August 21, 2020

Can Women With Early Breast Cancer Skip Post-Op Radiation?

THURSDAY, Aug. 20, 2020 -- Instead of weeks of radiation following a lumpectomy, a new study shows that many women with early breast cancer do just as well with only a single dose of targeted radiation that is given during their surgery.

"Breast cancer outcomes, in terms of cancer coming back, breast cancer survival, dying from breast cancer, being mastectomy-free, being free of disease elsewhere in the body, all are exactly the same as the usual six weeks of radiation," Dr. Jayant Vaidya, a professor of surgery and oncology at University College London (UCL), said of the single-dose therapy.

August 17, 2020

Mammograms in 40s Can Save Women's Lives, Study Finds

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 12, 2020 -- Adding to an ongoing debate over the timing of mammography, a new British study finds that screening women aged 40 to 49 for breast cancer saves lives, with only small increases in overdiagnosis.

"This is a very long-term follow-up of a study which confirms that screening in women under 50 can save lives," researcher Stephen Duffy, from Queen Mary University of London, said in a university news release.

August 9, 2020

Cancer Diagnoses Plunge as Americans Avoid Screening During Pandemic

TUESDAY, Aug. 4, 2020 -- As COVID-19 continues to impact nearly all aspects of American health care, researchers warn that the United States has seen a troubling drop in cancer diagnoses since the pandemic began.

The drop is not being attributed to a downturn in cancer incidence, but rather a COVID-driven reluctance to get screened.

July 21, 2020

Immunotherapy Safe for Cancer Patients with COVID-19: Study

MONDAY, July 20, 2020 -- Immunotherapy for cancer patients with COVID-19 appears safe, a preliminary study suggests.

The treatments activate a person's immune system against cancer.

July 9, 2020

Breast Cancer Caught Earlier in U.S. States With Expanded Medicaid: Study

MONDAY, July 6, 2020 -- Early-stage breast cancer is more likely to be diagnosed in U.S. states that have expanded Medicaid coverage under Obamacare than in those that haven't, researchers say.

Their new study looked at a database of more than 71,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in 31 states that expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act and 14 states that did not.