Breaking Research News from Breastcancer.org

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Full Dose of Radiation Therapy May Not Be Needed for Some Early-Stage Breast Cancers
March 25, 2016
Early results suggest that treating just the area around where a cancer used to be with radiation may be as good as treating the whole breast with radiation. Read more...

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Prophylactic Mastectomy Rates Have More Than Tripled in Past Decade
March 25, 2016
Rates of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy more than tripled from 2002 to 2012 even though studies have shown that removing the other healthy breast doesn't improve survival. Read more...

WarriorCheryl

Is there any research on radiation for HER2+, stage 1 following lumpectomy and 12 weeks taxol/herceptin? I will be getting herception for the rest of the year through December 2016.

I want to know the stats on opting OUT of radiation therapy. I am scheduled to start full dose, 6 1/2 weeks of full breast and targeted radiation, and I am thinking this is not necessary. I hva a consult set up with my oncologist, and had called my surgeon too to find out their opinion. The radiologist, of course wants to go full steam ahead. I am worried about tissue damage and side affects down the line.

Moderators

Hi WarriorCheryl.

There are no research studies on the BCO site relating to your question.

If you want, you can chat to others who are Her 2 + about their treatment here:

Taxol and Herceptin for Her 2

Her 2 + member stories of treatment

We hope you get answers soon!

Moderators

New Breast Cancer Staging System Incorporates HER2 Status
March 29, 2016
Researchers have developed a new breast cancer staging system that incorporates the biology of the cancer, which they say is an important indicator of prognosis for women having treatment before surgery. Read more...

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Oncotype DX May Help Make Treatment Decisions for Breast Cancer That's Metastatic at Diagnosis
March 31, 2016
A study suggests that the Oncotype DX test can offer relevant information about cancer progression and 2-year survival rates for women diagnosed with de novo stage IV cancer. Read more...

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Certain Type of PET Scan Detects Recurrence Better Than Traditional Tests
April 1, 2016
A study suggests that a FDG-PET/CT scan can accurately diagnose breast cancer recurrence and is more accurate than traditional imaging techniques such as CT scans and bone scans. Read more...

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Black Women Less Likely to Have Oncotype DX Testing
April 5, 2016
A study has found that while Oncotype DX test results strongly influence whether doctors recommend chemotherapy after surgery or not, black women are less likely to receive the test. Read more...

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Pathologists More Likely to Disagree on Breast Biopsy Results When Diagnosing DCIS
April 6, 2016
A study suggests that pathologists disagree with each other most often when diagnosing DCIS. Read more...

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Why Are Women With BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutations Being Diagnosed at Younger Age?
April 7, 2016
A study suggests that environmental and lifestyle factors are causing women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation to be diagnosed with breast and/or ovarian cancer at younger ages. Read more...

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Ovarian Suppression Plus Tamoxifen Reduces Recurrence Risk Better Than Tamoxifen Alone, but Causes More Severe Side Effects Initially
April 8, 2016
Ovarian suppression plus tamoxifen caused more side effects and sexual problems -- mainly in the first 2 years of treatment -- compared to tamoxifen alone. Read more...

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Acupuncture Helps Ease Hot Flashes
April 13, 2016
An Italian study offers more evidence that acupuncture can help ease hot flashes. Read more...

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Can Fasting 13 Hours or More at Night Reduce Recurrence Risk?
April 19, 2016
Fasting for fewer than 13 hours per night was associated with a 36% higher risk of early-stage breast cancer recurrence compared to fasting 13 or more hours per night. Read more...

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Aromasin Plus Ovarian Suppression Better Than Tamoxifen for Premenopausal Women with Hormone-Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Disease With High Recurrence Risk
April 19, 2016
Premenopausal women diagnosed with early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer with a high risk of recurrence benefit the most from Aromasin plus ovarian suppression. Read more...

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Why Are Many Older Women and Black Women Not Treated With Herceptin?
April 20, 2016
A study found that half of women age 65 and older who would benefit from Herceptin didn't receive it; black women were 25% less likely to receive Herceptin than white women. Read more...

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Breast Density Higher in Infertile Women
April 22, 2016
Women with a history of infertility had denser breasts than women who didn't have fertility problems, and infertile women who had controlled ovarian stimulation had denser breasts than women who didn't have the treatment. Read more...

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Experimental Medicine Neratinib Seems to Offer Some Advantages Over Herceptin When Treating Metastatic HER2-Positive Disease
April 22, 2016
Compared to Herceptin and Taxol, neratinib and Taxol as a first treatment for HER2-positive recurrent or metastatic disease are associated with fewer brain metastases and a longer time until any brain metastases happen. Read more...

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Doctors Miss Some Chemotherapy Side Effects
April 28, 2016
A study suggests that doctors can miss up to half of the chemotherapy side effect symptoms a woman may be having. Read more...

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Kadcyla and Perjeta Before Surgery Offers More Benefits Than Standard Regimen for HER2-Positive Disease
April 28, 2016
A study suggests Kadcyla and Perjeta before surgery offers better pathologic complete response rates than the traditional treatment of Herceptin and Taxol for HER2-positive disease. Read more...

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Women Treated With Herceptin Need Heart Monitoring No Matter Their Age
April 29, 2016
A study suggests that any woman treated with Herceptin -- no matter how old she is -- has a higher risk of heart problems and should be monitored. Read more...

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Media Coverage of Celebrities' Breast Cancer Treatment May Be Contributing to Rise in Double Mastectomies
May 3, 2016
A study suggests that more women are choosing to have prophylactic mastectomy because of media coverage of celebrities with breast cancer. Read more...

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BRCA1 Mutation Linked to Fewer Eggs in Ovaries
May 3, 2016
A study found that women with a BRCA1 mutation had levels of a hormone that indicates how many eggs are left in the ovaries that were 25% lower than women who didn't have the mutation. Read more...

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Delaying Radiation After DCIS Surgery Ups Recurrence Risk
May 5, 2016
Women diagnosed with DCIS who have radiation more than 8 weeks after surgery have a higher risk of DCIS recurrence or developing invasive disease in the same breast. Read more...

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Why Do Some HER2-Positive Breast Cancers Not Respond to Herceptin?
May 5, 2016
A study suggests that strongly estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancers with a low FISH test ratio are less likely to respond to Herceptin. Read more...

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Aromatase Inhibitors Increase Risk of Less Serious Heart Problems
May 9, 2016
While the aromatase inhibitors don't increase the risk of fatal heart attacks or strokes, the medicines do increase the risk of less serious heart problems, such as an abnormal heart beat, compared to tamoxifen. Read more...

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Research Suggests MammaPrint Test Can Help Decide Who Can Skip Chemotherapy
May 12, 2016
Women diagnosed with early-stage disease that's either hormone-receptor-positive or hormone-receptor-negative may be able to use results from the MammaPrint test to help make decisions about chemotherapy after surgery. Read more...

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Notices About Breast Density Are Hard to Understand
May 13, 2016
Most notification letters about breast density use very technical language and can be hard to understand. Read more...

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Best Surgery for Early-Stage Disease May Depend on Age
May 16, 2016
A study suggests that younger women diagnosed with early-stage disease get more benefits from mastectomy than lumpectomy plus radiation, while older women get about the same benefits from either type of surgery. Read more...

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Avastin Slows Metastatic Cancer Growth, but Causes More Side Effects With No Survival Benefit
May 17, 2016
Combining Avastin with Femara for women diagnosed with metastatic, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer improved disease-free survival but didn't improve overall survival and increased the risk of severe side effects. Read more...

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Expanding Panel Testing Beyond Known Breast/Ovarian Cancer Genes Produces More Questions Than Answer
May 17, 2016
Expanding genetic testing beyond genes linked to breast and/or ovarian cancer for high-risk people doesn't add much benefit and raises more questions than answers. Read more...