Breast Cancer News & Updates

June 11, 2025 — At least 4 out of 10 women have dense breast tissue and may need testing beyond a standard mammogram. Two new studies help clarify your next steps.

April 1, 2025 — U.S. breast cancer deaths are no longer decreasing in women younger than 40, older than 74, or of Asian, Hispanic, or Native American descent. Experts share what they think is behind these and other disparities.

March 4, 2025 — A lumpectomy plus radiation is very effective for treating stage zero cancer, but new research suggests that active monitoring may be just as good.

January 28, 2025 — The FDA has approved fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan, marketed under the brand name Enhertu, as a new treatment for certain types of advanced breast cancer that have spread or cannot be removed with surgery.

January 21, 2025 — The FDA has approved a new treatment for patients with a common form of breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body or cannot be surgically removed.

November 21, 2024 — Patients and survivors of breast cancer are finding valuable emotional support on Reddit, where they share advice, vent frustrations, and offer solidarity. Research shows that social support – whether through online communities, professional resources, or peer networks – can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and unanswered questions and concerns that can come with a breast cancer diagnosis.

October 14, 2024 — A new breast cancer drug has received quick federal approval after a clinical trial showed it could more than double the time before a common type of breast cancer recurrence worsens.

October 1, 2024 — Breast cancer is becoming more common, particularly at younger ages. A new report shows the breast cancer rate rose by 1% annually from 2012 to 2021, with even greater increases among women under age 50 and a startling jump even among women in their 20s.

September 20, 2024 — Having a double mastectomy won't improve survival in women with cancer in only one breast, but many women choose the more invasive surgery anyway. What can explain the decision?

September 18, 2024 — People with a common type of early stage breast cancer may now take another drug called Kisqali that has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of cancer recurrence.

June 5, 2024 — Self-breast exams are an easy, painless, and safe way to detect changes that could be early signs of breast cancer. But even though the rates of this disease are rising among younger women, fewer are doing these self-exams. Why?

May 30, 2024 — A new study is the first to follow young breast cancer survivors for more than 10 years after treatment. The majority of women followed who tried to get pregnant did, and the majority of those women had live births. Here's what to know.

May 29, 2024 — The types of breast cancer found in women under 40 tend to be later-stage tumors, when the disease is more advanced and more difficult to treat.

May 1, 2024 — The USPSTF has shifted to a stronger recommendation to start mammograms earlier, while noting a need for more research on breast cancer for Black and older women and those with dense breasts.

April 5, 2024 — A new technique that freezes and destroys small cancerous tumors may offer new hope to women with breast cancer who cannot have surgery.

March 14, 2024 — Her doctor did an individual risk assessment, finding Munn’s lifetime risk was 37%, considered very high, and referred her to more extensive testing, which detected cancer in both breasts.

January 23, 2024 — New research is reassuring for young women who want to become pregnant after being treated for breast cancer.

January 19, 2024 — A new study of nearly 5,000 women presents hopeful findings about pregnancy among young breast cancer survivors whose genes carry higher risks of cancer and fertility problems: 22% of the women studied became pregnant, most of them did so naturally, and for most, there was no evidence of a higher risk of breast cancer recurrence after pregnancy.

September 12, 2023 — New research links living amid high levels of air pollution to an increased risk of breast cancer.

August 8, 2023 — Women who continued breast cancer screenings when they reached age 70 had no lower chance of dying from the disease, and just getting a mammogram could instead set them on a path toward unnecessary risks, according to a new study from the Yale School of Medicine.

June 15, 2023 — Researchers are looking for less aggressive cancer therapies that won't affect odds of survival. One new study shows HER2-positive breast cancer patients were successfully treated without chemotherapy.

June 15, 2023 — A study says ribociclib, a drug approved for treating advanced-stage breast cancer, may help reduce the risk of recurrence in women who have been treated for certain types of early-stage breast cancer. Research is ongoing.

June 15, 2023 — For most patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer, standard treatment should remain the same, according to new findings. Most women with this type of breast cancer will receive the drug trastuzumab, along with other therapies and surgery.

June 14, 2023 — For women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, the risk of dying from the disease has fallen dramatically since the 1990s, new research shows.

June 14, 2023 — Research from ASCO 2023 finds people are opting for mastectomies more frequently if they have HER2-positive breast cancer. The data sheds light on the problem with choosing mastectomy based on the type of cancer you have.

June 13, 2023 — From screening rates to side effects, stay informed on important studies.

June 7, 2023 — Artificial intelligence algorithms applied to mammograms do a better job of predicting a woman’s 5-year breast cancer risk than the standard clinical risk model, says a study in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America.

May 9, 2023 — The task force also called for more research on the effects of racism in breast cancer care, screening tools for dense breast tissue, and treatment options following a DCIS diagnosis.

May 1, 2023 — A study published in JAMA Oncology finds that a slower loss of density during aging increases the chances of getting breast cancer. Further, a slower density decline in one breast sometimes precedes a cancer diagnosis in that breast.

April 27, 2023 — Breast cancer patients who were given personalized exercise and wellness programs showed marked improvements in quality of life, and also reduced health care costs.

April 20, 2023 — A new study suggests that women should get their first breast cancer screenings at different ages based on race.

April 17, 2023 — A study of breast cancer survivors with genitourinary syndrome of menopause, or GSM, found that vaginal laser "rejuvenation" therapy didn’t help with sexual function.

March 11, 2023 — Women with dense breast tissue will be given additional information at their cancer screenings under new rules adopted by the FDA. Providers of mammograms will have to tell women that their tests are harder to interpret and suggest they speak with their doctors about more testing.

February 16, 2023 — Older breast cancer patients can consider skipping weeks of grueling radiation therapy after lumpectomy surgery, a new study suggests.

January 24, 2023 — Dense breast tissue is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer – up to four times higher -- but in a recent study most women didn’t see it as a significant risk compared with other factors.

December 23, 2021 — The cause of her death was triple-negative breast cancer. She was 50 years old. Hammam retired from a 22 year career at WebMD in June of 2021, after losing much of her eyesight to chemotherapy.

January 13, 2003 — Though black, Hispanic, and American Indian women tend to have  poorer breast cancer outcomes than white women, poverty is a far more important predictor of breast cancer death than race.