Breast Cancer Blog

Angelina Jolie recently made headlines after making the brave choice to undergo a preventative double mastectomy. She watched her mother fight breast cancer for nearly a decade before succumbing to the disease; therefore, she decided to receive BRCA testing.

Cancer centers are investing a lot of money in the technology of human genome sequencing. These analyses could serve to further "precision medicine", by which the prevention and treatment of disease, cancer included, is based on a person's unique genetic makeup. This type of testing is still very expensive, and the drawback is mapping for diseases a person will never have; however, sequencing for some could mean knowing ahead of time which steps to take to prevent a serious diagnosis in the future. Read the full New York Times article here.

One man’s brave and selfless final act could impact cancer research world wide. When Dr. Ralph Steinman was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2007, a disease which kills 80 percent of its victims within the first year of diagnosis, he used his scientific background to try everything to beat his cancer. Read the full New York Times article here.

Through new drug testing, scientists hope to use a certain protein to block the growth of multiple cancers, regardless of origin. The research centers around a protein called P53 that essentially tells a normal, healthy cell to die if its DNA is too badly damaged. Cancer cells block this protein, allowing for the replication of the damaged cells. Scientists are now aiming to find a drug that could release molecules into a pocket between the P53 protein and the blocking protein, MDM2, to prevent P53 from being disabled. 

If this research proves successful, it could be welcome news for people with more rare types of cancer whose treatments have been neglected due to lack of knowledge of the cancer. Click here to read the full New York Times article. 

A new study reported by the New York Times has found that breast cancer patients who take the drug Tamoxifen for 10 years rather than the standard five lessen their chances of recurrence of the disease and death.

Tamoxifen is a drug that has been prescribed to cancer patients to block the effects of the hormone estrogen. Estrogen receptor-positive cancers account for an estimated 65 percent of breast cancer occurrences in premenopausal women, where the hormone propels growth of the cancerous tumors. The study’s findings could have an especially large impact for these women. To learn more, click here to read the full New York Times article.

Tula the Boutique at the Grove West will be donating a portion of all sales tomorrow, March 16th, to the Cristine Meredith Miele Foundation. They are also hosting a Nicole Miller trunk show to give you even more of a reason to stop by. Angela and Sarah have worked hard to make sure it will be a great day for everyone so head over. You can find more information by following this link:  Tula Event for CMMF.

Genetic science has been hailed by many as the next frontier for drug development, improved health and increased longevity. While there are two sides to the genetic debate, there can be no question that some of the advances reflect excellent science and drive significant benefits. For example, the drug Herceptin very successfully treats breast cancer patients with the HER2 gene. Drugs like Herceptin that treat other genetic mutations will likely drive much of cancer medicine in the future. However, these drugs can't be developed until the genetic mutations have been discovered. Here is a link to an article that talks about a new genetic mutation that researchers at Michigan State have identified as a potential contributor to metastatic breast cancer.

New research led by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) sheds light on a genetic function that gives breast cancer cells the ability to survive and spread to the bone years after treatment has been administered. The findings support the study of therapies that target this survival capacity and force the death of latent breast cancer cells before they get a chance to metastasize, or spread - a problem that accounts for a majority of breast cancer-related deaths. Learn more here....

While this may come as a shock to many, one of the nation's leading cancer research institutions has determined that there is a relationship between the use of birth control pills and certain types of breast cancer.