A new meta-analysis suggests that breast cancer may be more deadly for women who have cosmetic implants, largely thought to be a result of receiving the diagnosis at a later stage. Study authors explain that the breast implants are “radio-opaque” — meaning they appear “light” on the dark breast tissue background — which makes it [...]

An influential panel of experts, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, this week recommended that some healthy women at high risk of developing breast cancer take one of two drugs (tamoxifen or raloxifene) in an attempt to reduce their risk of developing breast cancer. This advice (which would fall under the definition of “chemoprevention”) [...]

Can you patent a human gene? The Supreme Court today seemed skeptical, raising questions about the legality of Myriad Genetic’s isolation of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that signal an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. It’s a complex issue. Companies can’t patent abstract ideas, natural phenomena and laws of nature.  But an appeals [...]

To drink, or not to drink, and if “yes,” how much — has been a debatable topic, particularly when it comes to … »

A new study linking breast cancer and the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is both concerning and comforting, but, without carefully … »

Researchers involved in a vast, international study of potential genetic cancer markers have found risk markers for breast, ovarian and prostate cancer … »

Boy, did we hear it from our readers after asserting yesterday that routine annual mammography was overrated, citing a study that found … »

The evidence continues to mount that routine annual mammography screening isn’t such a good thing. Even when a false positive doesn’t result … »

In a consensus statement, seven major professional societies have endorsed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as the best treatment for menopause symptoms, with … »

Metastatic breast cancer which has already spread on initial presentation was found to have increased slightly among young women, ages 25 to … »

Deaths from lung cancer are set to surpass deaths from breast cancer in European women, and will become the leading cause of … »

In a recent New York Times article, reporter Denise Grady sheds light on a report stating that too little of the money … »

With the American Cancer Society advising all women over age 40 to get a yearly mammogram and the U.S. Preventive Services Task … »

Results from the largest-ever observational study of women with early breast cancer suggests that early stage breast cancer survival may be better … »

Medicare, the federal insurance program for seniors, spent about $1 billion in 2006-’07 to pay for breast cancer screening, according to a … »

A year of maintenance therapy with Herceptin remains the standard of care for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, researchers reported at the … »

A lower dose and shorter course of adjuvant radiation for localized breast cancer cuts down on toxicity without raising recurrence risk, researchers … »

For most women who have been treated for breast cancer, taking tamoxifen (an estrogen blocker in breast tissue) can cut their odds … »

Is the goal of eradicating breast cancer by 2020 unrealistic and overly ambitious? We were inclined to agree with a Nature editorial that … »