In a nutshell This study aimed to investigate the long-term effectiveness of oncoplastic surgery in treating breast cancer patients. This study concluded oncoplastic surgery was efficient and could be used instead of a mastectomy in treating breast cancer patients. Some background Breast conserving surgery (BCS) is used with radiotherapy...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study investigated the complications that occur after intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) treatment. The authors concluded that IORT is generally a safe treatment to use with BCS. Some background Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) treats breast cancer by removing just the tumor from the affected breast. IORT is sometimes...
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In a nutshell This paper studied whether adding the 70-gene signature (MammaPrint) to clinical guidelines could improve prediction of cancer outcome in early breast cancer patients. Some background It is important to identify patients who are at high risk of breast cancer recurrence (return of cancer) and are eligible to receive adjuvant...
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The article reviews drugs that were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) in the last 20 years. The authors summarize the clinical studies which lead to FDA approval. ‘First-line therapy’ is the initial treatment used to reduce cancer burden. It is usually the standard...
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In a nutshell This study examined whether the timing of adjuvant chemotherapy affects survival among women with breast cancer. Some background Surgical resection to remove all cancerous tissue is the standard of care for the treatment of breast cancer. After surgery, many patients also undergo adjuvant treatments (additional therapy following...
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In a nutshell This phase II clinical trial examined the safety and efficacy of adding a drug called rh-endostatin (Endostar) to chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. Some background Cancer cells need blood supply in order to grow. As cancer grows, it forms its own blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis. Therefore, anti-angiogenesis...
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In a nutshell In this study, researchers examined whether pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) was linked to more advanced breast cancer or whether this influences survival compared to non-PABC. Some background PABC is defined as breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy or within 2 years of giving birth. Some studies suggest that PABC...
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In a nutshell This study compared the effectiveness of three adjuvant chemotherapy regimens used in the treatment of node positive breast cancer. Some background Adjuvant chemotherapy refers to chemotherapy given in addition to surgery in an attempt to destroy any remaining cancer cells and to prevent cancer recurrence. Adjuvant chemotherapy is...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study looked at whether patients who receive statins and develop primary inflammatory breast cancer enjoy a better outcome. Some background Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a disease in which breast cells grow in an uncontrolled manner, and inflammation develops in part of the breast. Recently, researchers investigated the...
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In a nutshell Oncoplastic breast conservation surgery (OBCS) is a surgical technique that can preserve breast tissue after the removal of the tumor. However, there is a concern that OBCS would delay chemotherapy treatment, resulting in worse outcome. Here, researchers examined whether women undergoing OBCS wait longer to begin chemotherapy than women...
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In a nutshell This review evaluated the role of pertuzumab (perjeta) as treatment for metastatic HER2+ breast cancer. Some background Relapse rates (the incidence of cancer return) in breast cancer have declined in recent years due to new treatments which specifically target the type of breast cancer a patient has. Permutuzab, for example, is...
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In a nutshell In this article, researchers investigated the adverse effects of zoledronic acid (Zometa) in breast cancer patients. Specifically, they examined the occurrence of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and other oral (mouth) complications. Some background Zoledronic acid (zoledronate) is a drug commonly used to treat osteoporosis (loss...
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