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Breast Cancer
  • Sugary drinks linked to earlier onset of menstrual periods and higher risk of breast cancer
    Girls who frequently consume sugary drinks tend to start their menstrual periods earlier than girls who do not, according to new research published online Jan 28 in Human Reproduction. This effect was independent of the girls' body mass index (BMI), height, total food intake and other lifestyle factors such as physical activity. The findings are important not only because of the growing problem of childhood obesity in a number of developed countries, but also because starting periods earlier is…
  • Cambridge University finds gene behind killer disease - Triple negative breast cancer
    Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most deadly forms of the disease, does not respond to hormonal therapies such as tamoxifen, or targeted drugs like Herceptin and nearly one quarter of patients diagnosed will not survive for more than five years. Now researchers at Cambridge University and the Wellcome Trust’s Sanger Institute have found that the BCL11A gene is overactive in eight out of ten patients. The study opens the door for therapies which suppress the gene and…
  • Breast cancer drug Perjeta appears to extend patients lives
    According to reports from clinical trials, Roche’s breast cancer drug Perjeta displays “unprecedented” life-extending effects, helping patients live an average of 15.7 months longer than they would on chemotherapy and an older drug. 15.7 months is a significant amount of time for metastatic breast cancer patients, who are, on average, given two to three years to live after their diagnosis. Perjeta, then, has the capacity to increase that time by 50 to 75 percent.  http://www…
  • Breast cancer specialist reports advance in treatment of triple-negative breast cancer that disproportionately affects younger women
    We hope that this means fewer women will relapse and die of their cancer, though the study is not large enough to prove this conclusively. Of the two agents we studied, we are more encouraged by the results from the addition of carboplatin, since it was associated with fewer and less concerning additional side effects than bevacizumab," Sikov explains.  William M. Sikov, a medical oncologist in the Breast Health Center and associate director for clinical research in the Program in Women's…
  • Yoga Regulates Stress Hormones and Improves Quality of Life for Women with Breast Cancer Undergoing Radiation Therapy
    For women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy, yoga offers unique benefits beyond fighting fatigue, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.  The preliminary findings were first reported in 2011 by Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., professor and director of the Integrative Medicine Program at MD Anderson, and are now published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. This research is part of an ongoing effort to scientifically validate mind-body…