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May 30, 2013

Cell Research Shows Promise in Hard-To-Treat Breast Cancer

A form of fast-spreading breast cancer has remained hard to treat despite overall advances in the field. Now a new study reveals some of the underpinnings of this disease, called basal subtype breast cancer, and may point the way to future avenues of treatments. Women with mutations in their BRCA1...

May 30, 2013

Delaying Hormone Therapy Cuts Breast Cancer Risk in Half

Women who begin hormone therapy at the start of menopause have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than women who start the therapy five or more years after menopause, a new study suggests. Women who started estrogen-progestin hormone therapy five or more years after menopause had half the risk...

May 30, 2013

Risk of Uncommon, Aggressive Breast Cancer Rises with Having More Children: Study

The more times a woman gives birth, the higher her risk of developing a relatively uncommon but particularly aggressive type of breast cancer, according to a new study. Women who had given birth three or more times were 1.5 times more likely to develop triple-negative breast cancer than women who'd...

May 30, 2013

Mammograms Not as Accurate for Breast Cancer Survivors

Mammograms are effective at detecting early-stage breast cancer in women who've had the disease, but are less accurate in this group than in those without a history of the disease, according to a new study. Compared to women without a history of breast cancer , those with a history had...

May 30, 2013

Estrogen May Curb Breast Cancer As Well As Promote It

Estrogen is known to promote the growth of breast cancer cells, but a new study suggests this hormone also may reduce the number of stem cells that initiate the cancer's growth. The findings, to be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, indicate that...

May 30, 2013

Smoking Increases Breast Cancer Risk For Some

Smoking seems to increase the risk of breast cancer in many women, but a new study suggests it doesn't further influence breast cancer risks in women who are obese. Women who smoke and have a body mass index (or BMI, a measure of height and weight) of less than 30...

May 30, 2013

Why Some Women with Breast Cancer Gene Don't Get Cancer

A genetic test can reveal whether a woman has inherited the genes that make her more prone to developing breast cancer, but a positive result still will leave her wondering whether she actually will develop breast cancer. A new study may help further clarify a woman's risk. If a woman...

May 30, 2013

For Breast Cancer Risk, Red Wine May Be Better than White

Women who drink red wine may have a lower risk of breast cancer than women who drink white wine, a small new study suggests. The results show that premenopausal women who drank 8 ounces of cabernet sauvignon every night for about a month had lower estrogen levels than women who...

May 30, 2013

New Test May Predict Success of Chemo for Breast Cancer

A new genetic test may be able to predict a woman's chance of survival after chemotherapy for breast cancer, according to a new study. In the future, such a test could indicate which patients would benefit most from chemotherapy and which might consider seeking an alternative treatment, such as enrollment...

May 30, 2013

Coffee Protects Against Type of Breast Cancer

Coffee may do more than give a caffeine boost it could also reduce the risk of developing a particular kind of breast cancer, according to a new study. Women who drink five or more cups of coffee a day are 57 percent less likely to develop estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer...

May 30, 2013

Soy Foods Found Harmless to Breast Cancer Patients

Soy is a food typically associated with a health-conscious diet, but medical researchers have wondered whether it actually could be bad for women who have had breast cancer. Soy is a concern because of its potential impact on a woman's estrogen levels. Estrogen is known to promote the growth of...

May 30, 2013

Drop in Breast Cancer Linked to Fewer Women Taking Hormones

A decrease in breast cancer cases is associated with a decreased number of postmenopausal women taking hormone replacement therapy, a new study suggests. Canadian researchers found that, after the therapy's risks were made known in 2002, hormone use by women dropped from 12.7 percent to 4.9 percent between 2002 and...

May 30, 2013

Breast Cancer Researchers Find a Gene to Target

Scientists have discovered a mechanism that spurs the growth of two of every three breast cancers, according to a new study. Two thirds of breast tumors feature the overproduction of a protein, called ER-alpha, that binds to the hormone estrogen . Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center report finding...

May 30, 2013

MRIs Helpful for Past Breast Cancer Patients, Study Finds

Women who have battled breast cancer should consider getting an MRI screening of their breasts every year in addition to a mammogram, according to a new study. The study's recommendation goes beyond the guidelines of the American Cancer Society, which recommend MRI screenings only for women who have a breast...

May 30, 2013

Q & A: Do Mammograms Cause Cancer?

A recent study found mammograms may be better at identifying breast cancer in some women during the first week of their menstrual cycle. We spoke with Dr. Diana Miglioretti, a senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, one of the study's researchers, about the accuracy of mammograms and...