Two-Thirds of Hispanic Women Discover Breast Cancer Themselves
Most breast cancers in Hispanic women are detected by self-exam, despite high rates of screening mammography in this population, a new study shows. What’s troubling, however, is that about half of all women who noticed an abnormality during a self-exam waited at least a month before seeking medical help, according to new research being presented at the American Association for Cancer Research... Read more
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
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
Childhood Beach Vacations May Boost Melanoma Risk
Vacations at the shore during childhood may boost the risk of the deadly skin cancer melanoma later in life, a new study suggests. Researchers from Denver evaluated 681 children born in 1998 in Colorado, asking their parents about childhood vacation destinations and then conducting skin exams when the children were age 7 to look for nevi — commonly known as moles. These moles are a risk factor... 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
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
More Americans Urged to Get Cancer Screenings
Screening for breast, cervical and colon cancer saves lives, but too few Americans are getting the recommended screens or getting them regularly enough, a new report shows. The rate of screening for breast and cervical cancers has stayed about the same since 2000, while the rate of colorectal cancer screening has increased but not as fast as experts had hoped, according to the report released Thursday... Read more