Similarities and differences in philanthropic and federal support for medical research in the United States: an analysis of funding by nonprofits in 2006-2008.

Purpose: The medical community currently has no detailed source of information on philanthropic research funding. The authors sought to identify trends in research funding by members of the Health Research Alliance (HRA), a consortium of nonprofit funders of biomedical research, and compare findings with research support from the federal government.

Method: Thirty-two HRA members uploaded information about grants with start dates in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Physical activity, weight control, and breast cancer risk and survival: clinical trial rationale and design considerations.

Substantial observational epidemiological evidence exists that physical activity and weight control are associated with decreased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Uncertainty remains regarding several aspects of these associations, including the effect of possible confounding factors on these associations. We present the rationale and design for two randomized controlled trials that can help resolve this uncertainty.

Performance and reporting of clinical breast examination: a review of the literature.

Clinical breast examination (CBE) seeks to detect breast abnormalities or evaluate patient reports of symptoms to find palpable breast cancers at an earlier stage of progression, when treatment is more effective and treatment options are greater than for later stage disease. Evidence suggests that, for some women, CBE can be an important complement to mammography in the earlier detection of breast cancer; CBE identifies some cancers missed by mammography and provides an important screening tool among women for whom mammography is not recommended or women who do not receive high-quality screening mammography according to recommended guidelines. But CBE performance and reporting approaches are inconsistent.

Clinical breast examination: practical recommendations for optimizing performance and reporting.

Clinical breast examination (CBE) seeks to detect breast abnormalities or evaluate patient reports of symptoms to find palpable breast cancers at an earlier stage of progression. Treatment options for earlier-stage cancers are generally more numerous, include less toxic alternatives, and are usually more effective than treatments for later-stage cancers. For average-risk women aged 40 and younger, earlier detection of palpable tumors identified by CBE can lead to earlier therapy.