The Official Report of the Cameron Inquiry into the Breast Cancer Scandal in Newfoundland and Labrador is to be released on Monday, March 2, 2009.  The Cameron Inquiry Report is expected to generate much discussion over the next several weeks and critics are concerned that the report will not be released in full by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.

Researchers have found a gene that makes breast cancer tumors more likely to resist treatments such as chemotherpay and more likely to spread to other organs.  Terming this new gene as the "metastasis gene", researchers have found this in 30-40% of the breast cancer patients.

Avastin when combined with chemotherapy has shown results that indicate a longer progression-free interval in advanced breast cancer patients than chemotherapy alone.  These results were from a Phase III clinical trial and showed Avastin treatment for HER2-negative breast cancer was effective.

With one in every eight American women developing breast cancer, one of the best methods of combating breast cancer is through developing an awareness of the disease and how early detection is imperative to survival.  Regular breast exams play an important role in combating breast cancer, especially for women who are 40 years old or more.

The response of Breast Cancer to insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) predicts an aggressive breast cancer tumor that is less likely to respond to treatment. This was the result of breast cancer research conducted by researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine.

Breast Cancer Diagnostic Image

With the mammogram being the best tool for doctors in the doctor's arsenal at diagnosing and evaluating breast cancer, one must wonder if the mammogram is on the way out. With the latest research in breast cancer, scientists have now deviced a new diagnostic test of breast cancer that may lead to the mammogram becoming obsolete in the battle against breast cancer.

According to research published in the March issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, women whose breast cancer came back after treatment had almost twice as much estrogen in their blood than did women who remained cancer free. The findings suggest that high levels of estrogen contribute to an increased risk of breast cancer recurrence.

In an effort to reduce symptoms associated with menopause, doctors have presribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to many women, and in turn could have increased the risk of breast cancer for these women. One of the prescribed hormones as part of HRT is synthetic progestin. Researchers have found that this hormone used as part of HRT could be a major factor in promoting breast cancer.

Breast Cancer in young women has been known to be much more aggressive and less responsive to treatment than in older women.  The rate of recurrence in younger patients has traditionally be higher and survival rates lower in patients diagnosed with the disease at a younger age.  Researchers at Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Duke Institute of Genome Science & Policy may have discovered why.

Radiation Treatment

Being diagnosed with breast cancer is in itself a shock. Being diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer known as phyllodes tumors is even a bigger shock. Researchers have found that the risk of local recurrance of phyllode tumor breast cancer maybe lowered by combining radiation therapy in addition to surgery.