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Results from a phase 3 study of women with HER2-positive early breast cancer showed that administering Herceptin (trastuzumab) by subcutaneous (SC) injection leads to efficacy comparable to the current intravenous (IV) Herceptin treatment. Due to its less invasive administration and quicker administration time (5 minutes vs 30-90 minutes), Herceptin SC may allow greater convenience for patients versus the traditional IV method. This is important in the early breast cancer setting, as Herceptin is usually prescribed for 1 year.

Postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer treated with aromatase inhibitors prior to surgery may be able to have breast-conserving surgery rather than a mastectomy, according to the results of a national clinical trial.

A daily low dose of aspirin could be effective, not just as a preventive measure, but as an additional treatment for those with cancer, according to 3 studies led by Oxford University researchers.

According to Professor Peter Rothwell of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, “What we have now shown is that aspirin also has short-term effects, which are manifest after only 2-3 years.” He continues, “In particular, we show that aspirin reduces the likelihood that cancers will spread to distant organs by about 40-50%.”

The ability to modify chemotherapy treatment could have a major impact on both the physical and psychological well-being of patients. Now, researchers can predict which patients are most likely to suffer serious side effects of chemotherapy, according to a recent study on the effect of genetic variability on the toxicity of chemotherapy in breast cancer.

Nearly 1 in 5 people suffers from chronic pain. Understanding why certain people develop pain while others do not is a major challenge. Achieving individualized therapies effective for specific patient populations is yet another challenge.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has reported that the prevalence of glioma, the main type of brain cancer conceived as related to cell phone use, has remained fairly stable, according to US cancer incidence data. According to researchers, cell phone use increased considerably from 1992 to 2008 (from nearly 0% to almost 100% of the population); however, the US trends in glioma incidence did not reflect the rise.

Results of this study were published recently online in the British Medical Journal.

New research shows that many patients taking oral cancer drugs that target key enzymes in tumor cells are also taking other drugs that may inhibit the cancer treatment’s full benefits or increase the risk of side effects.

Although women have demonstrated a greater use of preventive care services, such as colon cancer screening and immunizations, they are failing when it comes to medication management.

There is a great discrepancy among men and women when it comes to how they are prescribed and adhere to their medications. Whereas women use more prescription drugs than men, they are less apt to receive prescription drugs according to clinical guidelines, and they do not comply as well with the medications they are prescribed, according to a new study by Medco Health Solutions, Inc.