Smoking Causes Higher Proportion of Cancer Deaths in Southern States

Researchers looked at the burden of cigarette use across all U.S. states and found that the proportion of cancer deaths from smoking was highest in several Southern states, including Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

What Oncology Nurses Need to Know About Biosimilar Drugs

Generic, bioidentical, and biosimilar are terms used to identify a drug that has a comparable chemical structure and intended effect as the original patented drug. However, the terms are not necessarily interchangeable. The differences between these can impact the way you practice.

Targeted Therapy Combination Improves Progression-Free Survival in Advanced Breast Cancer

Targeted and endocrine therapy combination results in concordant, superior progression-free survival (PFS), suggesting similar mechanisms of targetable endocrine resistance between metastatic sites, according to a meta-analysis by researchers with the Albacete University Hospital in Spain presented on Saturday, December 10, during the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Older Adults With Breast Cancer Have Poor Survival Rates

Older adults with a breast cancer diagnosis often undergo surgery, but fewer than 50% have adjuvant treatment with endocrine therapy, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy, according to findings from researchers with Morton Plant Mease Hospitals in Clearwater, FL, presented on Friday, December 9, at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

BMI May Increase Breast Cancer Risk—Sometimes

Whether body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer is dependent on age and is not altered by menopausal status or by genetic factors, according to an analysis of 11,700 participants (5,400 families) already enrolled in the Breast Cancer Family Registry (in North America and Australia) and the Kathleen Cuningham Foundation Consortium for Research into Familial Breast Cancer (in Australia). The international group of researchers presented their findings on Friday, December 9, at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Research Is Decoding Breast Cancer Predisposition Genes

The more researchers learn about breast cancer susceptibility genes, the more personalized treatment can become, said Fergus J. Couch, PhD, who presented the AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research on Friday, December 9, during the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Women with one or more first-degree female relatives with a history of breast cancer have a two-fold increased risk of developing breast cancer, and those risks continue to escalate with the number of affected family members and whether those family members were diagnosed at a young age or with bilateral disease.

Racial Disparities Do Not Affect Treatment Initation in AYAs With Breast Cancer

No delays in treatment initiation occur in adolescent and young adult (AYA) women with breast cancer in urban settings, and there does not seem to be any significant differences between African American or other races in terms of treatment initiation.

ACTH and TCH Show No Differences in 5-Year Survival Rates

In the United States, adriamycin/cyclophosphamide/paclitaxel/trastuzumab (ACTH) and docetaxel/carboplatin/trastuzumab (TCH) have been widely adopted as systemic adjuvant therapy of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer and remain the standard of care for many women with early-stage HER2+ disease. However, no head-to-head comparison of these regimens has been conducted in a clinical trial, and current clinical trial data have limited generalizability because of the exclusion of older women and the low representation of minorities and those with significant comorbidities. Researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, presented their new head-to-head results on Friday, December 9, during the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Age-Related MicoRNAs Are Unaffected by Adjuvant Chemotherapy

MicroRNAs are important regulators of cellular function and are associated with aging and cancer, but not much is known about chemotherapy’s on them. Recently, a group of European researchers found that adjuvant chemotherapy does not significantly boost aging progression in older adults with breast cancer. They presented on Friday, December 9, during the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium about the predictive role of microRNAs in determining the decline in functionality and quality of life, toxicity, and unexpected hospitalization during or after chemotherapy.

Senate Passes 21st Century Cures Act

On Wednesday, December 7, 2016, the U.S. Senate passed the 21st Century Cures Act. This decision comes on the heels of an overwhelming majority vote in the House of Representatives last month. The legislation aims to increase funding for cancer research, the National Institute of Health (NIH), and the Cancer Moonshot, among other health priorities.
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