Vienna, Austria: Patients with cancer of the throat and who are positive for the Human Papilloma virus (HPV+) have a good prognosis, but until now the effect of being HPV+ on the prognosis of tumours located elsewhere in the head and neck was unknown. Danish researchers have now shown that HPV status appears to have […]
New test developed to detect men at high risk of prostate cancer recurrence
Vienna, Austria: A new genetic “signature” to identify prostate cancer patients who are at high risk of their cancer recurring after surgery or radiotherapy has been developed by researchers in Canada, the 33rd conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO33) in Vienna heard on Saturday. Professor Robert Bristow told the conference that […]
Brachytherapy helps maintain erectile function in prostate cancer patients without compromising treatment outcomes
Vienna, Austria: The use of permanent brachytherapy, a procedure where radioactive sources are placed inside the prostate, into or near to the tumour, preserves erectile function in approximately 50% of patients with prostate cancer, a researcher told the ESTRO 33 congress. Brachytherapy works by giving a high dose of radiotherapy directly to the tumour, but […]
Audit of NHS Breast Screening Programme reveals significant variations between hospitals in adverse outcomes for treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ
Glasgow, UK: Analysis of data from the UK NHS Breast Screening Programme has shown significant variations in the outcomes of treatment for women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) between UK hospitals. Dr Jeremy Thomas, a consultant pathologist at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK, told the European Breast Cancer Conference on Friday that although […]
Results from NHS Breast Screening Programme study finds a third of women might benefit from more frequent mammograms
Glasgow, UK: A study of over 50,000 women participating in the UK NHS Breast Screening Programme has found that, while three-yearly screening intervals are appropriate for the majority of women, approximately one third of women are at higher risk of developing cancer and might benefit from more frequent mammograms. Professor Gareth Evans, from the University […]
Harms outweigh benefits for women aged 70 and over in national breast cancer screening programmes
Glasgow, UK: Extending national breast cancer screening programmes to women over the age of 70 does not result in a decrease in the numbers of cancers detected at advanced stages, according to new research from The Netherlands. Instead, researchers told the European Breast Cancer Conference that their findings suggest that extending screening programmes to older […]
Regular physical activity reduces breast cancer risk irrespective of age
Glasgow, UK: Practising sport for more than an hour day reduces the risk of contracting breast cancer, and this applies to women of any age and any weight, and also unaffected by geographical location, according to research presented to the 9th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-9). Compared with the least active women, those with the […]
Deaths from breast cancer fall in Europe, but unexplained differences between countries remain
Glasgow, UK: Improvements in treatment, as well as enhanced access to care, underlie the sustained decreases in breast cancer mortality seen in 30 European countries [1] from 1989 to 2010. But there are notable variations between different countries that cannot be explained simply by the resources devoted to cancer care, and these differences need to […]
Obesity and diabetes have adverse effects on outcomes across different tumour types and should be taken into account when planning breast cancer treatment
Glasgow, UK: Both obesity and diabetes have adverse effects on outcomes in breast cancer patients who receive chemotherapy as primary treatment before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy), according to research to be presented at the 9th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-9) on Friday. Although a high body mass index (BMI) is known to have a negative impact […]
Where are we with breast cancer in 2013? Good news for some, bad for others
Glasgow, UK: The global burden of breast cancer remains immense in 2013, with over 1.6million new cases being diagnosed annually. This burden has been increasing at a rate of 3.1% per year, and while the majority of new cases are diagnosed among women in developed countries, the 450,000 deaths per year from the disease are […]