California.
3:47 PM EDT, April 17, 2013
Will computer tools boost mammogram accuracy?
Using a computer tool to help doctors analyze mammography images increases the number of early, non-invasive breast cancers that are caught, but also means more women without cancer have to undergo follow-up ultrasounds and biopsies, according to a new study.
12:37 PM EDT, April 11, 2013
Why is drinking tied to lower breast cancer deaths?
Women with breast cancer who had a few alcoholic drinks per week before their diagnosis were slightly less likely to die from their cancer, according to a study that followed newly-diagnosed patients for 11 years, on average.
5:30 PM EDT, April 1, 2013
Should all women get the BRCA gene test?
Certain mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes can increase a woman's chances of developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer dramatically. But that doesn't mean all women should line up for laboratory testing to see if they have those risky versions of the genes, members of a government panel...
4:07 PM EDT, March 14, 2013
Can high-fat dairy food lead to breast cancer death?
Women who have ever had breast cancer might want to walk away from the brie, the butter and the black cherry (and every other flavor) ice cream.
March 10, 2013
Should we all get double mastectomies?
At age 23, Lindsay Avner took charge of her genetic fate by electing to have her healthy breasts removed before cancer could strike first. Six years later, the North Side woman has zero regret, she said.
9:15 AM EST, February 28, 2013
How often do doctors think mammograms should happen?
It’s been three years since the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force launched the mammography wars with its controversial recommendation that most women get fewer of the breast cancer screening exams -- one every other year between the ages of 50 and 74. Younger women could get tested if they...
3:32 PM EST, February 7, 2013
How often should older women get mammograms?
Screening women over 65 each year for breast cancer doesn't catch any more early tumors - but it does lead to more false positives - than screening every other year, according to a new study.
1:17 AM EST, December 28, 2012
Study links milk-producing protein to aggressive breast cancer
HONG KONG (Reuters) - The discovery that a protein which triggers milk production in women may also be responsible for making breast cancers aggressive could open up new opportunities for treatment of the most common and deadliest form of cancer among women.
2:12 PM EST, December 26, 2012
Study finds spiritual care still rare at end of life
Physicians and nurses at four Boston medical centers cited a lack of training to explain why they rarely provide spiritual care for terminally ill cancer patients - although most considered it an important part of treatment at the end of life.
7:10 PM EST, November 28, 2012
How do I know what breast cancer treatments to use?
More than one in five women with early-stage breast cancer said they were given too much responsibility for treatment-related decisions - and those patients were more likely to end up regretting the choices they made, according to a U.S. study.
5:09 PM EST, November 21, 2012
Does Medicare cover breast cancer treatment?
Women with a new diagnosis of breast cancer who are covered by Medicare are waiting longer and longer to get treatment, according to a new nationwide study.
5:12 PM EDT, October 24, 2012
Are cancer patients' hopes for chemo too high?
At least two thirds of people with advanced cancer in a new survey believed the chemotherapy they're receiving might cure them, even though the treatment is only being given to buy some time or make them comfortable.
3:32 PM EDT, October 11, 2012
How does talk therapy help with chemo-related menopause?
Younger women who are thrust into menopause because of breast cancer treatment may get some relief from talk therapy and regular exercise, a new study from the Netherlands suggests.
7:54 PM EDT, September 26, 2012
What should breast cancer survivors' diets include?
Cheryl McGee has battled breast cancer. Twice. She's undergone surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and treatments for infection, but dietary management was never part of her treatment protocol.
7:52 PM EDT, September 26, 2012
What medicines reduce recurrence risk?
After surgeons removed the tumor from her breast last November, Karen Hajiaskari, of Hamburg, N.Y., was deemed cancer-free. But for the next five years she will take a drug called tamoxifen, a medication that's commonly used to prevent a breast cancer recurrence.
7:58 PM EDT, September 26, 2012
Is the really such a thing as being permanently 'cancer free'?
Sixteen years ago, right before her 42nd birthday, Jane Baker Segelken was diagnosed with breast cancer. The tumor was small, and she was told that if the cancer didn't return within five years after treatment, her chances for long-term survival were good.
8:03 PM EDT, September 26, 2012
Why does exercise help with treatment fatigue?
If you're being treated for breast cancer, chances are you feel like something stuck to the bottom of a shoe.
8:14 PM EDT, September 26, 2012
When should I be screened for breast cancer?
Women with no history of breast cancer have to muddle through conflicting recommendations from medical and advocacy groups on when, how and how often to screen for tumors, as the efficacy of routine mammograms continues to raise hot debate.
8:16 PM EDT, September 26, 2012
How does meditation help?
A simple form of mindful meditation can help breast cancer survivors stave off the symptoms of depression, new research suggests. But the potential benefits don't stop there.
8:22 PM EDT, September 26, 2012
What are the current statistics on breast cancer?
What follows are current statistics on breast cancer occurrence and survivorship, offered by the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and recent studies published in major medical journals.
September 26, 2012
Does breast-feeding help lower the breast cancer risk?
For the baby, breast-feeding reduces the risks of childhood obesity, diabetes, respiratory and ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome. For the mom, it lowers the risks of breast and ovarian cancer, and of postpartum bleeding.
6:12 PM EDT, September 25, 2012
What is going on with the ACLU case about gene patenting?
The American Civil Liberties Union has asked for a second time that the Supreme Court invalidate Myriad Genetics Inc.'s patents on two genes associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancers, the latest salvo in a case with broad consequences for the future of gene-based medicine.
6:29 PM EDT, September 10, 2012
Is it true that 9/11 responders are eligible for free cancer monitoring, treatment?
The 70,000 surviving firefighters, police officers and other first responders who raced to the World Trade Center after the attacks of September 11, 2001 will be entitled to free monitoring and treatment for some 50 forms of cancer.
8:41 AM EDT, August 27, 2012
Are extra pounds tied to breast cancer recurrence, death?
Among women who have been treated for breast cancer, heavier women are more likely to have their disease come back and more likely to die of cancer, according to a new study.
4:05 PM EDT, August 27, 2012
Is aspirin use tied to breast cancer risk?
How frequently older women use aspirin and other pain relievers has nothing to do with their chance of developing breast cancer, a large new study suggests.
1:01 PM EDT, August 20, 2012
Does Planned Parenthood have a breast cancer initiative?
Planned Parenthood, a target of U.S. conservatives opposed to its abortion and birth control services, said on Monday it will use $3 million in donations to launch an initiative to fight breast cancer with expanded screenings and education.
3:26 PM EDT, July 26, 2012
How is a high-carb diet tied to breast cancer risk for some?
Older women who eat a lot of starchy and sweet carbohydrates may be at increased risk of a less common but deadlier form of breast cancer, a new study suggests.
3:32 AM EDT, July 23, 2012
How do breast cancer cells turn off a key immune response?
Breast cancer cells can destroy a powerful immune response in the body and allow the disease to spread to the patient's bones, researchers in Australia reported on Monday.
1:12 PM EDT, May 1, 2012
Should women in their 40s have mammograms?
New research suggests that starting breast cancer screening at age 40 might be worthwhile for some women who have a higher-than-average risk of the disease, for example because their mother had cancer.
5:14 PM EDT, April 2, 2012
Why is breast cancer screening tied to overdiagnosis?
A new report suggests that when a breast cancer screening program was rolled out in Norway, up to 10 women were diagnosed and treated for cancer unnecessarily for every breast cancer death that was prevented.
5:54 PM EDT, March 21, 2012
Why are black women more likely to die of breast cancer?
More than 1,700 black women die of breast cancer every year in the United States because of racial disparities in cancer risks and access to care, suggests a new study.
3:04 PM EST, January 4, 2012
Why would a cold cap show promise in keeping hair through chemotherapy?
People with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy may soon be able to check one side effect off of their list: hair loss. If the claims and study results are as good as they appear to be, patients can wear a cold hat during chemotherapy to prevent their hair from falling out.
5:23 PM EST, December 30, 2011
Why does yoga help breast cancer survivors with fatigue?
About one third of breast cancer survivors experience fatigue that can affect their quality of life, but a small new study finds that doing yoga might help restore some lost vitality.
4:06 PM EDT, October 26, 2011
Should younger women be screened for breast cancer?
More than 2.5 million Americans are breast cancer survivors.
September 21, 2011
Do all women choose reconstruction after a mastectomy?
It had taken some years for Nicole McLean to embrace her God-given breasts, ample at size H cups. So when, at 39, she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and told, despite her adamant protests, that mastectomy was the best option, McLean never hesitated to pursue reconstruction.