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Doctors often don't hear about the serious side effects of chemotherapy because patients are reluctant to complain or don't have enough time to talk about such problems during jam-packed office visits, experts say. But a new study points to a potential solution: using simple technology to encourage “real time” reporting of symptoms. Its findings show that patients with advanced cancer who reported side effects frequently via an online tool lived a median of five months longer than those who waited to mention problems during office visits. (McGinley, 6/4)

Women who breast-feed their babies for the recommended six months may be lowering their own risk of developing endometrial cancer, a new study suggests. In the analysis of data from 17 past studies, researchers found that women who had ever breast-fed their children were 11 percent less likely than women who had children but didn’t breast-feed to be diagnosed with endometrial cancer. (Crist, 6/3)

Women who have had early-stage breast cancer and become pregnant do not have a greater chance of recurrence and death than those who do not get pregnant, according to results released Saturday from the largest study to ever explore the issue. The study is the first to focus specifically on the safety of pregnancy for women whose cancers are fueled by estrogen. Researchers said their conclusions should allay concerns among some doctors and patients that pregnancy, which results in a surge in estrogen levels, could put these women at risk by encouraging the growth of any cancer cells that might remain in the body after treatment. (McGinley, 6/3)

Many colon cancer patients can cut their chemotherapy regimen in half, improving their quality of life and reducing their chances of having debilitating side effects, according to a major international study released Sunday. The goal of the research, eagerly awaited by oncologists, was to determine whether a three-month course of chemo was as effective as six months of treatment in staving off a recurrence in people with Stage 3 colon cancer. (McGinley, 6/4)