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 previous month’s news that we feel is most interesting and relevant.
August 3 - A new study found a significant association between cholesterol-lowering drugs commonly known as statins and survival rates of triple-negative breast cancer patients. Since statins are low in cost, easy to access and produce minimal side effects, this could have an important impact on outcomes for this aggressive disease. Read more in Science Daily HERE.
August 4 - A study by University of Liverpool researchers has identified new factors accompanying previous findings that frequent consumption of peanuts by cancer patients could increase risk of cancer spread. Read more about the study in Science Daily HERE.
August 5 - Patients with vitamin D deficiency who received vitamin D supplements had a reduced need for pain relief and lower levels of fatigue in palliative cancer treatment, according to a new study. Among patients with cancer in the palliative phase, vitamin D deficiency is common. Read the whole story in MedicalXpress HERE.
August 17 - An innovative new clinical trial in the UK is studying whether giving aspirin, commonly used as pain relief, alongside immunotherapy drug avelumab could improve its effectiveness for people affected by breast cancer. Used in combination, aspirin and avelumab could potentially stop people dying from this disease. Read more on this story in News Medical HERE.
August 23 - The treatment options for breast cancer often require administration of anti-cancer drugs in high doses, as the cells develop resistance towards chemotherapy, leading to painful side effects in patients. Recently researchers have identified that reducing the level of a certain sort of protein can increase patients’ responsiveness to chemotherapy, therefore lowering the doses of the drug as well as the chances of side effects in patients. Read the whole story in News Medical HERE.
August 26 - Breast cancer patients who were in better physical condition completed more of their chemotherapy treatments, according to a new study that gives physicians further guidance in individualizing treatments and preparing patients for the road ahead. Check out the story in MedicalXpress HERE.