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Double Mastectomy Doesn’t Boost Survival in Breast Cancer

A large research study has confirmed that women with cancer in one breast have no survival advantage if they opt for a double mastectomy compared with other less involved procedures. Women who received double mastectomy appeared to have similar survival compared with those who received lumpectomy or single mastectomy, a July 25 article in the New York Times article noted. The study, published in JAMA Oncology, used data from 661,000 women who had cancer diagnosed in one breast. The finding that a double mastectomy is not protective against death for many breast cancers seems counterintuitive, said Steven Narod, a physician and breast cancer researcher at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, who was a study author. The investigators calculated that 69 out of 1,000 women with cancer in one breast would develop a cancer in their other breast within 20 years. This development of cancer increases the risk of death fourfold, the New York Times reported. Those women who had a double mastectomy and developed a subsequent cancer in the remaining breast tissue also had a fourfold increased mortality risk. Narod said that the spread of cancer to other parts of the body is what typically leads to mortality. The findings may not be applicable to women who have an inherited gene variant, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2, that increases their risk of developing breast cancer, the Times reported. Experts who were quoted in the story also explained the decision for a double mastectomy is often personal and motivated by other reasons than survival advantage, but that women should understand their choices.

Study Underscores Importance of Screening for Chemotherapy-induced Hearing Loss

As researchers and physicians strive to better understand the side effects of cancer treatments, a study recently published in JAMA Oncology highlighted the importance of screening cancer patients and survivors for hearing loss. The findings, which were reported July 22 in Oncology Nursing News, showed that higher cumulative doses of cisplatin-based chemotherapy—a backbone of many cancer treatments—were associated with increased progressive hearing loss and difficulty discerning speech amid background noise in cancer survivors. The research also showed hearing loss was more pronounced in those with other comorbidities, such as high cholesterol and hypertension. “Most patients still do not get their hearing tested prior to, during or after chemotherapy,” said lead author Victoria Sanchez, an audiologist at USF Health in Tampa, Florida, in a press release about the findings. “Our study highlights the need for regular auditory evaluations to manage and mitigate long-term hearing damage.” The study enrolled 100 cisplatin-treated testicular cancer survivors from 2012 to 2018. The median time since they received chemotherapy was 14 years. Seventy-five of these patients had hearing loss. The study found patients reporting hearing loss had higher cumulative cisplatin doses than patients who did not report hearing loss.

FDA Misses Deadline to Ban Formaldehyde in Hair Relaxers and Straighteners

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal to ban the use of formaldehyde as an ingredient in hair relaxers and hair straighteners has been pushed back yet again, according to a July 20 NPR report. Formaldehyde—a highly toxic and colorless gas—is found in many hair straighteners and hair relaxers used by Black women and other people of color, the article noted. Some previous studies have shown that frequent use of hair straighteners is associated with an increased risk of hormone-sensitive cancers, including uterine cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. In October 2023, NPR reported that the federal agency proposed the ban and scheduled its implementation for April 2024. But the date was later moved to July 2024, and is now September 2024. An FDA spokesperson said the proposed ban is a high priority, but that the process for implementing a rule takes time. “Before a proposed rule can be published in the Federal Register for public comment, it must be reviewed and approved within FDA and other parts of the Federal government,” the FDA spokesperson said in a statement. Allison Stevenson, an attorney who represents product manufacturers and retailers, says that while she expects to see a ban on formaldehyde, the delays are not surprising. “There are a lot of moving parts … this all falls under legislation that is still relatively new, in almost all respects. And so it’s not uncommon to see things get delayed for one reason or the other,” she said in the NPR story.