Breast cancer survivors who maintain a diet low in fat may reduce the risk that the disease will return, according to the results of a recent study funded by the U.S. government. In the study, there was a 24% reduction in breast cancer recurrence in women who reduced their consumption of dietary fat to 20% of their total calories per day compared to women who followed a standard diet (averaging about 40% of calories from fat daily). The risk reduction was even greater among women with so-called estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer, a type of breast cancer that has been traditionally more difficult to treat. The
researchers say the study results suggest that post-menopausal breast cancer survivors may wish to consider low-fat diets to reduce their risk of breast cancer recurrence and lead more healthy lives.

Two U.S. government clinical trials find that the drug Herceptin
(generic name, trastuzumab) can significantly reduce the recurrence of breast cancer in women with an aggressive form of the disease, when given in combination with chemotherapy. In the studies, breast cancer patients who received Herceptin along with standard combination chemotherapy had a 52 percent decrease in disease recurrence compared to patients treated with chemotherapy alone. Herceptin appears to only work in women whose breast cancers are classified as "HER-2 positive,"
meaning that they make too much of a protein called HER-2, found on the surface of cancer cells. Researchers and cancer experts call the study findings significant and potentially life-saving for the 20% to 30% of breast cancer patients with HER-2 positive cancers.

Breast x-rays have been performed for more than 70 years. However, modern mammography has only existed since around 1970, when the first dedicated mammography imaging systems became widely available. Since then, a variety of other exams have been introduced to help investigate breast concerns, including ultrasound, MRI, nuclear medicine imaging, and more. This article discusses the evolution of mammography and other
exams used to help detect breast cancer.

Ductography (also called galactography or ductogalactography) is a special type of exam used to image the breast ducts. Ductography can aid in diagnosing the cause of an abnormal nipple discharge and is valuable in diagnosing other conditions, such as duct ectasia. This article discusses candidates for ductography, how the procedure is performed,
and what types of treatments may follow.