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Chemotherapy is one of the most popular ways to treat breast cancer. Even though it has proven to be effective, it also has downsides, such as a higher risk of side effects, as it doesn't only attack the cancer cells but can also affect normal cells. Chemotherapy-related side effects such as fatigue, weakness, and proneness to infections can influence treatment adherence and undermine the effectiveness of the therapy and the patients' quality of life. Probiotics are among the emerging alternative supplements being studied for their potential benefit in cancer treatment. A new study published in the open-access journal Pharmacia explored...

Presented at ESTRO 2025 in Vienna, Austria, a 10-year study involving over 4,000 UK patients confirms that a one-week course of post-surgery radiotherapy is just as safe and effective as the traditional three-week regimen for early-stage breast cancer patients. These long-term results from the FAST-Forward trial could further reduce the burden on breast cancer patients worldwide, and expand access to life-saving radiotherapy. The phase III randomized trial followed up patients for ten years and showed that a shorter, five-day radiotherapy schedule provides a similar level of cancer control as the standard 3-week treatment, without additional long-term side effects. This builds...

A new study published in the journal Immunity reveals a mechanism that allows triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) to develop resistance to therapy. Researchers showed that lipid accumulation in tumor cells and nearby immune cells promotes immune suppression, but disrupting lipid formulation reverses treatment resistance and the immunosuppressive microenvironment. Standard-of-care treatment for TNBC includes chemotherapy and immunotherapy. However, some initially responsive tumors still develop recurrences. Researchers studied mouse models and found that TNBC cells that survived treatment accumulated lipid droplets containing Omega-6 fatty acids. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, near the tumor cells...

Opinion Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with millions of new cases reported each year. In 2022 alone, approximately 20 million new cancer cases were diagnosed globally, and 9.7 million lives were lost to the disease. In India, the numbers are equally alarming, with around 100 out of every one lakh people diagnosed with cancer. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), more than 14 lakh cancer cases were estimated in 2023. [1 lakh = 0.1 million] Despite advancements in early detection and treatment, many myths surrounding cancer testing prevent people from undergoing timely...

A new study found that cold therapy protects breast cancer patients from nerve pain caused by chemotherapy. Researchers found that cryotherapy, a treatment that involves exposing the body or specific areas of the body to extremely cold temperatures for therapeutic purposes, helped prevent nerve damage in breast cancer patients who are being treated with the chemotherapy drugs paclitaxel and nab-paclitaxel. These chemotherapy drugs are notorious for causing long-lasting pain or tingling in your hands, feet or legs. Cryotherapy reduced the incidence of peripheral neuropathy from chemotherapy by 55% in this meta-analysis.

A far shorter, simpler, and less toxic treatment protocol for patients with triple-negative breast cancer produced outcomes similar to the current standard of care, a clinical trial shows. About 10%–15% of breast cancers are triple negative. In a global phase three clinical trial called KEYNOTE-522 that Dr. McArthur co-authored and published last year, 1,174 patients at 181 sites with triple-negative breast cancer received the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab in combination with four chemotherapy drugs before their tumors were surgically removed. They then continued receiving immunotherapy for the next year. In that study, 64% of patients had a pathologic complete response—meaning that...

Patients with intermediate-risk breast cancer had similar rates of 10-year overall survival whether or not they underwent chest wall irradiation (CWI) after mastectomy, according to results from the BIG 2-04 MRC SUPREMO clinical trial. He explained that while guidelines vary, CWI is commonly used to treat patients with intermediate-risk breast cancers, defined as patients with one to three positive lymph nodes or patients who have no positive lymph nodes but whose cancers exhibit other factors that increase the risk of recurrence, such as grade 3 histology and/or lymphovascular invasion. To evaluate the impact of post-mastectomy CWI in patients with intermediate-risk...

Yet another study has emerged to confirm that ivermectin can successfully treat cancer patients. Researchers in Mexico have revealed that ivermectin outperforms chemotherapy as a treatment for breast cancer. Scientists have been publishing research dating back to 1996 showing that ivermectin could be an effective cancer treatment. More recent research has discovered that ivermectin inhibits cancer stem cells. Tumor growth is generally driven by so-called bulk tumor cells. However, another subpopulation of cells within cancer tumors presents a stem cell phenotype. These cells are referred to in the scientific literature as “cancer stem-like cells” or CSCs. What makes cancer stem-like...

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, with high rates of mortality and morbidity. According to a study, scientists have revealed a new function of ganoderic acids from Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum) for treating breast cancer. This is the first time scientists identified potential targets of ganoderic acids for breast cancer treatment using bioinformatics techniques. G. lucidum, also called as Lingzhi in Chinese, is a popular medicinal fungus. It has a unique therapeutic and pharmacological reputation in suppressing cancer/tumor progression, especially breast cancer, due to its embedded rich bioactive chemical constituents, mainly triterpenoids (ganoderic acids). In...

Metformin is a widely prescribed drug for managing type 2 diabetes. In recent years, indications of its potential anticancer properties have emerged in research. A study has found that metformin activates the body's immune cells. The effect was particularly observed in what are known as dendritic cells, which are the most effective in helping the immune system identify cancer cells as foreign entities. "Our study found that metformin contributed to the metabolism of dendritic cells so that they became active and enhanced the immune response against cancer cells," says Rita Turpin. Identifying this effect can help to develop anticancer therapies...

More than 150 students, staff and alumni have reportedly been diagnosed with cancers and other diseases linked to a university building teeming with toxins. Cases of lymphoma and thyroid and breast cancers have been reported among patients who spent time at Poe Hall, a class building at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. The building closed in November 2023 amid reports of exposure to concerning levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxic chemicals linked to cancer. An investigation the month before found that PCB levels in five rooms were more than 38 times the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) building limit. The...

Yesterday the Expose published an article which highlighted just a few of the various diseases that were found to be potentially caused by parasites, including cancers. A recent review of nine published research papers by Doctor William Makis further supports the views in the article, but Dr Makis is more qualified to say “it is a reasonable hypothesis that COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Turbo Cancer patients could benefit significantly from anti-parasitic drugs.” One anti parasitic drug in particular, Fenbendazole, however, has not been sanctioned for human use by the FDA, but despite lacking “official” approval, it is cheap, safe and more...

Research has found that hormone levels, measured through blood tests, are an important indicator of whether women will benefit from recently licensed medication for the prevention of breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors such as anastrozole are recommended as an option for preventive therapy in post-menopausal women at high risk of breast cancer. Post-menopausal women who have higher concentrations of the hormone estrogen in their bloodstream are at higher risk of developing breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors stop the production of estrogen and reduce the amount made in the body. They are currently the most effective preventive agent for estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer,...

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN)—nerve pain, tingling, or numbness in the hands or feet—is a common side effect of certain cancer treatments, including two drugs frequently used to treat cancer—the taxanes paclitaxel and docetaxel. Initial results from a large study that tracked CIPN in more than 1,100 patients treated for breast cancer with a taxane show a pattern of clinically meaningful, persistent sensory and motor symptoms, with patients experiencing more severe symptoms with paclitaxel than with docetaxel. Michael J. Fisch, MD, said "These results are highly relevant because taxanes such as paclitaxel and docetaxel are integral to our treatment of breast...

A study conducted in mice has revealed that maternal milk provides an essential signal that triggers the maturation of heart metabolism after birth, allowing the neonatal heart to function correctly and ensuring postnatal survival. The study shows that the fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), present in breast milk, binds to the retinoid X receptor (RXR) protein found in heart cells. RXR acts as a nutritional sensor of lipids and vitamin A derivatives, altering gene expression and influencing biological functions such as immunity, cell differentiation, and metabolism. Once activated by maternal GLA, RXR initiates genetic programs that equip mitochondria, the energy...

A new international study has, for the first time, identified that beta-blockers could significantly enhance the therapeutic effect of anthracycline chemotherapy in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) by reducing metastasis. Anthracyclines are a class of drugs used in chemotherapy to treat many cancers, including TNBC. Researchers have previously shown in a clinical trial that beta-blockers (most commonly used to manage blood pressure) are linked with less cancer spread. However, until now, it was unclear how beta-blockers would interact with common cancer treatments. The team used mouse models of cancer and analyzed large-scale patient clinical data, in collaboration with the Cancer...

Women with triple-negative breast cancer who received multiple antibiotic prescriptions within three years after their cancer diagnosis were more likely to experience disease recurrence and to die from their cancer than those who took fewer courses of the drugs, according to a study. The effect on survival was not due to differences in cancer severity, the study showed. The risk increased substantially with the total number and types of antibiotics prescribed for each patient. "Each additional antibiotic increased the risk of death between 5% and 18% relative to patients who weren't prescribed antibiotics," said Julia Ransohoff, MD. The researchers found...

In a study of over a million women, digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) showed improved breast cancer screening outcomes over screening with standard digital mammography alone. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States. Regular screening is the most reliable method for the early detection of breast cancer. Screening with two-dimensional (2-D) digital mammography alone is still the standard of care at many sites, but it has its limitations due to its inability to detect some cancers. There is a growing amount of evidence that DBT, a more advanced technology, has a higher breast cancer detection...

Scientists have discovered why breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs may "wake up" following years of sleep, forming incurable secondary tumors. Their research reveals the mechanism that triggers this breast cancer "time bomb"—and suggests a strategy to defuse it. Patients with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer—the most common type—have a continued risk of their cancer recurring in another part of their body for many years or even decades after their original diagnosis and treatment. When breast cancer cells spread from the first cancer in the breast to other parts of the body it is called secondary...

...Prostate Cancer Illustration Researchers have found that a single enzyme called PI5P4Kα can be targeted to kill prostate cancer. The discovery is the first of its kind and could help tackle treatment resistance in prostate cancer. Additionally, it could lead to better treatment options for other types of cancer, including those affecting the breast, skin, and pancreas. By inhibiting one enzyme, scientists from Sanford Burnham Prebys can kill prostate cancer cells when other treatments can’t. For the first time, researchers have discovered that prostate cancer can be killed by targeting a single enzyme, called PI5P4Kα. The findings, published recently in...