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Recent Posts Tagged With 'Cancer'
Cancer in the headlines, November 27
November is a month for cancer awareness. This month, the following were observed (source: Dana-Farber Institute): Lung Cancer Awareness Month Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month National Bone Marrow Awareness Month New guidelines: Pap smears can star...
The mammogram debate: the two sides
Mammogram guidelines questioned Mammogram, the gold standard for breast cancer, is currently questioned just like what happened to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) s for prostate cancer. This was brought about by inconclusive research evidence that s...
COPD Awareness check
November is COPD Awareness Month. In addition, World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Day was observed last November 18. COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Doesn’t ring a bell? What about “chronic bronchitis” or “sm...
To remove or not to remove a healthy breast
To remove or not to remove a healthy breast. That is a very difficult decision many women have to face when diagnosed with breast cancer. Why remove a healthy breast? The procedure is called prophylactic mastectomy, which is the removal of a noncanc...
Something’s in your coffee that’s linked to cancer
There’s something in your coffee aside from caffeine that may be very important for your health. Introducing trigonelline or “trig” for short identified by scientists at Texas AgriLife Research. So what is so special about trig? Well, for ...
Disparity in cancer care: it’s not that bad after all
Ethnicity, geneder and socioeconomic status are three factors that are often associated with health outcome disparities, including cancer care. There have been studies that showed disparities in care and therefore health outcomes in cancer patients...
Cancer in the headlines, October 30
Some cancer news for you this weekend… Andrew Lloyd Webber vows to beat prostate cancer British star composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his spokesman revealed. But he is not taking a passive stance but vows t...
Dad’s testicular tumors and baby’s genetic disorder
It is well-known that maternal age is a big factor in the health outcomes of the baby. It has been shown that children born to older women are more likely to suffer from chromosomal aberrations. What is less known is that the age of the father also ...
Harnessing the power of social media to #beatcancer
Remember the post I had a couple of months back on how the Internet is spreading health news? Well, this was recently demonstrated by the #beatcancer campaign whose aim was to get into the Guinness Book of World Record as the most number of social me...
Cell phones with the least and most radiation
A few months back, I posted several articles on the link between phone radiation and brain cancer risk. Those reviews presented the results of studies with inconclusive and sometimes contradictory results. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) believ...
Cancer in the headlines, October 16
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we take this opportunity to bring you breast cancer news updates. Medications to Reduce Risk of Breast Cancer The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) presents in this radiocast the pros ...
US is best in cancer care but bad in others
Good news for cancer patients in the US, bad news for those with diabetes and asthma. Mark Pearson is the head of the health division at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and he testified before a Senate Committee in Se...
Curcumin can block cancer-inducing nicotine
Those who are from Asia know curcumin (also known as curcuma) – how it looks, how it smells, how it tastes. It is the compound that makes curry the yellow or red curry that we know. Aside from its use in culinary arts, curcumin also has some medi...
Pink October 2009
It’s Pink October again, dubbed as such because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the international union against cancer (UICC), Pink October originated in 1998 in northern California’s Yuba-Sutter community. Eleven yea...
Music therapy for children with cancer
Gabe was diagnosed with leukemia in 1996 and had to undergo 38 months of cancer treatments. Tough times for a two-year old boy. Yet Gabe survived and he’s off treatment for almost 10 years now. What helped him and his family through the difficult y...
Gynecologic cancer awareness month: cervical cancer revisited
September is the Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month in the US. Cervical cancer is the most common form of gynecological cancer. Here are the latest statistics on cervical cancer (source: Medical Minute at Physorg): Cervical cancer is the 5th most co...
Fighting prostate cancer with power food
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and this week, September 21 to 27 is the Prostate Cancer Awareness Week. Prostate cancer is a big big thing nowadays. Just look at the statistics as to the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer (ov...
Ovary removal and cancer risk: weigh your options
What a bummer! Many women undergo oophorectomy in order to prevent the development of cancer, a procedure which comes with a heavy price - losing the ability to reproduce. Now comes the next blow: while the risk for ovarian cancer is drastically redu...
Breast cancer risk: animal food is not that bad
Animal food stuffs such as meat, poultry and dairy products have been incriminated as the bad guys behind many chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular disorders and cancer. Consumption of red meat has been associated to poor heart health. Consump...
Cancer in the headlines, August 28
Another sunny weekend on my side of the world. However, our thoughts are with the victims of the bush and forest fires in many parts of the world. Such devastations have long-term effects on the environment, including the air we breathe. I am also br...
Breast cancer risk reduction: the upside of migraines?
That splitting headache that feels like your skull is about to crack open. Combine that with premenstrual cramps. That is something that many women have to suffer through at least once a month. However, it seems that there is a silver lining to migra...
FDA warning: e-cigs contain carcinogens
Finally, the US FDA spoke up and issued a warning about electronic cigarettes last month. Lab analysis by the Center for Drug Evaluation, Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis (DPA) showed that the so-called “e-cigs” contain carcinogens and...
News from the cancer side, August 21
It’s been ages since I had brought you some cancer news. I was away, travelling in southern Africa during the last three weeks. Knowing that Internet access is rather difficult where I was going, I didn’t even bring my laptop with me. Can...
Alcohol consumption increases cancer risk in men, too.
It was only earlier this year that the Million Women Study reported the following: alcohol consumption even at low levels increases women’s risk for cancer. It seems that the same is true for men as well. Canadian researchers have recently repo...
Aspirin to treat cancer?
Aspirin, a.k.a acetylsalicid acid, is clearly the wonder drug of all times. Initially developed as an analgesic (pain reliever) and anti-pyretic (anti-fever) more than a hundred years ago, these little tablets have since been discovered to have ...
Book review: a cancer doctor surviving cancer
Book Review: I Signed As The Doctor: Memoir of a Cancer Doctor Surviving Cancer, by Laura Liberman, M.D. The plot Laura Liberman’s story is not unique: She was diagnosed with cancer, she went through the treatments, and she survived. What makes...
Cancer risk and advanced maternal age
The trend among women nowadays is to put off having children as late as possible. A lot of factors contribute to this trend. One of these is something to do with the changing role of women in society and how they have to combine career and motherhood...
Diet and cancer risk: vegetarians are the winners
This is probably one of the largest studies to investigate the effect of diet and cancer risk. The study included more than 60,000 British residents and lasted for more than 12 years. And the results indicate that a vegetarian diet lowers the risk fo...
News from the cancer side, July 24
News from the cancer victims Hartson facing cancer treatment Ex-footballer John Hartson has recently been diagnosed with testicular cancer which has metastasized to his brain. The 34-year old professional football player was a striker for Wales and u...
Sweet potatoes that might just prevent cancer
Anthocyanins are the compounds that give dark fruits (blueberries, red currants, brambles, blood oranges, red grapes) their pigmentation. They are also present in vegetables such red cabbage, red beets, purple corn, and eggplant peels. And now they ...
