© 2005-2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). All rights reserved worldwide.
News for Patients from the Journal of Clinical Oncology
Below are summaries of research advances in clinical oncology. The information presented in Cancer Advances is the same information the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) provides to cancer physicians, in consumer terms.
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January 1, 2008
While women who have mutations in the or genes are more likely to develop breast and ovarian cancer, a new study finds they may be more able to survive ovarian cancer. Israeli investigators have found that Ashkenazi Jewish women with ovarian cancer who have mutations in the or genes lived longer than Ashkenazi Jewish ovarian cancer patients without these mutations. The study was published in the (JCO).
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October 22, 2007
A new study reports a 150 percent increase between 1998 and 2003 in American women opting to have both breasts removed when cancer has been found in only one breastâa procedure called "contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM)." This is the first study to examine this issue on a national level. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).
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September 4, 2007
Two studies report that exercise and yoga can help maintain and in some cases improve quality of life in women with early-stage breast cancer. Both studies were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).
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April 6, 2007
A new study shows that partners of cancer survivors suffer many of the same stresses as cancer survivors themselves, but receive less care and attention for them. The results of the study, which examined long-term quality of life issues for the partners of patients who received blood and marrow transplants (BMT) as part of their cancer treatment, are being published online April 10 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).
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April 2, 2007
A new study shows that recent declines in breast cancer death rates have been most significant among women with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumors and women younger than 70. The results of the study are being published online April 2 in the (JCO).
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March 20, 2007
A new study shows that among men treated for breast cancer, African-American men are less likely to survive than white men. The results of the study are being published in the March 20 issue of the (JCO).
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February 16, 2007
Two studies have found that the use of trastuzumab (Herceptin), in combination with standard chemotherapy following surgery for early stage HER2-positive breast cancer, is cost effective, despite the high price of the drug. However, an accompanying editorial cautions against using these findings to justify a high price for trastuzumab. Trastuzumab has been in use as a treatment for advanced breast cancer since 1998, and in 2006 was shown to increase survival in women with early-stage breast cancer. Adjuvant trastuzumab costs $50,000 - $65,000 for a one-year course of treatment. Both studies and the editorial are being published online February 16 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).
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February 8, 2007
Two new studies shed light on important issues in the care of advanced cancer patients-one study finds that many of these patients feel their spiritual support needs are not being met, while the other shows that many patients use biologically based complementary and alternative medicine (vitamins, minerals, and herbal preparations and other dietary supplements).
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November 6, 2006
A new study shows that long-term survivors of childhood leukemia and brain tumors are at increased risk of stroke well after their cancer treatment has ended, and that this risk is higher among those who were treated with a particular type of radiation therapy.
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October 2, 2006
In an analysis of more than 2,500 patient records, Canadian researchers have found that it appears to be safe for women with early-stage breast cancer to wait up to 12 weeks after surgery to begin chemotherapy. However, they also reported for the first time that a delay of more than 12 weeks can increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence and reduce overall survival, compared with starting treatment within 12 weeks of surgery.
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August 14, 2006
Two new studies have shown that therapies commonly used to treat women with breast cancer may cause heart disease or impair heart function, particularly in women who have other risk factors for heart disease or cardiac problems before treatment begins. The findings will be published online August 14 in the .
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July 31, 2006
A study of more than 9,000 Danish residents shows that a specific genetic variation in the CHEK2 gene may triple a woman's risk of developing breast cancer in her lifetime. The findings will be published online July 31 in the .
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June 26, 2006
A new analysis shows that radiation from chest X-rays may increase the risk of breast cancer among women who carry BRCA 1/2 mutations - genetic abnormalities that are already associated with heightened risk for the disease. The research also shows that exposure before the age of 20 may be associated with particularly heightened risk. The findings will be published online June 26 in the .
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May 15, 2006
A new analysis shows that women with metastatic breast cancer (cancer that has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body) at initial diagnosis were 40% more likely to survive at least five years if they underwent surgery to remove the primary tumor. Currently, patients who are diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at initial diagnosis do not undergo surgery and generally receive palliative care. The study-which will be published online May 15 in the - suggests the need to re-evaluate the current standard of care for women with metastatic disease at initial diagnosis.
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May 8, 2006
A new study shows that breast cancer patients with a greater number of copies of a gene called TOP2A are 45% more likely than women without this characteristic to benefit from chemotherapy after surgery ("adjuvant chemotherapy") with a class of drugs called anthracyclines.
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March 20, 2006
Two studies published in the March 20 issue of the provide new insight into ethnic disparities in breast cancer treatment and mortality.The first study shows that African-American women are nearly 20 percent more likely than white women to die of breast cancer, even after controlling for socioeconomic status. A second study finds that minority women are half as likely to receive recommended adjuvant treatment (treatment following surgery) for the disease, which may in part explain the disparity in breast cancer deaths among African Americans.
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February 27, 2006
A new study shows that patients whose colorectal cancer has spread to the liver who received hepatic arterial infusion (HAI)âthe administration of chemotherapy directly to the liver through a pump in the abdomenâfare better than those who received traditional, intravenous chemotherapy.
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December 5, 2005
A new study shows for the first time that giving a combination of two chemotherapy drugs after surgery to women with advanced endometrial cancer reduces the risk of their cancer returning and helps them live longer than if they receive radiation therapy to the entire abdomen.
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October 11, 2005
Women who have genetic mutations on their or genes have a significantly greater chance of developing breast and ovarian cancers. To reduce their risk of cancer, these women may undergo surgery to remove their ovaries, which produce estrogen, a hormone that can cause cancer to grow and spread. This procedure is known as "prophylactic oophorectomy."
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July 25, 2005
A review of more than 100 studies of cancer survivors showed that many survivors initiate diet, exercise, and other beneficial lifestyle changes following a cancer diagnosis, but that those who are male, older, and less educated are less likely to adopt such changes. The term "cancer survivor" refers to a person who is at least one-year beyond a cancer diagnosis.