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Designing physical activity programs and interventions geared to breast cancer survivors will increase well-being and may improve prognosis, Yale researchers report in a recent issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. [EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health]
A family of enzymes may trigger cancer by causing loss of cell memory, according to a new report*(1) from Cancer Research UK and Babraham Institute scientists... [Medical News Today]
People with mental health needs are more prone to lung and brain cancer than the general population, according to new research.
A study published in Psychosomatic Medicine examined the relationship between insurance claims for mental disorders and risk of cancer. The study included 722,139 adults who had filed at least one claim from 1989 to 1993.
Patients with mental disorders developed cancer at a significantly younger age than controls and men in the mental disorder cohort had more than twice the risk of brain and central nervous system tumors and a more than 50% higher risk of respiratory system tumors. [NewsIsFree: Health]
Breast cancer women should seek second opinion, says expert [NewsIsFree: Health]
Babies who are breastfed have a lower risk of developing childhood leukemia, according to a new analysis of 14 studies by UC Berkeley researchers published in the journal Public Health Reports. The authors of the paper say breastfeeding may help protect against early infections that can trigger a rare genetic change linked to childhood leukemia. [EurekAlert! - Cancer]
Alpha-linolenic acid: An essential fatty acid found in flaxseed oil, canola oil and walnuts. Abbreviated ALA.
MedTerms is the Medical Dictionary of MedicineNet.com.
We Bring Doctors' Knowledge To You [MedTerms Word of the Day]
A majority of women would be willing to cut their alcohol consumption if they thought it would reduce their risk of breast cancer, research suggests.
However, a poll by Breakthrough Breast Cancer found only 7% of women surveyed were aware of any link. Alcohol consumption is known to present a small but significant increase in breast cancer risk.
Drinking more than the recommended daily alcohol limit is an increasing trend in women of all ages. Office of National Statistics figures show that the trend is most marked in young women aged 16-25. In this group drinking above the recommended limit has more than doubled from 15% in 1988/89 to 33% in 2002/03.
The Breakthrough survey found that 12% of women would stop drinking completely, 27% would limit their drinking to one unit a day and 14% would try to reduce their alcohol intake to reduce their breast cancer risk. [BBC News | Health | UK Edition]
About 23,600 people are diagnosed with thyroid cancer each year in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. [MSNBC.com: Health]
Family therapy and other psychological treatments may help reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress among teenaged survivors of childhood cancer---as well as among their parents. The study of 150 families is the first reported large randomized clinical trial of treatment related to family adjustment to a serious pediatric illness. [EurekAlert! - Cancer]
A glass of red wine a day may keep the urologist away according to a new prostate cancer study.
A research team led by Dr. Janet Stanford of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found that a daily glass of red wine could cut a man's risk of prostate cancer in half, and even better, may best protect against the most aggressive forms of the disease.
"Among men who consumed four or more 4-ounce glasses of red wine per week, we saw about a 60 percent lower incidence of the more aggressive types of prostate cancer," Stanford said in a news release. "The more clinically aggressive prostate cancer is where the strongest reduction in risk was observed."
The researchers interviewed 753 newly diagnosed Seattle-area prostate-cancer patients as well as 703 healthy men who served as a comparison group. Detailed information about tumor aggressiveness (such as tumor grade and disease stage) was obtained through the National Cancer Institute's Seattle-Puget Sound Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results cancer registry. The study appears in the online edition of the International Journal of Cancer.
They found that the risk of prostate cancer decreased 6 percent for every glass of red wine consumed per week, however, Stanford is quick to note that research shows moderation is the key when it comes to alcohol consumption. [cancerfacts.com]
Diabetics face a higher risk of contracting pancreatic and liver cancer, according to a new study by Universit. de Montr.al epidemiologist Dr. Marie-Claude Rousseau. Looking at 12 of the most common cancers among 4,000 subjects, she observed that diabetics were three times more likely to develop liver cancer and twice as likely to develop pancreatic cancer. Rousseau has likely made the most accurate association ever found between diabetes and the incidence of liver cancer. [EurekAlert! - Cancer]
Europe has one of the highest incidence rates of ovarian cancer in the world, making it an important public health issue. A new large-scale study of ovarian cancer trends found that while it is declining in most northern European countries, it is increasing in a few southern and eastern European countries. [EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health]
Researchers at Ohio State University in the US have found that bees react to alcohol in the same way as people do.
During the experiments, bees were given ethanol - the intoxicating ingredient of alcohol. The team found it affected their flying, walking and grooming.
More research on bees is now planned to try to establish how alcohol affects memory and behaviour in humans.
Study co-author Dr Julie Mustard, an entomology researcher at the university, said: "Alcohol affects bees and humans in similar ways - it impairs motor functioning along with learning and memory processing. [BBC News | Health | UK Edition]
Since 1988, the incidence of cancer among Asian Americans in California has declined 5.9 percent and cancer deaths have fallen 16.3 percent. [Yahoo! News - Health]
The herbal supplement St John's Wort has been shown to undermine the effectiveness of a newer, revolutionary anticancer medication, according to a study by University at Buffalo researchers. [Cancer - Topix.net]
Dutch researchers say that older moderate drinkers have fewer signs of cerebrovascular disease and may be at less risk of dementia than teetotallers or heavy drinkers. [Medical News Today]
Singer Melissa Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer this month. Because of early detection and treatment, her doctor believes her prognosis is good.
To help increase breast cancer awareness, Etheridge has given her support to the Pink Bracelet Fund. This new pink pride bracelet is inscribed with "Be Strong -- MLE" and the breast cancer awareness ribbon. Made of silicone and rubber, the bracelet is $5 and is available at www.thepinkbraceletfund.org. All proceeds will go to the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, a nonprofit group that seeks to prevent breast cancer through research and education.
There's a link between increased betel nut quid nut production and consumption and a substantial rise in the incidence of head and neck cancers among Taiwanese men, says a National Taiwan University Hospital study.
The researchers reported their finding at this week's American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Seattle.
Betel quid is a popular legal stimulant in Asia. Chewing betel quid is a common practice in Asia and among Asian immigrants around the world. It's used for its stimulant effects, to sweeten the breath, to satisfy hunger, and as a cultural and social activity. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
Sanguinarine, commonly found in toothpaste and many mouthwashes, protects the body from developing skin cancer. Sanguinarine is an antibacterial and antifungal ingredient. It is an alkaloid present in the blood root plant.
Sanguinarine enhances the production of proteins that make cells damaged by ultraviolet B radiation self destruct. It also limits skin cell production of proteins that help cancer cells thrive. [Medical News Today]
Childhood obesity increases the risk of cancer in adulthood, according to new research.
A study published in the International Journal of Cancer examined the association between childhood body mass index (BMI) and the risk of cancer in adulthood in a historical cohort study.
Included were 2,347 subjects between the ages of 2 and 14 years.
The researchers estimated relative cancer risk in relation to age- and sex-specific BMI standard deviation scores.
The risk of adulthood cancer per standard deviation(SD) increase in childhood BMI was increased 9%.
A 30% increase in the risk of smoking-related cancers per SD increase in childhood BMI was found. [Medical News Today]
An apple a day may help to keep bowel cancer at bay, say researchers.
The key could be chemicals in the fruit called procyanidins, a team from the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research believe.
These chemicals were shown to significantly reduce the number of precancerous lesions in lab animals.
The research, which could lead to new cancer treatments, was presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Our work suggests that eating the whole apple, including the skin, might offer some anti-cancer benefits. - Dr Francis Raul
Parallel research suggests the chemicals - one of a class of compounds called polyphenols - work by altering signalling pathways that control the process by which cells commit suicide at the end of their natural life.
This process goes awry in cancer cells, leading to uncontrolling division, and the formation of tumours.
Lead researcher Dr Francis Raul said: "These studies not only offer insights into the mechanisms of the chemopreventive properties of these polyphenols, they also offer proof of their potential to prevent colon cancer."
Polyphenols of various types are concentrated in the skin of apples. They are antioxidants, preventing molecules called free radicals from inflicting damage on the body's tissue. [Cancer - Topix.net]
Family and church have always been important to Ken Scherpelz. And a few years ago, he found himself depending on their support even more when he faced a life-threatening disease. [Breast Cancer - Topix.net]
Want to increase your chances of avoiding cancer? Eat a healthier diet. Eating meats that contain hormones, consuming foods that have saturated fat and not eating enough fruits and vegetables can be like ... [Breast Cancer - Topix.net]
Nearly 20 years ago, Elizabeth Miksa learned she had cervical cancer.
From her limited treatment choices, she opted to eat. She turned to macrobiotics -- a 19th-century Japanese diet-healing theory then known as shoku-yu.
Most in the medical establishment consider treating cancer through macrobiotics to be unproved and even life-threatening.
Despite concerns about the diet even back in the 1980s, Miksa immersed herself in the lifestyle. She took classes in macrobiotic cooking, learned to meditate and tried to take stress from her life. For a time, she ran a cottage business of preparing and delivering macrobiotic meals to others. [Cancer - Topix.net]
Smoking greatly reduces the chances of survival for people with head and neck cancer, says new research in the Oct. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The study of more than 500 people with head and neck cancer found that those who smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime were three times more likely to have better overall survival, disease-specific survival, and recurrence-free survival than people with a current or previous history of regular smoking. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
Women who are overweight when they are diagnosed with early breast cancer are at a greater risk of dying from it than if these women weighed less at diagnosis.
That is the consensus of two recent studies. The first study was done at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. The second was done at Kaiser Permanente of Southern California and involved more than 1,300 women with breast cancer. The weight of the women at the time of their diagnosis ranged from less than 133 lbs. to more than 175 lbs. Women in the heaviest weight group had a nearly two and a half times greater risk of dying from breast cancer. These same women had a nearly 5-fold increased risk of dying of breast cancer if their tumors were also estrogen-receptor (ER) negative. For early stage breast cancer, body weight at diagnosis and ER status both proved to be important predictors of breast cancer death. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
Women who are obese when they are diagnosed with early stage breast cancer are at greater risk of dying from the disease than patients considered normal weight, a new study finds. [Yahoo! News - Health]
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Delaware County Public Health is dedicated to increasing awareness of breast-cancer issues, especially the importance of early detection, according to Vera ... [Breast Cancer - Topix.net]
Prostatic acid phosphatase: (PAP) An enzyme that is normally present only in small amounts in the blood, but that may be found at higher levels in some patients with prostate cancer, especially if the cancer has spread beyond the prostate. However, blood levels may also be elevated in patients who have certain benign prostate conditions or early stage cancer.
Although PAP was originally found to be produced by the prostate, elevated PAP levels have since been associated with testicular cancer, leukemia, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, as well as noncancerous conditions such as Gaucher's disease, Paget's disease, osteoporosis, cirrhosis of the liver, pulmonary embolism, and hyperparathyroidism.
Higher-income individuals with prostate cancer feel more informed about the disease and more satisfied with their treatment decisions than do their
lower-income peers, new survey findings show. [Yahoo! News - Health]
Smoking greatly reduces the chances of survival for people with head and neck cancer, says new research in the Oct. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The study of more than 500 people with head and neck cancer found that those who smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime were three times more likely to have better overall survival, disease-specific survival, and recurrence-free survival than people with a current or previous history of regular smoking. [MedicineNet Cancer General]
Scientists have long known that cigarette smoke causes lung cancer, but until now, no one has ever shown the mechanism that triggers the cascade of events resulting in cancerous lung cells.
Researchers led by Dr. William Saunders of the University of Pittsburgh are the first to show that cigarette smoke causes chromosome instability. Their research shows how just one or two puffs of a cigarette can cause breaks in DNA leading to defects in a cell's chromosomes. Such genetic instability can result in irreversible changes in genetic information being passed to a newly divided cell. [cancerfacts.com]