Why Cancer Researchers Are Playing it Safe

New drug combos delay tumor growth in advanced cases

(NEWSER) - Two new studies mark what could be the biggest breakthrough in treating breast cancer in more than a decade, researchers say. Both involve combining drug therapies that attack tumors in different ways, significantly delaying the time until women with advanced breast cancer became sicker, the AP reports. One treatment held tumor growth at bay for around six months longer than conventional treatments; the other delayed it for four months longer. More»

(NEWSER) - New research strongly suggests that breastfeeding can help protect women with a family history of breast cancer from developing the cancer, Reuters reports. Scientists found that among women who had a mother or sister with the disease, those who breastfed were nearly 60% less likely to develop the cancer before menopause than those who didn't. The risk reduction compares favorably to the use of hormone therapy to prevent breast cancer, researchers say. More»

PARP inhibitors show potential to transform understanding of cancer

(NEWSER) - A new class of drugs in development represents the biggest cancer breakthrough in a decade, Robert Bazell writes at NBC. In a study causing much excitement in the medical world, breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer patients treated with Olaparib, one of a group of drugs known as PARP inhibitors, had their tumors shrink or vanish, often without the punishing side effects caused by other cancer treatments. More»

First-of-its-kind drug slows, stops tumor growth

(NEWSER) - A first-of-its-kind drug has been developed to fight genetic breast cancer, with an initial round of human trials showing “very promising” results, reports the Times of London. The drug Olaparib works by blocking a protein that makes cancer cells containing the genetic default unable to repair themselves. The drug shrank tumors or stopped their growth in 40% of cases studied. More»

Genetic study offers 'completely new way of looking at breast cancer'

(NEWSER) - Breast cancer isn't a single disease but an umbrella term for 10 genetically distinct diseases, according to the biggest-ever study of the genetics of breast tumors. The researchers, who split the disease into 10 categories after examining samples from 2,000 tumors, say the study offers a "completely new way of looking at breast cancer" that will allow much more precisely targeted therapies for sufferers in the future, the BBC reports. More»