Health News
Should Mammography Start Earlier?
While breast cancer survival has increased impressively over the past several decades, nearly 40,000 women — including women younger than age 50 — will lose their lives to the disease this year. Could screening have saved some of these lives?
Excellent News for DCIS Survivors
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a condition where there are abnormal breast cells considered to be a precursor to breast cancer, has traditionally been treated with surgery, followed by radiation. There has been concern that the radiation could increase heart disease risks among DCIS survivors.
Do You Know Your Breast Cancer Risk?
If you’re like the vast majority of women, you probably don’t really know what your individual breast cancer risks are. You either overestimate your chances of developing the feared disease or underestimate them. Shocked? Read on.
HRT-Related Breast Cancer Risks Vary
In the late 1990s, medicines that helped women with menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, were widely prescribed. That changed in 2003 after a large study found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increased breast cancer risks.
Cancer Survivors Enjoying the Good Life
Women who have beaten breast cancer, thankfully, are living longer these days. So what sorts of challenges do ladies who are years past breast cancer face? Are they different from the challenges other women in the same age group face? The news is good.
Breast Cancer Survivors Battling Brittle Bones
Breast cancer survivors can have ongoing health challenges after they’ve beaten "The Big C." Many are on medications that block estrogen, the hormone that drives most breast cancers. These medicines also increase the risk of osteoporosis (brittle bones) and increase the risk of fractures.
Drinking Could Be Cancerous for Young Women
It is certainly not uncommon for women to try alcohol during their teen years. And partying during college is almost the norm. But alcohol use during these years could be dangerous for some young women.
What's in a Breast Cancer's Name?
For some prostate cancers, taking a wait-and-see approach is the best option. That’s because many of these cancers won’t ever become life-threatening. This same approach may be appropriate for and preferred by women with a specific type of breast tumor.
Study for Your Cancer Tests
There’s a lot of talk these days about screening for, diagnosing and treating cancer. One argument is that Americans are being over-screened, over-diagnosed and over-treated for the disease. A new study adds evidence to this argument.
Non-Believers of Breast Cancer Risk
About one in eight American women will develop breast cancer at some point in her lifetime. That’s what the American Cancer Society estimates. A woman’s actual personal risk is based on many individual factors, though.