Researchers may have found the answer to a chronically puzzling question: why do elephants rarely get cancer? The scientists were led by researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah and Arizona State University, and included researchers from the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation. According to the results, published in the… Continue reading How Elephants May Help Treat Cancer
Tag: cancer
Cancer Survivors Can Help in The Fight Against Cancer
Cancer survivors, their loved ones, and others who have lost someone to cancer know what the cancer journey is like. Taking part in cancer-related activities can be a two-way street. Many people find a sense of fulfillment when they help others. Common benefits people share: Accepting cancer as part of life. For many, getting involved… Continue reading Cancer Survivors Can Help in The Fight Against Cancer
What Your Mouth Has to Do With Your Overall Wellbeing
Would you floss more often if you knew it could prevent erectile dysfunction? Would you brush your teeth better if it reduced your chances of a terrible disease like cancer or heart disease? What goes on inside your mouth has a direct impact to what goes on in the rest of your body. Dr. Susan… Continue reading What Your Mouth Has to Do With Your Overall Wellbeing
Landmark Cancer “Basket Study”
Researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have announced results from the first published “basket study”, a new form of clinical trial design that explores responses to drugs based on the specific mutations in patients’ tumors rather than where their cancers originated. Published in August 2015 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the early… Continue reading Landmark Cancer “Basket Study”
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
Better Communication Needed on End-of-Life Directives
Increasing numbers of people have advanced care planning, but a survey found that almost 40 percent of them didn’t discuss their preferences with the people they designated as their representatives. A study led by Johns Hopkins researchers reviewed nearly 2,000 surveys with people whose loved ones died of cancer. They found a 40 percent increase… Continue reading Better Communication Needed on End-of-Life Directives
This is Why Ulcerative Colitis Surgery May be Better than Drugs
Patients over 50 who have ulcerative colitis live longer if they undergo surgery rather than taking drugs This according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the finding was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. “Most physicians opt to treat [ulcerative colitis] with medications, as opposed… Continue reading This is Why Ulcerative Colitis Surgery May be Better than Drugs
What’s Being Done about Inequality in Health Care?
Although there has been substantial progress in cancer treatment, screening, diagnosis, and prevention over the past several decades, addressing cancer health disparities—such as higher cancer death rates, less frequent use of proven screening tests, and higher rates of advanced cancer diagnoses—in certain populations is an area in which progress has not kept pace. These… Continue reading What’s Being Done about Inequality in Health Care?
Coping with Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is one of our most common health issues, and too often people put up with it rather than try to eliminate it. Here, from the experts at the National Institute on Aging, are your best strategies for solving a debilitating problem: Acute Pain and Chronic Pain There are two kinds of pain. Acute… Continue reading Coping with Chronic Pain
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
A Diet that Really Works?
A diet that mimics the effects of fasting may help you lose belly fat, become smarter and live longer, according to researchers. According to a news release from the University of Southern California, a study led by Valter Longo, of USC, showed that cycles of a four-day low-calorie diet that mimics fasting cut visceral belly… Continue reading A Diet that Really Works?
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
Making Sure Cancer Patients Get the Information They Need
Cancer patients’ information needs seem to differ depending on the type of cancer they have, and clinicians caring for survivors may need to understand those individual needs to better address survivors’ concerns about cancer recurrence, late effects, and family members’ risks. A three-year study of over 2,000 cancer survivors by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg… Continue reading Making Sure Cancer Patients Get the Information They Need
PTSD Linked To Accelerated Aging
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is already linked with a number of conditions, including depression, anger and substance abuse. And now, researchers say, it appears to be linked to accelerated aging as well. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, published the finding in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. “This is the first study… Continue reading PTSD Linked To Accelerated Aging
An End to Cancer Pain?
A study led by University of Toronto researcher Dr. David Lam, head of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Faculty of Dentistry, has discovered the trigger behind the most severe forms of cancer pain. Released in the journal Pain this in April 2015, the study points to TMPRSS2 as the culprit: a gene that is… Continue reading An End to Cancer Pain?
More than Half of All Older Adults Take Aspirin for Health Reasons
Slightly more than half of older adults in the U.S. are taking a daily dose of aspirin, even though the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t recommended it for people who have not yet had a heart attack or stroke. The analysis, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, observed that aspirin use… Continue reading More than Half of All Older Adults Take Aspirin for Health Reasons
If Your Pet Is Diagnosed with Cancer: What You Need to Know
Any pet owner who has been told their animal has cancer knows the two emotions: anxiety for the beloved pet’s life, and hope for an effective treatment. “Many people consider their dogs and cats members of the family,” says Food and Drug Administration veterinarian Lisa Troutman. “Just as FDA reviews drugs for humans for safety… Continue reading If Your Pet Is Diagnosed with Cancer: What You Need to Know