A promising new drug is available for metastatic breast cancer patient, it is called " Tykerb". It is a once daily drug. It has minimum side effects just like diarrhoea and rashes. It attacks the proliferating cancer cells. No hospitalisation is required. Clinical trials are going on in Boston, USA. It is very useful in advanced breast cancer patients who had stopped responding to the drug "Herceptin" and were out of treatment options. Unlike other breast cancer drugs used for advanced cases, it shows minimum effects on heart. It is a definitely promosing new treatment for metastatic breast cancer patients where death rates are very high. Tykerb is an orally bioavailable small molecule which potently inhibits, two receptors, ErbB2 and ErbB1, and is currently in development as a first-line treatment for ErbB2-overexpressing breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common major cancer in American women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women. About 1 million new breast cancer cases are expected to have diagnosed in 2006 of which 2,00,000 cases in america alone. … [Read more...]
First Lady Lara Bush speaks on her Skin Cancer
American first lady revealed in a national TV show that she had a skin cancer recently removed. With that news, skin cancer again got prominence again in the people's minds. Skin cancer is one of the most prevalent and least discussed cancer worldwide. First lady Laura Bush says she first thought a sore on her right shin that turned out to be skin cancer was an insect bite, she told Bob Shieffer on CBS "Face the Nation" aired Sunday. In late October, Mrs. Bush had a biopsy because the sore was not healing, and it was determined to be a squamous cell carcinoma. The cancer affects the middle portion of the epidermal skin layer. It is more aggressive than basal cell cancer, the most common form of skin cancer. The second most common skin cancer, it afflicts more that 200,000 Americans each year and claims as many as 2,500 lives a year. The highest incidence occurs in Australia. Risk Factors: Males - Older than 50 years Fair skin people History of prior nonmelanoma skin cancer Exposure to UV light (high cumulative dose) and exposure to chemical carcinogens (eg, arsenic, tar) Chronic scarring condition and Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection (specific subtypes). Causes: Chronic exposure to sunlight causes most cases of SCC. It arises from the epidermis and resembles the squamous cells that comprise most of the upper layers of skin. Lesions may also occur where skin has suffered certain kinds of injury, burns and scars. Cancer may affect sites previously exposed to x-rays or certain chemicals. people who have fair skin - such as First Lady Laura Bush - are at higher … [Read more...]
Drop in Breast Cancer Rate
Breast Cancer which kills 40,000 american women annually has shown drop in new cases for the first time. Researchers are attributing it mainly to decreased use of Hormone replacement therapy (HRT). There is a 7% drop in brease cancer cases as per report. HRT is mainly used in treating Menopause. As per doctor reports, Hormone replacement therapy also causes stroke and heart attacks. You should check your breast for any lumps every month. If you are over 40 years or risk case for breast cancer, it is better to have mammogram annually. Don't use HRT without consulting doctors. Malignant cancers do not cause any pain. You should consult doctor immediately if you find any of below mentioned symptoms. Symptoms of Breast Cancer: If you feel any lump or thickening in your routine breast check up, Consult the physician immediately. Don't be afraid as most of the lumps are benign (not malignant). It is better to consult the doctor if you have noticed any changes in size,shape,color or texture of the breast. Discharge from nipples is also a symptom of breast cancer. See the above image. Other Breast Cancer symptoms: dimpling of breast skin nipple inversion change in the nipple Annual screening is a must for every woman over 50 years of age. … [Read more...]
Kylie returns after breast cancer battle
Kylie Minogue has made a triumphant and sometimes teary return to the stage 18 months after a battle with breast cancer began. Reviews in the Australian press Sunday of the London-based diva's three-hour Sydney concert before a sellout crowd of 10,000 adoring fans Saturday night were overwhelmingly positive. Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer in May last year. She underwent successful surgery in her hometown of Melbourne that month, followed by five months of chemotherapy in Paris. An emotional Minogue, wearing an elaborate feathered headdress, held back tears Saturday as she thanked fans for their support during the first concert of her renamed "Showgirl Homecoming Tour." "I have thought about this moment for a long time," the diminutive 38-year-old Australian told the cheering audience. "And I tried to practice in my head what I was going to say — I couldn't prepare anything, I really couldn't," she said. "Generally I am, like, 10 minutes late ... this is officially fashionably late, a year-and-a-half, but I mean fashionably," she added. The 2004 Grammy winner was diagnosed with cancer days before she was due to start the final leg of her "The Showgirl World Tour" in her homeland following a hectic European schedule. … [Read more...]
MRI-High risk Breast Cancer cases
American Cancer society issued new guidelines to the women who are at risk of developing Breast Cancer. 1.4 million US women (Breast cancer risk cases) should get annual MRI as well as mammograms as per new guidelines. Women who have cancer diagnosed in one breast should get an MRI in the other breast. Reason: MRI scans revealed cancers in the opposite breast that were missed by ordinary Mammograms in 3% of cancer survivors. MRI should be done for the following women along with Mammogram: 1. symptomless women age 30 and older who have a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes 2. Those who were treated for Hodgkin's disease 3. Those with a strong family history of the disease, such as women with two or more close relatives who had breast or ovarian cancer or who have a close relative who developed breast cancer before age 50. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): It makes more detailed images with a magnet and radio waves but without radiation. MRI detects cancer better than mammogram in women with dense, non-fatty breasts. MRIs are better at showing increased or abnormal blood flow in the breast, a sign of early cancers not visible on a mammogram But MRI screening is not being recommended for most women. One reason is the test's error rate, which can lead to unnecessary biopsies. Another is the high cost. While a mammogram costs roughly $100 to $150, an MRI can cost $2,000 or more at some medical centres. Mammography: Mammography is the usual screening test used by doctors for detecting breast masses or tumours. Mammograms spot calcium deposits in the breast better than MRIs do. Breast MRIs should be done at places that do biopsies as well. Biopsy … [Read more...]
