Breast Cancer
Can You Prevent Breast Cancer with Aspirin?
A number of studies have shown that people who take aspirin on a regular basis are less likely to be diagnosed with certain cancers. This is one reader's response: Q. I am a participant in the NIEHS S…
How Acupuncture Helps Women with Breast Cancer
Women undergoing treatment for breast cancer are often troubled by hot flashes as a consequence of the treatment. Unfortunately, the usual and most effective treatment for hot flashes is estrogen, whi…
Should Breast Cancer Patients Avoid Aluminum Ant…
There is a great deal of confusion about the safety of aluminum-containing antiperspirants when it comes to breast cancer. Most health professionals and patients aren't even aware that there is a cont…
Ultrasound Can Help Diagnose Breast Cancer
Ultrasound technology may offer a helpful tool for diagnosing women with dense breasts. The Trouble with Mammograms: For years, doctors have worried about mammography for women with dense breast tissu…
Conflicting Advice on Mammograms
The American Cancer Society has just changed its guidelines on mammograms. Women without a family history or genetic predisposition to develop breast cancer are now being told to start getting annual …
Luteolin from Vegetables Reduces Breast Cancer R…
Women who take hormone replacement therapy like Prempro, containing both estrogen and progestin, can ease their hot flashes from menopause. But this treatment also increases the risk of breast cancer …
Olive Oil and Mediterranean Diet Against Breast …
A Mediterranean diet heavy on extra-virgin olive oil has just been shown to significantly lower the risk of malignant breast cancer. The research published in JAMA Internal Medicine is an extension of…
Electroacupuncture Treatment for Hot Flashes Fol…
Women who have been treated for breast cancer are frequently faced with a dreadful dilemma: they are plagued with terrible hot flashes, but the hormone treatment usually used for relief from this symp…
Big Study Raises Questions about Best Treatment …
New data published in JAMA Oncology raise questions about the best way to treat a breast condition called ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS. About 60,000 women in the US are diagnosed with this each y…
Listen to Dr. Susan Love
In this extended interview, Dr. Susan Love discusses what we now know about breast cancer and how that has changed in recent years. [audio src="//www.peoplespharmacy.com/wp-content/uploads/Susan-Love-…
Timing of Mammograms Remains a Contentious Topic
Recommendations on the timing of mammograms-when and how often women should get mammograms to detect breast cancer-have been confusing, contradictory and controversial. When Should Women Start Getting…
Study Shows When Women with Dense Breasts Need E…
Women who have dense breasts have long been told that this increases their risk of breast cancer and makes it more difficult to detect--a sort of catch-22. Sometimes additional imaging such as an MRI …
Rosehips Offer Promising Approach to Preventing …
Rosehips form on rose bushes after pollination. They are high in vitamin C and other nutrients, including beta carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene. Traditionally, rosehips have been made into he…
Common Pain Relievers Can Reduce the Recurrence …
Reducing inflammation with aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs appears to lower the likelihood of certain breast cancers recurring. Researchers reviewed the medical records of more t…
Active Women Are Less Likely to Get Invasive Bre…
Postmenopausal women who exercise regularly are reducing their risk of developing breast cancer. A French study of nearly 60,000 women followed them for approximately 8 years. Women who walked, ran, s…
Adding Aromasin to Ovarian Suppression Improves …
Aromatase inhibitors such as Aromasin are frequently prescribed after surgery or radiation in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Now a study of 4,600 premenopausal women shows that this drug can…
Controversy Continues Over the Best Timing for M…
Mammograms have been the focus of controversy since 2009, when the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended that this routine screening not begin until age 50. A new report looking back over 50 y…
Mammogram Mess: Women Are Justifiably Confused b…
Here we go again. The mammogram debate has once again heated up because of new research (Canadian National Breast Screening Study) casting doubt on the value of this routine cancer screening technique…
Weighing the Benefits and Risks of Breast Cancer…
There has been a great deal of confusion over the past several years about how much benefit most women can expect from the annual mammogram. Cancer organizations have argued over the best age for heal…
Can Tomato Sauce, Catsup and Salad Tomatoes Lowe…
For years, middle-aged and older men have been urged to embrace tomatoes in their diets for protection against prostate cancer. A new study suggests that tomatoes may also help in protecting postmenop…
Prenatal Exposure to Bisphenol A Increases Rats&…
A compound called bisphenol A (BPA) used to make plastics, epoxy resins, dental sealants and cash register receipts can raise the risk of breast cancer in rodents. That's the conclusion of a study tha…
Daily Walks Drive Breast Cancer Risk Down
Postmenopausal women can reduce their risk of breast cancer by walking an hour a day. The research included 73,000 women between the ages of 50 and 74. They were participants in the Cancer Prevention …
What If Antiperspirants Really Do Contribute to …
Many people assume that the FDA protects Americans from dangerous drugs, especially over-the-counter drugs. But that assumption might be exposing us to unexpected risks. We recently wrote about the ha…
Are Blood Pressure Pills Linked to Breast Cancer…
A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests an association between calcium-channel blockers used to treat high blood pressure and two types of breast cancer. Previous epidemiological stud…
Night Shift Linked to Breast Cancer
Women who work the night shift may be at greater risk for breast cancer. Canadian researchers compared more than 1100 women with breast cancer to matched controls without cancer. About one-third of th…
Low-Dose Aspirin Inhibits Breast Cancer
New research suggests that low-dose aspirin may help put the brakes on breast cancer. Aspirin at low levels inhibits two different lines of breast cancer cells grown in culture. One is a hard-to-treat…
Breast Cancer Risk Raised by HRT
The link between breast cancer and hormone replacement therapy has been reinforced by a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. It was part of the Women's Health Initiativ…
Hormones & Breast Cancer: The Verdict Is In…
Before the results of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) were published in 2002, we would frequently hear from women who were worried that the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) might be linked…
Advanced Breast Cancer in Young Women More Commo…
A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that advanced breast cancer is showing up more frequently in younger women between the ages of 25 and 39. Over 30 years ago, rou…
Breast-Sparing Treatment Has Better Outcome for …
Women might be surprised to learn that a less invasive treatment offers a better outcome for early-stage breast cancer. The study included 112,000 women in a cancer registry who were followed for an a…
Should Breast Cancer Patients Get Back On Tamoxi…
The first big advance in the fight against recurrent breast cancer was the drug tamoxifen (Nolvadex). In September 1998 a major study demonstrated that breast cancer recurrence could be reduced with t…
MAMMOGRAMS: The Broken Promise?
Millions of women undergo regular mammograms because they have been repeatedly told that early cancer detection means a much better outcome. The implied promise: "if you get your annual mammogram we c…
Does Fat Fuel Breast Cancer?
Obesity is bad news for breast cancer. Previous research has shown that heavier women are more vulnerable to breast cancer. Now scientists report that obese women are more likely to experience a recur…
Does BPA Exposure Raise Risk of Breast Cancer?
Evidence continues to accumulate that bisphenol A could pose a health threat. This compound, known as BPA, is a component in clear rigid plastic and the lining of food and beverage cans. It is also fo…
Does Estrogen Boost Risk of Breast Cancer?
The safety of postmenopausal estrogen is more controversial than ever. For years, women were told this treatment for hot flashes and night sweats would also prevent heart attacks, bone deterioration a…
How Helpful Are Mammograms?
There's too much confusion in research on breast cancer. There has been an ongoing controversy over the value of screening mammography. Now a study from Norway suggests that many breast cancers detect…
Handling Hot Flashes Without Estrogen
Q. Why are doctors so determined that menopausal patients should take estrogen? When I told my doctor that I am reluctant to take Premarin for fear of cancer, she actually said that cancer is no big d…
Avastin Helpful for Some Breast Tumors
Women with a specific type of breast cancer may benefit from adding Avastin to the chemotherapy regimen. The research included more than 1,200 patients who were randomly assigned to receive Avastin or…
Are Antiperspirants Linked to Breast Cancer?
Recent research is raising questions about the safety of antiperspirant ingredients. A study published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology found that chemicals called parabens can be found in the bre…
Do Antiperspirants Boost Risk of Breast Cancer?
Several years ago we began to see email messages linking antiperspirants to breast cancer. Our initial reaction was to dismiss them out of hand without even checking. It seemed like such an outlandish…