Study Links Hair Straighteners, Dyes to Breast Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 4, 2019 -- Could permanent hair dyes and chemical straighteners raise a woman's risk of breast cancer? A new study suggests they could.

Researchers analyzed data from nearly 47,000 U.S. women, followed for an average of more than eight years as part of the federally funded Sisters Study. All of the women had a sister who'd been diagnosed with breast cancer, but they didn't have breast cancer themselves at the start of the study.

Does MRI Screening Benefit Women With Extremely Dense Breasts?

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2019 -- Health experts already know that women with extremely dense breasts don't get the same benefit from mammography as women without very dense breast tissue. But what hasn't been clear is if MRI screening might spot cancers that mammography didn't.

Now a new study from Dutch researchers found that when MRI was used in between mammography appointments, the women in the study were half as likely to be diagnosed with an interval cancer. That's a cancer that occurs between mammography screenings.

Could a Blood Test for Breast Cancer Become a Reality?

MONDAY, Nov. 4, 2019 -- There's early promise in the quest for a blood test that might spot breast cancer up to five years before clinical signs of the disease appear, researchers say.

The test identifies specific immune system "autoantibodies," British researchers explained. The immune system produces the antibodies when it comes into contact with tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), which are produced by breast tumor cells.

Don't Delay Surgery for Very Early-Stage Breast Cancer, Study Suggests

THURSDAY, Oct. 24, 2019 -- Delaying surgery for a noninvasive breast cancer can have dire consequences, a new study shows.

Longer delays in surgery for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) breast cancer lead to a higher risk of invasive ductal carcinoma and a slightly lower survival rate, researchers found.