The surgical removal of ovaries or breasts significantly improves the longevity of women who are most at risk for breast and ovarian cancer, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Cancer
Can Eating Vegetables Prevent Lung Cancer?
If you smoke, you know you’re putting yourself at increased risk of lung cancer. But if you boost the variety of fruits and vegetables that you eat, you may be able to lower those odds a bit.
Scientists in Europe report in the American Association for Cancer Research’s journal that smokers who consumed the greatest variety of fruits …
In the Common Cold, Scientists Find New Hope for Cancer Treatment
New research on viruses may translate into new therapies to beat cancer, scientists say.
Molecular biologists at the Salk Institute have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that allows adenoviruses — culprits behind the common cold as well as other illnesses — to beat the body’s immune system. Since adenoviruses and tumor …
Alcohol may increase risk for certain types of breast cancer
Alcohol is a known risk factor for breast cancer, but it may not be equally risky for all subtypes of the disease. In particular, according a new study released today by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, alcohol appears more important for “hormone-sensitive” breast cancers — with drinkers showing more pronounced risk of …
Why cancer biomarkers haven’t lived up their hype
It’s a frequent complaint that, despite all the money poured into cancer research in the last few decades, progress has only ever seemed incremental. But perhaps nowhere is this more apparent, at least in the last 10 years, than in the field of cancer screening — in the biological indicators or “biomarkers” that promise early detection …
The world’s costliest disease
Heart disease may be the world’s leading cause of death, but cancer is the planet’s No.1 “economic killer,” according to a report this week from the American Cancer Society. The AP reports:
Cancer’s economic toll was $895 billion in 2008 — equivalent to 1.5 percent of the world’s gross domestic product, the report says. That’s in terms
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FDA panel: Avastin ineffective against breast cancer
In light of clinical trials suggesting no benefit from the medication among breast cancer patients, U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted yesterday in favor of withdrawing approval of the cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) for treatment of breast cancer. Avastin, which is manufactured by Roche, was originally granted
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Cancer risk not higher for babies whose moms live near cell towers
A new study published in BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) adds to a growing body of research dedicated to understanding cancer risk potentially posed by cell phone use and proximity to cell phone towers. Researchers from Imperial College London set out to determine whether mothers whose children developed conditions such as
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Are doctors screening for cervical cancer too often?
Though current cervical cancer screening guidelines generally recommend that women ages 30 and older get screened — either using a traditional pap smear or a complement of a pap smear and human papillomavirus testing — every 2 to 3 years instead of annually, a new survey published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds
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Widely used cancer drug may cause kidney damage
A new analysis published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology finds that a drug commonly used for cancer treatment may cause kidney damage in some patients. The drug, bevacizumab, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating glioblastoma brain tumors, metastasized breast cancer and other forms of
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A Blood Test for Cancer?
Any cancer doctor will tell you that the earlier you pick up a tumor, the better your chances are of treating it and getting it under control.
So researchers at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago are announcing some welcome news on that front. Scientists at the biotechnology company Chronix …
Moving toward a breast cancer vaccine?
New research in mice may be a first step toward a breast cancer vaccine for humans. The findings, published online Sunday and scheduled to run in the June 10 issue of the journal Nature Medicine, found that mice who were genetically engineered to be at high risk for breast cancer were effectively immunized against the disease after being
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CDC confirms effectiveness of HPV vaccine in men
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed its provisional recommendation from 2009 that the HPV vaccine (Gardasil) against human papillomavirus infection is both safe and effective in males in preventing genital warts.
The HPV vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006 for use in …