Get Off My Case

In my inbox this morning, via ASCO‘s “Cancer in the News” feed: The UK’s Telegraph (5/6, Beckford) reported that as “many as 20,000 British women could avoid developing” breast cancer “each year, if they took more exercise, drank less and ate better.” Latest figures “suggest that 47,600 women developed breast cancer in 2008,” and the […]

Posted in Breast Cancer, Essential Lessons, Fitness, Life, Life as a Patient, Medical News, Oncology (cancer), Pseudoscience, Women's HealthTagged , , , , , , 20 Comments on Get Off My Case

New York City Reports Long Delays for Mammograms

A recent audit of nine NYC’s Health and Hospitals Corporation found City Comptroller Liu described as dangerous delays in women’s health care. It takes too long for women to get screening and diagnostic mammograms. The 2009 audit found women at Elmhurst Hospital had the longest waits – 50 working days (that would be 10 weeks, […]

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New Findings on Leprosy and Armadillos

A surprise lesson arrived in my snail mailbox today: the April 28 issue of NEJM includes a fascinating research paper on a probable cause of leprosy in the southern U.S. New, detailed genetic studies show that armadillos, long-known to harbor the disease, carry the same strain as occurs in some patients; they’re a likely culprit […]

Posted in Dermatology, Diagnosis, Genetics, Infectious Disease, Medical Education, Medical NewsTagged , , , , , , , 4 Comments on New Findings on Leprosy and Armadillos

Dr. Greenfield is Human

A few days ago I read that Dr. Lazar Greenfield, Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan, resigned as the president-elect of the American College of Surgeons over flak for authoring a Valentine’s Day-pegged, tacky, tasteless and sexist piece in Surgery News. The February issue is mysteriously absent in the pdf-ied archives. According to the […]

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About the Premarin Study and Breast Cancer

This week a paper came out in JAMA showing a surprising reduction in breast cancer cases among women who had hysterectomies and then took Premarin, an estrogen-only remedy compounded from steroids in horses’ urine. The research merits attention because it’s part of the Women’s Health Initiative and is well-done by several measures: The study is […]

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Art, Science and Radiation Imagery on a Magazine Cover

This week’s New Yorker cover pretty well sums up my thoughts lately. It’s a bleak, semi-natural image that blends art and science, offers brightness amidst darkness, and reminds us of how little most of us know about physics, nuclear energy and radioactivity. And it’s a strange, unsettling start for the Spring. — Related Posts:Considering the […]

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Bristol-Meyers Says Ipilimumab Prolongs Survival in Metastatic Melanoma

This morning health business mavens are chirping with bright results for ipilimumab, a monoclonal antibody that can extend life in people with metastatic melanoma. If the new data – which I haven’t seen – are true, it’s good news for patients. In 2010, melanoma affected 68,000 people in the U.S. and led to death in […]

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Considering the Coverage of the Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Reactor Breakdowns

Listening to and watching the news, last night and this morning, I’ve heard all kinds of stuff – mainly from reporters who don’t seem to know very much about physics or radiation. (Personal kudos to Anderson Cooper, who seems to have a broader command of the terms and handle on the situation than some of […]

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Still Thinking About the Earthquake in Japan, and How to Help

Here is a partial list of agencies helping to provide assistance and relief to the people of Japan during this emergency: Save the Children Doctors Without Borders The American Red Cross* United Jewish Appeal Japan Earthquake Relief Fund You may have your own favorite charity, which of course may be the best way for you […]

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Searching for Information in Case of a Nuclear Disaster

I find it hard to think much about anything besides the earthquake and devastation in northeast Japan. It’s a place I’ve never been. I don’t speak the language. In trying to learn something from this, it makes sense to review what to do in case of a nuclear disaster, the kind of thing that should […]

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Benlysta, A New Treatment for Lupus

Lupus, an autoimmune disease, turned up on the front page, right side of today’s Wall Street Journal. It cropped up, also, on the first page of the New York Times business section, and elsewhere. Scientific American published a nice on-line review, just now. The reason is that yesterday the FDA approved a new, monoclonal antibody […]

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New Data for Avastin (Bevacizumab)

A new report was published on-line this afternoon by the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO). It covers a Phase III (randomized) clinical trial of Avastin (Bevacizumab) in women with metastatic BC. Over 1200 patients were included in the analysis, all with Her2 negative disease. The design of the randomized study protocol was a bit unusual, […]

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Tennis News and Why a Healthy Young Woman Might Get a Pulmonary Embolism

Yesterday I learned that Serena Williams, the tennis pro, has been treated for a pulmonary embolus. My husband found out this morning upon reading the newspaper. He wondered why this would happen to a strong, young, athletic woman. Without delving into the private or specific aspects of her case: A pulmonary embolism, or PE in […]

Posted in Hematology (blood), Medical News, Public Illness, Women's HealthTagged , , , , , , , 1 Comment on Tennis News and Why a Healthy Young Woman Might Get a Pulmonary Embolism

Breast Cancer Rate in the U.S. is No Longer Declining

A worrisome report on breast cancer trends in the U.S. appeared on-line today, ahead of print in an AACR journal, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. The analysis, based on the NCI’s SEER data from 2000 – 2007, shows that the incidence of breast cancer in the U.S. is no longer declining. (A drop after 2002 […]

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New Numbers Should Factor Into the Mammography Equation

On Friday the New York Times reported that surgeons are performing far too many open breast biopsies to evaluate abnormal mammogram results. A new American Journal of Surgery article analyzed data for 172,342 outpatient breast biopsies in the state of Florida. The main finding is that between 2003 and 2008, surgeons performed open biopsies in an operating room – as opposed to less invasive, safer biopsies with needles – in 30 percent of women with abnormal breast images.

I was truly surprised by this should-be outdated statistic, which further tips the mammography math equation in favor or screening.

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Breast Cancer Study Shows No Benefit In Extensive Lymph Node Removal

Today’s Times leads with a story on surgical removal of lymph nodes in women with breast cancer. The dramatic digital headline, Lymph Node Study Shakes Pillar of Breast Cancer Care, made me tremble at first glance. The article by Denise Grady covers a new report* in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

The key finding is that for women with apparently limited disease before surgery who undergo subsequent radiation and chemotherapy, taking out all the cancerous nodes from the axilla (armpit) has no advantage.

I read the original publication and took some notes:

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Contemplating Diet and Nutrition: A First Look at the USDA’s New Guidelines

On Sunday afternoons I tend to think about food for my family. Sometimes that’s because we’re having a few more than usual at the dinner table. Also, it’s a time when I order the bulk of fish, meat, produce and other ingredients for the week ahead. Since I had cancer, I’ve paid much more attention […]

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A New Twist on Peanut Allergies and Other Allergic Reactions

The current New Yorker unfolds an engaging story on childhood food allergies. As related by Dr. Jerome Groopman, there’s a shift in how some doctors think about how these conditions  are best managed and, even better – might be prevented. The article feeds into the recent discussion that medical science, and even dogma, too-often turns […]

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An Oncologist Considers Rare Lymphomas in Women With Breast Implants

I have to admit that when I first read about the FDA’s report tying rare cases of anaplastic large cell lymphoma to breast implants, my mind raced with a strange blend of excitement, intense interest and concern. My thoughts shifted from “wow, that’s really interesting” to “exactly what did the FDA find” to “should I be worried?”

So I’ve decided to write this morning’s post from my perspective as an oncologist

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer treatment, Informed Consent, Medical News, Pathology, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Women's HealthTagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment on An Oncologist Considers Rare Lymphomas in Women With Breast Implants

FDA Reports on Association of Breast Implants and a Rare Form of Lymphoma

It’s a Pandora’s box, but one that needs be opened. The problem is that if we biopsy every abnor­mality – such as a minor thick­ening or fluid accu­mu­lation adjacent to a breast implant – we’ll hike up the costs and, more impor­tantly, the com­pli­ca­tions asso­ciated: With every needle stick there’s a risk of infection, addi­tional scar for­mation and more. On the other hand, you wouldn’t want to overlook a treatable, early-stage lym­phoma. Women need to know of the risks of implants, which can only be deter­mined if doctors thor­oughly inves­tigate these sorts of complications.

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer treatment, Medical News, Oncology (cancer), Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Women's HealthTagged , , , , , , , , 1 Comment on FDA Reports on Association of Breast Implants and a Rare Form of Lymphoma
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