Cancer Care and Heart Disease

After a cancer diagnosis, patients and their doctors work together to develop a plan to find the best treatments to eradicate their disease. But there is often another life-threatening health issue developing throughout the course of treatment. Cancer therapies such as chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy each cause unique and serious damage to the heart. As… Continue reading Cancer Care and Heart Disease

CDC: Tobacco Use Still Surprisingly Common

Although the dangers of tobacco are commonly known, the use of the substance remains surprisingly widespread. According to the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States. As of 2018, about 34 million US adults smoke cigarettes. The use… Continue reading CDC: Tobacco Use Still Surprisingly Common

Smoking And Older Stroke Survivors

Stroke survivors were more likely to continue cigarette smoking than cancer survivors, raising the risk that they will have more health problems or die from a subsequent stroke or heart disease, according to new research published in November 2021 in Stroke, a journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.… Continue reading Smoking And Older Stroke Survivors

Garden-Fresh Vegetables Help Fight Cancer

Cancer prevention starts on your dinner plate; actually, it starts in the garden. Growing your own nutrient-rich cancer fighting vegetables allows you to grow pesticide-free vegetables, harvest them at their peak, and use them right away, ensuring the highest nutrient value and best flavor. It’s never too soon to start planning. Be sure to include… Continue reading Garden-Fresh Vegetables Help Fight Cancer

How to Care for Your Skin during Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy plays an important role in treating cancer. However, it can also produce some uncomfortable or even painful side effects on the skin, such as itchiness, redness, blistering and peeling. Without taking steps to minimize these side effects, dermatologists from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) say radiation therapy can greatly impact patients’ quality… Continue reading How to Care for Your Skin during Radiation Therapy

Facial Redness: 10 Possible Causes

Many things can turn our faces red, including sunburn, acne, and hot flashes. From the American Academy of Dermatology, here are 10 less obvious reasons for seeing a red face when you look in the mirror. Seborrheic dermatitis. Seborrheic dermatitis is a common skin condition that causes a red rash, which often appears on the… Continue reading Facial Redness: 10 Possible Causes

Number of Steps, Not Intensity, May Be Better for Your Health

How many steps should you be taking daily for better health? Taking 4,000 or fewer steps a day is considered a low level of physical activity. A goal of 10,000 steps a day is commonly cited, but new research shows that there are health benefits even if fewer than 10,000 steps are taken each day.… Continue reading Number of Steps, Not Intensity, May Be Better for Your Health

Four Reasons Your Heart Loves Fiber

You may only think about your fiber intake when you are concerned about bowel regularity. Here are four reasons why fiber is even more important for heart health. It helps keep blood sugar in a healthy range. This is important for everyone, but even more so for those who are overweight or at risk for… Continue reading Four Reasons Your Heart Loves Fiber

Number of New Cancer Cases Continues to Decline

Overall cancer incidence rates decreased in men between 2008 and 2015, while remaining stable in women from 1999 to 2015, according to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. The report also said that cancer incidence rates, meaning the rates of new cancers, continued to decline… Continue reading Number of New Cancer Cases Continues to Decline

Kids Who Survive Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Face Greater Risk of Another Cancer in Later Life

Children who survive Hodgkin’s lymphoma have an increased risk of developing a new cancer later in life, research shows. The findings were published in Cancer, the American Cancer Society’s international peer-reviewed scientific journal. The research was conducted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). While previous studies on childhood survivors have indicated this increased… Continue reading Kids Who Survive Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Face Greater Risk of Another Cancer in Later Life

Breaking Down AGEs: Insight into How Lifestyle Drives ER-Positive Breast Cancer

Poor diet and lack of exercise are associated with cancer development, but the underlying biology is not well understood. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) could offer a biological link to help us understand how certain lifestyle behaviors increase cancer risk or lessen the likelihood that an anti-cancer therapy will be effective. AGE accumulation is the… Continue reading Breaking Down AGEs: Insight into How Lifestyle Drives ER-Positive Breast Cancer

Atrial Fibrillation Patients with Cancer Are Less LIkely to See Cardiologists

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients with a history of cancer are less likely to see a cardiologist or fill anticoagulant prescriptions, compared with AFib patients who never had cancer, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. By not filling and taking prescribed medication, these patients are potentially putting themselves at… Continue reading Atrial Fibrillation Patients with Cancer Are Less LIkely to See Cardiologists

Beware of Bogus Cancer Fundraisers

Crowdfunding for alternative cancer therapies has soared in recent years. But researchers fear that huge sums are being raised for treatments that aren’t backed by evidence and may even, in some cases, do harm. The study, by the Good Thinking Society, a British charity that promotes scientific thinking, was published by The BMJ. Because of… Continue reading Beware of Bogus Cancer Fundraisers

Free Guidance from Cancer Experts

A diagnosis of cancer comes not only with fear but uncertainty – what tests should be scheduled, what are the best treatment options and how to talk with friends and family members. That’s why the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) provides a Cancer Patient Navigation Hotline, where a patient can talk to “navigators” to… Continue reading Free Guidance from Cancer Experts

Veterans to Get Easier Access to Clinical Trials

Veterans with cancer who receive treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will now have easier access to clinical trials of novel cancer treatments, thanks to an agreement between VA and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NCI and VA Interagency Group to Accelerate Trials Enrollment,… Continue reading Veterans to Get Easier Access to Clinical Trials

If You Have Cancer, You Need All the Support You Can Get

When we receive a cancer diagnosis, most of us will feel frightened and vulnerable, as I did when I received my own diagnosis.  If you have a supportive family and caring doctors, you’ll need them. But if you don’t, it’s important to find as many sources of support as you can.  While I have always… Continue reading If You Have Cancer, You Need All the Support You Can Get

Skin Is Responsible for Greater Exposure to Carcinogens in Barbecue Smoke Than Lungs Are

With summer coming, it’s only a matter of time before the smells and tastes of barbecued foods dominate the neighborhood. But there’s a downside to grilling that can literally get under your skin. In a study appearing in Environmental Science & Technology in May 2018, scientists report that skin is a more important pathway for… Continue reading Skin Is Responsible for Greater Exposure to Carcinogens in Barbecue Smoke Than Lungs Are

Annual Report to The Nation: Overall Cancer Mortality Continues to Decline

The latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer finds that overall cancer death rates continue to decline in men, women, and children in the United States in all major racial and ethnic groups. Overall cancer incidence, or rates of new cancers, decreased in men and were stable in women from 1999… Continue reading Annual Report to The Nation: Overall Cancer Mortality Continues to Decline