In a nutshell This study wanted to find out which treatment was better before surgery for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcycla) plus pertuzumab (Perjeta), or a standard treatment. The study found that patients treated with trastuzumab emtansine plus pertuzumab (TEP) were more likely to have cancer...
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In a nutshell This study wanted to find out if performing radiation therapy on patients with breast cancer who have had surgery results in a lesser quality of life. The study found that the patients who had radiotherapy had a higher chance of having pain, swelling, skin problems and sensitivity in the area of the breast. Some background Breast cancer...
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Layman Title Effects of breast reconstruction compared to mastectomy only on survival and risk of recurrence of breast cancer In a nutshell This study aimed to find out if breast reconstruction using deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap reconstruction resulted in higher levels of recurrence compared to mastectomy alone. The authors found that...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This trial is examining the effectiveness of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) or an anesthetic bupivacaine in lowering the incidence of chronic pain after surgery. The main outcome to be measured will be the incidence of chronic pain after each treatment. This study is being conducted in New York City. The...
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In a nutshell This study aimed to investigate whether neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) influenced the eligibility of HER2 positive breast cancer patients to undergo breast conserving therapy (BCT). This study concluded the use of NST can result in patients who are non-eligible for BCT converting to patients that are eligible for BCT. Some...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study investigated the accuracy and reliability of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNLB) before neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST) has begun in breast cancer patients. The study concluded that SLNB before NAST is highly reliable. The authors suggested that patients with a negative SLNB may be able to avoid lymph node removal and...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine the advantage of neo-adjuvant (treatment given before surgery) therapies in terms of eligibility for certain surgeries. Some background Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is often provided to patients prior to surgery in an attempt to first shrink the tumor. This type of treatment is known to increase the...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to assess the overall risks of breast cancer recurrence (return of the cancer) following two types of breast cancer surgery. Some background Breast cancer treatments may include surgery; a mastectomy is the removal of the entire breast while breast-conserving surgery is the removal of the breast cancer but not the...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to assess the effectiveness of radiotherapy treatment (uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells by damaging their DNA) on women with breast cancer who have previously had surgery. Some background Breast- conserving surgery (removes the breast cancer but not the breast itself) is just one method of breast...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine the effectiveness of melatonin (Circadin) to treat women with breast cancer who have depressive symptoms. Some background Depression or depressive symptoms (anxiety, sleep disturbance, fatigue, pain and dizziness) can occur in up to 50% of women with breast cancer. This can occur following surgery and...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine if there was a link between patient age, tumor type and the spread of cancer. Some background Breast cancer metastasis is the spread of the cancer to other parts of the body; following original cancer of the breast. Age at original diagnosis and the area affected by the tumor are just two of the...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to assess the results of a specific pre-operative chemotherapy. Some background Pre-operative chemotherapy is used to shrink the tumor before surgery. Abraxane and cyclophosphamide (Endoxan) are used as combined chemotherapy and referred to as ABC. 5-fluorouracil (Adrucil), epirubicin (Pharmorubicin) and...
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