Breaking Research News from Breastcancer.org

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Text Message Reminders Help More British Women Keep Screening Appointments
March 20, 2015
A study suggests that English women are more likely to keep a breast cancer screening appointment if they're sent a text message reminder. Read more...

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Starting Palliative Care Earlier Rather Than Later Benefits Caregivers and People With Advanced-Stage Disease
March 25, 2015
Two studies have found that starting palliative care earlier rather than later in people with advanced-stage cancer offered benefits to both patients and their caregivers. Read more...

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Specific Type of Stress Management Helps Improve Mood and Quality of Life Long-Term
March 31, 2015
A small study has found that cognitive behavioral stress management after breast cancer surgery offers long-term benefits to women. Read more...

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Most Women Diagnosed With Early-Stage Disease Don't Have More Than a Few Lymph Nodes Removed
March 31, 2015
Research has shown that women diagnosed with early-stage disease with one or two positive sentinel nodes who will have lumpectomy plus radiation don't need to have more lymph nodes removed; most doctors follow that standard of care. Read more...

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Study Suggests Link Between Diabetes, More Advanced-Stage Breast Cancer
April 1, 2015
A study suggests that if diabetic women are diagnosed with breast cancer, it is more likely to be advanced-stage disease. Read more...

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Combining Risk of Common Genetic Variants May Lead to Better Breast Cancer Risk Assessment
April 8, 2015
A study combined the risk of 77 common genetic variants associated with breast cancer into a single risk factor, called a polygenic score, to better estimate breast cancer risk. Read more...

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Risk of Breast, Ovarian Cancer May Vary Depending on Type and Location of BRCA Mutation
April 9, 2015
A study suggests that a woman's risk of breast and ovarian cancer may vary depending on the type of mutation a woman has and where the mutation is located on the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. Read more...

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If Genomic Analysis Is Done, Genes of Both Cancer Tumor and Normal Tissue Need to Be Analyzed
April 17, 2015
A study strongly suggests that cancer tumor genomes should be compared to genomes from noncancerous tissue from the patient so that doctors can be sure any mutations found are unique to the cancer. Read more...

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Hormone Replacement Therapy's Effect on Breast Cancer Risk Changes Over Time
April 17, 2015
Another analysis of results from the Women's Health Initiative trial has found that the influence of hormone replacement therapy on breast cancer risk changes as time passes. Read more...

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Women With Abnormal BRCA1 Gene Benefit From Ovary Removal
April 25, 2015
A study suggests that women with an abnormal BRCA1 gene diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to survive if they have their ovaries removed (oophorectomy). The procedure didn't seem to improve survival in women with an abnormal BRCA2 gene. Read more...

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Being Diagnosed With Cancer Affects How Brain Works
April 28, 2015
A small study suggests that when diagnosed women have cognitive problems before starting treatment, the problems are likely due to post-traumatic stress caused by diagnosis. Read more...

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Specific Cell Actions May Help Explain Differences in Outcomes Between Black and White Women Diagnosed With Breast Cancer
April 29, 2015
A study suggests that estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer cells in black women have a very strong survival mechanism, which may be part of the reason why black women have worse breast cancer survival rates than white women. Read more…

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Gene Abnormality Linked to Breast Cancer in Polish and French-Canadian Women
April 30, 2015
Research suggests that abnormalities in the RECQL gene are linked to a higher risk of breast cancer in Polish and French-Canadian women. Read more...

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Exercising During Chemo Reduces Side Effects
May 1, 2015
Diagnosed women who exercised while being treated with chemotherapy had less fatigue, nausea, and pain, as well as better physical fitness than women who didn't exercise. Read more…

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Chemo Brain Is Real, Researchers Say
May 5, 2015
Many women who get chemotherapy to treat breast cancer say they have problems remembering, thinking, and concentrating during and after treatment. These problems are commonly called "chemo brain" or "chemo fog" -- doctors call these issues "cognitive impairment" or "cognitive problems." Read More...

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Study Finds Link Between Breast Feeding And Lower Risk Of Recurrence
May 5, 2015
A Kaiser Permanente study suggests more benefits for breastfeeding: Women diagnosed with breast cancer who had ever breastfed had a lower risk of the cancer coming back (recurring). The benefits of breastfeeding on recurrence risk were particularly strong for women diagnosed with hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative disease. Read More...

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Young Survival Coalition Research Think Tank Releases Research Priorities for Breast Cancer in Young Women
May 7, 2015
To help address the unique challenges faced by young women diagnosed with breast cancer, the Young Survival Coalition organized a research think tank, which has issued a report. Read more...

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Immune Cells in Early-Stage, HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Cells Linked to Better Response to Treatment Before Surgery
May 9, 2015
Study suggests a link between higher levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in early-stage HER2-positive disease and a better response to treatment given before surgery. Read more...

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White and Black Men With Breast Cancer Receive Similar Treatment but Black Men Have Worse Outcomes
May 12, 2015
White and black men diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer receive similar treatment, but black men have worse outcomes. Read more...

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Another Study Suggests 3-D Mammograms Find More Cancers
May 14, 2015
Study adds more evidence to research suggesting that 3-D mammograms find more cancers than traditional 2-D mammograms. Read more...

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Both Fish Oil and Placebo Ease Joint Pain in Women Taking Aromatase Inhibitors
May 15, 2015
Fish oil and a placebo eased joint pain in women diagnosed with breast cancer taking an aromatase inhibitor. Read More...

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Men With High Estrogen Levels Could Have Increased Breast Cancer Risk
May 15, 2015
An international study has found that men with naturally high levels of estrogen may have a higher-than-average risk of breast cancer. Read more...

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Some Older Women Treated With Hormonal Therapy May Not Need Radiation Therapy
May 18, 2015
A study suggests that women older than 60 diagnosed with luminal A breast cancer -- hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative, with low Ki-67 levels -- who take hormonal therapy after surgery may not need radiation therapy. Read more...

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Study Suggests Not All Women With Dense Breasts Have Higher Cancer Risk
May 19, 2015
Research suggests that only about half of women with dense breasts have a higher-than-average risk of breast cancer. Read More...

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Black Women Have Worse Breast Cancer Survival Rates Compared to Whites and Hispanics
May 21, 2015
A study suggests that some of the survival differences between black and white women with breast cancer may be because black women are more likely to be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer and are also more likely to stop hormonal therapy early. Read more…

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Slow, Progressive Weight Lifting Helps Survivors Keep Physical Function
May 22, 2015
A study found that a slowly progressive weight lifting program helped breast cancer survivors maintain their ability to function physically. Read more...

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Older Women Treated With Herceptin Need Better Heart Monitoring
May 27, 2015
Herceptin may cause heart problems; still, a study has found that most older women being treated with Herceptin don't receive heart monitoring that follows current guidelines. Read more...

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Study Suggests Minority Women Less Involved in Selecting Surgeon, Hospital
May 27, 2015
A study suggests that minority women diagnosed with breast cancer are less likely to be actively involved in picking their surgeons and hospitals than white women. Read more…

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Lifestyle Changes Result in Weight Loss for Women Who’ve Been Treated for Breast Cancer

June 1, 2015

A study found that with targeted support and encouragement, overweight and obese women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer were able to make lifestyle changes that helped them lose about 6% of their body weight after a year.

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Removing More Tissue Reduces Need for More Surgery After Lumpectomy

June 1, 2015

A study has found that removing more tissue during lumpectomy or partial mastectomy cuts the number of women who need more surgery later in half.