Opinion | Transitioning Cancer Survivors Away From Oncologic Care
Dinan is an associate professor of epidemiology and an oncology outcomes researcher. October was Breast Cancer Awareness month and the sudden influx of pink in our homes, on our televisions, in our workplaces, and in local businesses reminded us that we still lose far too many of our loved ones to cancer, not only in […]
Adding complex component of milk to infant formula confers long-term cognitive benefits for bottle-fed babies
Breast milk is widely acknowledged as the most beneficial nutrition for infants, but many families face medical or logistical challenges in breastfeeding. In the U.S., just 45% of infants continue to be exclusively breastfed at 3 months of age, according to the Centers for Disease Control. For decades, researchers have sought to create a viable […]
I’m A Breast Cancer Survivor. I Was Slighted And Belittled Throughout My Treatment.
The author in the recovering room following her breast cancer surgery on March 28, 2023. Courtesy of Joy Jenkins I was scared as I approached the receptionist at my oncologists’ office. I had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer at age 56 after my annual mammogram. I didn’t know yet how bad things were. Was […]
Breast Cancer Overdiagnosis Risk May Be Substantial for Older Women
Older women screened for breast cancer were at a considerable risk of being overdiagnosed, according to a large retrospective cohort study. Researchers found that an estimated 31% of breast cancers among screened women from the ages of 70 and 74 were potentially overdiagnosed, reported Ilana Richman, MD, MHS, of the Yale School of Medicine in […]
Opinion | In a Golden Age of Cancer Care, PBMs Are Holding Us Back
Patt is an oncologist specializing in breast cancer. *Patient name has been changed We’re living in a remarkable time for cancer treatment, when a diagnosis no longer disrupts how patients live and work. Unlike years ago, an advanced cancer diagnosis is no longer a death sentence for many. Today, most patients diagnosed with cancer can […]
AI-Backed Mammography Keeps Up With Docs for Cancer Detection
Artificial intelligence-supported mammography resulted in a cancer detection rate comparable to that of two breast radiologists working together, while also substantially cutting screening workload. Among more than 80,000 women randomized to either AI-supported mammography screening or to standard double reading without AI, cancer detection rates were 6.1 (95% CI 5.4-6.9) per 1,000 screened participants in […]
Breast Cancer Recurrence Risk Varies by Molecular Subtype
Different molecular subtypes of breast cancer had varying rates and patterns of recurrence following surgery for early-stage disease, a large retrospective cohort study showed. Overall, the 10-year freedom from ipsilateral, regional, and contralateral recurrence was 95.9%, 96.1%, and 96.5%, respectively. Using hormone receptor (HR)-positive (+)/HER2-negative (-) tumors as the reference, HR-/HER2+ breast cancer had the […]
Breast Cancer Drugs May Weaken Effects of Weight-Loss Drugs
CHICAGO — Anti-obesity medications may not work quite as well in women taking certain breast cancer drugs, a researcher reported here. Among 99 breast cancer survivors, those taking aromatase inhibitors (AI) lost 42% less weight after a year of taking an anti-obesity medication than women not on AIs, said Sima Fansa, MD, of the Mayo […]
Studies Question Role of CDK4/6 Inhibitors in First-Line Advanced Breast Cancer
CHICAGO — Upfront CDK4/6 inhibition or second-line use in advanced hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer led to similar cumulative progression-free survival (PFS) in a large randomized trial. Patients who received a CDK4/6 inhibitor plus an aromatase inhibitor (AI) as initial therapy and fulvestrant in the second line had a median PFS of 31.0 months at […]
Opinion | It’s Time for a Risk-Adapted Approach to Breast Cancer Screening
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the U.S., and there is a substantial disparity in breast cancer mortality by race, particularly for early-onset breast cancer in Black women. In a recent study I co-authored and published in JAMA Network Open, we showed that if breast cancer screening is […]