Japan clears Herceptin for breast cancer - Roche

ZURICH, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Japan's health authorities have approved Roche's cancer drug Herceptin for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer, the Swiss drugmaker said on Friday.

HER2-positive breast cancer affects approximately 20 to 30 percent of women with breast cancer, the most common cancer among women worldwide, Roche said.

Each year more than 1 million new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed worldwide, and nearly 400,000 people will die of the disease annually, the firm said.

Herceptin, a humanised antibody, designed to target and block the function of HER2, a protein produced by a specific gene with cancer-causing potential, is marketed by Roche's subsidiary Chugai Pharmaceuticals in Japan.

For the company statement, click on:

http://www.roche.com/home/inv-update-2008-02-29

(Reporting by Sven Egenter; Editing by Erica Billingham)

Personalized Medicine Can Cut Breast Cancer Risk

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A leading cancer risk expert says it’s time for breast cancer assessment, counseling and genetic testing to become part of primary care.

Funmi Olopade, M.D., Walther L. Palmer Distinguished Service professor of medicine at Chicago Medical Center, says physicians now have enough information to help patients understand the consequences of genetic testing. “Referral for cancer-risk assessment and BRCA testing in the primary care setting is a necessary step towards personalized medicine for women at risk for breast cancer.”

Inherited mutations in the tumor suppressing genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 are currently the most powerful predictors of breast cancer. Dr. Olapade believes that primary care physicians should learn about the genetics of cancer risk, take a comprehensive history from patients and advise those who could be at risk about genetic testing and risk-reduction strategies.

Studies have shown that genetic counseling and testing do not cause adverse psychological effects. There is evidence that risk reduction is associated with breast or ovary removal in patients with the BRCA1 or 2 mutations. And now there are other preventive measures that include intensive screening and chemoprevention.

Dr. Olapade adds that there is still a lot we don’t know about these cancer-causing mutations. The frequency and impact in various ethnic groups is not well understood and conflicting results also cloud the picture. As a result many ethnic groups under use genetic testing. In addition, scientists are still finding new mutations of BRCA1 and BRAC2. “We do know that mutation of these genes is common in families with hereditary breast cancer and among young women with breast cancer,” Dr. Olapade was quoted as saying. “Our goal is to make this knowledge more and more available to patients and that has to begin in the primary care setting. Only then can we hope to reap the benefits of individualized medicine,”

Lady Raiders 'Think Pink' for breast cancer

The Lady Raiders participated in Think Pink to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer while basking in their victory over Western Kentucky University.

The game took place on Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. with the Lady Raiders displaying pink uniforms as a closing to the Think Pink week of 2008, which began on Feb. 8.

The pink uniforms were donated by Tommy and Dean Hodges and were auctioned off after the game to raise money for breast cancer research.

The Women's Basketball Coaches Association established the concept for Think Pink in 2007 to focus on the awareness of breast cancer in athletics and communities.

"We are just glad to be able to do our part [to raise awareness]," said Head Coach Rick Insell. "We are only one of 600 schools that are participating this year in order to raise funds."

In 2007, only 120 schools participated in the "Think Pink" campaign; however, as of now over 600 basketball teams have come together for the cause.

In attendance, fans wore pink to honor breast cancer survivors and support the WBCA and Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Actual members of the audience were recognized during halftime, along with a special video clip displayed on the scoreboard screens, presenting three breast cancer survivors.

"I am so pleased with the crowd and the excitement they brought to support our women's team and raise awareness for breast cancer," said President Sidney McPhee.

In addition to support, freshman guard Anne Marie Lanning and sophomore forward Brandi Brown both have family members that were diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I think it's good because it's helping a good cause and I feel like we're supporting something special," Lanning said.

After the game, each player's jersey was auctioned off with the proceeds going to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, as well as the Middle Tennessee Medical Center.

"Everyone has just been more involved, and by coming out to see the game and the auction of the jerseys, everyone will be more aware that it can happen to them," Brown said.

Overall, Think Pink was a success with an attendance of 6,968 fans and an incredible $5,000 raised for sophomore guard Chelsia Lymon's pink jersey, which was ultimately the highest amount.

"I would love to see this as an annual tradition to continue to raise awareness for any kind of cancer including breast cancer," McPhee said.

Saliva test may be used to diagnose breast cancer –study

Forget about those unreliable, invasive and harmful tools currently used to diagnose breast cancer! U.S. researchers announced that they found a simple analysis of proteins in the saliva that can be performed in a dental clinic can determine whether the woman has the cancer.

The study published in the Jan 10, 2008 issue of the journal Cancer Investigation claimed that the test can not only diagnose breast cancer, but also help decide whether the subject needs surgery, a biopsy or a further testing.

Charles Streckfus, DDS, Professor of Diagnostic Sciences, The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. Photo credit: Natalie Wong Camarata
According to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston who conducted the research, the onset of breast cancer produces a change in the normal type of amount of proteins secreted from the salivary glands. A cancer can change the pattern.

Charles Streckfus, D.D.S., a University of Texas Dental Branch, an expert in salivary function and molecular epidemiology and William Dubinsky, a biochemist at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and Lenora Bigler at the UT Dental Branch tested saliva samples from 30 patients and found that 49 proteins distinguished healthy people with a benign tumor from those who had malignant breast cancer.

The diagnosis was made possible using a so called “lab-on-a-chip" technology developed by biochemists at the University of Texas at Austin, which intends to bring the diagnostic procedure into the dental office and other health facilities to detect the presence of breast cancer before a tumor forms.

William Dubinsky, PhD, A biochemist and Professor of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Photo credit: UT Medical School at Houston.
"Saliva is a complex mixture of proteins. We go through a process that compares different samples by chemically labeling them in such a way that we can not only identify the protein, but determine how much of it is in each sample," said Dubinsky.

"This allows us to compare the levels of 150-200 different proteins in cancerous versus non-cancerous specimens to identify possible markers for disease."

The concept is not new that the protein pattern in the saliva may be used to diagnose breast cancer. One study led by Carlson L. E. and colleagues from the University of Calgary and published in the Feb, 2007 issue of Journal of behavioral medicine revealed patients with breast cancer experience dysregulations in endocrine and sympathetic nervous systems and some proteins such as salivary cortisol is altered in the patients.

Breast cancer is diagnosed in about 200,000 American women and more than 50,000 die from the disease and complications of the conventional treatments. Worldwide, this disease will be found in an estimated 25 million women and kill 10 million in the next 25 years if no cure is found.

Current tools used to detect breast cancer include ultrasounds, regular blood test screenings, mammograms and biopsies some of which have received criticism from heath advocates because some procedures per se can increase risk of the cancer. The researchers said eventually all the diagnostic tools will be supplemented by salivary diagnostics.

MRI helps detect breast cancer early

KUWAIT (KUNA): The Second GCC Radiology Conference and Kuwait's Fifth International X-Ray and Radiology Conference discussed the latest techniques for early diagnosis of breast cancer, said conference chairman Dr Najib Al-Marzouq on Monday. In a press release, he said the conference, which kicked off on Saturday, looked into number of papers that tackled how MRI technology could be used to diagnose breast cancer and follow up cases that had been treated with chemotherapy.

Another paper dealt with surgeries for the extraction of breast tumors, as well as implementing a system of testing for those who had a history of this type of cancer in the family.
The conferees also discussed the need for training X-ray and radiology specialists on how to detect breast cancer, as well as alternatives for MRI and the role of radiology in diagnosing the condition and the phase it was at.
The Second GCC Radiology Conference and Kuwait's Fifth International X-Ray and Radiology Conference had kicked off on Saturday and concludes on Wednesday.

Online breast cancer information not always accurate: study

Most of the information about breast cancer found on the internet is accurate, but some of it can be misleading, says a new U.S. study.

The study by researchers at the University of Texas found that one in 20 breast cancer web pages contained information that was inaccurate. Sites focused on alternative or complementary medicine were 15 times more likely to have incorrect information, it found.

According to the study's authors, 44 per cent of women recently diagnosed with breast canceruse the Web to find health information.
Associated Press

According to the authors, 44 per cent of women recently diagnosed with the disease turn to the web to find health information.

The researchers evaluated 343 web pages using such criteria as display of authorship and the credentials of the identified authors and physicians, whether general disclaimers were provided, whether references were listed and the if date of the last update was posted.

They looked for breast cancer information using search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Alta Vista, Overture and AlltheWeb between June 1 and June 30, 2004.

The authors suggest people searching for breast cancer information online should be wary and look elsewhere to verify what they learn. "Consumers searching for health information online should still consult a clinician before taking action," reads the study.

The study is to be published in the March 15, 2008, issue of the journal Cancer.

Women back in court demanding a change of stance by the drug agency PHARMAC, over the drug Herceptin

11 February 2008
Eight breast cancer survivors have been back in the High Court In Wellington to challenge PHARMAC's decision over the funding of the drug Herceptin.

They are questioning the drug-buying agency's decision to fund Herceptin for just nine weeks instead of a full year for woman with Her2-positive cancer.

The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition says thousands of lives depends on decisions made by PHARMAC, and women are becoming increasingly concerned about the way it reaches some decisions. They say the purpose of the Judicial Review is to find out how PHARMAC managed the advice it received about Herceptin and how its actions stacked up against its responsibilities.

Twenty-four OECD countries now fund the recommended 12-month treatment of Herceptin. The eight plaintiffs want PHARMAC to explain why it does not. They say it is out on a limb on its own.

The coalition is also concerned that future patients may find themselves in a similar situation. It says there are a large number of other new therapies on the horizon, and it would be unacceptable for another group of patients to go through the same issues, delays and inconsistencies women wanting the Herceptin treatment have endured.

This morning Justice Gendall granted their request for disclosure of documents the defence argued were commercially sensitive.

The case is expected to last a week.