‘Chemobrain’ is the colloquial term for changes in cognitive functioning following chemotherapy for cancer treatment. As a result of a growing need, more cancer centers started testing interventions for cancer-related cognitive dysfunction, notably cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The paper presents an overview on current studies...
Read MoreIn a nutshell The present study evaluated the relationship between high insulin levels in the blood stream and the risk of cancer-related mortality. Its authors report that women with higher-than-normal insulin levels are at higher risk of death due to breast cancer. Some background Breast cancer has been shown to be more common in people who...
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This article highlights current problems related to breast cancer management in men. Main topics covered are: genetic predisposition to breast cancer in men, treatment approaches and comments regarding patients’ experience. Although only about 1% of breast cancers occur in men, the reality of the disease is unquestionable. Risk factors include...
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This article discusses how tests such as the Oncotype DX or Mammaprint can be used to design individual treatment plans for patients with breast cancer. Patients with stage I and stage II breast cancer are treated similarly. Following surgical removal of a breast tumor, systemic (body-wide) treatment is often used. This secondary treatment is...
Read MoreIn a nutshell The present study looked at the persistence of cognitive dysfunction in patients with breast cancer, after they had completed chemotherapy for at least 6 months. Except for slight impairments in verbal abilities (e.g. word-finding difficulty) and visuo-spatial abilities (e.g. getting lost more easily), no...
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This paper reviews chemotherapy options for triple-negative breast cancers. Breast cancer cells express 3 main receptors that can be targeted with therapy: Estrogen receptors (ER), Progesterone receptors (PR) and HER2. Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) do not express these 3 receptors and make up approximately 15% of breast cancers. Such tumors do...
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In a nutshell The risk of breast cancer is high (~80%) in women who inherit a damaged (mutated) gene called BRCA1 or BRCA 2 (‘BRCA carriers’). Following the first diagnosis, their risk of developing another tumor in the second breast within 10 years is 30%. Some background Some types of breast cancer need estrogen (female sex...
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