Categories Prevention, Screening

Article : The right not to know when not knowing is dangerous

Relevance: High

Quality of Writing: High

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Most relevant for: People with Icelandic heritage

Healthcare providers are bound by the guiding principle of doing no harm. But how does this concept apply to their patients who have not consented to genetic testing or who do not want to know their results? In that case, is providing test results more harmful or not? Anna Clausen explores these issues in the context of breast cancer gene testing in her Global Health Now article “The Right Not to Know: When Ignorance is Bliss but Deadly.” (4/20/18)

Study : FDA updates report on risk of lymphoma from breast implants

Relevance: Medium-High

Research Timeline: Post Approval

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Most relevant for: Women who currently have textured implants or expanders or who have had them in the past

Note: On 07/25/19, the FDA announced a recall of Allergan BIOCELL textured implants and expanders, due to their association with BIA-ALCL. On October 27, 2021 the FDA announced stronger guidance on breast implant safety.

In March 2017, the Food and Drug Administration reported that patients with breast implants may be at increased risk for a rare type of lymphoma. This was covered in a previous XRAYS review. The FDA has continued to collect data since the first reported association in 2011. Recently, the agency released an update on the number of reported cases of breast implant-associated lymphoma and lifetime risk estimates for women with textured breast implants. (04/02/18)

Study : Take your time, follow your heart: strategies for communication about family planning

Relevance: Medium-High

Strength of Science: Medium

Most relevant for: Young high risk women

When a woman is newly diagnosed with a BRCA mutation, she faces many risk management decisions. Although many of these decisions impact family planning, little guidance is available on how to communicate this information. This study examines female previvors’ advice on effective strategies for discussing family planning decisions. (03/28/18)

Study : Should biannual MRIs replace annual mammograms in high-risk women?

Relevance: High

Strength of Science: High

Research Timeline: Post Approval

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Most relevant for: Women at increased risk for breast cancer due to an inherited mutation

The risk of breast cancer is exceptionally high in women who have a personal or family history of breast cancer or who carry a mutation in BRCA or certain other genes. More frequent screening is one strategy for early detection of breast cancer for these women. Study results presented at the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium suggest that MRI screening every 6 months may be more effective than the currently recommended annual breast MRI and annual mammogram in detecting early stage breast cancers-which are more treatable-in high-risk women. (2/1/18)

Study : What is the risk of breast cancer recurrence after nipple-sparing mastectomy?

Relevance: Medium-High

Strength of Science: Medium-High

Research Timeline: Post Approval

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Most relevant for: Breast cancer patients who are considering or have had a nipple sparing mastectomy

Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) offers better cosmetic results for women who have immediate breast reconstruction (at the same time as their mastectomy). Over the past decade, NSM has gained popularity among surgeons and patients. Studies show that women who keep their own nipples have higher rates of satisfaction and psychological well-being after mastectomy and reconstruction compared to women who lose their nipples. However, little data exists on the long-term risk of recurrence following NSM. New research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that risk of recurrence is low after NSM in carefully selected patients with breast cancer. (1/25/18)

Article : Dense breasts and mammograms: Jill Goodacre’s story

Relevance: Medium-High

Quality of Writing: High

Most relevant for: Women with dense breast tissue on mammograms

Korin Miller’s piece for SELF magazine focuses on why women with dense breasts may need more than a screening mammogram. Miller highlights the recent story in People magazine of Jill Goodacre, a former Victoria’s Secret model and the wife of recording artist and talk show host Harry Connick Jr. Goodacre told of her breast cancer diagnosis 5 years ago after having additional screening of her dense breast tissue following a normal mammogram.  (12/8/17)

Study : Alcohol and breast cancer risk in African American women

Relevance: High

Strength of Science: Medium

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Most relevant for: African American women who would like to lower their breast cancer risk

The link between alcohol intake and breast cancer is well known, but most studies have involved only White women. Recently, a large study of more than 22,000 African American (AA) women found that similar to White women, increased alcohol consumption is associated with a greater risk of breast cancer. (10/27/17)

Article : Can lifestyle changes impact breast cancer risk?

Relevance: Medium-High

Quality of Writing: Medium-High

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Most relevant for: Any woman concerned about her risk for breast cancer

A recent New York Times article shared how “adopting protective living habits”  could help keep breast cancer “at bay”.  While many of these lifestyle changes and strategies like not smoking, avoiding weight gain, reducing alcohol consumption, eating a heart-healthy diet, and increasing physical activity have been shown to reduce breast cancer risk, there are other risk factors that one cannot control such as having a BRCA or other mutation that significantly increases breast cancer risk. Importantly, no one strategy has been proven to totally eliminate breast cancer risk. However many of these approaches have overall health benefits. (9/21/2017)

Study : Does aspirin lower a woman’s breast cancer risk?

Relevance: Medium-High

Strength of Science: Medium

Research Timeline: Post Approval

Most relevant for: Women at average risk for breast cancer

Women who take aspirin regularly may have a reduced risk of breast cancer. However, previous studies have reported mixed results. Few of these studies have looked at whether this potential benefit of aspirin is linked to specific types of breast cancer. This study found a small reduction in breast cancer risk for women who took a low-dose aspirin at least three times per week, but only for one subtype of breast cancer. Women who took aspirin were less likely to develop ER/PR-positive, Her2- negative breast cancer, the most common type of breast cancer. This study found no breast cancer risk reduction for women who used regular-dose aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). (8/29/17)

Study : Do physicians recommend breast cancer screenings based on guidelines?

Relevance: Medium

Strength of Science: Medium

Research Timeline: Post Approval

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Most relevant for: Women at average risk for breast cancer

Several guidelines help physicians decide when a woman should begin screening for breast cancer and how often she should be screened. However, are these guidelines put into use in the clinic? (8/8/17)