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Heart monitoring a must for breast cancer patients on Herceptin
August 13, 2018
Categories: Essential News
The widely used chemotherapy drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) can be life-saving for women with HER2-positive breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of the disease. But new research now adds to mounting evidence that the treatment can take a toll on the heart, increasing the risk for heart failure. The complication is uncommon, and in many cases, the benefits of the chemotherapy still outweigh the risks. But the study authors stressed that regular heart monitoring of these high-risk patients,
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Is chemo for breast cancer over prescribed?
June 4, 2018
Categories: Essential News
According to a landmark study, a large percentage of individuals with the most common form of early breast cancer could safely skip chemotherapy. The findings could impact thousands of people each year. While new therapies such as immunotherapies are becoming increasingly crucial in treating cancer, chemotherapy is still a mainstay. In short, chemotherapy uses drugs to cure or control cancer throughout the body. As opposed to surgery or radiation therapy—
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Early intervention needed to help breast cancer patients manage 'chemobrain' symptoms
April 23, 2018
Categories: Essential Advantage
More support is needed to help breast cancer patients and survivors manage 'chemobrain' symptoms, such as memory loss, short attention span and mental confusion, according to a study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS). The study involving 131 female breast cancer patients in Singapore revealed that almost half had suffered from cognitive decline at some point during treatment and up to one year post-treatment. Close to 30 per cent had reported some degree