For cancer patients, sexual dysfunction is often a long-term side effect of treatment, and can have a significant impact on quality of life. To better understand long-term sexual dysfunction in cancer patients, and develop therapies tailored to their needs, researchers from Duke University argue that there is a “need for a flexible,
…
A four-year study of more than 8,000 men between the ages of 50 to 75 who had an elevated risk for developing prostate cancer found that those who took the drug dutasteride (sold as Avodart) were less likely to develop prostate cancer than those taking a placebo. What’s more, study participants taking dutasteride were significantly less
…
In a decision that could have broad ramifications for future genetic research and medical practice, United States District Court Judge Robert W. Sweet ruled Monday that patents on two genes linked to ovarian and breast cancer, BRCA-1 and BRCA-2, were invalid. The case brought by a group including the American Civil Liberties Union, the
…
In a study conducted by Dr. Des Powe and colleagues at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, England and Germany’s Witten University, breast cancer patients treated with beta blockers—medication used to reduce blood pressure by limiting the effects of the hormone epinephrine—had higher survival rates and lower levels of metastatis
…
The American Cancer Society released updated prostate cancer screening recommendations yesterday that largely reiterate existing guidance—advising men to discuss the issue with their physicians and make a decision about the potential benefits of screening based on their individual medical histories and age. The new recommendations
…
Following a single ovarian transplant, a woman gave birth to two healthy children in two separate pregnancies—a first for the fertility technique that has been gaining ground among specialists, and may provide hope to women forced to confront potential infertility due to a battle with cancer. The case of Danish woman Stinne Holm
…
Glioblastoma brain tumors are notoriously difficult to fight: though they can be battled back with radiation and chemotherapy, within time they eventually manage to grow again. Yet, according to initial results of a study in mice, a technique that effectively starves the tumor of the blood supply it needs to regrow could eventually offer
…
The current standard of surgery for prostate cancer patients is what is known as open radical prostatectomy, which involves a surgeon accessing and removing the cancerous prostate gland by making a standard surgical incision. Yet, in recent years, a less invasive approach, known as laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, which often uses
…
While chemotherapy is often a critical component of cancer treatment, its side effects—which can include hair loss, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and new infections, among other health problems—are often debilitating and painful. Adding to previous findings suggesting that fasting prior to chemo might help decrease side effects,
…
Some 40% of cancers could be prevented with simple lifestyle changes and higher levels of protection from cancer-causing infections, according to experts at the International Union Against Cancer (UICC). Cancer-causing infections are responsible for 22% of deaths in the developing world, and 6% of deaths in the developed world, according
…
There’s no question that quitting smoking benefits your health, not least by reducing your risk of developing lung cancer. But what if you’re a smoker who has already been diagnosed with lung cancer — will quitting give you any advantage in fighting the disease?
While the scientific community continues to study the possible relationship between cell phone radiation and brain tumors—there is no consensus on the subject as of yet—state legislators in Maine are considering a proposal that would require cell phones to carry warnings that they may cause brain cancer. Democrat Andrea Boland is
…
Girls who begin having sexual intercourse at a younger age may have a significantly higher risk for developing cervical cancer, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Cancer. As the BBC reports, in a study of some 20,000 women, investigators from the International Agency for Research on Cancer found that those who
…
