breast cancer treatment

(Radiological Society of North America) Women with early-stage breast cancer who have undergone breast augmentation may be treated successfully with a partial-breast radiation treatment called brachytherapy, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

(University of Missouri-Columbia) An estimated 2 million women in the United States are at risk of developing lymphedema, a condition that involves the chronic and abnormal swelling of the arm, chest, neck and/or back, as a complication of breast cancer treatment.

While physicians will recommend proven techniques to manage the swelling, a University of Missouri researcher has found that patients often won't follow the recommendations, or they will use alternative treatments and not discuss them with their doctors.

Hot flashes are a problem for many menopausal women and a common side effect of breast cancer treatment. For many breast cancer survivors, vasomotor symptoms result in discomfort, disrupted sleep, anxiety, and decreased quality of life.

Hormonal (estrogen) drugs have been used to treat hot flashes, but because estrogens are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, they usually are avoided by breast cancer survivors.

Since nonhormonal treatments do not work for some women and may have adverse effects, new interventions for hot flashes are needed.

(American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology) Accelerated partial breast irradiation using a type of radiation seed implants called balloon brachytherapy is as effective in keeping breast cancer from coming back as the standard external beam radiation treatment, according to a study presented Sept. 22, 2008, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 50th Annual Meeting in Boston.

(American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology) Acupuncture is as effective and longer-lasting in managing the common debilitating side effects of hot flashes, night sweats and excessive sweating (vasomotor symptoms) associated with breast cancer treatment and has no treatment side effects compared to conventional drug therapy, according to a first-of-its-kind study presented Sept. 24, 2008, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 50th Annual Meeting in Boston.

"Choices in Breast Cancer Treatment" is exactly what it promises. It provides the reader with succinct, objective and comprehensive information, as well as the individual guidance and helpful opinions of highly experienced breast cancer treatment...

(European Society for Medical Oncology) For women with metastatic breast cancer, treatment with an encapsulated form of the drug doxorubicin offers a well-tolerated option for maintenance therapy that delays progression and offers benefits in terms of survival, new results show.

CHICAGO (AP) -- A drug to prevent bone loss during breast cancer treatment also substantially cut the risk that the cancer would return, results that left doctors excited about a possible new way to fight the disease....

A new pilot study by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found that breast cancer patients can be treated safely with a "dose-dense" regimen of standard chemotherapy agents and the antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin), a drug that has previously been shown to cause cardiac toxicity.