Cancer
Bad diet ups cancer risk for poor, black women
|
|
Poor black women in U.S. cities face a greater risk of getting cancer because of unhealthy diets, according to a report released on Wednesday that says the finding applies to other ethnic groups.
The study of more than 150 women living in public housing in Washington, D.C., found that 61 percent of them met none or just one of five goals for maintaining a healthy diet.
Histochemistry is the golden standard in the diagnosis of carcinosarcomas
|
|
A case study of carcinosarcoma has been published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology on November 7, 2007. The patient in the study was the first case of gastric carcinosarcoma obtained in this part of the world . The patient was admitted by Dr. Tomislav Randjelovic as surgeon and Dr. Branka Filipovic as gastroenterologist. The operation was performed by Dr. Randjelovic and his team; the anatomical and patoanatomical evaluation of macroscopic and microscopic features of the tumor were performed by Dr. Babic, Dr. Cemerikic and Dr. Filipovic.
Carcinosarcomas are very rare malignancies in the Western Balkans.
Overweight and Obesity Cause 6,000 Cancers a Year in UK Women
|
|
Following last week’s report by the World Cancer Research Fund, evidence of the relevance of obesity to the risk of a wide range of cancers in UK women is published online by the BMJ today.
The study shows that overweight and obese women in the UK are at a higher risk of developing and dying from cancer. In fact, the researchers estimate that 5% of all cancers (about 6,000 annually) are attributable to being overweight or obese.
Cancer children more apt to survive if parents did
|
|
Children whose parents beat certain types of cancer have a better chance of doing the same if they get the disease themselves, according to a Swedish study suggesting that survival traits are passed on.
The research, published in the November issue of Lancet Oncology, said good survival—defined as living for at least 10 years past the cancer diagnosis—extended to breast, lung, prostate and colorectal cancers.
Allergies may protect against brain cancer
|
|
A history of allergies may reduce the risk of a particular type of brain tumor called glioma, investigators report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Little is known about what causes glioma, note Dr. Eleni Linos, of Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues. “Atopic (allergic) diseases are on the rise in western populations, with increasing interest in their long-term health consequences,” they point out. “An inverse association between (allergy) and the risk of glioma has been observed.”
Exercise Trumps Vitamins for Heart Disease, Cancer Prevention
|
|
Most experts agree that supplements add little, if anything, to a well-balanced diet. Exercise, however, is proven to achieve the benefits claimed for vitamins, even for people who eat properly, reports the November 2007 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch.
One leading reason people take vitamin supplements is to protect against cancer. But sadly, this strategy has been a flop.
Double mastectomies to prevent cancer increase
|
|
From 1998 through 2003, the rate of double mastectomies among women in the United States who had cancer diagnosed in only one breast more than doubled, according to a report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
“Many surgeons had noticed that more women were requesting double mastectomy for treatment of the cancer in only one breast. So, we weren’t surprised by the overall trend, but we were very surprised by the magnitude,” lead author Dr. Todd M. Tuttle said in an interview with Reuters Health.
Obesity Strongest Risk Factor for Colorectal Cancer Among Women
|
|
Research presented at the 72nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology found that obesity, among other important risk factors, was the strongest risk factor for colorectal cancer in women.
Joseph C. Anderson, MD of Stony Brook University in New York (and the University of Connecticut) and his colleagues examined data from 1,252 women who underwent colonoscopy. They classified patients according to their age, smoking history, family history of colorectal cancer, and body mass index (BMI).
New cancer drugs could help in autoimmune disease
|
|
A new class of drugs used to treat cancer might be effective at suppressing overactive immune systems in patients with autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s disease, U.S. researchers said on Sunday.
“What we would be proposing would be a therapy that would enhance the body’s own immune system’s ability to regulate itself,” said Wayne Hancock of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, whose study appears in the journal Nature Medicine.
Roche says Avastin effective in colorectal cancer
|
|
New clinical data showed Avastin improved the chances of a removal of metastatic lesions in patients with colorectal cancer, Swiss drug maker Roche Holding said on Monday.
New data from the large international First BEAT trial demonstrated that a high number of patients treated with Avastin plus standard chemotherapy for colorectal cancer had metastatic lesions completely removed, Roche said.
Dramatic Increase in Hospital Admissions for Children with Cancer
|
|
The number of hospital admissions for patients age 18 and under with cancer increased by more than 80 percent between 2000 and 2005—from roughly 54,000 to nearly 100,000 admissions—according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The increase was driven partly by a dramatic improvement in the survival rate of children with cancer. While children with cancer are increasingly treated in outpatient settings, some types of care still require hospitalization.
Cancer Patients, Spouses Report Similar Emotional Distress
|
|
A cancer diagnosis affects more than just the patient. A new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center finds spouses report similar physical and emotional quality of life as the patient.
The study found that what really impacted emotional distress - among both patients and their spouses - was whether the patient was newly diagnosed, facing a recurrence or living with advanced disease.
Gene Chip Data Improved Therapy in Some Patients with Incurable Cancer
|
|
Like many oncologists, Eric P. Lester, M.D., was faced with a dilemma: seven patients with advanced, incurable cancer, an arsenal of drugs that may or may not help them, and not enough solid proof about treatment efficacy to guide him. So Dr. Lester devised what he called a “simple-minded experiment” that illustrates the promise of personalized medicine. Using DNA microarray “chips,” Dr. Lester analyzed his patients’ tumors for expression of genes associated with good response to various anti-cancer drugs, and based his drug treatment plans on the results. Four out of seven patients with advanced cancer enrolled in the extremely limited study had a better outcome than expected.
The finding, presented today in Atlanta, Ga. at the American Association for Cancer Research’s second International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development, shows that “a personalized molecular oncology approach, basing chemotherapy on relative gene expression in tumors, holds promise even at the relatively crude level employed here,” said study investigator, Dr. Lester, president of Oncology Care Associates in St. Joseph, Mich.
Smokeless tobacco use linked to throat cancer
|
|
A study from India shows that use of smokeless tobacco in the form of chewing tobacco or snuff is associated with an increased risk of developing cancer in the “hypopharynx”—the area at the back of the throat immediately above the larynx, or voicebox.
The increasing popularity of smokeless tobacco is a cause for concern, Dr. Amir Sapkota and colleagues write in the October 15th issue of the International Journal of Cancer. Chewing tobacco is consumed in India in the form of pan, khaini, guthka, mawa or zarda—all of which contain tobacco and slaked lime as their main components. Snuffing of tobacco, alone or mixed with slaked lime (naswar) either through nose or mouth, is also popular, they explain.
Aspartame is safe, study says
|
|
A sweeping review of research studies of aspartame says there is no evidence that the non-nutritive sweetener causes cancer, neurological damage or other health problems in humans
Looking at more than 500 reports, including toxicological, clinical and epidemiological studies dating from 1970’s preclinical work to the latest studies on the high-intensity sweetener, along with use levels and regulations data, an international expert panel from 10 universities and medical schools evaluated the safety of aspartame for people of all ages and with a variety of health conditions. Their study is published in the September issue of Critical Reviews in Toxicology.
