The Courage Muscle: A Chicken's Guide to Living with Breast Cancer by Monique Doyle Spencer is an uplifting, humorous account of the author's battle with advanced breast cancer. It is published by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. All proceeds from its sale benefit the hospital's Windows of Hope, which supports women going through chemotherapy.

The manufacturer of the breast cancer drug, Femara (generic name
letrozole), issued a warning that women who may be pregnant should avoid the drug because of an increased risk of birth defects. Femara is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat women with advanced breast cancer. While U.S. labels on Femara warn of its possible dangers, there have been reports that some doctors prescribe Femara to women with fertility problems. Pregnant women who have taken Femara should contact their doctors.

A recent study tries to settle the debate concerning the reason for the decline in breast cancer deaths over the past several years. The study found that mammography and adjuvant, or additional, treatments (such as chemotherapy or hormonal therapies) with breast cancer surgery, have both helped reduce the number women who die from breast cancer. Specifically, researchers found that screening for the cancer with mammography has contributed to a 15% decline in breast cancer deaths over the past 10 to 15 years, while chemotherapy and hormone therapy reduce deaths by 19%.

A recent report by several cancer organizations finds that deaths from most types of cancer continue to decline in the United States, possibly due to better preventive strategies, increased early detection, and treatment advances. The report found that cancer death rates from all types of cancers combined dropped 1.1% each year from 1993 to 2002. New cases of cancer held steady for the most part during this time. However,
the report also found disparities in cancer treatment due to geography, race, economics, and age.

An experimental vaccine has been found to be 100% effective at
preventing the most common forms of cervical cancer, according to results of a two-year study announced by Merck and Co. at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The study, which involved more than 12,000 women from 13 countries, showed that the genetically engineered vaccine called Gardasil blocked infection of two common strands of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted disease. Merck expects to receive approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by the end of the year and begin offering the vaccine to pre-sexually active girls in 2006.