Cancer News

The following are a few cancer news stories for July.

There is a brief summary of each news item with a link to the source.

Let me know in Comments if you find these useful or would like to share other news stories. Thank you.

Cancer News

Aspirin May Reduce Pancreatic Cancer Risk

A Yale study may give you another reason to use aspirin.

Researchers for Yale School of Public Health and Yale Cancer Center conducted the study. Promising results suggest continual use of low-dose or regular-dose aspirin may cut your risk of developing pancreatic cancer in half.

The study also found the longer you take the aspirin, the better the chances are your level of protection will grow.

Read the Press Release from Yale Cancer Center.

Newly Discovered Gene Stops Spread of Cancer

Lung cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. A common complication of lung cancer is its rapid spread to other parts of the body (metastasis).

Salk Institute researchers discovered a new gene that is linked to stopping the spread of cancer. The discovery may also help researchers “understand and treat the spread of melanoma and cervical cancers.”

Read more about the study at the Salk Institute News Releases.

HPV Screening Test Beats Pap Test

The human papilloma viruses (HPV) can cause cervical cancer. A National Cancer Institute (NCI) study of over a million women determined that a negative test for HPV infection (as opposed to a negative Pap test) is a better predictor of a low risk for cervical cancer.

Review the NCI Press Release for more details.

 

Note: Cathy Miller is not a physician. Nothing on this site is intended to offer medical advice, treatment or services for you or any other individual. The resources provide general information for educational purposes only. This site and links to other sites do not substitute for professional care. You should seek the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider.

BigStock Photo Credit

The following are a few cancer news stories for June.

There is a brief summary of each news item with a link to the source.

Let me know in Comments if you find these useful or would like to share other news stories. Thank you.

Cancer News

Double Mastectomy: Often Unnecessary?

A study published in the Journal of American Medical Association’s JAMA Surgery revealed that nearly 70 percent of women who had a double mastectomy had no medically valid reason to have the surgery.

Medical reasons include a history of family breast cancer, ovarian cancer or a genetic test that indicates a higher risk for the disease.

It appears fear of recurrence was a motivating factor behind the women’s decision to have the double mastectomy.

Read the Press Release from Memorial Sloan Kettering  for more details.

Screening Prevents Half Million Colorectal Cancers

A report covering more than 30 years estimates colorectal cancer screenings prevented a half million cancers. Screening tests included fecal occult blood testing, sigmoidoscopies, and colonoscopies.

Colorectal cancer rates declined significantly at the same time screenings increased.

Read the Yale News story for more information.

New Test Predicts Likelihood of Breast Cancer Spreading

A study led by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) reviewed a test that counts the number of locations in tumor specimens where tumor cells may invade blood vessels, as well as predicting the risk of metastasis (the spread of a cancer from one organ to another) for the most common type of breast cancer. 

Read more about the study at the Albert Einstein Cancer Center of Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University News Releases.

New Tool Predicts Financial Toxicity for Cancer Patients

As if cancer was not enough of a problem, now the financial stress of treating the disease has its own side effect. Researchers call it financial toxicity.

In the July issue of Cancer, cancer specialists from the University of Chicago developed a tool for measuring a cancer patient’s coping ability with financial stress. The purpose of the tool is to identify patients who need help, such as education, financial counseling, or referral to a support network. 

Review the University of Chicago Medical Center’s press release for more information about the new assessment tool.

 

Note: Cathy Miller is not a physician. Nothing on this site is intended to offer medical advice, treatment or services for you or any other individual. The resources provide general information for educational purposes only. This site and links to other sites do not substitute for professional care. You should seek the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider.

BigStock Photo Credit

The following are a few cancer news stories for May.

There is a brief summary of each news item with a link to the source.

Let me know in Comments if you find these useful or would like to share other news stories. Thank you.

Cancer News

Unemployment: Breast Cancer Side Effect?

A study conducted by the University of Michigan Cancer Center had some disturbing findings. Nearly one-third of breast cancer survivors who had been working at their time of diagnosis were unemployed four years later.

Most (55 percent) indicated they would like to be working. Overall, 30 percent were no longer working. Women who received chemotherapy were more likely to report they were not working.

Read the Press Release for more details.

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Aggressive Prostate Cancer

A new study from Northwestern Medicine and the University of Illinois at Chicago found a deficiency in vitamin D put African-American and European-American men with high risk of prostate cancer at greater odds for an aggressive form of the disease.

Researchers noted a Vitamin D deficiency has few symptoms, except in severe cases. The finding means screening for the deficiency is important in high-risk individuals

Read the Press Release for more information.

U.S. Rates of Cervical Cancer Higher Than Previously Reported

Study findings published in the journal, Cancer, showed U.S. cervical cancer rates are higher than previously thought. Women aged 65- to 69-years-old and African-American women had the greatest increase.

The findings may have an effect on guidelines for pap smears, which do not recommend screening for women over 65 if their prior test results have been normal.

Read more about the study at the University of Maryland News.

Study of Protein Will Help Design of Cancer-fighting Drugs

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital researchers published a new study on the protein p53 in online journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.  The protein is instrumental in triggering the suicide of cancer cells (a process known as apoptosis).

Another protein (BCL-xL) often inhibits p53 from doing its job. The study hopes to develop a drug that would allow protein p53 to trigger apoptosis.

Learn more about the study at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Medicine and Science News.

Electronic Cigarettes May Pose Health Risk

The Roswell Cancer Institute cautions some electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) may increase health risks. Possible factors studied by researchers include the nicotine solvent and battery output voltage.

E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that apply heat to a liquid (e-liquid) filled with nicotine, as well as other chemicals. Users inhale the vapor created from the e-cigarette. Some e-cigarettes allow an increase in vapor production through a change in the voltage and delivery of nicotine.

Read the Roswell Cancer Institute Press Release for more details.

Note: Cathy Miller is not a physician. Nothing on this site is intended to offer medical advice, treatment or services for you or any other individual. The resources provide general information for educational purposes only. This site and links to other sites do not substitute for professional care. You should seek the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider.

BigStock Photo Credit

The following are a few cancer news stories for April.

There is a brief summary of each news item with a link to the source.

Let me know in Comments if you find these useful or would like to share other news stories.

Thank you.

Cancer News: April 2014

Harvard’s Take on Mammograms

Researchers at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Health Care Policy and Brigham and Women’s Hospital published guidelines in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) for individualizing the approach to mammogram screening. 

Researchers shared guidelines for the risks and rewards of mammography based on the patient’s age and other factors.

Read the Harvard Press Release for more details.

Key Driver in Colorectal Cancer Identified

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. and the third most common cancer.

Researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, identified a molecule that is thought to be a key driver of colorectal cancer.

Read the Press Release for more information.

Aggressive Form of Breast Cancer Linked to Inflammatory Protein

A study in mice by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) discovered a link between an inflammatory protein, nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2), and the progression and metastasis of an aggressive (although less common) form of breast cancer.

Read more about the study at the NCI site.

Gene Panel Effective Screen for Dozens of Cancer-Associated Mutations

A study by Stanford School of Medicine revealed a “quick, easy and cheap” screening method for finding gene variants known to be associated with specific types of cancer.

Learn more about the study at the Stanford School of Medicine site.

Adult Cancer Drugs Show Promise Against Childhood Brain Tumor

A study conducted by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital identified two adult cancer drugs that show promise for an aggressive form of a childhood brain tumor. The study was published in the journal, Cancer Cell.

Read the St. Jude Press Release for more details.

Note: Cathy Miller is not a physician. Nothing on this site is intended to offer medical advice, treatment or services for you or any other individual. The resources provide general information for educational purposes only. This site and links to other sites do not substitute for professional care. You should seek the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider.

BigStock Photo Credit

 

The following are a few cancer news stories for March.

There is a brief summary of each news item with a link to the source.

Let me know in Comments if you find these useful or would like to share other news stories.

Thank you.

Cancer News: March 2014

Cancer Patients Seek Non-Experts for Information

Medical imaging procedures like positron emission tomography (PET) scans are on the rise. A three-year study blames at least part of the increased use on patients seeking non-expert advice. Published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, the study results included patients seeking non-clinician sources (such as TV, radio, internet, etc.) as well as clinician input.

Read the Annenberg Schools for Communication, University of Pennsylvania press release for more information.

Study Says E-Cigarettes Lead Teens to Nicotine Addiction

A UC San Francisco study contends e-cigarettes lead adolescents down the path to nicotine addiction. Marketed as a means to quitting, e-cigarettes had the opposite effect on middle and high school students who participated in the study. Teens using e-cigarettes were more likely to smoke cigarettes and less likely to quit.

Read the UCSF news article for more details.

Low-cost Urine Paper Test Could Improve Cancer Diagnosis

Acting much like a pregnancy test, a low-cost, paper test developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers, may facilitate early detection of cancer. The test is a significant alternative to more costly screening tests (like mammograms  and colonoscopies), particularly for developing nations.

Read MIT News for more information.

Yoga Improves Quality of Life for Breast Cancer Patients

Women undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer benefited from yoga beyond a means to fight fatigue. Research conducted by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found yoga also improved patients’ daily activities, general health, and regulation of the stress hormone, cortisol.

The MD Anderson Cancer Center press release offers additional information on the study.

Note: Cathy Miller is not a physician. Nothing on this site is intended to offer medical advice, treatment or services for you or any other individual. The resources provide general information for educational purposes only. This site and links to other sites do not substitute for professional care. You should seek the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider.

BigStock Photo Credit