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+Breast Cancer | April 4, 2012

Ultrasounds and MRIs Detect More Breast Cancer, Study Says

By Alexandra Sifferlin

The breast cancer screening debate continues. A new study finds that adding ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) tests to annual mammogram screenings can increase cancer detection in women with higher-than-average risk of the disease.

+Breast Cancer | February 3, 2012

Planned Parenthood Responds to Komen Reversal

By Alice Park
Mike Coppola / Getty Images

Planned Parenthood thanks supporters who publicly criticized Komen’s decision to stop funding the group.

+Cancer | December 13, 2011

Why Cancer Screening May Not Be a Good Idea for the Elderly

By Alice Park
Burazin

Our risk of cancer rises dramatically as we age — cancer is, after all, a disease of aging, a consequence of our increasing longevity. So it makes sense that the elderly should be routinely screened for new tumors — or doesn’t it?

+Cancer | October 19, 2011

Study: Mammograms Lead to Many False-Positive Results

By Alice Park
Keith Brofsky

In 2009, a government advisory group sent women and their doctors into a frenzy when it rolled back recommendations for annual breast cancer screening for most women. Saying that routine mammograms could potentially do more harm than good, the panel advised women to delay regular screening until age 50, instead of age 40, and even [...]

+Cancer | October 7, 2011

Prostate Cancer Screening: What You Need to Know

By Alice Park
Getty Images

A panel of cancer experts is recommending against testing for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the most commonly used prostate cancer screen, in healthy men.

+Numbers | March 29, 2011

50

The study’s authors say airport scanner radiation is minimal compared to the levels of background radiation we’re exposed to daily. Going through one airport body scan delivers as much radiation as six to nine minutes of living, or one or two minutes of flying in an airplane. So what’s the cancer risk of the scans? [...]

+Breast Cancer | February 24, 2011

Why Mammograms Are Less Effective Among Breast Cancer Survivors

By Alice Park
Steve Smith

Sometimes, even in medicine, where it’s all about evidence, we slip and take some things for granted. Such as, for instance, the fact that women who have survived breast cancer should get regular mammogram screenings, so they and their doctors can stay ahead of any potential recurrent tumors.

+Numbers | February 19, 2011

30%

Percentage of biopsies done between 2003 and 2008 that were surgical, according to a study in Florida; that rate should be 10% or less, medical guidelines say. Surgical biopsies are more invasive, have a higher risk of infection and scarring, and are more expensive than needle biopsies. [via The New York Times]

+Video Breast Cancer | November 30, 2010

Study: MRI May Detect More Cases of Recurrent Breast Cancer

By Alice Park
REUTERS/Jim Bourg

For anyone who has successfully battled cancer, preventing future recurrence of tumors is a top priority. And a new study of breast cancer patients shows that magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, of the breast, can be an important tool in helping women maintain that vigilance, even if leading cancer organizations do not currently recommend MRI [...]

+Women's Health | October 20, 2010

Study: More Evidence for the Harms of Hormone Replacement Therapy

By Meredith Melnick
REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

In follow-up studies of the women involved in the large federally funded Women’s Health Initiative, researchers found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) used after menopause not only increased the risk of breast cancer in treated women, but also increased their risk of dying from the disease, compared with women who did not take HRT.