Breast Cancer

Breast cancer diagnosis by mammography is an important step in detection, but overdiagnosis can also be an issue. Researchers find that overdiagnosis is fairly common. Breast cancer mammography screenings can lead to screen-detected breast cancer that, if not detected, would not have caused any signs or symptoms during the patient’s lifetime. There is no consensus...

Obesity has a demonstrable relationship to increased rates of breast cancer. Although the mechanisms are not fully clear, certain pathways towards improved treatment are suggested. Obesity, which is especially common in the United States, can promote both the onset and progression of numerous types of cancer, including breast cancer. Both breast cancer and obesity are...

As of 2021, breast cancer was the most common cancer around the globe. It is estimated that around 1 in 8 American women will be affected by breast cancer at some point in their lives. The prognosis for breast cancer is generally favorable if caught early, with a 5-year survival rate of around 90%. However,...

Photo by © ASCO/Todd Buchanan 2022. Written and edited by Lauren Weinand, M.D.  Equity: Every Day. Every Patient. Everywhere. That was the theme of last year’s ASCO annual meeting. The 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting theme—advancing equitable care through innovation—is similarly focused on equity. For ASCO, health equity is not only a theme of its annual...

Approximately 15% of cancer patients in the United States are Black, but only up to 6% of participants in clinical trials are Black. In addition, patients with metastatic breast cancer who are Black often face worse survival rates than other groups of people. So how can this discrepancy be addressed? In this study, published in...

Testing positive for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations increases the likelihood of developing breast and ovarian cancers before age 70. Prognoses and recurrence rates for individuals with these mutations have been substantially worse than those of patients with breast and ovarian cancer who test negative for these mutations. For those living with BRCA1/2, the ever-present risk...

Though African American women have a lower incidence of breast cancer, they experience higher rates of more aggressive subtypes, increased mortality, and poorer outcomes compared to white women. Additionally, treatment disparities persist, with African American women having lower access to care and poorer treatment response.  Historically, genetic research and clinical trials have included mostly white...

Black women with breast cancer face earlier disease onset, more aggressive disease, and higher mortality rates. Additionally, Black women may deal with racial bias from health care providers and treatment plans that fall below the standard of care. Place of death can be a metric for high-quality care at the end of life as hospital...

Risk for hypertension even higher for those receiving left-sided radiation therapy, endocrine therapy Women with, versus without, a history of breast cancer have a higher incidence of hypertension and diabetes up to 10 years following diagnosis, according to a study published online Jan. 13 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Marilyn L. Kwan, Ph.D., from...