Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Adding chemo to endocrine therapy may benefit premenopausal women with early breast cancer

Roshini Claire Anthony, 2 days ago

The addition of chemotherapy to endocrine therapy improved invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) in premenopausal women with lymph node-positive early stage hormone receptor-positive (HR+) HER2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer with recurrence score ≤25, according to early results of the phase III SWOG S1007 RxPonder* trial presented at SABCS 2020. However, the benefits did not appear to extend to postmenopausal women.

Digital breast tomosynthesis may be better than mammography for breast cancer detection

Elaine Soliven, 20 Jan 2021

Screening with digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) was associated with lower false-negative (FN) cancer rates and improved breast cancer detection compared with digital mammography, according to a study presented at RSNA 2020.

Breast cancer survivors less likely to get pregnant, but babies often healthy if they do

Pearl Toh, 14 Jan 2021

While breast cancer survivors of childbearing age are less likely to get pregnant than the general population, most of them who do become pregnant deliver healthy babies without detrimental outcomes on their long-term survival, according to a large meta-analysis presented at the SABCS 2020 Congress.

Household income, maternal mental health affect kid’s performance in school

Tristan Manalac, 14 Jan 2021

Children born to lower-income households tend to be poorly prepared for school, according to a recent Singapore study. In these households, too, the burden of depressive and anxiety symptoms among mothers appears to be high, which in turn contributes to the gap in school readiness.

Abemaciclib + fulvestrant survival benefit extends to Asians with HR+, HER- ABC

Pearl Toh, 12 Jan 2021

Adding the CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib to an endocrine therapy of fulvestrant extends overall survival (OS) compared with fulvestrant alone in East Asian patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), HER2-negative advanced breast cancer (ABC) who have progressed on prior endocrine therapy, consistent with results from the overall population, updated analysis of the global, phase III MONARCH 2 study has shown.

Acute diarrhoea is the second leading cause of death in children aged younger than 5 years, accounting for approximately 1.9 million deaths worldwide each year; however, diarrhoea is a preventable and treatable condition. In Malaysia, acute gastroenteritis accounts for about 1.3% of all deaths in children aged younger than 5 years annually. Diarrhoea is defined as the passage of three or more loose or watery stools within 24 hours, and it may be clinically categorised as either acute watery diarrhoea (AWD), acute bloody diarrhoea, persistent diarrhoea or diarrhoea with severe malnutrition.

01 Sep 2020

Acute diarrhoea is the second leading cause of deathin children aged younger than 5 years, accounting forapproximately 1.9 million deaths worldwide each year;however, diarrhoea is a preventable and treatable condition.In Malaysia, acute gastroenteritis accounts for about 1.3%of all deaths in children aged younger than 5 years annually.Diarrhoea is defined as the passage of three or more looseor watery stools within 24 hours, and it may be clinicallycategorised as either acute watery diarrhoea (AWD), acutebloody diarrhoea, persistent diarrhoea or diarrhoea withsevere malnutrition.

Expert consensus: Patient profile should guide antihistamine choice in primary care setting

10 Dec 2019

Oral H₁-antihistamines are the initial treatment of choice for allergic rhinitis (AR) and chronic urticaria in the primary care setting. However, in a diverse population of patients with AR and urticaria, primary care physicians are faced with the challenge of prescribing the best therapy amid a wide armamentarium of antihistamines available.

The Evolving Role of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 in Women’s Urogenital Health

12 Jun 2019

Urogenital infections remain a major reason for women to visit their family physician and their subsequent referral to obstetrics and gynaecology or urology specialists. The association between abnormal vaginal microbiota and an increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), as well as an increased rate of preterm labour, indicates the need to better understand and manage urogenital health in women. Probiotics are “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. As such, there is a sound rationale for using probiotics to maintain female vaginal and bladder health.

Adding chemo to endocrine therapy may benefit premenopausal women with early breast cancer

Roshini Claire Anthony, 25 Jan 2021

Breast cancer survivors less likely to get pregnant, but babies often healthy if they do

Pearl Toh, 14 Jan 2021

Physicians may underestimate symptoms in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy

Roshini Claire Anthony, 07 Jan 2021

Physicians may often underestimate symptoms of pain, oedema, fatigue, and pruritus in patients undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer, according to a study presented at SABCS 2020.

Omitting radiotherapy: An option after breast-conserving surgery in older patients?

Pearl Toh, 29 Dec 2020

Omitting radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery in older patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer who were also receiving appropriate systemic therapy did not impact overall survival (OS) at 10 years, even though the rate of local recurrence was higher than those who had radiotherapy, according to the PRIME* II study presented at SABCS 2020.

Yoga reduces depressive symptoms in young breast cancer survivors

Pearl Toh, 20 Dec 2020

Behavioural interventions are effective in mitigating depressive symptoms in young survivors of breast cancer, according to a study presented at SABCS 2020. In particular, mindfulness meditation also improves other outcomes related to well-being such as fatigue and sleep disturbance.

Complete response to neoadjuvant treatment improves survival in early breast cancer

Roshini Claire Anthony, 12 Nov 2020

Women with HER2+ early breast cancer who achieved pathologic complete response (pCR) on neoadjuvant treatment had improved overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) outcomes, according to final analysis results of the phase III NeoALTTO, BIG 1-06 trial.

Pre-radiotherapy CT scan may help identify CVD risk in women with breast cancer

Roshini Claire Anthony, 11 Nov 2020

The use of an algorithm to identify the presence of coronary artery calcifications (CAC) during radiotherapy-planning CT scans may help assess cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in women with breast cancer, according to a study from the Netherlands.

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