Vienna, Austria: Women aged 50 and over with breasts that have a high percentage of dense tissue are at greater risk of their breast cancer recurring, according to Swedish research presented at the eighth European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-8) in Vienna. Dr Louise Eriksson and her colleagues from the Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm, Sweden) found that […]
Category: Cancer
Pregnancy is safe for women with oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer
Vienna, Austria: New research has shown for the first time that it is safe for women who have been diagnosed with oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer to become pregnant, despite doctors’ previous fears that pregnancy could boost levels of oestrogen in the body and cause the cancer to return. In fact, the findings, to be […]
New estimates predict nearly 1.3 million deaths from cancer in the EU in 2012, but the rate of people dying from the disease is declining
New figures estimate that there will be nearly 1.3 million deaths from cancer in 2012 in the European Union (EU) – 717,398 men and 565,703 women. Although the actual numbers have increased, the rate (age-standardised per 100,000 population) of people who die from the disease continues to decline. Writing in the cancer journal Annals of […]
Researchers find a way to screen for broad range of cancer-causing genetic changes as part of routine clinical practice, bringing effective personalised medicine a step closer
Researchers in the United States have shown, for the first time, that it is possible to screen cancer patients for a broad range of cancer-causing genetic mutations as part of normal clinical practice. By identifying patients’ individual genotypes within a relatively short time frame, doctors are able to target tumours with the most appropriate therapy. […]
Researchers discover gene that is mutated in some blood cancers and predicts better survival
Stockholm, Sweden: Geneticists have discovered that a gene involved in the modification of ribonucleic acid (RNA) is mutated in a significant proportion of people with a collection of blood cancers called myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The researchers found that mutations in the SF3B1 gene tended to be associated with a better prognosis, raising the possibility that […]
Chemotherapy during pregnancy does not seem to cause developmental problems in children
Stockholm, Sweden: Children born after their mothers were treated with chemotherapy during pregnancy appear to be unaffected by the experience in terms of the development of their mental processes and the normal functioning of their hearts, according to new research presented at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress [1]. Professor Frederic Amant told the congress: […]
High blood pressure is linked to increased risk of developing or dying from cancer
Stockholm, Sweden: Raised blood pressure is linked to a higher risk of developing cancer or dying from the disease according to the findings of the largest study to date to investigate the association between the two conditions. Dr Mieke Van Hemelrijck told the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress [1] in Stockholm that there had been […]
Unequal access to cancer care can no longer be tolerated: radical change needed to deliver affordable care in developed countries
Stockholm, Sweden: Cancer is one of the leading causes of death and morbidity worldwide, and its economic burden grows year by year. In 2008, the worldwide cost of cancer due to premature death and disability, excluding direct medical costs, was estimated to be US$895 billion. An expert report from The Lancet Oncology Commission [1], a […]
Smaller, faster trials can improve cancer patient survival; new drugs could become available more quickly
Stockholm, Sweden: With the advent of personalised medicine, gains in cancer survival over the long term could be improved by running smaller, faster trials with less stringent evidence criteria, a researcher told the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress [1]. The introduction of targeted treatments means the traditional large-scale clinical trial is not always the most […]
Breast cancer tumour make-up changes through the course of disease; regular biopsies needed to ensure correct treatment in patients who relapse
Stockholm, Sweden: New research has found that breast cancer tumours change their hormonal status throughout the course of disease, whereas the decision about the most effective treatment for the patient is usually only based on one biopsy of the primary tumour. For some patients, biopsy verifications of any relapse will be very important because it […]