Cancer survivors often forgo care due to cost

Even with health insurance, more than one million cancer survivors living in the United States report that they forgo needed medical care because of concerns about cost, according to research presented Wednesday at the American Association for Cancer Research conference on the Science of Health Care Disparities. “These survivors are either going without, or significantly delaying, dental care,... Read more

Mental illness alone not a trigger for violence

Severe mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression does not make a person more violent than anyone else but adding substance abuse does, researchers said on Monday. Experts long have sought to understand the link between mental illness and violence. Eric Elbogen of the University of North Carolina and colleagues tracked 34,653 people who gave detailed information from... Read more

Stool-Based Colon Cancer Tests Vary Widely in Accuracy

Newer versions of the stool-based colon cancer tests — recommended annually for Americans over 50 — vary widely in their ability to spot potential abnormalities, a German study finds. Doctors at 20 gastroenterology practices in Germany used the tests for what is called fecal occult blood — otherwise undetectable traces of blood that could come from a cancer or polyp in the intestine... Read more

Breast cancer mutation raises prostate risks in men

The so-called breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 can raise the risk that a man who develops prostate cancer will get an aggressive form of the disease, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. Certain mutations in the genes indicated a man was at risk of more aggressive cancer and should be treated right away, the team at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University said. Their study... Read more

Zoloft, Lexapro the Best of Newer Antidepressants

Sertraline (Zoloft) and escitalopram (Lexapro) are the best of 12 new-generation antidepressants, while reboxetine is the least effective, a new analysis shows. The Italian researchers reviewed 117 studies that included more than 25,000 patients with major depression to come to this conclusion. The drugs tested in the trials were bupropion (Wellbutrin/Zyban), citalopram (Celexa), duloxetine (Cymbalta),... Read more

Weight affects white, Hispanic kids’ mental health

A new study adds to evidence that overweight teenagers are more prone to depression and anxiety, but suggests the effects vary by race and ethnicity. Researchers found that among more than 35,000 U.S. teenagers in a national health survey, white and Hispanic teens who were overweight were more likely to have symptoms of depression or anxiety than their thinner counterparts. However, this was not true... Read more

Ovary Removal May Not Be Needed in Endometrial Cancer

Younger women with early-stage endometrial cancer need not lose their ovaries when undergoing treatment for the cancer, a new study contends. The largest study to date has found no difference in five-year survival rates among women who kept their ovaries and those who did not. Removal of the ovaries, called an oophorectomy, has long been a standard part of therapy for endometrial cancer. However, “it... Read more

Why Cancer in One Breast May Affect the Other

Researchers say they have found a way to better calculate the risk a woman with cancer in one breast has of developing tumors in the other breast. The chances of developing cancer in a second breast, known as contralateral breast cancer, increases once a tumor has been found in one breast. And certain factors, such as a family history of breast cancer, further increase this risk, prompting some women... Read more

Optimal Treatment Boosts Blacks’ Lung Cancer Survival

Survival disparities between white and black patients with early-stage lung cancer disappear when black patients receive optimal therapy, according to a U.S. study that included nearly 18,000 patients. Surgery to remove a portion of the lung (pulmonary resection) provides the best chance of a cure for patients with early-stage lung cancer. “Black patients with early-stage lung cancer have lower... Read more

Hepatitis C ups liver cancer risk, study confirms

The risk of a rare form of liver cancer called intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, which occurs in the bile ducts of the liver, is significantly elevated in individuals who are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), according to a large “case-control” study of US veterans. HCV-infected individuals are also at increased risk for another type of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma,... Read more

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