Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Breast Density Associated With Increased Risk of Cancer Recurrence ATLANTA -- November 11, 2009 -- A study published in the December 15 issue of the journal Cancer finds that women treated for breast cancer are at higher risk of cancer recurrence if they have dense breasts. The study’s results indicate that patients with breast cancer who have dense breasts may benefit from additional therapies following surgery, such as radiation. Previous studies indicate that women with dense breast tissue are at increased risk of breast cancer. Researchers have suspected that high breast density may also increase the risk of cancer recurrence after lumpectomy, but this theory has not been thoroughly studied. Steven A. Narod, MD, Women’s College Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, and colleagues reviewed the medical records of 335 patients who had undergone lumpectomy for breast cancer. They monitored the patients for cancer recurrence and compared recurrence with breast density as seen on mammogram, categorised as low density (<25% dense tissue), intermediate density (25-50% dense tissue) or high density (>50% dense tissue). The researchers found that patients with the highest breast density had a much greater risk of cancer recurrence than did women with the lowest breast density. Over ten years, women in the highest breast density category had a 21% chance of cancer recurrence, compared with a 5% chance among women in the lowest category. The difference in the recurrence rates at 10 years was even more pronounced for women who did not receive radiation. In those women, 40% with high-density breast tissue had a recurrence compared with none of the patients with low density. “The composition of the breast tissue surrounding the breast cancer is important in predicting whether or not a breast cancer will return after surgery,” concluded Dr. Narod. The authors said their findings indicate that women with low breast density, who have a low chance of recurrence after surgery, may not need radiation but that women with high breast density could significantly benefit from the additional therapy. SOURCE: American Cancer Society E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version