Archive for the ‘Breast Cancer’ Category

FDA Warns About Counterfeit Avastin

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

The FDA is warning doctors and patients about a batch of counterfeit Avastin that has been accidentally purchased and used by 19 different clinics across the country. The counterfeit version is very similar to Roche Pharmaceuticals’ Avastin, but is missing the essential medicinal ingredient, bevacizumab. This may result in cancer patients not receiving the treatment as needed.

Counterfeit Avastin is labeled with “Roche Pharmaceuticals” and batch numbers starting with B6010, B6011 or B86017. The only Avastin that is FDA-approved for distribution in the United States is distributed by Genentech, which is a member company of Roche.

Avastin is an injectable cancer treatment typically administered in hospitals, doctors’ offices and clinics. Doctors may order from a local supplier instead of directly from the manufacturer, which can lead to counterfeit products being used. In order to avoid this, talk to your doctor about your treatment options. Your doctor may suggest that you buy Afinitor or try other cancer medications.

To see the Food and Drug Administration’s original release, click here.

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Posted in Breast Cancer, FDA Alerts | No Comments »

Big Mountain Drugs Provides Free Coupons in Response to Cancer Drug Shortage

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

oncology drugs in the pharmacy from ozgurmulazimoglu

Big Mountain Drugs, a leading Canadian online pharmacy, has partnered with BreastCancerCare.us to release a new coupon specifically for cancer patients. With a purchase over $100, customers buying cancer medications will have $25 taken off of their purchase. The code, feb25, can be used with both online purchases and through called-in orders. With the recent shortages of cancer medications such as Femara and Gleevec in the United States, Big Mountain Drugs is encouraging patients, doctors, and hospital staff to buy from a Canadian online pharmacy to provide for their cancer therapy needs.

In the last year, the FDA has released reports detailing the shortage or complete disappearance of important cancer medications. These shortages are causing potentially life-threatening treatment delays for cancer patients. These shortages are caused by many factors, one of them being the introduction of generic alternatives. For example, many cancer patients are choosing generic Gleevec or generic Femara instead of the pricier brand name version. Since the pharmacy companies no longer hold the only patent, they make significantly less profit on the medications, and may choose to discontinue them. Other reasons for the medication shortage include manufacturing problems, or late deliveries of materials necessary for production.

Cancer was the number two killer of Americans in 2011. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1.5 million people were diagnosed with cancer in 2011. Over 500,000 cancer patients died last year. How many of these could have been prevented?

Although almost 80% of people diagnosed with cancer are over the age of 55, this terrible disease can affect anyone. Effective and timely treatment is essential to a patient’s survival. Big Mountain Drugs is responding to this need by offering a significant discount for all cancer medications, including chemotherapy and hormone therapy drugs. Anyone with a prescription can now buy Zytiga and Tarceva.

Big Mountain Drugs, an online pharmacy based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, offers certified Canadian pharmacy care at lowered prices. Their mission is to provide safe and reliable medications to their customers. Big Mountain Drugs offers well-known brand-name and generic medications such as Afinitor, Femara, thalidomide and tamoxifen. Big Mountain Drugs specializes in speedy, secure prescription deliveries, so you can buy Gleevec with confidence. They accept prescription and over the counter orders through fax, online orders, and over the phone. The Canadian online pharmacy is proud to offer their telephone service in multiple languages. Big Mountain Drugs is certified by PharmacyChecker.com, and is a member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA).

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For the original version on PRWeb visit:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/canadianpharmacy/buycancerdrugs/prweb9184163.htm

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Posted in Breast Cancer, Press Release, Prostate Cancer | No Comments »

The Bodies of Summer – Why Take Vitamin D?

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Liquid Sunshine

We all hear about how good the sun is for us, how people are often happier in the summer, due to longer days, and more time to soak up vitamin D. Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to higher risk of depression, osteoporosis, higher risk of breast cancer, even Parkinson’s and heart disease. We notice that colds and flus are worse in the winter, when there is less sunlight for us to bask in; it’s called flu season for a reason. Many of us agree there is nothing like turning your face up to a bright sunny morning- but what does vitamin D really do? Does the “sunshine vitamin” affect more than just our mood?

New research is saying yes. According to research presented at the San Antonio Cancer Symposium, studies have discovered that high levels of vitamin D can be linked to smaller tumor sizes in breast cancer patients. “Lower vitamin D levels were correlated with much bigger tumors” said Dr. Barbara Brouwers of Belgium. Patients who were clearly vitamin D deficient had a stronger risk of relapse within three years. She also stated that vitamin D levels are important in many chronic illnesses, and some studies have shown these low levels of vitamin D to be a predictor of both breast cancer risk, and the disease’s eventual outcome.

But what does the “sunshine vitamin” do for the average woman?

In London, a coroner has suggested that all pregnant and breastfeeding women should be prescribed vitamin D after a three month old boy died from a viral infection. The coroner stated that the progression of the virus was aided by his vitamin D deficiency. He believes that all of us, especially women, should be more aware of the dangers of vitamin D deficiency.

According to the Vitamin D Society, around 1 billion people worldwide are deficient in this important vitamin. Although sunny climates provide this much-needed vitamin, those of who don’t live in the tropics need to find another way to get our daily dose of “sunshine.” Few foods contain large amounts of vitamin D, but it can be found in cod liver oil, fatty fish such as salmon, butter, eggs, and liver. However, health-conscious people buy Vitamin D to add to their daily vitamins; to be sure they are receiving their daily intake. Osteoporosis Canada suggests the average person take in about 1000 IU per day, whereas a breastfeeding woman should take in about 60 IU per day, as taking too much may negatively affect her breast milk. As the coroner suggested, pregnant and nursing women should be prescribed vitamin D, particularly those with dark skin, as their bodies have a harder time producing this important vitamin. The rest of us should remember to take our daily vitamins, and enjoy the sunshine!

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Big Mountain Drugs Promotes Breast Cancer Awareness with Prescription Coupons

Monday, January 9th, 2012

Big Mountain Drugs is excited to announce their partnership with a leading coupon site, OnlinePharmacyCoupons.com. Together, they are promoting breast cancer awareness by offering two new coupons, one to buy Arimidex and one to buy Femara, two of the online pharmacy’s most popular hormone therapies. Online customers can save up to $20.00 on their purchase. The coupons, for a $10.00 discount on Arimidex and a $20.00 discount on Femara, can be found at OnlineOharmacyCoupons.com. Big Mountain Drugs customer service representatives are excited about the new promotion. “We love saving our customers money,” says a call centre supervisor, “especially when they are already having to go through surgery and hormone therapy…let’s make it just a little bit easier on them.”

Big Mountain Drugs chose to offer both coupons in order to cater to their wide variety of customers. Every breast cancer survivor has different needs, and Big Mountain Drugs wanted to be sure that they were offering the discounted breast cancer treatments to everyone who needed hormone therapy. For more information on which type of hormone therapy for breast cancer may be right for you, visit breastcancercare.us, a site exclusively devoted to articles related to breast cancer therapies, treatments, and innovations.

Arimidex and Femara are two of Big Mountain Drugs’ most popular hormone therapies. Arimidex is used in both adjuvant therapy (post-surgery) and for metastatic breast cancer. Arimidex, an aromatase inhibitor, works by lowering estrogen levels to help shrink tumors and slow their growth. Femara, like Arimidex, is designed to suppress estradiol production. However, it is the only hormone therapy that has been approved for three different uses- adjuvant therapy, extended adjuvant therapy and advanced breast cancer. Both Femara and Arimidex have been proven to significantly reduce the risk of cancer recurrence or spreading.

Big Mountain Drugs, an online pharmacy based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, offers certified Canadian pharmacy care at lowered prices. Their mission is to provide safe and reliable medications to their customers. Big Mountain Drugs offers well-known brand-name and generic medications such as generic Advair, domperidone, Lipitor and Viagra. Big Mountain Drugs specializes in speedy, secure prescription deliveries right to you. They accept prescription and over the counter orders through fax, online orders, and over the phone. The Canadian online pharmacy is proud to offer their telephone service in multiple languages. Big Mountain Drugs is certified by PharmacyChecker.com, and is a member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA).

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For the original version on PRWeb visit:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/canadianonlinepharmacy/breastcancercare/prweb9086061.htm

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Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Breast Cancer Yoga Basic Starter...

Breasts contain cells which respond to natural hormones, notably estrogens and progesterone. These cells contain hormone receptors to which these hormones can bind. Some breast cancer cells contain similar receptors, which means that they respond to and grow more quickly in the presence of hormones.

There are two main types of breast cancer: estrogen-receptor-positive (the cancer cells contain estrogen), and estrogen-receptor-negative (no estrogen in the cancer cells). About 60% of breast cancers in pre-menopausal women are hormone-receptor-positive, and about 80% of breast cancers in post-menopausal women are hormone-positive.

The initial biopsy results provide information on the presence or absence of estrogen and/or progesterone sensitive cells, determining what type of breast cancer the patient has. Most women with breast cancer will require surgery. The type of breast cancer, and the stage it is at, will determine the type of treatment, including follow up care.

Estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor positive tumors tend to respond well to chemotherapy, which is usually the treatment of choice for stage III and IV breast cancers.

What is Letrozole?
Breast cancer recurs after surgical treatment in about one of three women with hormone receptor-positive early stage breast cancer. If the cancer was being fueled by the hormones estrogen and/or progesterone, then hormone blockers can help prevent breast cancer recurrence following surgery.

Hormone-sensitive cancer is slightly slower growing, and responds to hormone suppression drugs that block the body’s production of estrogen. Cancer that is not hormone-sensitive requires a different kind of follow up treatment.

Letrozole, marketed as Femara, is an aromatase inhibitor prescribed to decrease the chance of a recurrence of hormone-receptor-positive early stage breast cancer by stopping the production of estrogen. It is intended only for post-menopausal women, and is prescribed as a once daily tablet following surgery.

Other commonly prescribed aromatase inhibitors are anastrolzole (brand name Arimidex), and exemestane (brand name Aromasin).

Side Effects of Letrozole
The more troubling side effects of letrozole include a loss of bone density and an increase in cholesterol. Bone density and cholesterol levels may need to be monitored in some patients.

Many patients do not experience any serious side effects when taking Femara for cancer, but some have reported hot flashes, joint and muscle pain, hair loss, fatigue, sweating, nausea, diarrhea and trouble sleeping.

Femara VS Tamoxifen
Tamoxifen was the “gold standard” in the treatment of breast cancer for postmenopausal women for nearly 30 years. In 1998, a worldwide clinical trial began involving more than 8,000 postmenopausal female breast cancer survivors. Among other things, the study compared the effects of letrozole 2.5 mg tablets vs tamoxifen in postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive early stage breast cancer.

Normally, breast cancer patients continue to take cancer medication for five years following surgery. At a six-year follow-up, Femara was shown to have reduced the reoccurrence of breast cancer by 15% more than tamoxifen. Femara better than the older cancer drug.

As a result of improvements in screening and treatment, breast cancer survival rates have been climbing for years. The highest survival rates for women with stage 1 cancer are in the age group of 50 to 69. The highest survival rates for women with stages 2, 3 and 4 cancer is in the age group of 40 to 49. Overall, survival rates come close to 90%.

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Big Mountain Drugs Expands Its Online Information Network

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

The leading Canadian online pharmacy, BigMountainDrugs.com, is expanding its efforts to provide consumers with important information about common heath issues and related prescription medication. Big Mountain Drugs has partnered with a number of health information sites which aim to educate and update consumers on specific health concerns such as diabetes, gastroparesis, gouty arthritis, glaucoma, and now breast cancer.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in women in the US (behind heart disease), and breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death (behind lung cancer). The new online resource, www.breastcancercare.us, is intended to educate women on the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease, including breast cancer medications. The site also helps visitors keep current on breast cancer research.

Among the breast cancer care site’s most popular posts are “What to Expect When You find a Lump in Your Breast”, “Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer”, and “Tumor Paint to Transform Cancer Surgery”. Visitors to the site can expect to leave feeling encouraged. Breast cancer treatment is evolving rapidly and, according to breastcancer.org, the number of survivors in the United States more than doubled between 1971 and 2007. In 2011, there were more than 2.6 million breast cancer survivors in the US.

A recent study by the Pew Research Center showed that, while professionals remain the number one resource for those with health concerns, online resources are a significant and growing source of health information. People are searching the internet for reviews on diseases and conditions, medical treatments, prescription drugs, online pharmacies, doctors, hospitals and clinics. Big Mountain Drugs wants to ensure that the information they are getting is accurate, relevant, and up to date.

Besides providing reliable health information, BigMountainDrugs.com is also focused on providing safe, reliable and inexpensive medications to its customers. To fulfill this mission, the Canadian pharmacy is constantly searching for the top value on prescription medications, seeking out the best suppliers of the best quality products with the best pricing worldwide.

The online drug store offers repeat customers a 5% Rewards Program, and also partners with onlinepharmacycoupons.com to provide customers additional savings when they buy Arimidex and buy Femara for breast cancer.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/canadianpharmacies/buyfemara/prweb8953272.htm

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New Breast Cancer Drug May Soon Be Offered By Online Canadian Pharmacies

Friday, January 14th, 2011

A new breakthrough in breast cancer has come to light after studies at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

It has been discovered that a certain peptide from human blood has shown the ability to significantly reduce the growth of human breast tumors. The results came from human breast tumors implanted in mice..

Two research scientists from the university showed that the human peptide tackled breast cancer not only by reducing the growth of the cancer cells, but also by reducing the growth of fibroblasts which are found in the tissue around where the tumor is located. The fribroblasts are essential in the instigation of tumor, the tumor growth and migration of cancer cells to other areas of the body (metastases) because they give reinforcement to the tumor cells. They also aid the growth of the cancerous cells. (more…)

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