As an organization that serves young women affected by breast cancer, we make sure to keep up with the latest news so we know what our women face when it comes to treatment and beyond. In this blog series, we will share the month’s news that we feel is most interesting and relevant.
May 11: Compared to patients who see their primary care doctor earlier in the day, cancer screening rates decline significantly as the day goes on, according to a new study. Decision fatigue and doctors falling behind schedule may be the cause, according to study authors. Click HERE to read the story from Science Daily.
May 19: Black and white women share genes that increase the risk for breast cancer, according to a new study. These genes include BRCA1, BRCA2 and PALB2, each of which is associated with a more than sevenfold risk of breast cancer. Women of both races also share four other genes linked with a moderately increased risk. This research is important as breast cancer screening recommendations are sometimes different for black and white women. Read the full story in U.S. News and World Report HERE.
May 26: Australian scientists have discovered how an obscure protein causes breast cancer to develop and grow more quickly. The researchers found that aggressive breast cancers produce the protein Creld2, which hijacks healthy cells and promotes tumor progression. High levels of Creld2 are found in triple negative breast cancers, in kidney cancers, in non-melanoma skin cancers, and invasive squamous cell carcinomas. Blocking or destroying the protein could lead to better outcomes for these cancers. Read the full story in Medical Express HERE.
May 28: Patients who are found to have the earliest form of breast cancer - Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) - have a higher risk of invasive breast cancer and dying from the disease, a new study suggests. Read the full article HERE in Science Focus.