As an organization that serves young women affected by breast cancer, we make sure to keep up with the latest news so we know what our women face when it comes to treatment and beyond. In this blog series, we will share the month’s news that we feel is most interesting and relevant.
March 6: Researchers are getting closer to identifying how bisphenol-A (BPA) may promote breast cancer tumor growth with help from a molecule that affects gene growth. BPA has been widely used in plastics, such as food storage containers, the lining of canned goods and, until recently, baby bottles. Previous studies have linked BPA to problems with reproductive development, early puberty, obesity and cancers. Read more in Science Daily HERE.
March 10: From a simple blood draw, microbial DNA may reveal who has cancer and which type, even at early stages. Researchers have developed a novel method to identify who has cancer, and often which type, by simply analyzing patterns of microbial DNA -- bacterial and viral -- present in their blood. The study may change how cancer is viewed, and diagnosed; more research is being conducted. Read the whole story in Science Daily HERE.
March 20: Cholesterol-lowering statins are commonly used to help prevent heart disease. Now a new study hints that they could shield women's hearts from the harms of certain breast cancer drugs. The study focused on women who'd been treated with either chemotherapy drugs called anthracyclines or the medication Herceptin. Though the treatments can be lifesaving, they can also damage the heart muscle enough to eventually cause heart failure. But researchers found that when women were on statins during treatment, they were up to two-thirds less likely to develop heart failure in the years afterward. Read more in Health Day HERE.
March 23: There are substantial costs associated with breast cancer screenings for U.S. women in their 40s, a new Yale-led study finds, and these costs vary widely by region. “These high costs underscore the importance of ramping up our research efforts to determine whether screening women in their 40s is beneficial or not,” said senior author Dr. Cary Gross, Yale professor of medicine and a member of the Yale Cancer Center. “Because there is no consensus about the appropriate approach to breast cancer screening in this population, it is impossible to know how we should be investing our prevention dollars.” Read the full story in Yale News HERE.
March 27: A new study has found that women who gain weight from early adulthood are at a reduced risk of developing breast cancer before they reach menopause. The study builds on previous research which found that women who weighed more as young adults had a reduced risk of premenopausal breast cancer. (Weight gain after menopause increases risk, however.) Read the full story on Medical News Today HERE.