COPD Patients Don’t Know Enough About The Illness

A new national survey of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) shows a surprising lack of awareness of risk factors and knowledge of diagnosis stage. That lack of knowledge, researchers says, has a significant impact on patients’ quality of life, employment and ability to afford treatment. COPD, the third most common cause of death… Continue reading COPD Patients Don’t Know Enough About The Illness

Encouraging Breast-Cancer News

Are we making progress in the battle against breast cancer? Statistics indicate it’s possible; as this post from the National Cancer Institute indicates, mortality rates have been declining. Here is what the NCI experts have to say: Breast cancer mortality rates have been declining among women in many western countries since the 1970s. Overall, breast… Continue reading Encouraging Breast-Cancer News

The Life-Saving Ovarian Cancer Treatment Many Patients Still Aren’t Getting

By Sondra Forsyth On January 5th 2006, almost a full decade ago, the National Cancer Institute issued a strongly worded Clinical Advisory alerting the medical field to the importance of “the preferred method of treatment for advanced ovarian cancer”. Yet nearly ten years later, the Advisory has gone largely unheeded. A multi-university study published online… Continue reading The Life-Saving Ovarian Cancer Treatment Many Patients Still Aren’t Getting

Melanoma: What You Need to Know

Although skin cancer isn’t of as much concern to people as better known and more serious cancers such as those of the breast and colon, it can be very serious – especially in its most dangerous form, melanoma. Here, from the American Academy of Dermatology, is what you need to know about the illness that… Continue reading Melanoma: What You Need to Know

Sun and Water Safety Tips for Summer

Summer is a season when outdoor activity increases. Unfortunately, so can the number of skin cancers. There are more cases of skin cancer each year than breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers combined. In fact, of the seven most common cancers, melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, is the only type of cancer… Continue reading Sun and Water Safety Tips for Summer

Low-Risk Prostate Cancer and Radiation Dosage

Men who have low-risk prostate cancer don’t benefit from increased radiation dosage, according to a new study from Penn Medicine. The researchers, who published their findings in JAMA Oncology, found that an increased radiation dosage is linked to higher survival rates in men with medium- and high-risk prostate cancer. Already-high survival rates for men with… Continue reading Low-Risk Prostate Cancer and Radiation Dosage

Your Nails and Your Health

Although we often think of nails primarily in terms of cosmetics, they often reflect a number of health conditions. According to the American Association of Dermatologists, changes in the nail, such as discoloration or thickening, can signal health problems including liver and kidney diseases, heart and lung conditions, anemia and diabetes. And nail growth is… Continue reading Your Nails and Your Health

Stress and Your Skin

 If you’ve ever had a pimple form just before an important event, you might wonder if stress was the cause. But while many people make the same connection, experts from the American Academy of Dermatologists (AAD) say that proving the relationship between stress and inflammatory conditions such as acne, psoriasis and rosacea can be hard.… Continue reading Stress and Your Skin

Partial Breast Radiation As Effective As Whole Breast Therapy

Women who were diagnosed with breast cancer and treated with a one-week regimen of partial breast radiation after their lumpectomy showed no increase in cancer recurrence or difference in cosmetic results compared to women who received post—surgical radiation of the entire breast for up to six weeks. The two-decade study, conducted by researchers from UCLA,… Continue reading Partial Breast Radiation As Effective As Whole Breast Therapy

Magnolia Compound May Combat Head and Neck Cancers

According to a growing number of studies including one from the Veterans Affairs Research Communications and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, honokiol, a compound derived from the bark of the magnolia tree, is proving to be a potent cancer fighter in lab studies. The study was published online in June 2015 in the journal… Continue reading Magnolia Compound May Combat Head and Neck Cancers

New Cancer Research Approaches Specifically Target 60+ Population

By Samuel Waxman, M.D. Distinguished Service Professor Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology and Distinguished Service Professor, Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Founder & CEO, Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation. One of America’s precious resources, its senior population, is not getting its fair share of attention in the war against cancer… Continue reading New Cancer Research Approaches Specifically Target 60+ Population

How Much Do You Know About Sunscreen?

Millions of consumers are shopping for sunscreen without knowing exactly what they’re buying. A new study shows that just 43 percent of consumers surveyed know what sun factor protection (SPF) means, and only seven percent knew what to look for on a label if they wanted a sunscreen that offers protection against early skin aging.… Continue reading How Much Do You Know About Sunscreen?

IV Nutrition Can Improve Effectiveness of Chemo Drugs

An IV-administered nutrition source could lessen the toxicity of platinum-based cancer drugs, according to a new study. The analysis, by biologists from Carnegie Mellon University, was published in the journal Scientific Reports. Platinum-based drugs, including cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin, have been used to treat cancer for decades. They are the most potent chemotherapy drugs, but… Continue reading IV Nutrition Can Improve Effectiveness of Chemo Drugs

Best Sun-Safety Tips

Heat stroke and sun poisoning are huge problems in the summer when temperatures often go above 100 degrees and people spend too much time outside.  In fact, if you saw the premiere of NBC’s new reality show The Island, Dr. Buck Parker, a trauma surgeon and one of the stars of the show, had to… Continue reading Best Sun-Safety Tips

Advocating for National Regulations Concerning Indoor Tanning

A national regulatory framework designed to prevent and limit indoor tanning is needed to alleviate the cancer burden and reduce the billions in financial costs from preventable skin cancer, say two Georgetown University public health experts. A release from the university regarding the “Viewpoint” published by Darren Mays, PhD, MPH, and John Kraemer, JD, MPH… Continue reading Advocating for National Regulations Concerning Indoor Tanning

Update on Colorectal Cancer

Here, from the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is the latest update on colon cancer: Last year in the United States, more than 136,000 people were diagnosed with—and more than 50,000 died from–colorectal cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. It is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, striking… Continue reading Update on Colorectal Cancer

Skin Cancer: Who’s Got Your Back?

According to a news release from the American Academy of Dermatologists, your back should be at the front of your mind when it comes to skin cancer detection and prevention. The back is a hard area to protect, but it’s crucial to do so, because, the AAD says, it’s the most common site for melanoma,… Continue reading Skin Cancer: Who’s Got Your Back?

Fee-for-Service Health Care Jeopardizes Robotic Prostate Surgery Patients

A “perverse disincentive” for hospitals that have invested in expensive technology for robotic surgery may be jeopardizing prostate cancer patients who seek out the procedure, according to a study led by Henry Ford Hospital researchers in Detroit and presented at the 2015 American Urological Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans. A release from the hospital… Continue reading Fee-for-Service Health Care Jeopardizes Robotic Prostate Surgery Patients