Breast Cancer

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May 1, 2012 | 3:29 PM | By

New Mammogram Research for Women in Their 40s

(Photo: U.S. Navy)

(Photo: U.S. Navy)

It’s hard to believe that a one in a hundred risk of something bad happening would generate so much heated debate, but that’s where we’re at when it comes to the question of mammograms for women in their 40s. Since breast cancer is a disease which risk increases with age, the clear cut off point for mammography has been age 50. Mammography will find cancer in women in their 40s, but will carry a much higher risk of false positives.

Specifically, a 40-year-old woman has a 1.5 percent chance of developing breast cancer at some point during her 40s. The 1-in-8 chance repeated so frequently is over a lifetime — up to age 80.

While mammography is the best tool we have in detecting breast cancer, it’s not a perfect test. Mammograms will pick up abnormalities that are not breast cancer. The problem is that doctors can’t say definitively these abnormalities are benign without further testing. Sometimes that means having an additional mammogram, sometimes women must then have a biopsy. In the meantime, many of these women are worrying. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Policy, You're the Boss, Breast Cancer, Mammograms
February 3, 2012 | 12:32 PM | By

Komen Will Continue Funding Planned Parenthood … at Least For Now

(Brandi Korte: Flickr)

(Brandi Korte: Flickr)

It was only Tuesday when news broke that Susan G. Komen would cease its funding of Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening and other programs.

In the days since, reaction has been swift and heated. Komen said it had new funding guidelines that prohibit the foundation from funding groups under investigation. While a Republican member of Congress has announced an intention to hold hearings of Planned Parenthood, critics say the intent is political. Hearings have yet to be held.

Today, Nancy Brinker, Founder and CEO of the Foundation announced what at first appeared to be a reversal and explained in a statement published on their website: Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Money, Policy, Abortion, Breast Cancer, Planned Parenthood, Susan G. Komen
December 7, 2011 | 9:00 PM | By

And The Environmental Causes of Breast Cancer Are…?

Suspicious mass on mammogram. (KristieWells: Flickr)

Suspicious mass on mammogram. (KristieWells: Flickr)

Seventy percent of women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors. For years, advocates and activists have trumpeted the need for more research into possible environmental causes of the disease. Today, the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a much anticipated 360 page study, Breast Cancer and the Environment. But it unfortunately was unable to give women or their doctors any new environmental clues.

As the New York Times reports, most of what the IOM did recommend is already known and might not have much effect anyway.

The most consistent data suggest that women can reduce their risk by avoiding unnecessary medical radiation, forgoing hormone treatments for menopause that combine estrogen and progestin, limiting alcohol intake and minimizing weight gain, the report found. (Controlling weight appears helpful only in preventing postmenopausal breast cancers, not those in younger women.) Overuse of CT scans, which deliver a relatively high dose of radiation, was a particular concern, but the report stated that women should not be deterred from having routine mammograms, which use a much smaller dose. …

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Policy, You're the Boss, Breast Cancer, environmental health
November 18, 2011 | 1:58 PM | By

Living With (Not Fighting) Terminal Cancer

Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared in the health AGEnda blog. On the day the FDA revoked its approval of Avastin, Ms. Berman’s perspective is particularly insightful.

Amy Berman

Amy Berman

I have been celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness month. This isn’t just because I had the good fortune to celebrate my birthday in October, but because one year after being diagnosed with a terminal illness and choosing to treat it non-aggressively, I feel great. I have less pain than I did one year ago. The shooting pains I often felt last year in my right breast have almost entirely vanished, thanks to my hormone-suppressing drugs. My lower spine—the site of metastasis—aches only occasionally, and only when I overdo it. If I get plenty of rest and fluids, eat right, and avoid standing for long periods or lifting heavy objects, I remain pain free. Although I may take a few more breaks than I used to or find myself more tired at night, I can still fill each day with meaningful activities, just as I always have.

I can honestly say that this has been the best year of my life, both personally and professionally.
I have been able to spend quality time with my family, while taking advantage of numerous opportunities to speak and write about the importance of individuals being involved in decisions about their own health care, in addition to my ongoing work as senior program officer for the John A. Hartford Foundation. I have been more loving, more accepting of love, and I believe more effective personally and professionally than at any other point in my life.  And I feel good.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Policy, You're the Boss, Advance Care Planning, Breast Cancer, cancer treatment, Palliative Care
November 18, 2011 | 1:21 PM | By

FDA Says “No” to Avastin for Breast Cancer

(Courtesy: Genentech)

(Courtesy: Genentech)

FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg announced this morning that the agency is revoking approval of Avastin as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer. The Agency had “fast tracked” the approval of the drug in 2008, based on results of one study, but had requested additional research. Those follow up studies did not support the initial findings, the FDA has decided.

NPR’s Shots blog reports on today’s events as well as the history behind the decision.

Hamburg lays out the reasoning for the rare move in a 69-page decision. In a news briefing Friday morning, she said of the drug: “It’s clear there is no benefit to breast cancer patients that would justify its risks.” She said she didn’t “come to this decision lightly but as a result of a rigorous process.”

Roche’s Genentech unit, maker of Avastin said in a statement, “We are disappointed with this outcome.” The company said it will help women “who may be facing obstacles to receiving their treatment” with the drug through a patient-support program. It’s also continuing research on the use of the drug for breast cancer.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Policy, Avastin, Breast Cancer, FDA