In a nutshell This study compared long-term survival following breast conserving surgery or mastectomy in patients with T1-2N2 breast cancer. The authors concluded that breast conserving surgery plus radiation was as effective as mastectomy and radiation in these patients. Some background Breast cancer is staged depending on the severity and...
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In a nutshell This study examined the relationship between the time taken to start adjuvant chemotherapy and survival. The authors determined that a delay in adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with reduced survival. Some background Adjuvant chemotherapy is additional chemotherapy given after surgery. It is routinely used in women who are at risk...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of combining bevacizumab (Avastin) and chemotherapy prior to surgery in breast cancer. This study showed that adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy increased response rates among women with non-metastatic (has not spread) breast cancer. Some background...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to assess the value and safety of eribulin mesylate (Halaven, a chemotherapy drug) when used to treat women with recurrent (the cancer has returned) or metastatic (the cancer has spread) breast cancer. Some background Human epidermal growth factor 2 negative (HER2-, not dependent on HER2 for growth) breast...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine whether or not the breast cancer treatment trastuzumab (Herceptin) increased the risk of developing certain infections. Some background Human epidermal growth factor receptor positive (HER2+) breast cancers are dependent on the HER2 protein for growth. It is often targeted with a particular...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine whether there was a link between depressive symptoms in women with breast cancer and their likelihood to adhere to or continue with their chosen treatment. Some background Depression or depressive symptoms affect approximately 6% of the world’s population. It is known that 20% of those with breast...
Read MoreIn a nutshell The authors aimed to determine the recurrence (the cancer returns) rates in women with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive (HER2+) breast cancer who do not receive anti-HER2+ therapy. Some background HER2+ breast cancer is a specific sub-type of breast cancer dependent on the HER2 protein for growth. It is often...
Read MoreIn a nutshell The authors aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of lapatinib (Tyverb) as treatment for women with metastatic breast cancer (the tumor has spread to other organs) where previous treatment has proven ineffective. Some background Circulating tumor cells (CTC’s) are cells from a primary tumor that have migrated into the blood...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to evaluate the prognostic (disease outlook) effect of the presence of certain hormone receptors on cancer cells. Some background Breast cancer is classified into different subtypes depending on the presence or absence of certain receptors (proteins found on the surface of the cancer cells). Breast cancer...
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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 distinguish whether the characteristics of breast cancer could depend on the focality of the tumor. Some background Breast cancer can be characterized as 'unifocal', 'multifocal and 'multicentric'. This refers to the number of areas in which the cancer can be found (focality); unifocal...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine the effectiveness of exemestane (Aromasin) to treat premenopausal women with breast cancer and treatment outlook in comparison to tamoxifen (Nolvadex). Some background Tamoxifen is a type of hormone therapy used to treat breast cancer. This type of treatment is generally specific for hormone receptor...
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