About.com Breast Cancer

FDA Approves Tykerb-Femara Combo for HER2 Metastatic Breast Cancer

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:44:11 +0000

Postmenopausal women who have been diagnosed with HER2 positive, estrogen receptor sensitive breast cancer can now take advantage of a drug combination just approved by the FDA. Tykerb (lapatinib) and Femara (letrozole) are not new drugs for breast cancer, but using the combination of these to treat advanced breast cancer has just been studied. Results of the study showed that women with HER2, ER positive metastatic breast cancer had almost triple the survival without progression compared to women treated with only Femara. When combined, Tykerb and Femara extended the time without disease progression by 35 weeks, as compared to 13 weeks on Femara alone.

When you think about Femara, you may consider it mostly as the drug that postmenopausal women can take after primary treatment for breast cancer. Femara blocks aromatase, preventing estrogen production and lowering your hormone levels. For women with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, taking an aromatase inhibitor is important for preventing a recurrence. Tykerb is a targeted biological therapy which seeks out HER2 positive cancer cells, and blocks their ability to respond to growth signals from the HER2 protein. Tykerb works by inhibiting the tyrosine kinase enzyme. In 2007, the FDA approved the combination of Tykerb with Xeloda for breast cancer patients who had HER2 positive tumors that had resisted previous treatment.

Both drugs are taken as pills, and each has a variety of side effects. The study, a Phase 3 clinical trial, also showed that patients maintained their quality of life - which was better than side effects of standard chemotherapy and Femara. Results of this study were presented at the 2009 ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium by lead researcher Beth Sherrill, and sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline.

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FDA Approves Tykerb-Femara Combo for HER2 Metastatic Breast Cancer originally appeared on About.com Breast Cancer on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 09:44:11.

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Jennifer Lyon Finishes 5�year Battle With Breast Cancer

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:20:53 +0000

Jennifer Lyon
Photo �
Getty Images/Fernando Leon

Jennifer Lyon, 37, a contestant on Survivor: Palau, has passed away after a five-year fight with breast cancer. Lyon finished the reality TV show in fourth place, but kept many friends among the other contestants. The show wrapped up in May 2005, and in August of that year, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. She had noticed a breast lump as early as the summer of 2004, when she was just 33, but since she had no health insurance, and the lump wasn't changing, she let it go.

Lyon had worked as a nanny, a tough job in itself, but said that, "Survivor has helped me in every sense of the word." Through her double mastectomy and reconstruction, her older sister Kim and Survivor alumni stood by her, Coby Archa even shaving his head in solidary with her, knowing her hair would be lost to chemotherapy.

Fellow contestant, Ian Rosenberger said, ""Through the chemo, the surgery, medications, and the months of waiting, and then the hoping, and the letdowns, and then the real sickness and the pain, where others get depressed, self-piteous, and dark, where others may give up hope, Jenn sparkled." About 18 months after chemo, her cancer spread to the bones of her spine. While still enduring treatment for the metastatic cancer, she raised awareness and funds for the Susan Love Cancer Research Foundation, a breast cancer charity. Her spirit lives on in the memories of those who cheered her on from their TV sets and who worked with her in person.

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Jennifer Lyon Finishes 5�year Battle With Breast Cancer originally appeared on About.com Breast Cancer on Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 13:20:53.

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Pomegranates Join the Anticancer Diet Arsenal

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:24:28 +0000

Pomegranate
Photo �
Brett Moore

Phytochemicals In Pomegranates: Helpful for Breast Cancer?

Pomegranates are an ancient fruit that's making a comeback as a great anticancer food. Ellagitannins from pomegranates transform into ellagic acid during digestion. Since ellagic acid is a natural aromatase inhibitor, consuming pomegranates or using pomegranate extracts may slow down the growth of estrogen-sensitive breast cancer.

Research published in Cancer Prevention Research showed that, in lab tests, pomegranate extracts inhibit aromatase, an enzyme linked to the development of estrogen-responsive breast cancer. Aromatase helps your body produce estrogen, the hormone involved in 80% of all cases of breast cancer. When pomegranate ellagitannins suppress aromatase levels, breast cancer cells have a harder time dividing and multiplying.

You can enjoy pomegranates fresh as juice or use the beautiful red seeds in salads and meat dishes. Snack on dried pomegranate seeds, or use pomegranate molasses in salad dressings, as a glaze on fish, or in a meat marinade. If you find pomegranate juice too tart on its own, try a blend of pomegranate and blueberry or cranberry juice for a super-rich antioxidant delight. And if you're looking for a more elegant way to enjoy the benefits of pomegranate juice, make yourself a pomegranate martini.

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Pomegranates Join the Anticancer Diet Arsenal originally appeared on About.com Breast Cancer on Monday, January 18th, 2010 at 12:24:28.

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Abortion, Birth Control Pills, Raises Breast Cancer Risk

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:57:09 +0000

Birth Control Pills
Photo �
Getty Images/Barr Laboratories

In 2003, the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) sought to reassure women that using birth control pills would not raise their risk for breast cancer. NCI also told women that having an abortion was not a risk factor for breast cancer. Now it turns out that a study published in April 2009 by Jessica Dolle and other researchers of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center appears to show just the opposite: oral contraception (OCs) is linked with an increased risk for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in women who are 45 years old and younger. The research paper, "Risk factors for triple-negative breast cancer in women under the age of 45 years," was published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. This research paper features a table of risk factors, which includes oral contraception use, tobacco and alcohol consumption, number of births, breastfeeding, and induced abortion.

Dolle's research shows that if you started taking birth control pills before age 18, your risk for TNBC is increased by 3.7 times. If you've been using The Pill within the last one to five years, your TBNC risk is raised 4.2 times. Triple-negative breast cancer is aggressive and strikes women who are under 40, and many victims are African Americans. Survival odds for TBNC are lower than average, compared to other types of breast cancer.

As if that news were not alarming enough, a statement in this paper refers to induced abortion as a factor that is associated with an increased breast cancer risk. One of the study co-authors, Louise Brinton, spearheaded the 2003 NCI workshop about the abortion-breast cancer link (referred to as ABC). That workshop made every effort to assure women that having an induced abortion was not linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, and that research did not support an ABC link. Keep in mind that this paper discusses only one study.

Before I was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2002, I took birth control pills for about 5 years. They prevented conception, made me a little queasy, but seemed otherwise harmless. In those days, the hormones in The Pill were lower than contraceptives that were produced in the 1980's, so I thought they were safe. After all, a doctor prescribed them for me - so no health risk, right? Maybe they were wrong! As soon as my breast lump was detected on a mammogram, when I was 46 years old, I was told to stop taking The Pill. That was one year before NCI told us that The Pill would not raise my risk for breast cancer. Now, I wish I'd never taken it. Perhaps one's risk is not as simple as taking The Pill, or eating a healthy diet, or having a genetic mutation - but if my risk is lower now because of being off contraceptives and never having had an abortion, I'm glad there's something I can do. I just wish we could have as much information as possible, to reduce our risk of breast cancer.

Update 1/14/2010: Based on your feedback and on getting a copy of this research paper, I have been rethinking and revising this blog post. Having read the research myself, I have a better understanding of the table data and their implications. Look for a new blog post on this, in which I will clarify the impact of this study, in relation to the NCI's 2003 Workshop.

What do you believe about abortion, birth control pills, and breast cancer risk? Sound off - leave a comment below.

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Abortion, Birth Control Pills, Raises Breast Cancer Risk originally appeared on About.com Breast Cancer on Friday, January 8th, 2010 at 11:57:09.

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Lasers And Photodynamic Drugs Zap Breast Cancer

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:47:23 +0000

Breast cancer grows in the dark, low-oxygen, sealed environment of your body. It is usually removed with surgery and treated with chemotherapy and radiation. But medical lasers may be able to shed some targeted light on a new treatment for breast cancer. Scientists at Virginia Tech have been working with researchers at Canadian company Theralase to test a combination of photodynamic compounds (PDCs) and medical lasers on breast cancer cells. Not yet tested on people, the labs test results of the laser and PDC combination looks very exciting. Roger Dumoulin-White, President and CEO of Theralase announced that in-vitro testing of Theralase photodynamic compounds caused the destruction of breast cancer cells. Dr. Lothar Lilge, principal investigator of this study, is very happy with the study results. "Results indicate that these PDCs can destroy cancer cells when light-activated, even in low-oxygen environments. Low-oxygen environments prove challenging for most other cancer therapies, which is why these PDCs are very attractive for solid tumors such as cancers of the lung, breast, prostate and brain."

Photodynamic therapy is a type of cancer treatment that combines special drugs with specific wavelength of light. Each photodynamic compound is activated when it is exposed to a matching light, typically aimed at the body from an external source and calibrated for a specific distance to penetrate tissues. When the photodynamic drugs meet the light waves, they generate oxygen and cause the death of nearby cells. Cancer cells retain photodynamic drugs longer than healthy cells do, allowing doctors to give you targeted treatment for cancer, with minimal damage to the rest of your body. Photodynamic therapy can cut off angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels to the tumor - and it may send your immune system into action, causing it to attack the cancer where it lives.

Photodynamic drugs and related treatments must be extensively tested and approved by the FDA before they can be used for treatments, so we may have to wait some time before agencies in the United States and Canada give Theralase the thumbs-up. My hope is that when clinical trials begin, this combination of light and specially-targeted drugs will be used on metastatic breast cancers like Inflammatory Breast Cancer, as well as more well-contained forms of this disease. It would be great to find a way to stop the rampant spread of such cancers, without compromising the quality of life for patients.

Would you try photo dynamic therapy, if it were offered in a clinical trial? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

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Lasers And Photodynamic Drugs Zap Breast Cancer originally appeared on About.com Breast Cancer on Thursday, January 7th, 2010 at 10:47:23.

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Teresa Heinz Kerry Treated For Breast Cancer

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:21:36 +0000

Teresa Heinz Kerry
Photo �
Getty Images/Jeff Swensen

Teresa Heinz Kerry and Elizabeth Edwards now have more in common than being part of the 2004 presidential campaign. While John Kerry and John Edwards ran for office, Elizabeth discovered a lump in her breast and was eventually treated for metastatic breast cancer. Nine years later, Teresa Heinz Kerry, heiress to the Heinz ketchup fortune, has announced that she has breast cancer.

Kerry, 71, said that her lump was detected during a routine screening mammogram. "The cancer was detected at an early stage thanks to a mammogram and the work of a remarkable physician who insisted on investigating beyond what the mammogram could show," said Kerry. Stage one breast cancer was found in both breasts, for which Kerry had lumpectomies. After surgery, Kerry will receive five days of targeted radiation aimed at improving her odds of a successful treatment to 95 percent. Chemotherapy and hormonal therapy could increase her odds of survival from 95 to 99 percent, but Kerry is still considering her options. While Kerry says she has not yet reached out to Elizabeth Edwards to talk about their experiences with breast cancer, perhaps they will have time for that in the coming year.

Teresa Heinz Kerry is the chairman of The Howard Heinz Endowment and the Heinz Family Philanthropies, and in 1996 she set up the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement. She and John Kerry share an interest in environmental issues, and it will be interesting to see if she launches funding aimed at the impact of environmental contaminants on cancer development. Well-educated, affluent, multilingual, and used to being a mover and shaker, in the near future Teresa Heinz Kerry will be sought out by breast cancer organizations as a spokesman and supporter of the search for the cure. Already she is being quoted for her opinion on the recent furor over new USPSTF breast screening guidelines. It is unfortunate that Heinz Kerry has been diagnosed with breast cancer, but having someone of international experience with political clout in the fight is very welcome. While I wish her well, I also urge her to don some pink boxing gloves and take up the cause!

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Teresa Heinz Kerry Treated For Breast Cancer originally appeared on About.com Breast Cancer on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 15:21:36.

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Hopes For Happy New Year And Progress With Breast Cancer

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:00:05 +0000

The new year and a new decade is on its way! Seems like I've barely gotten used to writing "2009" on checks and letters, and here we are - ready to bid it goodbye. I think we may have a lot to look forward to in 2010. Research is producing less invasive surgical techniques such as laser ablation for fibroadenomas, new drugs for Triple Negative Breast Cancer called PARP inhibitors, and drugs will be delivered with nanoparticle technology that seeks out and destroys tumor cells without harming healthy tissue. Ten years ago, these things may have seemed like a dream.

Cancer treatments may move more in the direction of personalized medicine, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach. My hope is that diseases such as breast cancer will be caught at very early stages, then accurately imaged and genetically tested to see what fuels the tumor - and exactly which therapies will kill it, with the least harm to the patient.

It would be great to see a new technology developed for breast cancer screening that does not involve compression and radiation, but we will not give up mammograms until a safe and widely available means has been found. For that matter, despite the recent controversy about breast screening guidelines, many women will refuse to give up their monthly breast self exams (BSE). So many women find their own breast lumps with BSE that dropping this important and cost-free screening seems laughable.

But I really want - along with The Cure - is more research on prevention of breast cancer. Wouldn't it be great if every person could have a health analysis done, and a risk summary given to them, along with a prevention plan? Such a plan might include an anti-cancer diet, recommendations for exercise, environmental detoxification ideas, and suggestions for achieving mental and spiritual balance aimed at lowering stress levels. I really try to practice what I preach on this site: make healthy lifestyle and diet choices, get exercise, have regular screenings, keep my weight down. That said, I am far from perfect - but I do hate cancer - and plan on doing all I can to prevent it's return.

This holiday season, I spent time visiting lots of people in my hometown - many of which I hadn't connected with in a long time. We cooked, laughed, swapped gifts, had meals, and talked over old times. I felt so happy to be alive to enjoy those moments! Every day that I am further away from my own cancer diagnosis is a wonderful gift. However you spend these remaining days of the decade, I wish for you good relationships, personal peace and wisdom, and the best of health for the coming years!

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Hopes For Happy New Year And Progress With Breast Cancer originally appeared on About.com Breast Cancer on Saturday, December 26th, 2009 at 15:00:05.

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SABCS: Meeting The Good Health Fairy

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:00:55 +0000

Good Health Fairy
Photo �
Pam Stephan

There she was, floating in a pink cloud of chiffon and feathers, wearing her official tiara and sneakers. Wait - do fairies wear sneakers? Well, Ren� Bowditch, also known as the Good Health Fairy of Beyond Boobs, gets around a lot, so sneakers are de rigueur. Where do you find the Good Health Fairy? Well, I met her at the 32nd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). Wand in hand and a magical smile on her radiant face, she attracted smiles from everyone around.

Ren� Bowditch is a seven-year breast cancer survivor, patient advocate, instructor at the William and Mary Law School, and co-founder of Beyond Boobs. She was in the role of Good Health Fairy when she met Mary Beth Gibson at a retreat for breast cancer survivors. Together, they started a support group for premenopausal women - gals who had been told they were "too young to have breast cancer" and some of whom had delayed diagnoses.

While breast cancer is a serious subject, Beyond Boobs uses humor and counter-cultural attitudes to heal and create support for each other. Young women are dealing with issues of possible fertility loss, babysitting needs, body image, and family expectations, as well as the loss of their breasts. Your average 30-something isn't dealing with all these things, so getting your peers to understand you is almost impossible. That's where Beyond Boobs comes in. They offer support groups tailored just for young women.

Ren� Bowditch and Mary Beth Gibson have two main goals for this non-profit. First, to educate women and save lives by teaching them how to be responsible for their own breast health. Second, to support and encourage young women who have breast cancer. They would like to reach beyond Virginia, where they are based, to anywhere in the country or the world where women may need to learn about early detection or to offer support where it is needed. That's the reason for the high top sneakers - Ren� told me that they are available to speak to groups just about anywhere, and they are willing to travel! The Good Health Fairy will don her wings, take up her wand, and slip on her sneakers for The Cause!

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SABCS: Meeting The Good Health Fairy originally appeared on About.com Breast Cancer on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 08:00:55.

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SABCS: Dr. Dennis Slamon Continues Research with Herceptin

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:09:57 +0000

Dr. Dennis Slamon
Photo Courtesy � SABCS/Todd Buchanan 2009

Even if you haven't dealt with HER2 positive breast cancer, you've probably heard of the drug Herceptin or the movie "Living Proof" about Dr. Dennis Slamon and his work with breast cancer patients. Dr. Slamon is one of the rock stars of breast cancer research. Herceptin, a targeted biological therapy, was developed by Dr. Slamon and a team of researchers, and was tested on women with HER2 breast cancer in clinical trials. I watched as he presented his latest research at the 2009 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, in a vast hall with his image projected on a dozen huge screens that were viewed by a standing-room-only crowd.

Herceptin was FDA approved for treatment of HER2 positive breast cancer in 1998, and has saved and extended the lives the hundreds of thousands of patients. It has been used in conjunction with chemotherapy drugs such as Adriamycin and Avastin. Adriamycin is a powerful drug that is used to treat a variety of cancers, and can be hard on your heart. When Adriamycin and Herceptin have been used together, heart damage can occur. Dr. Slamon says that his study shows that when Herceptin is used without Adriamycin, the results are just as good. Members of the audience challenged his findings after he presented his research, but he stood by his results.

That is wonderful - but here's what really impressed me about Dr. Slamon. When he finished presenting his data, he started thanking people that had helped with the clinical trials. He had plenty of people to choose from - including over 300 researchers in many locations with impeccable credentials and bucketloads of experience. But here's what he did: he began by thanking all the patients who participated in the clinical trials - people who actually helped test the drug with their own lives. He did this rather humbly and with great sincerity. I love it when a doctor puts his patients first. Surely that kind of attitude leads to research that focuses on a cure, as well as patient well-being and quality of life.

Rock on, Dr. Slamon! HER2 positive breast cancer patients all over the world are thanking you.

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SABCS: Dr. Dennis Slamon Continues Research with Herceptin originally appeared on About.com Breast Cancer on Monday, December 14th, 2009 at 23:09:57.

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Drinking Alcohol Linked to Breast Cancer Recurrence

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:12:31 +0000

Margarita
Photo �
Microsoft

Watch what you drink at those holiday parties! New research has found a link between having three or more drinks a week and breast cancer recurrence. While three or four drinks a week may sound fairly tame, the Life After Cancer Epidemiology (LACE) Study found that for women who were breast cancer survivors, the risk of recurrence jumped to 34% with only modest drinking.

The study, led by Marilyn Kwan, was funded by the National Cancer Institute, and presented at the 31st annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The LACE Study also determined that women who had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and were postmenopausal, overweight, or obese had an even greater risk of recurrence if they drank three or more servings of alcohol each week. Beer, wine, and liquor contains calories that can pack on extra pounds, another risk factor you can control. Kwan's study followed 1,897 women for six years. Of the group studied, all had been diagnosed with breast cancer, half of them were considered drinkers (>0.5 g of alcohol per day), with wine being the alcohol most women consumed.

Alcohol also causes changes in the levels of female hormones in your body, so keep in mind that 80% of all breast cancers are fueled by estrogen and progesterone. "More research should be done, but there is a growing body of evidence which suggests that women previously diagnosed with breast cancer should speak with their doctor about possibly limiting their consumption of alcohol," says Dr. Kwan, Ph.D., a staff scientist at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California.

As for me, I'm on the wagon. My drinking was limited to 2 drinks a year, but I really hate breast cancer as well as the standard treatments for it. Anything I can do to reduce my risk of ever being diagnosed and put through chemo again - well, I'll do it! Try it this coming year - get help if you need it - stop drinking alcohol and see how you feel. You'll be healthier and more in control of your risk for developing breast cancer or having a recurrence.

Have you already stopped drinking alcohol? Leave a comment about how it affected you and your health.

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Drinking Alcohol Linked to Breast Cancer Recurrence originally appeared on About.com Breast Cancer on Friday, December 11th, 2009 at 12:12:31.

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