It is an example of a mechanism-based intervention aimed at preventing this common cancer. This study showed that we can reduce the risk of breast cancer. Much remains to be studied and tamoxifen is far from perfect in terms of its effectiveness and its side effects. It is, however, an important and landmark beginning. The optimization of existing therapies continues to be an important approach to improving the outcome for cancer patients.
Nasopharyngeal cancer is relatively rare in the United States but quite common in Asia.
Chinese American men have a 15-20 fold higher rate of this cancer than white American men. Why some patients respond to a given therapy and others, with ostensibly the same disease, do not, is a central puzzle we are beginning to solve. One likely explanation is that the responders actually have a different disease than the non-responders. In a recently reported series of studies, one explanation for outcome differences in breast cancer has apparently emerged. These cancers appear to be more aggressive and new studies showed that these cancers respond significantly better to elevated doses of anthracycline drugs than cancers that don't overexpress this protein.