Breast Cancer radiotherapy safe for heart --- 25 year Data Boston, Massachusetts -- According to the study with 25 year data there was no difference in cardiotoxicity among the patients who recieved radiation to the whole breast after breast conservation surgery as compared to patients undergoing mastectomy and not recieving radiotherapy. This study was presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 54th Annual Meeting.

Breast cancer patients undergoing surgery have immense psychological burden of losing womanhood. Though breast reconstruction is an option but tissue expenders which are commonly used have many disadvantages. The process is lengthy (4 to 6 months), the saline injections are uncomfortable and require multiple hospital visits, and expanders often produce unsatisfactory cosmesis that requires revision surgery. DETAILS Breast cancer patients undergoing surgery have immense psychological burden of losing womanhood. Though breast reconstruction is an option but tissue expenders which are commonly used have many disadvantages. The process is lengthy (4 to 6 months), the saline injections are uncomfortable and require multiple hospital visits, and expanders often produce unsatisfactory cosmesis that requires revision surgery. A study was presented in American Society of Plastic Surgeons Annual Meeting 2012 which reveals a new tissue expander “The AEROFORM (Air Xpanders, Inc, Palo Alto, California”. This offers a much faster, safer, and effective form of tissue expansion. It has a needle free design, is light weight, is expanded at home by the patient, and is dosed according to the comfort of the patients. Patient uses a remote control device to send signals to the expander to release small amount of Carbon-monoxide (10cc increment) from a valve. Patient activates the device a maximum 3 times in 24 hours, and after full expansion is achieved, activation continues twice a week for maintenance. Patients can use the technology while at home, at their own pace and comfort.

A new phase III study reported, effective treatment for the pain related to mucositis, at the American Society of radiation Oncology 54th annual meeting at Boston. More than 60 – 70 percent of head neck cancer patients develop grade III mucositis during radiotherapy. This leads to painful mouth sores and difficulty in eating and drinking. In this study an oral rinse containing the antidepressant Doxepin significantly eased pain in patients with acute oral mucositis. Overall, patients who received Doxepin reported a larger reduction in pain than those who received placebo.

A recent study published in reputed American journal of epidemiology confirms that risk of developing various cancers are double for those who work in the night shifts as compared to the men working at day. Men working in night had increased risk for prostate cancer, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Pancreatic cancer, Rectal cancer, Colon cancer, Bladder cancer and Lung cancer. It would suggest that night shift is an important systemic cancer hazard. Circadian disturbances lead to hormonal disturbances and many of these hormonal disturbances may lead to development of cancer. International agency for research on cancer recently classified night shift work as “possibly carcinogenic”.