New Screening Catches More Breast Cancers

Related Encyclopedia • Adenocarcinoma of the Lung and Brain Metastases • Amenorrhea • Amniocentesis • Amniocentesis and CVS More... Related Healthscout Videos A Welcome Message from Survivor PJ Hamel Smother Says "Cut!" Maryann and Paula When's the Next Free Mammogram Day? October 17, 2008!!! More... Related Animations • Breast Reduction • Breast Self-Exam Video • Colon Cancer • Erectile Dysfunction More... Related Drug Information • Actonel • Detrol LA • Diflucan • Ditropan XL More... Related News Articles • Family History of Aneurysm Raises Stroke Risk for Smokers • Heart Drug May Be a Cancer Fighter • More 'Screen Time' Linked to Poor Fitness in Girls • Teen Birth Rate Up in 26 States in 2006 More...

Page:  << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >>

But while relatively inexpensive and easy to use, MBI is not yet widely available.

"This is an area that is very important, and where we really need to do further work," said Dr. Eric Winer, moderator of the teleconference and director of the breast oncology center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

A second study, conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, debunks the long-held notion that women in rural areas are more likely to chose mastectomy over lumpectomy because of difficulty traveling to radiation facilities.

Text Continues Below

---

Radiation is considered standard-of-care for women after they have received a breast-conserving lumpectomy, although not for women who undergo a mastectomy.

There were no notable differences between radiation rates following lumpectomy for women in rural areas as compared with women in urban areas, although the study did confirm that more women in rural areas (59.9 percent) opted for mastectomy, versus 44.9 percent of women in urban areas.

"The disparity . . . is not necessarily due to the availability of radiation therapy but to other factors," said study author Dr. Lisa K. Jacobs, an assistant professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

"This would seem to suggest that if a woman in a rural area chooses to have a lumpectomy, she will most likely not fall through the cracks in terms of getting radiation, which is somewhat reassuring," Winer said. "But it would be interesting to look at this further."

In a third study, researchers at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston found that older black women undergoing lumpectomy for early-stage invasive breast cancer were less likely to receive recommended post-surgery radiation therapy than their white counterparts.

Only 65 percent of black women received radiation, compared with 74 percent of white women. "The difference is concerning, given that radiation after lumpectomy is generally considered standard therapy," said study author Dr. Grace Smith, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of radiation oncology at Anderson.

Page:  << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >>