Data presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium show that basically all women with HER2+ breast cancers benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy/Herceptin due to their worse prognosis. In my mind, however, there is no more controversial area in b...

More things to look for on your pathology report - my last post on pathology reports covered histology, margins and grade. Other important things a pathologist will consider: Size of the Breast Cancer (Measured in cm) This is somewhat an approximatio...

The average lifespan of the American woman continues to rise well past 80 years. Assuming a healthy heart and no other major medical illnesses, the chance for breast cancer is still present. Women over 70 have been under-represented in clinical trial...

Last week I mentioned to a patient that “her case” had been discussed at our breast tumor board, and there was a consensus opinion (i.e. all present agreed with my recommendation). What is a breast tumor board? At most community oncology centers and ...

It is breast cancer awareness month, and everywhere pink ribbons abound. I have donned one on my white coat. Why is breast cancer awareness month such a very, very good thing? Here are four reasons. #1 - Breast Cancer Awareness Month Fosters AWARENES...

There is a spectrum of changes in the breast tissue from normal tissue to breast cancer; it goes something like this: Normal ductal tissue Ductal hyperplasia Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) Breast Cancer The difference bet...

A recent study of breast cancer patients showed that about a third of women stopped taking their tamoxifen (nolvadex) before the end of the recommended 5 years. Tamoxifen for premenopausal women, and aromatase inhibitors for postmenopausal women, are ...

"is naturally going to be an anxiety provoking experience. I’ll talk a little about the first visit for a newly diagnosed patient contemplating the benefits of hormonal or chemotherapy after surgery for breast cancer. (Patients with metastatic d...