Screening for Colorectal Cancer Saves Lives

The use of fecal occult blood testing to screen for colorectal cancer reduces the number of deaths caused by the disease, according to an Italian study. Researchers at the Institute for the Study and Prevention of Cancer in Florence examined colon cancer incidence and deaths in two regions of Italy that introduced colorectal screening at two different times. The Empolese-Mugello district introduced... Read more

Cancer to Surpass Heart Disease as World’s Leading Killer

By 2010, cancer will be the leading killer in the world, surpassing heart disease, causing more deaths than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Unless new treatments are found, there could be 27 million people with cancer by 2030, and 17 million cancer deaths annually. And, there could be 75 million people living with cancer within five years after diagnosis, according to a new report, 2008 World... Read more

Glowing Substance Lights Up Cancer in Mice

A substance that glows and sticks to viable cancer cells, making them easy for doctors to spot, has been successfully tested in mice, researchers report. The man-made compound, a combination of the breast cancer drug Herceptin and a fluorescent molecule called BODIPY, binds to the HER2 protein contained on the surface of some breast cancer cells. It only glows, or fluoresces, when inside living cells... Read more

European origin may up Latinas’ breast cancer risk

Among United States Latinas, a greater degree of European genetic ancestry is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, the results of a new study indicate. This could be due to environmental factors, genetic factors, or the interplay of the two, the study team suggests. Latina women generally have a lower risk of breast cancer compared with European, African-American or non-Latina white... Read more

Traumatic Brain Injuries Linked to Long-Term Health Issues for Iraq Vets

A new report provides evidence linking traumatic brain injury sustained by troops in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan to a variety of long-term health problems including dementia, aggression, depression and symptoms similar to those seen in Parkinson’s disease. But the Institute of Medicine committee charged with developing the report also pointed to a troubling lack of scientific data on such... Read more

Intestinal ‘Sleeve’ Mimics Effects of Gastric Bypass

Lining the upper small intestine with an impermeable sleeve may be as effective as invasive gastric bypass surgery to help people lose weight and avoid diabetes, a new report says. The procedure, tested on rats by the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center and Gastrointestinal Unit, led to reduced appetite, weight loss and a return to a normal glucose levels. “This is a clear proof of principle... Read more

Radioactive ‘Seed’ Rx Helps Women With Implants Fight Breast Cancer

Women who have had their breasts augmented with implants and are later diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer may be treated successfully with a partial-breast radiation treatment known as brachytherapy, according to an Arizona physician and researcher. “It’s such a challenge to take care of these augmented women,” said Dr. Robert Kuske Jr., a Scottsdale radiation oncologist and... Read more

Two-thirds of Myanmar HIV cases involve youths: UNICEF

Youths in Myanmar are particularly at risk from HIV, with almost two thirds of the near quarter million people living with the virus in that country aged under 24, the UN Children’s Fund said Monday. About 100,000 women are also living with HIV in Myanmar and many newborns are at risk of being infected, Ramesh Shrestha, the UNICEF representative in Myanmar, said in a statement for World AIDS... Read more

Transfusing Anemic Cancer Patients Boosts Clot Risk

Giving blood transfusions to treat anemia in cancer patients increases the risk of potentially lethal blood clots, say University of Rochester, N.Y., researchers. But this risk is no greater than other treatments for cancer treatment-related anemia, the scientists said, after having analyzed data on more than 70,500 cancer patients who received transfusions at 60 medical centers from 1995 to 2003. Of... Read more

Women Smokers Lose 14.5 Years Off Life Span

During Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November, female smokers should take advantage of available resources, pick a quit day, and start taking steps toward kicking the habit, urges The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Even though smoking takes an average of 14.5 years off women’s lives, almost one in five American women age 18 and older smokes. “The damaging effects... Read more

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