This study quoted in CBC News Canada gets to the crux of the problem with Breast MRI.
MRI and Breast Cancer
1. They have a high rate of false positives
2. We don't know if we are just picking up smaller disease that was always there and treated with radiation therapy.
3. It is feasible that having an MRI and recommending a mastectomy if a tumour is thought to be multifocal may not increase survival compared to treatment by cosnervative surgery and radiation therapy.
At the BCI, our pilot MRI study for women 50 years and under continues. Our target is 50 patients and we have NINE patients to recruit to complete the study.
Dr Nehmat Houssami, a research consultant at the BCI will be publishing a meta-analysis about MRI as part of an international collaboration
This is the breast cancer site of Prof John Boyages, author of Breast Cancer: Taking Control
Sunday, 18 May 2008
Vit D and Breast Cancer
There is more and more evidence that having normal Vit D levels is good for women with breast cancer. This new report is worth looking at (Click on the Title for more Details)
The researchers studied more than 500 women with breast cancer and found that women deficient in vitamin D were 94 percent more likely to have their cancer spread and 73 percent more likely to die from their cancer.
The findings of the study—which are expected to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting, to be held May 31 to June 3, in Chicago —suggest that vitamin D deficiency is very common in women with breast cancer. The study found that only 24 percent of the patients had adequate levels of vitamin D when they were diagnosed. The researchers discovered that human breast cancer cells shriveled up and died when vitamin D was added to them.
Many women are now Vitamin D deficient as they protect themselves from the sun.
We also measure Vit D levels when a patient is on an Aromatase Inhibitor as the reduced oestrogen levels can increase the incidence of Osteoporosis.
The researchers studied more than 500 women with breast cancer and found that women deficient in vitamin D were 94 percent more likely to have their cancer spread and 73 percent more likely to die from their cancer.
The findings of the study—which are expected to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting, to be held May 31 to June 3, in Chicago —suggest that vitamin D deficiency is very common in women with breast cancer. The study found that only 24 percent of the patients had adequate levels of vitamin D when they were diagnosed. The researchers discovered that human breast cancer cells shriveled up and died when vitamin D was added to them.
Many women are now Vitamin D deficient as they protect themselves from the sun.
We also measure Vit D levels when a patient is on an Aromatase Inhibitor as the reduced oestrogen levels can increase the incidence of Osteoporosis.
Thursday, 27 March 2008
NCI Washington Visit goes well!
Hi everybody, just resurfacing after my three weeks away.
Just to let you know it was a very successful trip with lots of new contacts and information that will help the BCI in the future.
My lecture in Washington at the National Cancer Institute on “Breast Conservation, Have We Gone Too Far?” was very well received. I met with multiple researchers and given a lot of opportuinities for collaboration.
It was great to meet with Kathy Cronin and Andrew Friedman. I have been doing research with them for two years but we have never met in person. The BCI was invited by the NCI to do some research on US data on the impact of changing use of HRT on the incidence of breast cancer in the USA.
Shown here is a picture of a three-hour brainstorming session on our second paper on the variation of breast cancer incidence by Race and HRT. The team really "clicked" over the phone over the past two years and well and truly “clicked” in person and I am sure lots of projects will follow and hopefully funding. Kathy, Andrew and their assistant Nadia are some of the world's best statisticians and have published widely on breast cancer risk and prognostic factors.
By the way, Andrew is responsible for all the Cancer Risk calculators on the NCI Web and he said "The BCI's breast cancer calculator is the best I've seen". If you haven't seen it go to www.seemyrisk.com
As you can imagine I was on top of the world after this two-day "intensive". More updates soon with a formal lecture at a tumour board shortly.
Just to let you know it was a very successful trip with lots of new contacts and information that will help the BCI in the future.
My lecture in Washington at the National Cancer Institute on “Breast Conservation, Have We Gone Too Far?” was very well received. I met with multiple researchers and given a lot of opportuinities for collaboration.
It was great to meet with Kathy Cronin and Andrew Friedman. I have been doing research with them for two years but we have never met in person. The BCI was invited by the NCI to do some research on US data on the impact of changing use of HRT on the incidence of breast cancer in the USA.
Shown here is a picture of a three-hour brainstorming session on our second paper on the variation of breast cancer incidence by Race and HRT. The team really "clicked" over the phone over the past two years and well and truly “clicked” in person and I am sure lots of projects will follow and hopefully funding. Kathy, Andrew and their assistant Nadia are some of the world's best statisticians and have published widely on breast cancer risk and prognostic factors.
By the way, Andrew is responsible for all the Cancer Risk calculators on the NCI Web and he said "The BCI's breast cancer calculator is the best I've seen". If you haven't seen it go to www.seemyrisk.com
As you can imagine I was on top of the world after this two-day "intensive". More updates soon with a formal lecture at a tumour board shortly.
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
Dragons abreast (DA) Hospital Challenge
The big boat race is coming up fast. Thanks to Liz and all her merry crew for taking part in this year's challenge. I'll be commentating again this year with Michelle Hanton, the DA national co-ordinator. Here's a photo from last year!
For more information see:
Monday, 21 January 2008
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