News
Latest News
Highly specialized and busy surgeons may be the best option for complex procedures, study suggests
Posted on September 29, 2016
A study published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) in July found reduced mortality rates and complications for certain procedures performed by highly specialized and active surgeons, compared to generalists.
Read MoreProphylactic Mastectomies Have More Than Tripled in the Past Decade
Posted on April 13, 2016
A recent Annals of Surgery study published by M. Golshan and associates indicates that the rates of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy have more than tripled from 3.9% to 12.7% between 2002 to 2012, despite no evidence of long-term survival benefit.
Read MoreDr. Greenspun to present at Mountain West Society of Plastic Surgeons Meeting 2016
Posted on February 25, 2016
Dr. Greenspun has been invited to lecture at the Mountain West Society of Plastic Surgeons Meeting in March. Dr. Greenspun will present on perforator flap breast reconstruction and nipple-sparing mastectomies.
Read MoreDr. Greenspun to lecture at 2016 Duke Breast Perforator Course
Posted on February 02, 2016
Dr. Greenspun has been selected to teach at this year’s Duke Breast Perforator Course, hosted by The Duke Division of Plastic, Maxillofacial, and Oral Surgery.
Read MoreDr. Greenspun to present at the 2016 American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery Meeting
Posted on January 12, 2016
Read MoreA Jewish Woman’s Perspective on Genetic Testing and Breast Cancer
Posted on October 19, 2015
The lifetime risk of breast cancer for BRCA gene mutation carriers is between 56% and 84% (Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2012), and Ashkenazi Jewish women carry the BRCA mutation at least 10 times the rate seen in the general population. However, approximately half of these women are not eligible for insurance coverage for genetic testing due to a lack of family history (Genetics in Medicine, 2009).
Read MoreChoice of surgeon and hospital affects lymph node surgery in women diagnosed with DCIS
Posted on July 28, 2015
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the most common form of non-invasive breast cancer and puts women at increased risk for developing invasive breast cancer. A new study examined whether recommendations of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) to treat women with DCIS are impacted by the patient’s choice of surgeon or hospital.
Read MoreIdentification of a new high-risk gene for breast cancer
Posted on June 05, 2015
A novel gene – PALB2 – greatly raises the risk for breast cancer, and should be taken seriously, according to a recent study led by Dr. Marc Tischkowitz.
Read MoreUnderstanding your risk for breast cancer
Posted on April 23, 2015
There are numerous factors that contribute to one’s overall risk for breast cancer. Some of these factors cannot be changed, like gender, race or age. Lifestyle-related factors, however, can reduce or increase a person’s breast cancer risk.
Read MoreMore Women Are Choosing Double Mastectomies
Posted on May 14, 2013
The number of women with early stage breast cancer who went on to remove both breasts increased by more than 150% between 1998 and 2003, according to a study presented by Dr. Kelly Hunt.
Read MoreAngelina Jolie Chooses Prophylactic Mastectomies and Breast Reconstruction
Posted on May 14, 2013
Angelina Jolie announced today that has had a preventive double mastectomy after learning she carries a gene that significantly increases her risk of getting breast cancer.The Oscar-winning actress and partner to Brad Pitt made the announcement in the form of an op-ed she authored for Tuesday’s New York Times under the headline, “My Medical Choice.”
Read MoreImplant-based breast reconstruction failure rate much higher than abdominal tissue reconstruction
Posted on March 12, 2013
Implant-based breast reconstruction, particularly immediate reconstruction, is associated with a higher failure rate than a free flap technique in obese people, suggest researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center
Read MoreBreast Brachytherapy May Result in More Complications
Posted on March 12, 2013
Brachytherapy is linked to more wound and skin complications than the standard radiation technique, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Read MoreBreast Implant–Associated lymphoma: Further analysis still needed
Posted on February 28, 2013
Greater analysis and prospective evaluation and follow-up of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) patients are necessary to definitively resolve the issue of the natural course of the disease and best therapeutic approaches for patients who develop breast implant associated lymphoma.
Read MoreFew short-term complications found with ‘autologous’ transplants
Posted on February 22, 2013
Breast Reconstruction Using Women’s Own Tissue Appears Safe: Study
Few short-term complications found with ‘autologous’ transplants
Study showsFat grafts ‘safe’ following breast reconstruction
Posted on August 01, 2012
Autologous fat grafting following breast reconstruction does not increase the long-term risk for tumor recurrence, US research shows.
Read MoreBreast Implants and Cancer of the Immune System
Posted on July 30, 2012
A link between ALCL, a type of lymphoma, and breast implants (“breast implant-associated ALCL”) was first reported by the FDA in January, 2011. Implant companies and plastic surgeons have been quick to dismiss the FDA’s findings, as they have with most claims about the safety of implants.
Read MoreBenefit in Radiation After Breast-Conserving Surgery
Posted on October 21, 2011
Radiation treatment after surgery for breast cancer significantly lowers the risk that the disease will recur in the breast or spread lethally to other parts of the body over the next 10 to 15 years, researchers say.
Read MoreResearchers Identify New Genes that Determine Breast Cancer Prognosis
Posted on September 23, 2011
Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have made a discovery that brings them one step closer to being able to better predict which patients have the best chance of surviving breast cancer.
Read MoreBreast Cancer Patients With BRCA Gene Diagnosed Almost Eight Years Earlier Than Generation Before
Posted on September 23, 2011
Women with a deleterious gene mutation are diagnosed with breast cancer almost eight years earlier than relatives of the previous generation who also had the disease and/or ovarian cancer, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Read MoreLow Vitamin D Linked to Aggressive Breast Cancer
Posted on May 02, 2011
Women with low vitamin D levels may have an increased risk for the most aggressive breast cancers, new research suggests.
Read MoreHealthy Breast Cells Help Kill Cancer Cells
Posted on April 19, 2011
Healthy epithelial cells in breast tissue secrete an anticancer protein called interleukin 25 (IL25) that instructs malignant cells to self-destruct, leaving healthy cells intact, according to new research from the US published online this week in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The researchers hope their discovery provides a new target for drug development.
Read MoreTamoxifen Plus Radiation With DCIS Lumpectomy Lowers Cancer Recurrence Risk
Posted on March 16, 2011
For women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), adding radiation therapy and/or tamoxifen to treatment lowers the risk of the recurrence of aggressive cancer, doctors at Allegheny General Hospital and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Bowel Project revealed in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Read MoreDCIS Patients Who Get Invasive Breast Cancer Have Higher Mortality
Posted on March 14, 2011
Women with ductal carcinoma in situ—DCIS—who later develop invasive breast cancer in the same breast are at higher risk of dying from breast cancer than those who do not develop invasive disease, according to a study published online March 11 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Read MoreObesity May Increase Risk of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Posted on March 03, 2011
New findings published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, confirm the risk of breast cancer among women who are obese and not physically active, and suggests additional mechanisms beyond estrogen.
Read MoreStudy Confirms Long-Lasting Benefit Of Herceptin For Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Posted on March 01, 2011
Women with an aggressive type of early-stage breast cancer (HER2-positive disease) given trastuzumab (Herceptin) for one year following standard chemotherapy are at significantly less risk of the cancer returning, and the effect is long lasting, according to the long-term results of the landmark HERA trial published Online First in The Lancet Oncology.
Read MoreGene driver for breast cancer discovered
Posted on February 21, 2011
A rare but hard-to-treat form of breast cancer is driven by a newly discovered gene, researchers have found.
Read More
Love Handles Offer a New Option in Breast Reconstruction
Posted on February 20, 2011
A relatively new technique using tissue from those below-the-waist “love handles” improves cosmetic breast reconstruction in slim, athletic cancer patients without adequate fat sources elsewhere, reported a small Johns Hopkins study.
Read MoreBreast cancer screening with MRI benefits women with radiation therapy history
Posted on February 20, 2011
Breast cancer screening with MRI can detect invasive cancers missed on mammography in women who’ve undergone chest irradiation for other diseases, according to a new study published online and in the April print edition of Radiology.
Read MoreDispute Over Cancer Tied to Breast Implants
Posted on February 18, 2011
In an online seminar, the leader of a plastic surgeons’ group urged other doctors to avoid words like cancer and tumor.
Read MorePillar of Breast Cancer Care Shaken by New Lymph Node Study
Posted on February 08, 2011
A new study finds that many women with early breast cancer do not need a painful procedure that has long been routine: removal of cancerous lymph nodes from the armpit known as axillary lymph node dissection.
Read MoreSome Breast-Cancer Patients Can Skip Lymph-Node Surgery
Posted on February 08, 2011
Many breast-cancer patients can skip aggressive lymph-node surgery without increasing their chances of a recurrence or death if their disease shows limited spread, according to a study that has prompted changes in practice.
Read MoreBreast MRI Scan False-Positive Rate Drops on Repetition
Posted on February 03, 2011
Women who get breast MRI scans may have higher false-positives on their baseline studies, but those rates drop on subsequent scans, according to a study to be published in the April issue of Radiology.
Read MoreYearly mammograms from age 40 save 71% more lives, study shows
Posted on January 31, 2011
A new study questions the controversial U.S. Preventative Service Task Force recommendations for breast cancer screening, with data that shows starting at a younger age and screening more frequently will result in more lives saved.
Read MoreHot flushes and other menopause symptoms associated with a reduction in the risk of breast cancer
Posted on January 29, 2011
Women who have experienced hot flushes and other symptoms of menopause may have a 50 percent lower risk of developing the most common forms of breast cancer than postmenopausal women who have never had such symptoms, according to a recent study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Read MoreMcGill Researchers Develop New Test that Better Predicts Breast Cancer Outcomes
Posted on January 29, 2011
Gene expression signature identified that can accurately assess which patients are at risk of relapse
Read MoreAmerican Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Responds to Breast Implant-Lymphoma Link
Posted on January 26, 2011
The ASPS has released information about a possible link between lymphoma and breast implants.
Read MoreFDA Advises Women with Breast Implants About Possible Lymphoma Risk
Posted on January 26, 2011
After an intensive review of known cases of a rare form of cancer in breast implant recipients, the Food and Drug Administration says women with implants may have a very small, but increased risk of developing anaplastic large cell lymphoma, or ALCL.
Read MoreAnaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma In Women with Breast Implants: Preliminary FDA Findings & Analyses
Posted on January 26, 2011
Reports in the scientific community have suggested a possible association between anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) and breast implants.
Read MoreFDA: Reports of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL) in Women with Breast Implants
Posted on January 26, 2011
The FDA is issuing this communication to inform health care providers and the public about a possible association between breast implants and a type of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). The number of identified cases is small compared to the estimated 5 to 10 million women who have received breast implants worldwide. But based on these data, the FDA believes that women with breast implants may have a very small but increased risk of ALCL.
Read MoreVanderbilt study finds breast cancer patients with strong social network live longer
Posted on January 24, 2011
Breast cancer patients who have a strong social support system in the first year after diagnosis are less likely to die or have a recurrence of cancer, according to new research from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) and the Shanghai Institute of Preventive Medicine.
Read MoreWomen Treated for Breast Cancer with Radiation Therapy Are More Likely to Die from Heart Disease
Posted on January 21, 2011
Women treated for breast cancer with radiation therapy are more likely to die from heart disease 20 years or more after treatment than women who did not get radiation, according to a new study published in the January 25, 2011 Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Read MoreIn Node-Negative Breast Cancer, Micromets Not Necessarily Worthy of Heavy Pursuit
Posted on January 21, 2011
National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) trial B-32 trial investigators have examined the impact of micrometastases and isolated tumor cells on the survival of women with breast cancer who initially have clinically negative axillary lymph nodes.
Read MoreAvoidable Breast Cancer Risk Factors Identified
Posted on January 19, 2011
Many risk factors for breast cancer are well studied and documented. Scientists are sure that early first menstrual period, late onset of menopause and a family history of breast cancer are associated with an increased breast cancer risk; what is less certain is the degree to which modifiable “lifestyle” risk factors could be modified to reduce breast cancer risk.
Read MoreStudy Evaluates Predictors of DCIS Outcomes
Posted on January 14, 2011
Study evaluates predictors of DCIS outcome
Read MoreStudy Provides Molecular Rationale For Combining Targeted Agents To Treat Breast Cancer
Posted on January 13, 2011
A new study by Ohio State University cancer researchers provides a rational for treating breast cancer by combining two kinds of targeted agents, one that inhibits an overactive, cancer-causing pathway in cancer cells and one that reverses changes that silence genes that normally prevent cancer.
Read MoreQuality Of Life Measures In Breast Cancer Clinical Trials
Posted on January 11, 2011
Quality of life measures tend to be most useful for clinical decision-making in trials in which quality of life is the primary outcome, according to a recent study published online January 7 in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Read MoreInsurers To Continue Covering Avastin For Breast Cancer
Posted on January 11, 2011
Several major health insurers say they will continue paying for Genentech’s Avastin for the treatment of breast cancer, based on a recommendation from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Bloomberg Businessweek reports (Larkin, Bloomberg Businessweek, 1/10).
Read MorePreoperative Breast MRI Suggests High Cancer Yield And Positive Predictive Value In Newly Diagnosed
Posted on January 04, 2011
The use of preoperative Breast MRI detects otherwise occult cancer with a relatively high degree of accuracy when applied to a diverse population of patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer, according to a study in the January issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Read MorePersonality Factors Affect Quality of Life after Breast Reconstruction
Posted on January 03, 2011
Certain personality traits are linked to higher quality-of-life scores in breast cancer patients who undergo breast reconstruction after mastectomy, reports a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Read MorePeptide Delivers One-Two Punch to Breast Cancer in Pre-Clinical Study
Posted on January 03, 2011
Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (WFUBMC) have discovered what may become a new weapon in the fight against breast cancer. For the first time, a peptide found in blood and tissue has been shown to inhibit the growth of human breast tumors in mice, according to a study recently published in the journal Cancer Research.
Read MoreRisk of Breast Cancer Recurrence May Depend on Treating Surgeon
Posted on January 03, 2011
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), or non-invasive breast cancer, is typically treated with either breast-conserving surgery—with or without follow-up radiation—or mastectomy.
Read MoreResearchers Identify Potential Target For Breast Cancer Therapy
Posted on December 29, 2010
Overexpression or hyperactivation of ErbB cell-surface receptors drives the growth of many breast cancers. Drugs, like Herceptin, that block the receptors’ signals halt tumor progression in some patients. However, not all patients’ tumors respond, with some becoming resistant over time. Different drugs that interfere with other steps in the signaling pathway may improve the response of patients, yet little is known about these molecules.
Read MoreStudy Once More Underpins The Clinical Value Of FDA-Cleared Breast Cancer Recurrence Assay
Posted on December 22, 2010
Agendia, a world leader in molecular cancer diagnostics, announced recently that together with several groups of scientific collaborators it has identified a major role for TSPYL5 in the genesis of breast cancer.
Read MoreA Doctor’s Mammogram Mission Turns Personal
Posted on December 20, 2010
Dr. Marisa Weiss, a radiation oncologist and a specialist in breast cancer, is a founder of the popular Web site, breastcancer.org. She is also a woman with a mission.
Read MoreSusan G. Komen for the Cure® Encourages Continued Coverage for Avastin for Breast Cancer Patients wh
Posted on December 16, 2010
Susan G. Komen for the Cure® today encouraged continued coverage for breast cancer patients benefitting from the cancer drug Avastin and the continued development of breast cancer treatments, following a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision to begin the process of removing approval of Avastin as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer.
Read MorePain From Breast Cancer Treatment May Be Relieved By Depression Drug
Posted on December 13, 2010
A drug commonly used to treat depression and anxiety disorder was effective at reducing joint and muscle pain associated with a breast cancer treatment, according to a study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Read MoreOncotype DX Influences Breast Cancer Treatment Decisions
Posted on December 10, 2010
The Oncotype DX® breast cancer test may change treatment decisions for more than a third of women with early, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. These results were presented at the 2010 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Read MoreMost US women do not get recommended mammograms
Posted on December 09, 2010
Only half of eligible women in the United States are getting their annual mammograms, even if they have insurance to pay for the procedure, according to data presented at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Read MoreIn study, lifting weights does not raise risk of lymphedema for breast cancer survivors
Posted on December 08, 2010
Breast cancer survivors sometimes avoid strength training for fear it could increase their chances of lymphedema, blockage of the lymphatic system. But a study finds that a yearlong weightlifting program did not raise the risk of lymphedema among women who had had breast cancer.
Read MoreDr. Greenspun has been invited to teach a course at the 2011 American Society for Reconstructive Mic
Posted on November 08, 2010
Read MoreProportion of women having both breasts removed for cancer has grown ten-fold in 10 years
Posted on November 05, 2010
The proportion of women having both breasts removed when breast cancer appears in one has increased more than ten-fold over a 10-year period as women look to avoid the development of a tumor in their remaining breast.
Read MoreAfter Undergoing Breast-Conserving Therapy, Breast Cancer Survivors Often Rate Post-Treatment Breast
Posted on November 02, 2010
A third of breast cancer survivors who received the breast-conserving treatments lumpectomy and radiation rate the appearance of their post-treatment breast as only “fair” or “poor” in comparison to their untreated breast, according to a new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study that was presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in San Diego.
Read MoreFindings support the safety of performing microsurgical breast reconstruction after neoadjuvant chem
Posted on October 26, 2010
Researchers report that immediate microvascular breast reconstruction after neoadjuvant chemotherapy—that is chemotherapy prior to surgery—does not result in an increased complication rate or delay chemotherapy that needed after surgery. These findings are published in the November 2010 Annals of Surgical Oncology, the office journal of the Society of Surgical Oncology.
Read MoreStudy looks for links between breast cancer in African Americans and diet, exercise
Posted on October 18, 2010
African American women are more likely to die from breast cancer than their white counterparts, but the reasons haven’t been clear.
Read MoreLatest Findings Back Mammograms for Women in Their 40s
Posted on October 15, 2010
Experts say earlier screening still a good idea despite debate about doing them later.
Read MoreThree Healthy Habits Cut Breast Cancer Risk
Posted on October 12, 2010
Women who maintain certain “breast-healthy” habits can lower their risk of breast cancer, even if a close relative has had the disease, a new study finds. Exercise, healthy weight, and moderation of alcohol consumption benefit even women with a family history, experts say.
Read MoreDense Breasts Linked to Breast Cancer Return
Posted on October 07, 2010
Women with an early form of breast cancer are at higher risk for recurrence if their breast tissue appears dense on mammograms, a study shows.
Read MoreLow Vitamin D Linked to Breast Cancer
Posted on October 04, 2010
African-American Women With Low Vitamin D Have Greater Risk of Aggressive Breast Cancer.
Read MoreLandmark Study Confirms Mammography Lowers Breast Cancer Death Rate in Women 40-49 by Nearly a Third
Posted on September 29, 2010
The landmark breast cancer screening study of women 40¬–49, published online in Cancer, has proven that annual mammography screening of women in their 40s reduces the breast cancer death rate in these women by nearly 30 percent.
Read MoreDrop in Breast Cancer Incidence among Canadian Women Linked to Decline in Hormone Replacement
Posted on September 23, 2010
A new Canadian study shows that a significant drop in breast cancer incidence among post-menopausal women from 2002 to 2004 coincided with a sharp drop in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use during the same period.
Read MoreWhen Cancer Is Dormant, Fat Stem Cells Safe For Breast Reconstruction
Posted on September 20, 2010
Fat-derived stem cells can be safely used to aid reconstruction of breast tissue after mastectomy as long as there is no evidence of active cancer, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Their findings are available in Tissue Engineering Part A.
Read MoreBreast reconstruction found to be a safe option for women who, have had or will have chemotherapy
Posted on September 01, 2010
A study conducted by doctors at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, San Francisco evaluated the impact of chemotherapy on outcomes after mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction. The study which was published in the September, 2010 Archives of Surgery concluded that neither the inclusion of chemotherapy nor the timing of its administration significantly affected the complication rates after mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction.
Read MoreResearch Opens Door to New Drugs That Will Counter Tamoxifen Resistance
Posted on August 30, 2010
Scientists in London have found a potential new way of boosting the effectiveness of the anti-breast cancer drug, tamoxifen.
Read More