Cancer in the headlines, October 16

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we take this opportunity to bring you breast cancer news updates.

Medications to Reduce Risk of Breast Cancer
The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) presents in this radiocast the pros and cons of medications to reduce breast cancer risk. According to AHRQ researcher Dr. Shilpa Amin:

“Drugs such as tamoxifen, raloxifene and tibolone can reduce the risk of breast cancer in women. But each drug actually has distinct potential harms. For example, tamoxifen has an increased risk for endometrial cancer, hysterectomies, blood clots and cataracts compared with the other drugs. Women should discuss these potential harms, as well as the potential benefits, with their clinicians to make a choice about what is right for them.”

October Focused on Health: Will I Get Breast Cancer?
It’s only right that the October issue of MD Anderson Cancer Center newsletter Focused on Health is dedicated to breast cancer. Some of the useful resources are:

• Video: What to Expect at Your First Mammogram
• Video: Is Breast MRI Right for Me?
• What’s Hot in Breast Cancer Prevention

Ohio couple both fighting breast cancer
Breast cancer does occur in men and this couple from Ohio have to face the almost the impossible: that both husband and wife have to battle the disease. Both have undergone surgery and the wife Barbara Walsh (63) has gone through chemotherapy and is currently having radiation treatment. The he husband Mike underwent a modified radical mastectomy in his right breast and may have to go through chemo and radiation therapy as well.
Breast cancer in men is rare, without about 1,900 cases in the US reported this year.

The Power of Pink: Cause-Related Marketing and the Impact on Breast Cancer
Scientists at the University of Virginia Medical Center look at use and misuse of “pink” marketing. On the one hand, cause-related marketing has increased breast cancer awareness and reduced the “taboo On the other hand, corporate sponsors may abuse the use of the pink ribbon symbol to market inappropriate products in so-called “pink washing” campaigns. More about cause-related marketing in a more detailed post.

Photo credit: stock.xchng