By: M. Alexander Otto, PA, MMSc From: medscape.com MRI can identify patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who don’t need a full course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, letting them avoid the toxicity of unnecessary treatment while preserving 3-year event-free survival, new trial findings suggest. The study, published in The Lancet Oncology, found that patients had “excellent” outcomes even if they received only …
Electronic prompt for surgeons may reduce breast cancer overtreatment
Source: University of Pittsburgh From: sciencedaily.com University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center researchers have developed a novel prompt, or ‘nudge’ embedded in the electronic health record that flags, for treating surgeons, older patients with early-stage breast cancer who may be at risk for unnecessary lymph node surgery. In a paper published today in JAMA Surgery, the team found …
Fertility and Overtreatment of Premenopausal Breast Cancer
By: Naomi G. Dempsey, MD From: targetedonc.com One key concern about chemotherapy in premenopausal women is its impact on fertility. Chemotherapy can cause premature ovarian failure and infertility, and a future desire for fertility should be discussed with every premenopausal patient. Fertility preservation (FP) should be offered to anyone who is interested in becoming pregnant after chemotherapy for breast cancer. …
Lives saved by breast cancer screening outweigh harms of overdiagnosis
By: Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) From: medicalxpress.com Overdiagnosis of breast cancer may be an inevitable consequence of the national population screening program, but the benefits of early diagnosis outweigh the harms of possible overtreatment, according to the authors of a Perspective published by the Medical Journal of Australia. Authors led by Dr. Vivienne Milch, Medical Director of Cancer Australia, …
New research shows breast cancer treatment in patients over age 70 can be safely reduced
Source: University of Pittsburgh From: eurekalert.org Oncologists faced with treating older women with breast cancer often must decide if the treatment may be more detrimental than the cancer. A study published today in JAMA Network Open by researchers at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine sheds new light on this choice and suggests the …
Older Women Without Breast Cancer May Inappropriately View Certain Treatment Options as Negatively Impacting Prognosis
By: Colleen Moretti From: curetoday.com Older women without hormone receptor (HR) positive breast cancer are still experiencing overtreatment despite national recommendations to omit, due to lack of reframing prognosis and education on treatment risks, according to a study published in Jama. “Positive reframing of recommendations to avoid (sentinel lymph node biopsy) and radiotherapy may be a strategy to reduce overtreatment …
Lisa Carey, MD, on Therapy for Early-Stage HER2+ Breast Cancer
By: Jeff Minerd From: medpagetoday.com Many patients overtreated, may benefit from de-escalation Advances in research and clinical practice have transformed HER2+ breast cancer from a disease with a poor prognosis to one with among the “best,” with relatively low relapse rates and deaths. However, as more complex and lengthy therapies have been developed to maximize outcomes, many patients are being …
Harmless Cancers Are Being Overdiagnosed, According to New Evidence
By: CARLY CASSELLA From: sciencealert.com The advent of routine cancer tests and screenings has saved numerous lives throughout the world, but early detection of abnormal cells isn’t always a good thing. Not all cancer cells are the same, nor do they pose equivalent risks. Oftentimes, humans can go their entire lives without ever knowing a growth is there, and they’re …
Navigating Cancer: Molecular tests help customize options
By: Dr. Joseph Bennett From: chronicleonline.com Breast cancer is currently the most common form of cancer in women, regardless of race or ethnicity. Overall, breast cancer ranks as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. Breast cancer mortality trends have declined significantly during the past decade, largely due to public awareness campaigns that focus on early detection and …
Study finds unnecessary breast cancer treatment
By: Kumasi Aaron From: fox4now It’s hard to imagine getting chemotherapy or radiation without really needing it. But a new study says that may be more common than we think. It found a third of breast cancer patients are treated unnecessarily. Myra Robinson didn’t know what to think when doctors told her she had DCIS. “Complete devastation,” she says she …