Pro-life advocates have argued for years that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer — due to hormonal changes during pregnancy which leave breasts more vulnerable to cancer. Despite their advocacy, the Department of Health and Human Services denies that there is any link. (more)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government delivered a blow to some desperate patients Friday as it ruled the blockbuster drug Avastin should no longer be used to treat advanced breast cancer. (more)
New York was made for fashion. With its sidewalks that are stomped on like catwalks, to its bright lights that shine down on them, this city is home to the world’s most fabulous residents, like our first Model New Yorker, Marlena Ortiz. (more)
A new study finds that many women with early breast cancer do not need a painful procedure that has long been routine: removal of cancerous lymph nodes from the armpit. (more)
The 2010 campaign provided enough memorable moments to fill out a list all by itself. Christine O’Donnell, Joe Manchin shooting the cap and trade bill, Aqua Buddha: It was that kind of year. (more)
The Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday that it would move to revoke approval of the widely used drug Avastin as a treatment for breast cancer, saying the drug was not effective in helping patients. (more)
OnFriday, the Food and Drug Administration could doom thousands of breast cancer victims. The FDA will be considering the unprecedented step of revoking approval for Avastin, a drug that represents the last hope for women with late-stage breast cancer. About 17,500 women a year are treated with the drug, which cuts off blood flow to tumors. It does not cure cancer, but it does stop its growth and extend life. Unfortunately, medical miracles don’t come cheap — treating a breast cancer patient with Avastin can cost $90,000 a year. In 2008, the FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee put Avastin on a track to “accelerated approval” following a clinical study showing 52 percent of the women on the drug showed improvement in “progression-free survival.” On average, Avastin extended the life of patients by 5 1/2 months, but some survive for years. Subsequent clinical studies showed only 36 percent and 31 percent of women had improved survival rates, a far better outcome than the alternative — death. The FDA confirmed last year that Avastin would be approved pending “improvement in progression-free survival and evidence that survival is not impaired.” (more)
Four and a half years ago, my mom was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. (more)
Should the federal government have the power to deny women with advanced breast cancer access to a drug they now have access to? (more)
On most matters, Congress moves so slowly you’d think they were going backwards. Many times bills languish for years before even getting a hearing in Committee, let alone a vote. For the most part, this is a good thing because it allows for serious deliberation and for Congress to craft a bill that actually addresses the issue fairly thoroughly. But every once in a while something is labeled an “emergency” and put on the fast-track and you get a bill like Obamacare that no one reads or knows what’s in it and, because it is an “emergency,” flies through Congress without regard to consequences. As the government assumes more and more control over our health care, the ramifications of the control it already has are becoming clearer, and more frightening. And, slowly, some members of Congress are starting to speak up. (more)
“We love politics and are passionate about what we do but are a strictly nonpartisan team.” (more)
On the fiftieth anniversary of the birth control pill, Human Life International America (HLI America) released a poll which shows that most American women are unaware of the health risks associated with the use of hormonal contraceptives. (more)
Last Christmas, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to detonate plastic explosives on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, but was subdued thanks to the quick action of his fellow passengers. A shock to the American people — particularly given the otherwise peaceful holiday — the attempt has sparked an attention to airline security not seen since 9/11. (more)
With the gubernatorial election tomorrow, Jerry Brown appears to have opened up a sizeable lead. Women are emerging as a bulwark of support for Brown, as they favor him by 21 points, according to the latest Los Angeles Times/USC poll. (more)
The impact of the president’s health care reform plan is becoming evident but not in the way its supporters envisioned. (more)
Breast cancer patients from across the nation are up in arms over a proposed FDA decision that would literally rip the drug Avastin from their doctor’s hands. The life-extending drug has been credited, in part, with helping patients live longer. But the pleas from patients are not enough for the ideologues at Newsweek who are pressing for price rationing of drugs. (more)
In the wake of the NFL’s October pink-washing in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, prostate cancer awareness advocates are calling on the NFL to give their disease equal time. (more)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House became the “Pink House” Thursday night for breast cancer awareness. (more)
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation is a breast cancer awareness powerhouse. As its influence has grown, so too have the number of its critics, who, while appreciative of the group’s good works, cringe at the fact that some of the donations to Komen end up in the coffers of abortion provider Planned Parenthood. (more)
It’s easy to get into a policy discussion about rationing late-stage cancer drugs without considering the practical effects rationing could have on cancer patients. But by reading the British press, you can get a sense of the pain, anguish, anxiety and helplessness patients under a government-run health care system feel when a life-extending drug is yanked from their hands. (more)
