Heme/Onc News
Radiation Most Effective Soon After Breast Cancer Surgery
For women who have had breast cancer surgery, the question of whether or not to wait before receiving radiation therapy has been answered by new research that suggests that the longer women wait, the greater the chance of cancer recurrence. The findings, published in the March 3 online edition of BMJ, are based on an analysis of national cancer records for 18,050 American women who were diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer between 1991 and 2002, at age 65 or older.
Radiation After Mastectomy May Be Overused
Many women who undergo mastectomy for early-stage breast cancer may not benefit from radiotherapy, a retrospective study suggested.
Among those who had stage I or II disease with spread to no more than three lymph nodes and who did not undergo radiation therapy, the overall locoregional recurrence rate was just 2.3% at 10 years, according to Ranjna Sharma, MD, of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Hormone replacement tied to lung cancer risk
Women who use hormone replacement therapy combining estrogen and progestin may have a higher risk of lung cancer than non-users, a new study finds.Whether hormone replacement therapy (HRT) itself is to blame is not certain, researchers say. But the findings add to the complicated mix of potential health effects of HRT. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, looked at new lung cancer diagnoses among more than 36,000 women ages 50 to 75 who were followed over six years. During that time, 344 women developed the cancer.
Accelerated, hypofractionated radiation therapy successfully treats breast cancer
An intense 3-week course of radiation therapy is just as effective as the standard 5-week regimen for women with early-stage breast cancer, Canadian research shows. “For women with breast cancer who are similar to the patients in this trial, an abbreviated course of radiation therapy should be more convenient and less costly than standard treatment,” remark Timothy Whelan (Juravinski Cancer Centre, Hamilton, Ontario) and co-authors in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Aspirin cuts death risk after breast cancer: U.S. study
"This is the first study to find that aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of cancer spread and death for women who have been treated for early stage breast cancer, " said Dr. Michelle Holmes of Harvard Medical School, who led the study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Tamoxifen after adjuvant chemotherapy in premenopausal women with early breast cancer shows to be effective
In the early 1990s, the role of adjuvant tamoxifen in premenopausal women with early breast cancer (EBC) was not established. Similarly, optimum timing relative to adjuvant chemotherapy and efficacy of tamoxifen in hormone receptor-negative tumors were unclear. A study out of the Annals of Oncology was done where premenopausal women with EBC, any hormone receptor status, after surgery received standard adjuvant chemotherapy [doxorubicin (adriamycin)/cyclophosphamide, cyclophosphamide/methotrexate/5-fluorouracil, or cyclophosphamide/epirubicin/5-fluorouracil] followed by randomization to tamoxifen or placebo for 5 years. Median follow-up for 672 women was 9.7 years. Multivariate analysis showed improved Disease Free Survival [78.2% versus 71.3% at 5 years; hazard ratio (HR) 0.77; P = 0.056] and a trend for improved Overall Survival (86.6% versus 82.1% at 5 years; HR 0.78; P = 0.12). There was no evidence of greater benefit for the receptor-positive subgroup.
Scientists find new leukemia gene risk factors
LONDON (Reuters) - Researchers have found four new genetic variants that increase the risk of contracting one of the major forms of leukemia, confirming that risk factors for the fatal blood cancer can be inherited. The findings mean scientists now know of 10 genetic variants associated with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), scientists at Europe's Institute of Cancer Research who conducted the study said. The four new genetic factors are all common in European populations and each factor contributes to an increase in the risk of the disease.
Pomegranate Compounds May Prevent Breast Cancer Growth
US researchers found that pomegranates contain six natural compounds that may prevent the growth of hormone-dependent breast cancer by blocking the enzyme aromatase, which changes androgen to estrogen. However, experts caution this does not mean people should expect the same results from eating pomegranates, because this was an "in vitro" (test tube) study and results on the lab bench don't always translate to animals and humans.
Melanoma in Blacks and White Hispanics Found in Later Stages Than Whites Non-Hispanics
Archives of Dermatology
A study examining and comparing the temporal trends in melanoma incidence and stage at diagnosis among whites, Hispanics, and blacks in Florida from 1990 to 2004 was conducted. Of 41 072 cases of melanoma, 39 670 cases were reported for white non-Hispanics (WNHs), 1148 for white Hispanics (WHs), and 254 for blacks. Both WHs and blacks had significantly more advanced melanoma at presentation: 18% of WH and 26% of black patients had either regional or distant-stage melanoma at diagnosis compared with 12% of WNH patients. The proportion of distant-stage melanoma diagnosed among WHs and blacks changed little from 1990 to 2004, compared with a steady decrease in the percentage of melanoma cases diagnosed at distant stage among WNHs.
