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Fat can actually be your friend in fighting cancer, an Iowa State University study claims.
Researchers found you need at least a bit of fat in your salad for your body to absorb the cancer-fighting agents found in salad vegetables. The fat helps promote absorption of lycopene and alpha and beta carotenes, which can help protect you from cancer and heart disease, researcher Wendy White said in a statement. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
Every year around 200,000 American women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Detecting it early is the best way of treating it effectively.
Now a new study says MRI's may be more effective than mammograms at spotting it. [Breast Cancer - Topix.net]
AP - Medical researchers have located a genetic indicator of a higher than normal risk of developing lung cancer, a discovery that might help identify those most susceptible to the disease. [Yahoo! News - Health]
Dr. Tyler Curiel is at the forefront of testing that kills off 'bad' T cells to prevent cancer recurrence. According to the American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women.
It also ranks fifth as the cause of cancer death in women. Experts say there will be about 25,580 new cases of ovarian cancer in the United States this year. More than 16,000 women will die of the disease. However, the number of new cases of ovarian cancer has been going down since 1991. [Cancer - Topix.net]
"Light" or "mild" cigarette brands don't substantially reduce nicotine intake, a new study of Japanese smokers claims.
Smokers who switch to cigarette brands that yield 0.1 milligrams of nicotine from brands that yield 1.1 milligrams might expect to lower their nicotine intake by a factor of 11.
But researchers at Kyoto First Red Cross Hospital found that the actual reduction in nicotine intake was less than twofold. Their research appears in the July 20 online issue of the journal BMC Public Health.
The doctors assessed the nicotine intake of 458 smokers by measuring the concentration of nicotine residue in the smokers' urine.
They found that people who smoke more than 40 cigarettes per day hardly reduced their nicotine intake at all by switching to mild brands. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
This is an example of research that starts out to ask one question and then, serendipitously, produces results that are no less exciting and important.
A study was originally designed to assess the long-terms effects of vitamin K2 on bone loss in women with viral cirrhosis of the liver, usually due to hepatitis C. Half of the women were given vitamin K2 and half served as controls. Many more cases of liver cancer occurred in the control group as compared to those taking vitamin K2. These women were nearly 90% less likely to develop liver cancer. This is a very important because persons with hepatitis C are at an increased risk for liver cancer. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
Researchers at University of Vermont examined blood samples of 45 children undergoing cancer treatment over eight years. [Cancer - Topix.net]
Two drugs from unlikely sources -- an ocean-growing sponge and a European evergreen tree -- apparently team up well to prevent the spread of cancer cells.
The sponge-based drug, discodermolide, works with a yew tree derivative called paclitaxel to thwart tumor cell growth, according to research published in the July 15 issue of Cancer Research.
In fact, using the drugs in combination is several times more effective than using either drug alone, concluded researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Both drugs prevent cancer spread by interfering with tumor cells' ability to divide, keeping cells stalled in a pre-division stage of growth.
Paclitaxel currently is an approved drug for the control of cancer growth, while discodermolide is undergoing phase one clinical trials. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
Scientists say they have zeroed in on a new target in the fight against aggressive prostate cancer.
Researchers at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center say prostate cancer is much more likely to be aggressive if a key protein called Stat5 is both plentiful and active within cancer cells.
Their study found that active Stat5 protein was highly concentrated in aggressive prostate cancers. The protein is thought to send cellular signals prompting cancer growth. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the topical cream Aldara (imiquimod), already approved to treat genital warts, to treat a mild form of skin cancer called superficial basal cell carcinoma (sBCC).
The approval recommends the cream when the more preferred treatment method, surgical removal, is medically inappropriate, the agency said in a statement. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
Of all the body's wonderfully designed organs, the skin is supreme in versatility. It is the only organ directly and constantly open to the environment. It wards off harmful agents, heat and cold, the elements and bacteria. It is waterproof. It repairs itself. It is self-lubricating. It even eliminates some body wastes.
Like its close relations, hair and nails, it reflects both physical and mental health. Skin can warn of inner illness by going waxen, ashen, blotchy, spotty, ruddy, pallid, yellow, purple, grey or blue. It gives you the sense of touch. It can be tough or delicate, smooth or wrinkled as your needs or age dictate. It can bristle, blister, tingle, itch, hurt, sweat, stretch, shrink, weep, creep, bleed and blush. The skin makes vitamin D - vital for healthy joints and bones. It controls body temperature. It can signal emotion, provide sexual and social attraction and denote racial origin. [Medical News Today]
A new study has confirmed that heavy drinking increases the risk of breast cancer, particularly among premenopausal women.
However, the Danish research also found light-to-moderate drinking appears to have little effect on a woman's risk for breast cancer.
"Our study confirms earlier reports that heavy alcohol consumption is a risk for breast cancer," said Morten Gronbaek, a professor at the Centre for Alcohol Research at the National Institute of Public Health in Denmark.
"The second main finding is that there seems to be no difference in the effect of the different types of alcohol, which indicates that it is ethanol itself and not the type of drink that is responsible for breast-cancer development," he continued.
The study involved more than 13,000 women between 20 and 91 years of age. Heavy drinking was defined as the consumption of more than 27 alcoholic drinks a week.
"Based on our results, the average reader should not worry too much about light to moderate intake, say, in the area of one to two drinks per day," Gronbaek said. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
Acupuncture is a technique by which thin needles are inserted into the skin at specific places to restore healthy energy flow and balance to the body. [Yahoo! News - Health]
New Web site contains helpful articles for those facing mesothelioma, including information on emerging treatments for mesothelioma [PR Leap - Health News]
The role of social stress in increasing the risk for cancer has not been clearly established, but a new study in monkeys suggests that it could double the possibility for endometrial cancer. [Yahoo! News - Health]
High dietary levels of natural plant estrogens found in soy don't appear to increase the risk of breast or uterine cancer, says a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center study.
"This is convincing evidence that at dietary levels, the estrogens found in soy do not stimulate cell growth and other markers for cancer risk," veterinarian and lead researcher Charles E. Wood said in a prepared statement.
"The findings should be especially interesting to women at high risk for breast cancer who take soy products," he said.
There's debate among experts about whether high levels of dietary soy -- which contain estrogen-like compounds called isoflavones or phytoestrogens -- are safe for postmenopausal women.
The most common form of hormone therapy, estrogen plus progestin, has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
Children diagnosed with cancer endure difficult treatments that can make them sick or lose their hair. [Cancer - Topix.net]
Dr Joel Yarney of the National Centre For Radiotherapy, has disclosed that cancer is the fourth commonest cause of death in the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. [Cancer - Topix.net]
Research in monkeys suggests the possibility that stress may increase risk for the most common type of uterine cancer, according to a report from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. The study results also suggest that two drinks a day won't increase breast or endometrial cancer risk for postmenopausal women who don't take estrogen. [Breast Cancer - Topix.net]
The prostate is a small organ about the size of a walnut. It is found below the bladder (where urine is stored) and surrounds the tube that carries urine away from the bladder (urethra). The prostate makes a fluid that becomes part of semen. Semen is the white fluid that contains sperm.
Prostate problems are common in men age 50 and older. Sometimes men feel symptoms themselves, or sometimes their doctors find prostate problems during routine exams. Doctors who are experts in diseases of the urinary tract (urologists) diagnose and treat prostate problems.
There are many different kinds of prostate problems. Many don't involve cancer, but some do. Treatments vary but prostate problems can often be treated without affecting sexual function.
Signs of Prostate Problems
- Frequent urge to urinate
- Blood in urine or semen
- Painful or burning urination
- Difficulty in urinating
- Difficulty in having an erection
- Painful ejaculation
- Frequent pain or stiffness in lower back, hips, or upper thighs
- Inability to urinate, or
- Dribbling of urine
Severe sepsis -- a dangerous bacterial infection of the bloodstream -- causes about 10 percent of all cancer patient deaths in the United States, says a study in the current issue of Critical Care.
Cancer treatments and tumors can weaken a cancer patient's immune system, making it more difficult to fight infections.
The study found hospitalized cancer patients with severe sepsis were more than five times (37.8 percent) as likely to die than cancer patients who did not have severe sepsis (7.2 percent). Cancer patients with lymphoma, leukemia or other blood cancers were more susceptible to severe sepsis than patients with solid organ cancer. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
The urinary bladder, is an empty organ, designed to store urine before emptying it from the body. Evacuation is under voluntary control, enabling humans to choose the time and place.
The bladder in humans is located in the pelvis. Urine formed by the kidneys empties into the bladder by means of drainage tubes called ureters. Urine exits the bladder via a tube known as the urethra. A group of muscles surrounds the bottom of the bladder (urethral sphincter) forming a ring, that stops urine leaking from the bladder. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
Over 150,000 cases of Colon Cancer occur each year in the US. Somewhere between 15 to 20% of these decidedly have a genetic basis; that is, an inherited defective or abnormal gene is responsible for the disease developing (for example the gene responsible for Familial Polyposis). [MedicineNet Cancer General]
High dietary levels of natural plant estrogens found in soy don't appear to increase the risk of breast or uterine cancer, says a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center study. [Yahoo! News - Health]
Each year, thousands of Kentuckians will hear those scary words from their doctor, "You've got cancer." From that moment on, life becomes a bit more difficult. [Cancer - Topix.net]
A little more than a glass of milk a day can reduce the risk of cancer of the colon and rectum, according to the most comprehensive study ever done on the subject. [Yahoo! News - Health]
Many women in the United States who have had a hysterectomy are undergoing PAP smear screening even though they are not at risk of cervical cancer, according to a new study.
The finding shows that a 1996 recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has largely been ignored by women and their doctors. The recommendation was that women who have undergone complete hysterectomies in which the uterus and cervix have been removed for reasons other than cancer need not undergo Pap tests.
"It is possible that women who have had a total hysterectomy are not aware that they are no longer at risk for cervical cancer," the authors wrote. "Or they may simply be so enthusiastic about cancer screening that they continue to have Pap smears regardless of the usefulness of the test. It is also possible that physicians are largely responsible for continuing cervical cancer screening after hysterectomy."
The research team evaluated the information from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (1992 – 2002) an annual, population-based telephone survey of U.S. adults conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They analyzed the timing of Pap tests among 187,670 women surveyed.
They found that 22 million U.S. women 18 years and older have undergone hysterectomies, representing 21 percent of the population. In 1992, before the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations, 68.5 percent of women who had undergone hysterectomy reported having had a Pap smear in the past 3 years. In 2002 (6 years after the recommendation), the researchers found that 69.1 percent had had a Pap smear during the same period. [cancerfacts.com]
Terminally ill cancer patients from Europe and America are travelling to China for treatment with a revolutionary anti-tumour drug - the world's first officially licensed "gene therapy". The Chinese government approved the manufacture ... [Cancer - Topix.net]
When most men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and learn about the variety of treatment options, their first major challenge is deciding which will most adequately meet their needs. [Cancer - Topix.net]
After three chest surgeries and three radiation and chemotherapy treatments - one of them lasting 14 months - Carissa Pastore's physician at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Institute in New York City recently told the 17-year-old Spring Hill resident she didn't need to undergo more traumatic medical procedures if she didn't want to.
To that, Carissa replied," "What else am I supposed to do? Just go home and die?' " said her mother Brenda Dulje, recalling that conversation this week.
Yes, the doctor replied.
"It wasn't what we expected to hear. It upset us both," said Dulje, who refuses to give up the fight. So does her daughter, a biology enthusiast whose biggest wish is to swim with dolphins in the Florida Keys.
The youngest of six siblings, Carissa was diagnosed with cancer when she was 10, after she began complaining about a pain in her side. At All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, she was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare childhood disease that attacks soft tissue and bone. Surgeons removed a mass from the lower right lobe of her lung, then used 40 staples to close the opening. Fourteen months of radiation and chemotherapy followed... [Cancer - Topix.net]
Anti-cancer cells are found in cancer patients, but they fail to kill the cancer. New research looks at why and what can be done to activate the cells to destroy tumors.
Researchers say the failure of these immune cells to kill cancer may be due to different cell priming or suppressing mechanisms. Investigators from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg say they have found a method to activate the anti-cancer cells in mice. [Cancer - Topix.net]
Scientists hunting a cure for cancer have discovered a type of mint leaf that can destroy cancer cells, it emerged today.
Experts have used a type of Chinese mint to create a chemical that destroys the blood vessels that feed the tumour, causing the cells to die.
The chemical has so far only been tested in the laboratory but experts hope to begin human trials as soon as funding can be secured.
Salford University’s Professor Alan McGown, who has led the research, said the findings were “very exciting” and could pave the way for better targeted cancer treatments.
He said: “All cancers require a blood supply if they are to survive and grow.
“If we can target and destroy these blood vessels ten we will have a treatment that will be applicable to all forms of cancer in both children and adults.”
The substance is formed from an extract derived from a Chinese relative of common garden mint, scutellaria barbata.
Whereas traditional cancer treatments work by attempting to destroy the cancer cells themselves, this new substance attacks the tumour’s blood vessels, starving it of oxygen and nutrients. [Cancer - Topix.net]
Nick, 12, son of Matt and the late Karen Nakon of Avon, has the uncanny knack to visualize a watercolor painting in his head and paint what he sees on canvas.
His parents knew this and his mother took special care to guide him in the right direction as far as honing his artistic skills. On the same day Nick's mother died of breast cancer, Feb. 22, 2003, her 38th birthday, the Karen P. Nakon Breast Cancer Foundation was established by her husband. [Breast Cancer - Topix.net]
With skin cancer rates soaring, protecting your skin from the sun has never been more important.
And there's much more you can do than simply staying in the shade.
Start with a sunscreen. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using a product with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15, and applying it generously at least 20 to 30 minutes before going out into the sun.
Make sure to cover not only your legs, arms, face and neck, but also your feet (if you're wearing sandals) and hands. If you're going to be swimming or perspiring heavily, it's a good idea to reapply sunscreen, because toweling yourself dry can rub off the previous application.
Hats are a great way to keep the sun off your face. But if you're using a baseball cap, don't forget to apply sunscreen to the back of your neck and ears. [Yahoo! News - Health]
Adults should do at least half an hour's moderate exercise five days a week to gain a 'general health benefit', according to At Least Five a Week, a report published by the UK Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Sir Liam Donaldson at the end of April... [Medical News Today]
On average cigarette smokers die ten years younger than non-smokers, according to a 50-year-long study of smoking and death among British doctors... [Medical News Today]
Diabetes appears to increase the risk of death from a number of types of cancer, new research suggests. Moreover, this holds true even after accounting for obesity, which is common among diabetics and is
a well-known risk factor for cancer. [Yahoo! News - Health]
Anti-cancer immune cells are found in cancer patients, but these cells fail to reject tumors; a failure that may be due to a series of different immune cell priming or suppressing mechanisms... [Medical News Today]
A study of hundreds of women from four hospitals showing that lysophospholipids are present in high levels in women with ovarian cancer but low in healthy women - a major finding - could lead to a simple blood test for ovarian cancer... [Medical News Today]
Four years after identifying a portion of northeast Brookhaven as an apparent breast cancer cluster, state officials told community residents Tuesday that after combing through environmental records and analyzing six suspect pollutants ... [Breast Cancer - Topix.net]
Children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) who suffer genetic damage caused by chemotherapy may face an increased risk of further cancers and other diseases later in life. [Yahoo! News - Health]
A study carried out by Harvard researchers on pregnant Tanzanian women found that a multivitamin, taken once daily, slowed down the progression of HIV... [Medical News Today]