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Comprehensive breast centers to help women with breast cancer treatment, prevention, screening and diagnosis.

USPSTF Recommendations Ignore Reality of Breast Cancer

Annual mammogram screening beginning at age 40 saves lives. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends less frequent screening at a later age, not because screening will not save lives, but because it will not save sufficient numbers of lives when started before age 50.

The guidelines are based on outdated, blemished data and do not evaluate cost-effectiveness or any other benefits of early detection. In fact, USPSTF states, “Screening mammography in women ages 40 to 49 years may reduce the risk of dying of breast cancer, but the number of deaths averted is much smaller than in older women and the number of false-positive tests and unnecessary biopsies are larger.”[…]

By | April 24, 2015|Categories: 40 not 50, Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer Screening|1 Comment
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Understanding Risk Factors for Breast Cancer

There are steps all women can take to reduce their chances of developing breast cancer.

It is not possible to completely eliminate your chances for developing breast cancer, but there are steps you can take to reduce risk. Some risk factors, like age and genetics, cannot be changed. However, certain lifestyle choices can help you to prevent breast cancer and there are steps you can take to minimize risk associated with factors you have no control over.

This post is the first in a Breastlink series on breast cancer risk and prevention. Here, we will go over some of the risk factors that affect your chances of developing breast cancer and provide […]

By | April 14, 2015|Categories: Breast Cancer Risks, Dr. Lisa Curcio|0 Comments
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Many Unaware of Cancer Risk Factors

There are steps you can take to help prevent cancer. Many lifestyle choices we make can increase or decrease our risk. However, a recent survey suggests many patients do not understand how these choices affect their chances for developing cancer.

How Well Do Americans Understand Cancer Risk Factors?

To gauge general understanding of cancer risk factors, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) has periodically surveyed patients since 2001. The AICR 2015 Cancer Risk Awareness Survey included responses from more than 1,100 individuals. Here are some of the results:

  • Only 42 percent of respondents were aware that diets low in vegetables and fruit can increase cancer risk. […]
By | March 23, 2015|Categories: Breast Cancer Risks, Dr. Lisa Curcio|0 Comments
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Breast Tissue Density Awareness

Breast Density Awareness Varies Among American Women

Awareness of breast tissue density issues varies among American women. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota recently performed a national, cross-sectional survey to gauge differences in breast density knowledge across different patient populations.

Breast Tissue Density awareness

Approximately 1,500 women responded to the survey and results were published in Journal of Clinical Oncology. Based on results, researchers determined that race and ethnicity, education and income played a role in how likely a woman was to understand breast tissue density issues.

  • 58 percent of respondents had heard of breast density.
  • 49 percent were aware breast cancer detection can be affected by breast density.

    • […]

By | March 16, 2015|Categories: Breast Cancer Screening|2 Comments
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Palbociclib & Advanced ER-Positive Breast Cancer Treatment

ibrance palbociclib er positive breast cancerWomen with advanced estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive) breast cancer now have a new treatment option at their disposal. The FDA recently approved a drug called palbociclib (Ibrance®) as a frontline treatment for women with ER-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

Palbociclib granted accelerated approval

Research investigating palbociclib has delivered promising results. Based on the phase 2 results of the PALOMA-1 clinical trial, palbociclib was granted “breakthrough therapy designation” by the FDA. On February 3, the FDA announced it had approved palbociclib through an accelerated process because clinical data showed clear potential for clinical benefit to patients.

Palbociclib Breast <a href=[…]

By | February 22, 2015|Categories: Cancer News, Oncology|0 Comments
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Breast Reconstruction after Mastectomy News

Offering centralized breast cancer treatment can improve processes for breast reconstruction care. By establishing a comprehensive breast health center, one provider was able to dramatically reduce the time it took for patients to schedule breast reconstruction after mastectomy.

Composed of multidisciplinary teams of physicians dedicated solely to breast health care, comprehensive breast health centers deliver improved patient care by housing these providers in one location for the purpose of streamlining breast cancer care. One breast health center recently attempted to measure these improvements in a case study published November 2014 in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

How collaborative care can improve treatment

In this case study, outcomes for patients treated at […]

By | February 2, 2015|Categories: Breast Surgery|Tags: |0 Comments
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Do Breast Density Laws Improve Public Knowledge?

It is essential that women and their physicians understand how breast density affects breast cancer risk and screening. As of December 2014, 18 states had passed breast density laws to help improve public knowledge surrounding breast density by requiring radiologists to inform patients when mammography reveals dense breast tissue.

Despite these developments, several recent surveys suggest that neither patients nor physicians fully understand the relationship between dense breast tissue, breast cancer risk, and breast cancer screening.

Patient Knowledge Regarding Breast Density

Public awareness campaigns to promote mammography screening have been effective and a significant reason breast cancer mortality has fallen over the past several years. In a survey conducted by the Working Mother […]

By | January 26, 2015|Categories: Breast Cancer Screening, Breast Conditions|Tags: |0 Comments
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Can Cryoablation Treat Breast Cancer?

Cryoablation is a novel treatment currently used to treat benign breast tumors (called fibroadenomas). Cryoablation is now being studied in patients with certain types of small breast cancer. The treatment places a small probe in the center of the cancer and subsequently uses liquid nitrogen to destroy breast cancer tumors by freezing them.

In the treatment of fibroadenomas, cryoablation has proven less invasive and less likely to affect cosmetic appearance than surgery. It could be possible for breast cancer patients to enjoy the same benefits in the future.

How does cryoablation work?

The American Society of Breast Surgeons calls cryoablation of fibroadenoma ‘safe, efficacious and durable.’ Currently, the American Society of Breast […]

By | January 19, 2015|Categories: Breast Surgery, Dr. Lisa Curcio|Tags: , |8 Comments
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Informing Women About the Benefits of a Mammogram Exam

Despite large-scale campaigns to publicize the importance of breast cancer screening, a lot of faulty information regarding the mammogram exam is still being delivered to patients and sometimes interpreted as fact.

To gauge where gaps in knowledge about breast cancer screening are most commonly occurring, the Working Mother Research Institute recently surveyed more than 2,500 women aged 35 and older to see what they know. While the results contain good news, there are areas where physicians can better educate their patients.

Most Women Have Been Screened

Fortunately, many women are well aware of the importance of screening. A majority of women (80 percent) surveyed for the ‘Working Mother […]

By | January 12, 2015|Categories: Breast Cancer Screening|Tags: , |0 Comments
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Researchers Investigate 3D Mammography Cost-Effectiveness

Early research has shown that 3D mammography can improve breast cancer detection rates and reduce false-positive rates. In women with dense breast tissue, which can mask cancers on conventional mammography, 3D mammography is emerging as a valuable supplemental screening tool.

Is 3D Mammography Cost Effective?

Recent research published in Radiology concluded that 3D mammography is a cost-effective way to screen for cancer in women with dense breast tissue. Using data collected from the National Cancer Institute and Medicare, researchers from the University of Washington and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance attempted to calculate the cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) added when 3D mammography was performed in […]

By | December 29, 2014|Categories: Breast Cancer Screening|Tags: , , |0 Comments
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Authors

Breastlink
John Link, M.D.
John West, M.D.
Nancy Link, R.D.N.
Nimmi Kapoor M.D.
Tchaiko Parris, M.D., Ph.D.

Disclaimer

All information provided by Breastlink on this blog is of a general nature and is not intended to be and cannot substitute medical treatment or personal advice. The information is intended only for general purposes. Many patients have different needs, reactions or forms of treatment. If you have questions regarding your own or a loved one’s treatment or care you must consult with your own physician or seek the guidance of a treating physician.