Dr Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angula is a leading breast cancer researcher who says new research is promising.

HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA, August 12, 2014 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Dr Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo is celebrating her fourth year as a Komen Scholar, and using the occasion to offer new hope to women who are diagnosed with breast cancer.

Komen Scholars are an elite group of breast cancer researchers and advocates who serve as advisors to Susan G. Komen, formerly the Susan G. Komen Foundation, a leading breast cancer awareness group.

Dr Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo is an original member of the international panel of scientists, and a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Texas in Houston, where she works in the Department of Breast Medicine Oncology.

While there still is no cure for breast cancer, Dr Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo says there has never been a time for having more hope than right now. She is encouraged by new research published in early August, 2014, that identifies a gene signature that has the potential to identify which patients will benefit from tamoxifen therapy. Tamoxifen, she says, is the most commonly used hormone therapy for treating breast cancer.

As Dr Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo knows, not all women respond well to tamoxifin, and might unnecessarily be exposed to the possible risks and side effects of tamoxifin treatment. So the new research that could identify those women who will respond well to tamoxifen therapy holds the promise of being a significant step forward. The study was funded by the Dutch Cancer Society.

Other new and encouraging research includes the use of electroacupuncture, or EA, which is a form of acupuncture that can reduce symptoms of fatigue, anxiety and depression in some breast cancer patients. Dr Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo believes this is something worth paying attention to. According to this new research, also made publish in early August of 2014, the EA treatment can reduce these symptoms in as little as eight weeks for those patients in the early stages of breast cancer. The results of a randomized placebo-controlled trial led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are considered the first successful demonstration of EA's effectiveness for both joint pain relief, and other common symptoms.

New and ongoing research is the most important thing in breast cancer research, says Dr Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo. Research into the causes, prevention, and treatment of breast cancer is being done in many medical centers throughout the world. New research, she says, continues to find lifestyle factors and habits that alter the risk of getting breast cancer. Some studies are looking at the effect of exercise, weight gain or loss, and diet on breast cancer risk, and are showing great promise. And researchers like Dr Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo are also learning more about how genes influence breast cancer. This should happen more quickly now that the human genome has been mapped out.

Researchers, she says, have also found that in many women with breast cancer, cells may break away from the tumor in the breast and enter the blood. These tumor cells can be found with sensitive lab tests. While these tests are available for general use, it is not yet clear how helpful they are for patients with breast cancer.

Dr Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo, meanwhile, hopes to continue to improve on medical treatment, and to provide people with a resource of knowledge, wisdom and insight into the causes of breast cancer, and treatment options, throughout the course of her medical career.

About: Dr Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angula is a leading breast cancer researcher who says new research is promising.


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Dr Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angula
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
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