Literature Selection / Selezione della Letteratura

• Smith I et al.: "2-year follow-up of trastuzumab after adjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-positive breast cancer: a randomised controlled trial", Lancet. 2007 Jan 6;369(9555):29-36
• Ives A et al.: "Pregnancy after breast cancer: population based study", BMJ. 2006 Dec 8; [Epub ahead of print]
• Haffty BG et al.: "Concurrent chemo-radiation in the conservative management of breast cancer", Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2006 Dec 1;66(5):1306-12
• Lyytinen H et al.: "Breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women using estrogen-only therapy", Obstet Gynecol. 2006 Dec;108(6):1354-60
• Malinovszky KM et al.: "Quality of life and sexual function after high-dose or conventional chemotherapy for high-risk breast cancer", Br J Cancer. 2006 Dec 18;95(12):1626-31
• Bardia A et al.: "Recreational physical activity and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer based on hormone receptor status", Arch Intern Med. 2006 Dec 11;166(22):2478-83
• Moss SM et al.: "Effect of mammographic screening from age 40 years on breast cancer mortality at 10 years' follow-up: a randomised controlled trial", Lancet. 2006 Dec 9;368(9552):2053-60
• Gabos Z et al.: "Prognostic significance of human epidermal growth factor receptor positivity for the development of brain metastasis after newly diagnosed breast cancer", J Clin Oncol. 2006 Dec 20;24(36):5658-63
• Terry KL et al.: "A prospective study of infertility due to ovulatory disorders, ovulation induction, and incidence of breast cancer", Arch Intern Med. 2006 Dec 11-25;166(22):2484-9
• Antoniou AC et al.: "Parity and breast cancer risk among BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers", Breast Cancer Res. 2006 Dec 22;8(6):R72

Editorial / Editoriale

• "Prognostic significance of triple negative breast cancers with respect to locoregional relapse and distant metastasis in conservatively managed patients" - Bruce G. Haffty, Department of Radiation Oncology, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

"The purpose of the study was to determine the prognostic significance of triple negative breast cancers classified by three molecular markers - estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and HER2/neu. They looked at the prognosis for the locoregional relapse and distant metastasis  of the disease and clinical evidence of distant disease based on clinical and/or radiographic findings in conservatively managed breast cancer patients, those treated with breast-conserving surgery followed by radiation therapy. Utilizing a database of 1,990 conservative managed patients, 482 patients were identified as having all three molecular markers available.  Of those patients, 117 were classified as triple negative since they were negative for all three markers and 365 were classified as non-triple negative. One of the more striking differences between the triple negative and the non-triple negative groups was the higher percentage of younger women with triple negative tumors, with only 37% of the triple negative group over 50 years at diagnosis compared with 55% of the non-triple cohort. Younger women have been shown to have a higher rate of local relapse compared with older women. Also, the triple negative group had a higher proportion of patients with strong family histories (defined as at least one first-degree relative with breast cancer) and patients in the triple negative group were more likely to be African American. Utilizing the three molecular markers as predictors, we demonstrated that patients with triple negative breast cancers have a relatively poor prognosis, with a poorer distant metastasis-free, disease-free, and cause-specific survival. However, local recurrences (tumors recurring within the conservatively treated breast) were not increased in the triple negative cohort. These results indicate that although these patients are at higher risk for metastasis, their local relapse rates are acceptable and they are candidates for breast conserving surgery and radiation. Future research should focus on new strategies to decrease distant metastasis in patients with triple negative breast tumors." (Comment on paper:  Haffty BG et al.: "Locoregional relapse and distant metastasis in conservatively managed triple negative early-stage breast cancer", J Clin Oncol. 2006 Dec 20;24(36):5652-7)

Press Releases / Comunicati stampa  

• "Clinical trial confirms value of a protein-based tumor biomarker for predicting breast-cancer survival" - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
• "Genomic Tests Improve Prediction of Breast Cancer Response to Chemotherapy, Hormonal Therapy" - The University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
• "Decline in Breast Cancer Cases Likely Linked to Reduced Use of Hormone Replacement" - The University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
• "Study Finds Lapatinib Shows Promise as Therapy for Inflammatory Breast Cancer" - The University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
• "Reduced Levels of Fat in the Diet May Decrease the Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence According to New Clinical Trial" - National Institutes of Health (NIH), U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
• "One in five women with early stage, hormone-sensitive breast cancer may not follow hormonal therapy treatment plan, study finds" - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA

Calendar of Events / Prossimi Eventi Senologici

• The 12th Annual Multidisciplinary Symposium on Breast Disease, February 15 – 18, 2007, The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, Florida
• 4th Annual "Orlando Breast Cancer Conference", Mar 31 - Apr 1, 2007, Orlando, FL, USA

Literature Selection / Selezione della Letteratura

• Motzer RJ et al.: "Sunitinib versus interferon alfa in metastatic renal-cell carcinoma",  Engl J Med 2007;356:115-124
• Chan JA et al.: "Hormone replacement therapy and survival after colorectal cancer diagnosis", J Clin Oncol. 2006 Dec 20;24(36):5680-6
• Joyce DL et al.: "Preoperative positron emission tomography to evaluate potentially resectable hepatic colorectal metastases", Arch Surg. 2006 Dec;141(12):1220-6
• Case AS et al.: "Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in adolescent women: incidence and treatment outcomes", Obstet Gynecol. 2006 Dec;108(6):1369-74
• Hampl M et al.: "Effect of Human Papillomavirus Vaccines on Vulvar, Vaginal, and Anal Intraepithelial Lesions and Vulvar Cancer", Obstet Gynecol. 2006 Dec;108(6):1361-1368
• Druker BJ et al.: "Five-Year Follow-up of Patients Receiving Imatinib for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia", N Engl J Med. 2006 Dec 7;355(23):2408-2417
• Sinner P et al.: "The Association of Physical Activity with Lung Cancer Incidence in a Cohort of Older Women: The Iowa Women's Health Study", Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006 Dec;15(12):2359-63
• Haliloglu A et al.: "Penile length changes in men treated with androgen suppression plus radiation therapy for local or locally advanced prostate cancer", J Urol. 2007 Jan;177(1):128-30
• Bromage SJ et al.: "The use of prostate-specific antigen testing in men presenting with haematuria", BJU Int. 2006 Dec;98(6):1221-4
• Wong JN et al.: "Survival associated with treatment vs observation of localized prostate cancer in elderly men", JAMA. 2006 Dec 13;296(22):2683-93
• Michaud DS et al.: "Gonorrhoea and male bladder cancer in a prospective study", Br J Cancer. 2006 Dec 12
• Hammarstedt L et al.: "Human papillomavirus as a risk factor for the increase in incidence of tonsillar cancer", Int J Cancer. 2006 Dec 1;119(11):2620-3
• Liu W et al.: "Rate of growth in melanomas: characteristics and associations of rapidly growing melanomas", Arch Dermatol. 2006 Dec;142(12):1551-8

Editorial / Editoriale

• "Cellular telephones and cancer risk" - Joachim Schüz, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Copenhagen, Denmark

 "This nationwide Danish study is based on 420,000 persons starting to use a mobile phone between 1982 and 1995 who were followed up for cancer until the end of 2002. The cancer rates in this group were compared with the cancer rates observed among the rest of of the Danish population and, as they were similar, we concluded that there is no association between short-term or long-term use of mobile phones and the risk of cancer. This was particularly so for brain tumors, which were of major interest to us, as the mobile phones are held to the head and most energy emitted by the phone is absorbed in the lateral regions of the brain. The strengths of this study are its representativity, as the whole population was included, and the objective way of dividing Danes into early users of mobile phones and the rest, due to availability of the customer files of all Danish network operators. But the study has also limitations, since we had no possibility to separate occasional users from intense users of mobile phones, and since not every user of mobile phone is a subscriber or every subscriber a regular user. In addition, our study shares the limitation with all other studies up-to-date, that even most long-term mobile phone users rather started recently, about 10-15 years ago, so further follow up is required to investigate whether there may be risk occurring only after 20 or more years of use.  Our study provides no evidence for a link between mobile phone use and cancer risk, based on a huge study population with a follow up of up to 21 years. However we strongly recommend further studies are needed to address a possible higher vulnerability to radio waves among children and potential risks among intense mobile phone users" (Comment on paper:    Schuz J et al.: "Cellular telephone use and cancer risk: update of a nationwide Danish cohort", J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Dec 6;98(23):1707-13 )

Clinical Guidelines / Linee Guida Cliniche (link)

• "Photo-dynamic therapy for early oesophageal cancer: guidance" - NICE - National Institute For Clinical Excellence, London, UK
• "Preoperative high dose rate brachytherapy for rectal cancer: guidance" - NICE - National Institute For Clinical Excellence, London, UK

Press Releases / Comunicati Stampa

• "Survey reveals need for standardized oral chemotherapy prescribing practices, safeguards" - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
• "Drug combination proves effective against myeloma in Phase I trial" - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
• "Allergy Drug Slows Pancreatic Tumor Growth in Preclinical Studies" - The University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

 Video and Lectures / Conferenze e Video (link)

• "Watchful Waiting for Prostate Cancer" - The University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

Literature Selection / Selezione della Letteratura

• Fiscella K et al.: "Effect of mifepristone for symptomatic leiomyomata on quality of life and uterine size: a randomized controlled trial", Obstet Gynecol. 2006 Dec;108(6):1381-7 - In donne con miofibromi uterini sintomatici, basse dosi di mifepristone sono in grado di migliorare la qualità di vita e di ridurre le dimensioni dell'utero
• Smith AJ et al.: "Postmenopausal hormone therapy and quality of life", Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2006 Dec;95(3):267-71 - Al di là dei possibili effetti dannosi a lungo termine, la terapia ormonale sostitutiva è in grado di migliorare significativamente la qualità di vita delle pazienti affette da disturbi climaterici
• Neveu N et al.: "Comparison of clomiphene citrate, metformin, or the combination of both for first-line ovulation induction and achievement of pregnancy in 154 women with polycystic ovary syndrome", Fertil Steril. 2007 Jan;87(1):113-20.- La metformina rappresenta il farmaco di prima scelta per l'induzione dell'ovulazione in donne affette da sindrome dell'ovaio policistico