Radiation oncologists at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® are adopting single-dose intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) for use in patients with early-stage breast cancer. IORT is performed in the surgical suite immediately after tumor removal. Once the surrounding healthy organs and tissues are shielded, IORT uses a mobile linear accelerator to deliver a full dose of radiation directly to the tumor site.

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The journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a study that examined mice that were given the breast cancer drugs fulvestrant and raloxifene, both of which work by preventing estrogen from functioning in cells, HealthDay News reports. The mice where genetically engineered to carry HPV, an STD strongly linked with cervical cancer. The drugs cleared precancerous growths in the cervix and prevented cancer in mice with precancerous lesions, according to the research.

The Sahlgrenska Academy, faculty of health sciences at the University of Gothenburg, research group has discovered a new cancer gene. The gene causes an insidious form of glandular cancer usually in the head and neck and in women also in the breast. The discovery could lead to quicker diagnosis and more effective treatment. The cancer caused by this new cancer gene is called adenoid cystic carcinoma and is a slow-growing but deadly form of cancer.

Researchers at Drexel University are developing a new portable, low-cost, radiation-free breast cancer detector that can be used in a doctor’s office as a first-line to detect breast cancer in younger women and in women over 40 with mammographically dense-tissue breasts. The detector is based on piezoelectric fingers (an elastic and shear modulus sensor) developed at Drexel. In evaluations on tumor specimens, it has positively identified a 3mm tumor previously missed by mammography, ultrasound and the physician’s palpation.

A new study that compared the newer drug, letrozole, to the widely used tamoxifen found that the former was more effective. The study confirmed that survival rates for postmenopausal women, who are suffering from breast cancer and have undergone surgery, taking letrozole (Femara) are higher than that taking tamoxifen. Both letrozole and tamoxifen have been used to prevent recurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive cancer.

The FDA has approved Genentech’s cancer treatment Avastin (bevacizumab) for kidney cancer. Avastin blocks new blood vessels from forming and supplying tumors with the nutrients they need to grow and spread to other parts of the body. This drug is already being used for the treatment of colorectal cancer, breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer and is being tested for the treatment of more than 30 tumor types.

Bayer’s cancer pill Nexavar shows promise in treating breast tumors, the second-most common form of cancer. Nexavar, when combined with standard chemotherapy Xeloda, helped keep tumors in check for a longer time than that in a control group of patients receiving Xeloda only, according to Bayer. Nexavar is one of Bayer’s most promising drugs and is sold as a liver and kidney cancer treatment in more than 70 countries. Bayer is also pursuing the approval of the drug for use against lung tumors.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given clearance to Ikonisys’ oncoFISH HER2 test, a fully computerized microscopy application to determine HER2 status in human specimens of breast cancer developed with Abbott’s PathVysion® HER2 DNA Probe Kit. The company’s proprietary CellOptics® platform which features the Ikoniscope® drives the test by providing an earlier and precise indication for amplification of gene. This diagnosis reveals whether a patient is a candidate for Herceptin (trastuzumab) treatment. Higher quantity of HER2 protein can lead to rapid growth of tumor, resistance to some types of treatment, prolonged illness and reduced survival period.

Safety labeling revision for GlaxoSmithKline’s Tykerb (lapatinib tablets) that includes a boxed warning about the risk of hepatotoxicity has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Hepatotoxicity cases have been reported during clinical trials, some of them being severe. The FDA has noted that the onset of the disease has taken place within a few months from initiation of the therapy. Tests for liver functioning should be taken before starting and during lapatinib treatment, every month. Lapatinib is a kinase inhibitor to be used along with capecitabine in the treatment of advanced breast cancer in patients who did not benefit from a therapy earlier.

The joint venture of Biocon in Abu Dhabi, NeoBiocon has launched Abraxane, the drug for breast cancer, based on nanotechnology, in the UAE. Developed by Abraxis BioScience, Inc., Abraxane will be marketed in South Asia and West Asia by Biocon,  as per the agreement they signed in 2007. The drug will be effective for patients who did not benefit from combination therapy. A chemotherapy agent, the drug combines paclitaxel with a naturally occurring human protein, albumin. The drug can be delivered without the use of solvents, allowing for a higher dosage. Also, the time to administer is 6 times lesser.