Breast cancer mortality continues three-decade decline, but steeper increases for women under 50 & AAPI women of all ages

Two years after FDA’s breast density notification rule, there is still no standard for follow-up
So far, 38 million patients have received a dense breast notification. Now what?

Nearly two years after FDA issued a final rule requiring radiologists to tell women whether their breasts are “dense” or “not dense” after a mammogram, the notification has become nearly universal.

October 02, 2026

Vol.52 No.36

By Claire Marie Porter

Drugs & Targets

FDA accepts NDA and grants Priority Review to Lynkuet for vasomotor symptoms due to endocrine therapy in breast cancer

FDA accepted the company’s supplemental New Drug Application and granted Priority Review designation for Lynkuet (elinzanetant) under investigation for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (also known as hot flashes) in women receiving endocrine therapy for treatment of breast cancer.

October 02, 2026

Vol.52 No.36

How biology is reshaping breast cancer care

Breast cancer treatment has changed dramatically over the past decade. One of the most important advances has been our growing ability to understand the biology of each patient’s cancer and use those insights to guide treatment decisions more precisely. That shift is helping make personalized cancer care a reality.

36 months to live, 29 months to wait. Why is Congress withholding lifesaving benefits from breast cancer patients?

In this episode of The Cancer Letter Podcast, Fran Visco, president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, and Jacquelyn Cobb, managing editor of The Cancer Letter, discuss the Metastatic Breast Cancer Act, bipartisan legislation that would eliminate the waiting periods for Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare for eligible people with metastatic breast cancer.

September 23, 2026

Perspective

Scientific progress can’t help people if they can’t access care
This is a policy problem. And it is one we can change.

Scientific advances have produced therapies that allow some people with metastatic breast cancer to live longer and better. We want that progress to continue, and we will continue to fight for the right research necessary to achieve it.

September 18, 2026

Vol.52 No.34

By Frances M. Visco and Michelle Tregear

Obituary

Harold Freeman, a surgeon who championed health equity, dies at 93
Freeman, the father of patient navigation, served as president of ACS and chair of the President’s Cancer Panel

Harold P. Freeman, a surgeon who started his career in Harlem, where, in addition to performing surgeries, he pioneered the system of patient navigation, and who studied health disparities and served as president of the American Cancer Society and chair of the President’s Cancer Panel, died on Aug. 11. He was 93.

September 18, 2026

Vol.52 No.34

By Paul Goldberg

Breast cancer mortality continues three-decade decline, but steeper increases for women under 50 & AAPI women of all ages

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

Two years after FDA’s breast density notification rule, there is still no standard for follow-up
So far, 38 million patients have received a dense breast notification. Now what?

FDA accepts NDA and grants Priority Review to Lynkuet for vasomotor symptoms due to endocrine therapy in breast cancer

How biology is reshaping breast cancer care

36 months to live, 29 months to wait. Why is Congress withholding lifesaving benefits from breast cancer patients?

Scientific progress can’t help people if they can’t access care
This is a policy problem. And it is one we can change.

Harold Freeman, a surgeon who championed health equity, dies at 93
Freeman, the father of patient navigation, served as president of ACS and chair of the President’s Cancer Panel

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Breast cancer mortality continues three-decade decline, but steeper increases for women under 50 & AAPI women of all ages

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

Two years after FDA’s breast density notification rule, there is still no standard for follow-upSo far, 38 million patients have received a dense breast notification. Now what?

FDA accepts NDA and grants Priority Review to Lynkuet for vasomotor symptoms due to endocrine therapy in breast cancer

How biology is reshaping breast cancer care

36 months to live, 29 months to wait. Why is Congress withholding lifesaving benefits from breast cancer patients?

Scientific progress can’t help people if they can’t access careThis is a policy problem. And it is one we can change.

Harold Freeman, a surgeon who championed health equity, dies at 93Freeman, the father of patient navigation, served as president of ACS and chair of the President’s Cancer Panel

Never miss an issue!

Login

Breast cancer mortality continues three-decade decline, but steeper increases for women under 50 & AAPI women of all ages

Two years after FDA’s breast density notification rule, there is still no standard for follow-up
So far, 38 million patients have received a dense breast notification. Now what?

Scientific progress can’t help people if they can’t access care
This is a policy problem. And it is one we can change.

Harold Freeman, a surgeon who championed health equity, dies at 93
Freeman, the father of patient navigation, served as president of ACS and chair of the President’s Cancer Panel