Early Breast Cancer Doesn't Shorten Life Expectancy In Older Women

Posted: Mar 31, 2011 11:16 AM

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Topics: breast cancer, life expectancy, older women

Researchers say a diagnosis of early stage breast cancer in older women does not shorten life expectancy.

According to a study recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, women 67 and older diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or Stage I breast cancer enjoyed survival rates similar to that of older women without breast cancer. In contrast, diagnosis of more advanced breast cancer is linked with worse survival outcomes.

To explore the impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on the survival of older women, researchers conducted a study among more than 64,000 women who diagnosed with breast cancer at age 67 or older. researchers compared survival rates in these women and compared them with survival rates in a group of similarly aged women without breast cancer. In the analysis, the researchers accounted for the other health problems, prior mammography use, and sociodemographic variables.

The study showed:

- Women who were diagnosed with DCIS or Stage I breast cancer and received standard treatment had similar survival to women without breast cancer. The most common cause of death among women with DCIS or Stage I breast cancer was cardiovascular disease.

- Women with Stage II or higher breast cancer had shorter survival than women without breast cancer. Risk of death was 50 percent higher among women with Stage II breast cancer, three-times higher among women with Stage III breast cancer, and close to 10-times higher among women with Stage IV breast cancer. The survival differences between women with advanced breast cancer and women without breast cancer decreased with age.

http://www.lucu.us/forum/2917/early-breast-cancer-doesnt-shorten-life-expectancy-in-older-women-lex18-lexington-ky-news.html

Breakthrough Method Predicts Risk Of Invasive Breast Cancer, Yale Study Finds

Scientists for the first time have discovered a way to predict whether women with the most common form of non-invasive breast cancer - ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are at risk of developing more invasive tumors in later life. The study appears online in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

The finding will allow women with DCIS to be more selective about their course of treatment and, potentially, avoid aggressive forms of treatment such as complete mastectomy or radiation. 'With these findings, a patient will be able to assess her risk of subsequently developing invasive cancer or DCIS - or not developing further tumors,' said Annette Molinaro, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biostatistics at the Yale School of Public Health, a member of Yale Cancer Center and one of the study's lead authors. 'This separation into risk groups will assist in determining an appropriate treatment regimen tailored to an individual woman's clinical profile.' Researchers followed the medical histories of 1,162 women who were diagnosed with DCIS and treated with lumpectomy. The researchers found that two factors were predictors of risk of developing invasive cancer within eight years after being diagnosed with DCIS: the method by which it was detected and the expression of several biomarkers. The findings showed that a breast lump that is diagnosed as DCIS was more predictive of a high risk of subsequent invasive cancer than DCIS diagnosis by mammography. The study also found that different combinations of biomarkers measured on the initial DCIS tissue were associated with varying levels of risk of invasive cancer or DCIS. These biomarkers include the estrogen and progesterone receptors. Scientists have been trying for more than 20 years to determine a way to identify which women with DCIS are at risk of developing invasive cancer later, but until now have been unable to stratify women into risk groups. DCIS rarely leads to death from breast cancer. Approximately 11 out of 100 women treated by lumpectomy go on to develop invasive cancer within eight years of the initial diagnosis of DCIS, and only 1 percent to 2 percent of women die of breast cancer within 10 years of diagnosis. But women diagnosed with DCIS have historically had an inaccurate perception of their risk of later developing invasive cancer, and as a result have chosen fairly aggressive treatments. Approximately 35 percent of women currently opt for a lumpectomy, 25 percent for a complete mastectomy, 3 percent to 5 percent for active surveillance only and the remainder for lumpectomy plus radiation or hormone treatment, or both. According to the study, the group of patients with the lowest risk has only a 2 percent chance of developing invasive cancer at five years and a 4 percent chance at eight years.

Co-authors include Karla Kerlikowske, M.D., Thea Tlsty, Ph.D., Fred Waldman, M.D., Ph.D., Henry Sanchez, M.D., Karen Chew, BA, CT, and Britt-Marie Ljung, M.D., of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center; Cynthia Jimenez, a medical student at UCSF; and Hal Berman, M.D., and Mona Gauthier, Ph.D., faculty members at the Campbell Family Breast Cancer Research Institute in Toronto.

Original article: http://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/article/33410.htm?c=NL20100505&sms_ss=email

Latest Treatments on Breast Cancer

Treatment for breast cancer involves many types of approaches. The initial diagnosis and clinical work up is the guide to the type of treatment you will undergo.There are some criteria on which your cancer treatment depends like the cellular composition of the cancer, the size of the tumor, the stage of cancer you have and your hormonal status. You general health status also plays a role in deciding the line of treatment. This article will take you through some of the latest treatments on breast cancer.

Surgery and radiation therapy are most effective when the tumor is localized to the breast and can be easily removed. Benign tumors and small sized tumors are treated in this way. The latest treatments on breast cancer include advances in chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and biologic therapy. These are used in advanced stages of cancer when the tumor is no longer confined just to the breast. They are used in metastatic cancer which has spread to other parts of the body as well.

Breast cancer surgery aims at removing the bulk of the cancerous tissue. Better surgical options have emerged which give patients the chance to undergo reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy. Surgery may also be in the form of a breast or lymph node biopsy which is done for a diagnosis. Latest treatments on breast cancer have surgical options which include a prophylactic mastectomy or a removal of the ovaries in some cases.

Radiation therapy destroys the cancer cells and prevents them from proliferating within the body. This helps prevent the spread of cancer. Radiations has also advanced by leaps and bounds. The latest treatments on breast cancer also include targeted radiation. This is more effective and prevents injury to the surrounding healthy cells as well. Radiation can now be delivered in appropriate doses with lesser side effects.

Chemotherapy is considered systemic therapy as it targets cancer cells in the entire body. New schedules of chemotherapy include adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy. These can also be supplemented by a stem cell or bone marrow transplant which is useful in cases where the immune system is severely depressed. Stem cell therapy has become the cynosure of all eyes as it offers unbelievable potential in cases like breast cancer. Stem cell therapy is one of the latest treatments on breast cancer. It allows the patient to receive stem cells which have the potential to turn into any of the body’s cells and replicate at a faster pace to combat the cancer cells.

Targeted biologic therapies are another chapter in the latest treatments on breast cancer. These therapies are designed to disrupt cellular processes that contribute to the continued growth of cancer cells. Such therapies include drugs like Tykerb, Herceptin, Avastin and Iressa. Breast cancers are frequently dependent on estrogen for their growth. Anti-estrogen hormone therapy starves tumor cells of the estrogen they need to grow, resulting in cancer cell death. This type of therapy may be delivered before surgery, or concurrently with radiation.

Hormone therapies can include estrogen receptor blockers, aromatase inhibitors, oopherectomy and chemical ovarian suppression.

You can visit our website for more information about Cancer and Sarcoma. We have a lot of articles about Lung Cancer , Ovarian Cancer , Sarcoma Muscle Cancer, …

Article from articlesbase.com

Get the symptoms of breast cancer that you may identify during a self exam in this free health care video. Expert: Dr. Susan Jewell Bio: Dr. Susan Jewell is a British born educated bilingual Asian with a British accent and can speak Cantonese. Filmmaker: Susan Jewell

http://www.cancercommunity.info/guides/latest-treatments-on-breast-cancer/

Breast cancer diagnosis brings fear, tears and courage

Mar 29, 2011  |  

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News Journal reporter Lou Whitmire waits for an appointment with a surgeon last week at the Student Union on the Columbus campus of the Ohio State University. / SUBMITTED PHOTO

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LOU WHITMIRE
News Journal

• FILED UNDER
• Lifestyle

LOU WHITMIRE
News Journal

·         FILED UNDER

·         Lifestyle

I have breast cancer. Don't like saying it. Don't like what's ahead.

I had a mammogram this month and the rest is, well, no fun.

A lesson to be learned, do not put it off. I had my last mammogram in 2008 and didn't feel like going until March 15. The surgeon I now see said I probably had this cancer for three to five years. It probably was too small to be detected in 2008.

Assuming the plan works, I will need chemotherapy perhaps once every three weeks, a breast surgery that could be an outpatient surgery and radiation under my left arm. I will have to take a pill for three to five years to make sure it will not come back.

I'm fairly certain I could go into a crowded room and ask people to raise their hand if they know someone with breast cancer and there would be a lot of hands.

We don't have any history of breast cancer in our family, so it caught all of us off guard. My son Al gave me a hug after my biopsy.

I go to an oncologist next. I also get a breast MRI. I get a port, and my first round of chemotherapy is coming soon.

I'll need a wig of course, and have asked my sister Pam to come with me so I don't pick one that makes me look goofy.

While it's hardly something to worry about, hair loss is scaring me as much as anything. The surgeon said I will lose my hair with the second round of chemotherapy.

My life was going so well until my local nurse practitioner called me, explaining there was concern over the mammogram. I was watching the morning news about the earthquake in Japan. I started to cry for the Japanese, then I cried for me.

I am usually very happy.

I was happy because my youngest son Adam came home after a long year in Afghanistan. In January, we met the plane.

Then this.

I was pretty mad and sad at the same time. Fear of the unknown is an awful thing in the middle of the night. But within days I was able to briefly forget my own problems.

While visiting in Mansfield, my son in the Army learned his apartment complex was on fire in Kentucky. He lost everything.

I was more worried about that than myself.

While doing a story about a cat the other night who was stuck up a tree for seven days, my cousin called to say her brother, my cousin Clayton, died of cancer that afternoon. Their sister died recently of an aneurysm.

When the surgeon last week told me the cancer did not spread to major organs, family members let out sighs of relief or cried.

I sat quietly, thinking this is a road I do not wish to travel.

I hope I will be OK. I have lots of plans. I'm only 50.

The surgeon said I am expected to miss little or no work.

That made my day. I love work. I could see light at the end of the tunnel.

I told my husband Gregg I am glad to have it now, versus at age 85.

Who would take care of me then, I asked?

He said at 85, I wouldn't care.

I would like to think I'm not worried, but have begun cleaning the basement and contemplating buying a plot in Bucyrus near my parents' gravesite.

I am a worrier.

I have never broken a bone. I hardly take anything but ibuprofen.

But as things are unfolding I am feeling a bit braver. I'm hoping to live to be 84, as my mother did.

I'm not going to be able to pretend this is OK. I don't like it.

Who would?

lwhitmire@nncogannett.com 419-521-7223

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20110329/LIFESTYLE/103290314/0/NLETTER01/Breast-cancer-diagnosis-brings-fear-tears-courage?odyssey=nav|head

Cancer diagnosis turns financial world upside down

Graff's initial concerns included possible loss of job, home

8:34 AM, Mar. 29, 2011  |  

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Amy Graff, her husband and youngest daughter moved to a new home in Hobart a month and a half before she was diagnosed with cancer. / Warren Gerds/Press-Gazette

I just started a new job last year. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I worried: Would I lose my job? Would I lose my home?

We had just moved in to our new home at the end of October. We've got every penny into it. And it's a much smaller home from what we had. We downsized a lot. We went from 2,500 square feet to 1,600 square feet. It's perfect for us.

I was here a month and a half when I got diagnosed. At first, I hadn't really accepted I have cancer, but I accepted I had a health problem. I knew how that affects people. I used to do financial planning, and I know that turns people's lives upside down in the financial world. What was going to happen? I wasn't even thinking of my health or me at that point.

A couple things happened right away. I learned that I only had short-term disability at work, and my treatment plan that the doctors laid out for me is 10 months. My disability insurance covered 13 weeks, and the family leave act covers 12 weeks. So I had a big problem. And I had already burned up time from the lymph node surgery and recovery. So, pretty scary there.

Because of the specifics on my cancer, I was not going to be able to work through the first eight weeks of my chemotherapy because it's very aggressive. I've finished the eight weeks. Last week, I started another 12 weeks of chemotherapy with a different medicine, Taxol.

The first time I met with my managers atBroadway Automotive on Military Avenue, they told me, "Please don't worry. Yes, we know it's serious. We will do everything in our power. We want you here." I'm the only saleswoman, and they have 30-some salesmen.

My original plan with the new chemo treatment was to work maybe four days a week. The concern was — sales being a pretty physical job in a car dealership — that I wouldn't be quite ready for that yet. Broadway set up different duties, responsibilities, schedules and work environment for the time being until I can do full-time sales again.

The people at Broadway have been real great at helping me through this. Many of them have known someone close to them who have gone through cancer or breast cancer, and they're very empathetic to my situation and told me they want me back.

When I did financial planning, one of the products that you sell is disability insurance. Most people when you ask them about it — "Ahh, I'm healthy. I'll be fine. Don't need it. Tsssh." It's usually 60 bucks a month. If you think about that, and you think about where I am right now — imagine. I had the short-term disability. I did not have the long-term disability. Should have. I had to actually let my individual disability policy go a few years ago when my husband, Jim, and I went through some tough times financially.

I would encourage people to take out long-term disability. It's amazing to me, someone as healthy as me, is sitting here on disability right now. Wakeup call. Everybody out there, go get yourself long-term disability insurance to protect your family.

My friends stepped up. I've had five people come to me who knew my situation, who knew my concerns, and they said, "We're going to have a fundraiser in May for whatever you need it for – if you need to pay your mortgage or if you need to pay medical bills – but we're going to do this." It's staggeringly overwhelming to think that I have so many people who care about me. I've had many friends who have taken me to and from appointments.

Jim has taken me to a few, but every time he does he has to take a day off at work. We're relying on his income more than ever because I don't have much. I have a disability check, but it's half of what my pay was, and then the first thing I have to do is turn around and pay $592 a month back for insurance. So it isn't that much, and it ends at the end of March.

My car payment was the same as my insurance payment, around $500. I sold my car so that I can pay my health insurance.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110329/GPG04/103290504/Cancer-diagnosis-turns-financial-world-upside-down