News and Perspectives

Our Chief Science Advisor, Dr. Eric Winer, and other members of our Scientific Advisory Board, share their perspectives on recent developments in breast cancer screening, research and treatment.

On Mammography - More Agreement than Disagreement
(Dr. Eric Winer & Dr. Ann Partridge - December 2009)
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, with more than 190,000 women receiving a diagnosis of invasive disease annually1 and more than 40,000 dying of breast cancer each year. Worldwide, more than 1 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 500,000 die from it each year.2  Over the past two decades, there have been modest but real decreases in breast-cancer mortality that have been attributed to improvements in early detection and treatment.  It is within this context that the recent controversy surrounding the optimal approach to breast-cancer screening should be considered. Read more

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Recommendations on Breast Screening
(Scientific Advisory Board, November 2009)
There has been a longstanding debate over the most appropriate age to begin mammography screening and the frequency of screening examinations. As with all screening tests, the decision to perform a mammogram must include an evaluation of the benefits and the risks of the screening tool, as well as a consideration of patient preference. For example, there is no debate that mammography reduces the risk of dying from breast cancer. As stated in the new USPSTF recommendations, extensive scientific evidence demonstrates that mammography reduces breast cancer mortality both among women aged 50 and older, as well as among women aged 40 to 49. Read more

New Approaches for Breast Irradiation
(Jennifer R. Bellon, M.D., November 2009)
Following lumpectomy, radiation therapy lowers the risk of cancer recurring in the breast, and also improves the chance of cure. Standard radiation includes radiation to the entire breast, but it is designed to minimize treatment to the heart and lungs. Sometimes, the lymph nodes underneath the arm and around the collarbone are also included. Radiation is typically given in small daily doses which allow the normal tissue a chance to heal in between treatments. Modern advances in technology have also greatly improved the safety and accuracy of radiation therapy planning and delivery. Read more 

Comments on Mammography Leading to Over-Diagnosis and Over-Treatment
(Dr. Eric Winer, October 2009)
Recent media attention has shed light on the issue of mammography leading to over-diagnosis and over-treatment. According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers from Copenhagen analyzed breast cancer trends in the years before and after the initiation of government-run mammography screening programs in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden and Norway. The data covered a period of at least seven years before and after screening. Read more

Update on HER2 Positive Breast Cancer
(Dr. Eric Winer, July 2009)
Approximately 20 percent of women with breast cancer have what is called HER2 positive disease. In these tumors, there are extra copies of the HER2 gene in the nucleus of the cancer cell and, as a result, excess HER2 protein on the surface of the cancer cell. The HER2 proteins on the surface of the cancer cell interact with each other and with other proteins, and when these interactions occur, they cause the cancer cell to behave in a more aggressive manner. Read more

PARP Inhibitors
(Dr. Eric Winer, June 2009)
I am headed back to Boston after this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Orlando, and I want to share the results of two important studies that are likely to change breast cancer treatment in the years ahead.  Both of these studies are preliminary, and neither will change treatment approaches for many months to come, but the findings of each were very promising. Read more

Triple Negative Breast Cancer
(Dr. Eric Winer, February 2009)
When Nancy Block-Zenna was diagnosed in 2005 with the rare and aggressive form of breast cancer known as triple negative breast cancer, two of her friends created the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation (TNBCF) with just $9,000 to raise awareness and funds for the disease. TNBCF is now a major advocacy organization for women with this form of the disease. Read more