SAN DIEGO (MedPage Today) — Breast cancer patients who had recurrences after lumpectomy had less advanced recurrent tumors if they adhered to a semiannual mammography schedule, data from a large retrospective case review showed.

Researchers from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the USA have developed a powerful new technique for analyzing the genome of single tumor cells. The breakthrough allows them to study in fine detail the biology of how tumors develop and has the potential to help doctors identify dangerous tumor cells from small samples such as fine-needle biopsies from the prostate or a non-invasive lesion in the breast. Dr James Hicks from Cold Spring Harbor described the new technique at the IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium…

New research by scientists at Cedars-Sinai’s Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute suggests that a drug currently approved to treat erectile dysfunction may significantly enhance the delivery of the anti-cancer drug Herceptin to certain hard-to-treat brain tumors. The research, published in the current issue of the journal PLoS ONE, could help doctors improve treatments for lung and breast cancers that have metastasized to the brain…

A new study of metastatic breast cancer shows that the number of circulating tumor cells patients have in their blood directly correlates with the length of their survival. Reported at the IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium, the results have the potential to improve the delivery of personalized therapy to these patients. Circulating tumor cells - cancer cells found in a patient’s bloodstream - are detected in 50% to 80% of patients with metastatic breast cancer. Since 2004, doctors have known that patients with 5 or more of these cells in 7…

A simple genetic test that uses just three genes is among the most effective means of classifying breast cancer into sub-types, US researchers report at the IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium. The findings are a significant step in bringing more personalized treatment into breast cancer. The study is based on the already well-established fact that breast cancer is not one biologically homogeneous disease, but it is composed of several molecular sub-types each of which is characterized by distinct gene expression profiles…

Cancer researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) have discovered that the ovarian hormone progesterone plays a pivotal role in altering breast stem cells, a finding that has important implications for breast cancer risk. The findings, published online in Nature, are significant because reproductive history is among the strongest risk factors for breast cancer, says principal investigator Rama Khokha, a molecular biologist at Ontario Cancer Institute and the Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute, PMH. Other major known risk factors are age, genetics and breast density…

Obese women are more likely to have breast cancer detected at a later stage and to have lymph node metastases when diagnosed than women who are not obese, according to a study presented this week at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons. “Obese women in our study had larger tumors than the non-obese women, but were less likely to find these cancers through a self breast exam. The majority were diagnosed through mammography, suggesting breast cancers may be more difficult to palpate in obese women…

Screening mammograms in women under age 40 result in high rates of callbacks and additional imaging tests but low rates of cancer detection, according to a study published online May 3 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Many studies have assessed mammography in women over age 40 years, but little is known about its usefulness in younger women. Although screening mammograms are not generally recommended under age 40, about 29% of women between 30 and 40 report having had one. To determine the accuracy and outcomes of mammograms in younger women, Bonnie C. Yankaskas, Ph..D…

The use of preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior to surgical intervention (for the treatment of breast cancer) can reduce the number of local (confined to the breast) cancer recurrences at follow-up, according to a study to be presented at the ARRS 2010 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA. MRI of the breast is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat breast cancer. “Local and regional recurrences after breast-conserving surgery are rare events,” said Valeria Dominelli, MD, lead author of the study…

New research led by McGill Biochemist Dr. William Muller helps explain why breast-milk cells lose their structure, causing them to clump up in strange ways and sometimes become cancer tumors. With the support of Chen Ling and Dongmei Zuo at McGill’s Goodman Cancer Centre, Muller has discovered how one particular gene regulates epithelial cells cells that normally form in sheets and are polarized to enable the transport of molecules in a single direction. It’s this loss of polarity that is thought to play an important role in breast tumor development…