Breast Cancer

A study including 10 million patients covered by 11 health plans suggested that insurance claims could be used to estimate the number of early-stage breast cancer cases as well as the demand for anti-HER2 drugs.

Keeping up with advances in oncology is a welcome challenge.

Incremental gains in survival and new targeted agents in the pipeline offer promise.

Women who regularly took low-dose aspirin had significantly reduced risk of colon cancer, but researchers are not yet ready to generally recommend the drug for primary prevention.

Independent verification of drug doses can prevent mix-ups and misinterpretation.

The FDA approved Kadcyla (ado-trastuzumab emtansine), a new therapy for patients with HER2-positive, late-stage (metastatic) breast cancer.

Eight-year follow-up data from the phase III HERA trial has confirmed that 1-year of adjuvant trastuzumab should remain the treatment standard in women with HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer.

The United States Food and Drug Administration recently approved Afinitor (everolimus) for use in combination with Aromasin (exemestane) to treat certain postmenopausal women with advanced hormone-receptor positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.

This continuing education activity addresses the factors that increase and decrease a woman's risk for breast cancer, and includes information for pharmacists to help provide evidence-based counseling on preventative measures.

The FDA approved Genentech, Inc's pertuzumab injection (Perjeta) for use in combination with trastuzumab and docetaxel for the treatment of patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have not received prior anti-HER2 therapy or chemotherapy for metastatic disease.

Girls who received mantle radiation for childhood cancer were found to be at elevated risk for secondary breast cancer later in life.

Intravenous bisphosphonates, often used to treat metastases and bone pain in breast cancer patients, are now being used by clinicians for osteoporosis in these patients—pharmacists need to recommend appropriate screening and treatment.