Many people — in fact, most people, — have thyroid nodules. Most nodules are benign or non-cancerous. Figuring out which nodules are cancerous can be challenging. Fortunately, there are molecular tests available that can help to sort out these challenges.

Years ago, my colleagues and I worked on research in this field and identified a molecular profile that can predict which thyroid nodules have malignant, or cancerous, potential. Now, commercial labs even make use of molecular profiling to help guide patients and physicians when deciding on surgery.

Breastlink doctors specialize specifically in breast cancer care and treatment. While we can talk about the benefits of specialization, is there actually evidence to suggest that specialists can improve outcomes for breast cancer patients?

To answer that question, it is worth revisiting a 2003 study that investigated how patients fared following breast cancer surgery when treated by a breast-dedicated surgical oncologist.

There are steps you can take to help prevent cancer. Many lifestyle choices we make can increase or decrease our risk. However, a recent survey suggests many patients do not understand how these choices affect their chances for developing cancer.

Different breast cancers behave in different ways, which necessitates separate treatment guidelines to address the individual characteristics of specific types of cancer. As knowledge evolves, treatment guidelines are updated to reflect up-to-date information about breast cancer. Recently, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) published guidelines on the use of chemotherapy and targeted therapy in the treatment of patients with advanced, HER2 negative breast cancer.