Cancer

Breast cancer fears and facts conflict over mammography

Women may perceive health threats such as breast cancer based on fear rather than facts, but their feelings can’t be left out of discussions with doctors, a U.S. cardiologist argues in a medical journal.

In Wednesday’s online issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Lisa Rosenbaum of the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center describes her frustration over trying to help women understand that heart disease is the top killer of women, not breast cancer.

Rosenbaum points to the controversy surrounding mammography screening. A 25-year Canadian study is the latest to suggest that annual screening mammograms for women in their 40s and 50s don’t save lives, but instead can cause over-diagnosis of cancers that won’t be fatal.

The value of diagnostic mammograms to help determine if a lump is in fact cancer isn’t in question, but the larger issue is about the overall benefits of screening.

Cancer agencies in British Columbia and Ontario said their breast cancer screening programs won’t be changed in response to the report.

“We feel our guidelines are progressive and have kept the evidence in mind,” said Dr. Christine Wilson, a radiologist and medical director of the screening mammography program at the BC Cancer Agency.

Coincidentally, when the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended in 2009 that the frequency of mammograms should decrease for most American women younger than 50, Rosenbaum said the outrage in the U.S. was so intense that many physicians, political leaders and advocacy groups argued the data didn’t justify the change.

‘Doesn’t save lives’

“But data have shown for years that early mammography screening doesn’t save lives, just as data show that preventing heart disease, through certain lifestyle modifications and appropriate use of medications, does. So why do we resist these data?

“Have pink ribbons and Races for the Cure so permeated our culture that the resulting female solidarity lends mammography a sacred status?” Rosenbaum asks.

“Certainly, our understanding of one’s risk for any disease must be anchored in the facts. But if we want our facts to translate into better health, we may need to start talking more about our feelings.”

Neil Weinstein is professor emeritus at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where he studies how people’s perception of risk influences their behaviour.

“I think it’s very understandable that people want to believe there are things they can do that will protect them from harm, and we tend naturally to overestimate the amount of benefit they give because it makes us feel less frightened,” Weinstein said.

Humans also tend to give more weight to compelling stories from survivors who say they’re alive because they had a mammogram than they do to any studies or statistics, he added.

A sense of belonging to a group is a powerful motivator, but a herd mentality also shapes the information we seek about our health and our willingness to accept it, Rosenbaum said.

Source: cbc news

Scientists query health risk of food package chemicals

Scientists say “far too little” is known about the health risks of chemicals used in food packaging, and some could cause cancer.

Research is needed to understand the effect on the human body and embryonic development of at least 4,000 chemicals used in packaging, they said.

Links between packaging and obesity, diabetes and neurological diseases need to be explored, scientists warned.

But critics have said that the call is alarmist.

Scientists Jane Muncke, John Peterson Myers, Martin Scheringer and Miquel Porta called for an investigation into the health risks of food packaging in a commentary piece published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

‘Lifelong exposure’
They noted that chemicals such as formaldehyde, which they said can cause cancer, were used in many materials, such as plastics used for fizzy-drink bottles and tableware.

Substances could leach into food, and they added that the risks of “lifelong exposure” to such chemicals were not documented, said the researchers.

“Whereas the science for some of these substances is being debated and policymakers struggle to satisfy the needs of stakeholders, consumers remain exposed to these chemicals daily, mostly unknowingly,” they said.

But carrying out analysis would not be easy, they said, as there are no unexposed populations for comparison.

The call for research has attracted criticism.

Dr Ian Musgrave, senior lecturer in pharmacology at the University of Adelaide, said it was “very hard to take seriously” the claims that formaldehyde in plastic bottles could cause cancer.

He said it was present in many foods naturally, and to consume as much formaldehyde as that in an apple someone would have to drink “at least” 20 litres of plastic-bottled water.

Dr Musgrave added: “Obviously the concern about formaldehyde from food packaging is significantly overrated, unless we are willing to place ‘potential cancer hazard’ stickers on fresh fruit and vegetables.”

‘High levels of fat’
Jon Ayres, Professor of Environmental and Respiratory Medicine at the University of Birmingham, said the scientists painted an “alarmist” picture.

He said there was “no denying” that ingesting lower doses of some substances could “in principle” be harmful, but the issue was how to recognise and quantify any effect.

Prof Ayres added: “But can these effects really be anything other than modest at worst when few have been recognised to date?”

He said that simply calling for a different approach to the chemicals “does not really help”.

Dr Oliver Jones, lecturer at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, said: “More research is always welcome from a scientist’s point of view.

“But I would hazard a guess that the high levels of fat, sugar and salt in a lot of today’s processed food are more of a health concern than any migration of chemicals from the packaging.”

Source: BBC news

Lilly lung cancer drug improves survival in late-stage trial

An experimental cancer drug developed by Eli Lilly and Co, touted by some to be the company’s next blockbuster, significantly improved survival rates in lung cancer patients, sending the company’s shares up 3 percent in early trading.

Lilly needs new drugs to offset declining sales of its older drugs as they lose patent protection.

Ramucirumab, designed to treat multiple cancers, has the potential to generate annual sales of $1.5 billion by 2020, according to some analysts.

The drug has already been shown be successful in treating stomach cancer, and Lilly is waiting for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market it for that disease.

The latest results could help allay some concerns about the drug after it failed to delay the progression of breast cancer in a late-stage trial last year.

The late-stage lung cancer trial compared a combination of ramucirumab and a common chemotherapy drug, docetaxel, with a combination of a placebo and docetaxel in treating patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

The trial, known as Revel, showed that ramucirumab significantly improved overall survival rates as well as improving survival rates without the cancer worsening.

Lilly did not provide details of the trial results, which it said would be presented at a scientific meeting.

The company said on Wednesday that it planned to submit the first application for marketing approval later this year.

Data from two other studies to test the drug’s effectiveness to treat liver and colorectal cancer are expected later this year, Lilly said.

BMO Capital Markets analyst Alex Arfaei expressed caution about the latest results.

“We believe Revel needs to show at least (a) 2-3 month improvement in overall survival to be considered clinically meaningful,” he said in a note.

Ramucirumab, which Lilly acquired through its $6.5 billion purchase of ImClone Systems Inc in 2008, works by blocking development of blood vessels that feed tumors – a process known as angiogenesis.

Source: Fox news

Student realizes he has cancer, thanks to Reddit post

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Taylor Tyree was just browsing the social media site Reddit when he came upon another user’s (rather graphic) picture of his testicle, which had just been removed due to cancer.

Tyree, 21, perused the comments associated with the picture and saw the original poster, a Redditor by the name of “uniballer,” described the symptoms he had ahead of being diagnosed with testicular cancer. Tyree realized he had the same symptoms.

“I went to the comments and was reading through and he was talking about symptoms and what not … it was like, wait, I have something similar to this,”

Tyree, a student at Colorado School of Mines, went to the student health center for an exam. He got an ultrasound, CAT scan and X-ray, and was told he had a large cancerous mass in his left testicle.

“It was about four months after I first started noticing the symptoms, so I’m really lucky that it actually didn’t spread to anywhere else,” Tyree said.

Tyree says Reddit “saved his life” because it prompted him to go to a doctor, rather than waiting for months before getting checked out. He even communicated with “uniballer” throughout his diagnosis and his surgery to have his testicle removed.

“He’s a really nice guy, he’s been very helpful,” Tyree said. “He said I should talk to other people going through this, it will help with recovery, and I agree.”

Tyree had surgery on Friday but is looking forward to getting back to school. His Reddit post has garnered more than 1,000 comments, and Tyree hopes he can help others in similar situations.

“I still have, like, a few hundred comments to go through, but I’ll try to answer as many questions as I can and if anyone has any questions, they can message me and I can try to help them as well,” Tyree said.

Source: Fox news

Cancer incidence likely to rise five-fold in India by 2025

With a million new cases being reported every year, cancer seems to be tightening its grip on India. Experts say the incidence of the killer disease is expected to rise five-fold by 2025.

According to medical professionals, lung and oral cancers were the most common among men while cervix and breast cancer were striking more and more women. Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths in India, which has nearly three million patients suffering from the disease, they said.

Annually, nearly 500,000 people die of cancer in India. The WHO said this number is expected to rise to 700,000 by 2015. “The number of cancer cases in India is increasing every year,” P. K. Julka, head of the oncology department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, told IANS.

According to WHO, lung, oral, lip, throat and neck cancers are the most common among men while women suffer more from cervix, breast and ovarian cancers. “Incidence of cancer has increased in India, especially prostate cancer in elderly men besides kidney, penis and intestine cancer,” Nayan Kumar Mohanty, director, Department of Urology, Saket City Hospital said.

Manju Khemani, Head of the Department, Institute of Obs and Gynae at the hospital, said: “Cervical cancer is the second most common in women worldwide. Unlike some other cancers, it strikes as early as 32-35 years of age.”

According to health ministry data, out of more than 300 cancer centres in India, 40 percent are not adequately equipped with advanced cancer care equipment. India will need at least 600 additional cancer care centres by 2020 to meet the requirements. Oncologist Gaurav Thukral, Head Medical Services, HealthCare at Home (HCAH), told IANS: “High treatment costs are one of the main reasons why cancer care is out of reach for millions of Indians.

If detected early, treatment is effective and cheaper. However, if detected late, it is more expensive (can even lead to bankruptcy) and also reduces the chances of survival.” In India, a skewed doctor-to-patient ratio only worsens the situation.

The health ministry is working towards a target doctor-patient ratio of 1:1,000 by 2021, which at present is 1:2,000. Julka said: “In India, the requirement is 1 cancer care unit per 100,000 population, which is a far cry from the current scenario”.

He, however, added the government was taking a number of steps to combat the situation, including setting up a cancer care institute in Jhajjhar in Haryana. Doctors say the causes of such a high incidence of cancer may be both internal like genetic, hormonal and poor immune conditions as well as external or environmental like food habits, industrialization, over growth of population and lifestyle. Ignorance among the public, delayed diagnosis and lack of adequate medical facilities has given cancer the dubious distinction of being a “killer disease”.

However, the fact remains that if cancer is detected in its early stages, it can be treated and an individual can lead a healthy life, Thukral said. Mohanty said: “It is important to create awareness about common types of cancer and their symptoms among the general public.

Passing blood in urine is the first alarming sign and should not be neglected. It is important to know that food plays a pivotal role in cancer prevention. “Avoid a high-cholesterol diet like meat, liver and milk products. Intake of antioxidant-rich foods like guavas, tomatos, grapes and pineapples can help protect against cancer. Adding dietary fibre to your food can protect you from intestine cancer,” Mohanty added.

Source: First Post

 

5 reasons why strawberries are good for you

If you’re not already a fan of strawberries, you should be because they have immense health benefits. The red, juicy, delicious strawberries are one of the healthiest fruits to be included in your diet. The fruit originated in France.

Here are a few health benefits of strawberries:

Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and hence boost immunity.

The phenols in strawberries fight against many inflammatory disorders.

Strawberries act as an anti-cancer agent as they are a combination of antioxidants and anti-infammatory agents that gut against the onset of many different forms of cancer.

It is a superfood for healthy eyes as studies suggest that it can decrease the possibility of contracting age-related macular degeneration.

Being a rich and natural source of Vitamin C, which is vital to the production of collagen, strawberries help improve skin’s elasticity and resilience, and keep wrinkles at bay.

Source: Zee news

Yoga May Reduce Fatigue in Breast Cancer Survivors

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Yoga may help breast cancer survivors beat the debilitating fatigue and sleep problems that often follow toxic treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation, a new study shows.

Fatigue can be a big challenge for cancer survivors.

“Even some years out from breast cancer treatment, anywhere from 30 to 40 percent of women report substantial levels of fatigue,” said study author Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University in Columbus.

That may be due, in large part, to disrupted sleep. As many as 60 percent of cancer survivors say they have trouble sleeping, she noted, a rate that’s two to three times higher than their cancer-free peers.

The end result is that many cancer survivors end up trying to drag themselves through their days.

“And it’s a nasty downward spiral where increasing fatigue means less activity and less activity means increasing fatigue, so that over time less and less translates into greater frailty and decline,” Kiecolt-Glaser said.

Kiecolt-Glaser, who studies the health effects of stress, wanted to see if it was possible to stop that cycle.

She and her colleagues, including her husband and research collaborator, Ronald Glaser, recruited 200 women aged 27 to 76 who were new to yoga and had finished treatment for breast cancer within the last three years. They had to be at least two months past their last treatment and otherwise healthy to participate.

The women were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first group practiced the gentle, flowing poses of Hatha yoga for two 90-minute sessions each week for three months. The second group was placed on a waiting list.

Before and after the study, all the women answered detailed questions about their energy and vitality, mental health, the kind of support they felt they were getting from friends and family, their sleep, how active they were and even their diet. Researchers also performed blood tests to measure markers of inflammation.

The differences weren’t immediately apparent. After three months of practice, women in the yoga group reported that they had more vitality and were sleeping better, compared to the group that was waiting to take the class.

And after their group sessions ended, most who were taking yoga gradually stopped practicing. Their physical activity went back to the level it was when they signed up for the study. Despite that, they continued to improve.

At the six-month mark, the women practicing yoga reported about 60 percent less fatigue than the women on the waiting list, and their measures of inflammation were 13 percent to 20 percent lower.

The longer they practiced yoga, the greater their improvements, Kiecolt-Glaser said.

Source: webmd

Making music videos ‘helps young cancer patients cope’

Music therapy can help teenagers and young people cope better when faced with treatment for cancer, a study in Cancer journal suggests.

American researchers followed the experiences of a group of patients aged 11-24 as they produced a music video over three weeks.

They found the patients gained resilience and improved relationships with family and friends.

All the patients were undergoing high-risk stem-cell transplant treatments.

To produce their music videos, the young patients were asked to write song lyrics, record sounds and collect video images to create their story.

They were guided by a qualified music therapist who helped the patients identify what was important to them and how to communicate their ideas.

When completed, the videos were shared with family and friends through “premieres”.

Positive effect
After the sessions, the researchers found that the group that made music videos reported feeling more resilient and better able to cope with their treatment than another group not offered music therapy.

Also, 100 days after treatment, the same group said they felt communication within their families was better and they were more connected with friends.

These are among several protective factors identified by researchers that they say help teenagers and young adults to cope in the face of cancer treatments.

Lead study author Dr Joan Haase, of Indiana University School of Nursing, said: “These protective factors influence the ways adolescents and young adults cope, gain hope and find meaning in the midst of their cancer journey.

“Adolescents and young people who are resilient have the ability to rise above their illness, gain a sense of mastery and confidence in how they have dealt with their cancer, and demonstrate a desire to reach out and help others.”

When researchers interviewed the patients’ parents, they found that the videos also gave them useful insights into their children’s cancer experiences.

‘Feel connected’
Sheri Robb, a music therapist who worked on the study, explained why music was particularly good at encouraging young people to engage.

She said: “When everything else is so uncertain, songs that are familiar to them are meaningful and make them feel connected.”

Cancer Research UK says music therapy can help people with cancer reduce their anxiety and improve their quality of life. It can also help to reduce some cancer symptoms and side-effects of treatment – but it cannot cure, treat or prevent any type of disease, including cancer.

Previous studies looking at the effects of music therapy on children with cancer found that it could help reduce fear and distress while improving family relationships.

A spokesperson for Teenage Cancer Trust said getting children with cancer to co-operate and communicate was most important.

“Every day in UK, around seven young people aged between 13 and 24 are diagnosed with cancer. We know that being treated alongside others their own age makes a huge difference to their whole experience, especially if it’s in an environment that allows young people with cancer to support each other.”

Source: BBC news

33 new genes behind onset of cancer uncovered

A research team has found many new cancer genes – expanding the list of known genes tied to these cancers by 25 percent.

Moreover, the study shows that many key cancer genes still remain to be discovered. The Broad Institute-led research team’s work, which lays a critical foundation for future cancer drug development, also shows that creating a comprehensive catalog of cancer genes for scores of cancer types is feasible with as few as 100,000 patient samples.

Broad Institute founding director Eric Lander, senior co-author, said that the knowledge of genes and their pathways will highlight new, potential drug targets and help lead the way to effective combination therapy.

Over the past 30 years, scientists had found evidence for about 135 genes that play causal roles in one or more of the 21 tumor types analyzed in the study. The new report not only confirms these genes, but, in one fell swoop, increases the catalog of cancer genes by one-quarter.

It uncovers 33 genes with biological roles in cell death, cell growth, genome stability, immune evasion, as well as other processes.

The result has been published in the journal Nature.

Source: Zee news

Consumer Reports: Too many sodas contain potential carcinogen

A chemical found in many sodas may be dangerous to your health, Consumer Reports says. And no, it’s not sugar (this time).

The golden-brown color of many soft drinks comes with a dose of the chemical 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MeI. On U.S. product labels it appears simply as “caramel coloring.”

Those who say the chemical may possibly cause cancer include the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer and the state of California, which now limits manufacturers to 29 micrograms of exposure for the average consumer per day.

Foods exceeding that limit have to carry a warning label that reads: “WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer.”

But when Consumer Reports purchased sodas in California and had them analyzed by a lab, it found that one 12-ounce serving of Pepsi One or Malta Goya exceeded the levels permitted without a warning label.
Ten other brands tested by the group did meet the California standard, which is estimated to limit the risk of cancer from 4-MeI to one case in every 100,000 lifetimes of daily exposure.

“We are concerned about both the levels of 4-MeI we found in many of the soft drinks tested and the variations observed among brands, especially given the widespread consumption of these types of beverages,” said Dr. Urvashi Rangan, a Consumer Reports toxicologist, in a statement.

“There is no reason why consumers need to be exposed to this avoidable and unnecessary risk that can stem from coloring food and beverages brown.”
The Food and Drug Administration does not set federal limits on 4-MeI in food, and the data gathered by Consumer Reports show that in some cases consumers outside California are drinking a slightly different ingredient. For example, Pepsi One purchased by the group in December in New York contains four times as much 4-MeI as the same product bought that same month in California.

What is clean eating?
Currently the FDA has no reason to believe that 4-Mel poses a health risk to consumers at the levels found in foods with caramel coloring, agency spokeswoman Juli Putnam told CNN in an e-mail. The government agency is testing a variety of food and beverages with the chemical and reviewing safety data to determine if any regulatory action needs to be taken, she said.

Consumers interested in more information on 4-Mel can check out the FDA’s FAQ page.
In a statement to Consumer Reports, PepsiCo Inc. said data indicate that the average person consumes less than one-third a can of diet soda per day; therefore, its product meets the California standard, even if a complete serving exceeds that limit.

In addition to new federal standards, Consumer Reports is calling on the FDA to “require labeling of specific caramel colors in the ingredient lists of food where it is added, so consumers can make informed choices.”

“First and foremost, consumers can rest assured that our industry’s beverages are safe,” the American Beverage Association said in a statement. “Contrary to the conclusions of Consumer Reports, FDA has noted there is no reason at all for any health concerns, a position supported by regulatory agencies around the world.

“However, the companies that make caramel coloring for our members’ soft drinks are now producing it to contain less 4-MeI, and nationwide use of this new caramel coloring is underway.”

Source: CNN