Breast Cancer

SEATTLE -- A high school football referees association is suing Washington state youth athletic governing bodies over the use of pink whistles for a cancer charity.

The lawsuit filed Thursday in King County Superior Court alleges that the Washington Officials Association and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association infringed on the First Amendment rights of the referees after they were barred from using pink whistles during a breast cancer awareness campaign in 2010 and disciplined for speaking out against the decision.

"It's frustrating when you try to something positive for the community and this much controversy surrounds it," said Pacific Northwest Football Officials Association president Jeff Mattson. "There shouldn't be any controversy at all."

According to Mattson, referees of the Pacific Northwest Football Officials Association decided to use pink whistles last year to show support for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. He said that the uniform code did not specify what color the whistles needed to be.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Treating early breast cancers with radiation and drugs, in addition to removing part of the breast itself, significantly decreases the risk of developing a more invasive form of cancer 15 years later, according to a new Stanford University study.

LOS ANGELES -- Breast cancer survival rates have improved in recent years, and women have more treatment choices, including -- in cases of early-stage cancer -- the opportunity to forgo chemotherapy. A new study shows, however, that women who undergo chemotherapy experience more symptoms in the year after surgery.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- When a federal court in Philadelphia convenes Thursday, lawyers dressed in suits and armed with stacks of legal briefs are expected to appear before a judge, ready to do battle over a seven-letter plural noun that's hard to say without cracking a smile: boobies.

Go ahead, try it. Boobies.

The slang term for a woman's breasts stands trial in a free speech lawsuit between the Easton Area School District and two middle school girls, who were suspended in October for refusing to remove bracelets reading "I (Heart) Boobies!" in support of breast cancer awareness.

District administrators argue the word is lewd, vulgar and has no place in a middle school. Brianna Hawk, 13, and Kayla Martinez, 12, who are both represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, say the word is harmless and the district overreacted.