EurekAlert! In the Spotlight

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

This month, we're turning our attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time dedicated to increasing awareness, supporting early detection, and highlighting the ongoing research shaping the future of breast cancer treatment and prevention.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 30-Oct-2025 09:11 ET (30-Oct-2025 13:11 GMT/UTC)

24-Jul-2025

New methods show how fast breast cancers grow and how surgery delays affect cancer staging

Temple University Health System
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Preoperative delay when treating breast cancer confers poorer outcomes, but growth rates and the upstaging likelihoods per delay interval remain unknown. This study evaluated upstaging risk, nodal spread, and tumor growth rates in vivo while awaiting treatment.

Journal: Annals of Surgical Oncology

24-Jul-2025

Defining lifetime risk thresholds for breast cancer surgical prevention

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this economic evaluation, undergoing risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) appears cost-effective for women ages 30 to 55 with a lifetime breast cancer risk of 35% or higher. These results could have significant clinical implications to expand access to RRM beyond BRCA1/BRCA2/PALB2 pathogenic variant carriers. Future studies evaluating the acceptability, uptake, and long-term outcomes of RRM among these women are warranted.

Journal: JAMA Oncology

24-Jul-2025

When should preventive mastectomy be offered for women at higher risk of breast cancer

Queen Mary University of London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

More women at higher risk of breast cancer should be offered a mastectomy, according to researchers at Queen Mary and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. A new analysis has found that the surgical technique was a cost-effective way of reducing the likelihood of developing breast cancer compared to breast screening and medication. Current guidelines on who is offered mastectomy may need to be revised to reflect these new findings.

Journal: JAMA Oncology
Funder: Rosetrees Trust, Barts Charity, CHINA MEDICAL BOARD

24-Jul-2025

Women of African ancestry may be biologically predisposed to early onset or aggressive breast cancers

University of Notre Dame
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research from the University of Notre Dame is shedding light on why Black women are likely to have early-onset or more aggressive subtypes of breast cancer. The study published in iScience found that a population of cells in breast tissues, dubbed PZP cells, send cues that prompt behavioral changes that could promote breast cancer growth.

Journal: iScience
Funder: NIH/National Cancer Institute

24-Jul-2025

Less is more: Low-dose olanzapine curbs chemo-induced nausea without the sedation

Juntendo University Research Promotion Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting can severely impact patients’ quality of life and treatment adherence. In a major clinical trial, researchers from Japan tested whether a low, 5 mg dose of olanzapine taken at home after chemotherapy could reduce these side effects without causing heavy sedation. The study found that this approach significantly improved outcomes compared to placebo, offering a safer, more affordable strategy that could reshape supportive cancer care, especially in outpatient and resource-limited settings.

Journal: The Lancet Oncology

23-Jul-2025

Beyond the mammogram: Study finds differences between benign and cancerous breast calcifications

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Benign and cancerous calcium phosphate deposits that may look identical on a mammogram have distinct differences in their structures and formation processes, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators found in a new study. The findings suggest new diagnostic criteria that could lead to fewer benign biopsies and guide therapeutic development, the researchers say.

Journal: Scientific Reports
Funder: Barbara and Ed Weil Foundation

23-Jul-2025

Long-term locoregional outcomes in a contemporary cohort of young women with breast cancer

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this contemporary cohort of women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 or younger, risk of isolated locoregional recurrence was relatively low (5.6%) at a median follow-up of 10.1 years, and significant differences were not seen by tumor subtype. Concerns for long-term risk of locoregional recurrence should not influence surgical decision-making with young women, irrespective of molecular subtype.

Journal: JAMA Surgery