Hematology/Oncology
Hormone Replacement Recommended — Again?
A new study finds HRT has protective benefits. But another study found it to be risky. Who can keep up?
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October 24, 2012
Go Fish: Omega-3's Slow the Aging Process
Telomeres, bits of DNA, grow shorter with age which leads to cell malfunctioning. But diets rich in Omega-3s made them longer...
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October 19, 2012
Celebrity Health
When Robin Roberts, Padma Lakshmi or Kylie Minogue talk about their health, they raise awareness. But there's a downside...
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October 8, 2012
Feline Groovy: Rest Easier, Cat Owners
A parasite found in litter boxes had been linked to brain cancer. Now that appears not to be so. But certain risks remain...
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September 14, 2012
The Red Meat-Cancer Connection
We now understand more about how meat is linked to cancer. And why how you cook your meat matters...
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August 29, 2012
Grapefruit Boosts Cancer Drugs
Adding a glass of grapefruit juice can enhance the effect of an anti-cancer drug. And with no added side effects...
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August 24, 2012
Heartburn Can Be Serious
Heartburn appears to be linked to esophageal cancer. The rates for both are up and it may not just be a coincidence...
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August 13, 2012
CFL Bulbs May Damage Skin
Energy-saving CFL bulbs emit UV radiation that damages skins cells. There is an easy way to avoid most of the risk...
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August 07, 2012
Plant Pigment Helps Prevent Blood Clots
Rutin, a flavonoid, helps block clot formation. It may provide a lower-risk alternative to Warfarin...
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July 14, 2012
Honeybees' "Caulk" Stops Tumor Cell Growth
Caffeic acid phenethyl ester, CAPE, from the substance bees use to patch their combs, stops tumor cell growth...
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July 07, 2012
Exercise Cuts Breast Cancer Risk
Exercising just 10 to 20 hours a week can reduce breast cancer risk by almost a third. And it doesn't have to be a hard workout...
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July 06, 2012
Girls, Alcohol and BDD
Teenaged girls who drink have an increased risk of benign breast disease and ultimately, breast cancer. Can folate help?
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May 11, 2012
Can Aspirin Prevent Cancer?
Three new studies suggest that aspirin can reduce the risk of cancer from occurring — and from spreading if it does start...
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April 28, 2012
Endometriosis Doubles Cancer Risk
Most women with endometriosis will not go on the develop ovarian cancer, but screening might be wise...
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April 14, 2012
FDA Addresses Cancer Drug Shortage
Worrying shortages of two major cancer drugs propel the FDA to find new ways to boost supplies...
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April 07, 2012
Making Headway on BRCA
Researchers discover exactly what makes BRCA mutations so dangerous for breast cancer risk. Now, for new treatments...
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December 20, 2011
Wider Waist, Bigger Risk
Your pants size may be a good indicator of your risk of colorectal cancer. But the criteria are different for women and men.
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November 16, 2011
Saving Breasts After Cancer
A procedure that preserves the nipple during breast cancer surgery helps with reconstruction — and better yet, it's safe...
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November 05, 2011
Colon Cancer Linked to Bug
Colon cancer tissue was infected with a specific bacterium. Could this mean a cancer antibiotic in the future?
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October 25, 2011
Ticks and Transfusions Spread New Disease
Move over Lyme disease. Now ticks – and blood transfusions – are linked to an emerging infectious disease:
Babesia...
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October 03, 2011
Ovarian Cancer Gene Discovered
Having a faulty RAD51D gene means a 1 in 11 chance of ovarian cancer. Knowing your status can help with serious decisions...
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August 20, 2011
BPA-Free?
With no regulations, that water bottle may not be BPA-free. So read the fine print and check out this study...
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August 09, 2011
Cell Phones and Brain Tumors: No Link?
A new review study finds no good evidence of a cell phone-brain tumor connection. Now what to believe?
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July 14, 2011
Death and Vegetables
George H.W. Bush, take note: Vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower are related to a longer life according to a new study...
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July 09, 2011
Turning Off Cancer
From a chance discovery, scientists develop a new way to shut down cancer growth...
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June 23, 2011
Breast Cancer Survivors' Risk of Recurrence Linked to BP Med
A popular blood pressure medication appears to increase the risk of recurrence among survivors. Other drugs don't seem to...
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May 09, 2011
Laser Detects Skin Cancer Better
A laser probe finds deadly melanomas better than current methods, potentially saving time, lives, and money...
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April 22, 2011
Breast Cancer Risk to Digoxin Users
The heart drug digitalis raises the risk of breast cancer. Estrogen receptor-positive cancer rates were especially affected...
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April 06, 2011
When a High Disease Rate Is Good
We tend to think a low disease rate means that doctors are doing a good job. This study calls that assumption into question...
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April 02, 2011
Tomatoes Rule
Tomatoes are more nutritious when cooked and are even better for you than anyone knew. Pizza, anyone?
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March 22, 2011
Skip That Colonoscopy?
You may be able to avoid this dreaded test with fecal occult blood tests or flexible sigmoidoscopy...
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March 21, 2011
Cognitive Problems in Cancer Patients
Cancer patients on opioid painkillers often experience confusion, disorientation and forgetfulness. Is there an alternative?
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March 11, 2011
Confusing Vitamin D
There's more evidence that at high doses vitamin D greatly reduces cancer risk. But what about the risk of toxicity?
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March 09, 2011
Surgical Breast Biopsies
Doctors are ordering surgical breast biopsies when needle biopsies would suffice. What’s the cost, emotionally, financially?
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March 02, 2011
Waiting for HRT
Waiting longer to begin hormones after menopause may reduce your risk of breast cancer. How long should you wait?
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February 16, 2011
More Harm Than Good?
The cancer drug Avastin appears to reduce a person's chance of surviving when administered with certain chemotherapies...
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February 12, 2011
Hot Flashes Are Good?
Hot flashes and other menopause symptoms may actually have a protective effect when it comes to certain cancers...
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February 05, 2011
Best Breast Cancer Treatments
The success rate in treatment is closely linked to the surgical skill and radiation strategy of your oncologist. What works...
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January 31, 2011
Breast Cancer: More than Genes
Even women without a family history are at risk for breast cancer. Do their doctors pay enough attention to this?
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January 26, 2011
Active Survival
Men with prostate cancer can raise their odds of surviving by being active. How active? You'd be surprised...
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January 25, 2011
Cancer, Pain and Smoking
Is it that smoking actually increases cancer pain, or that greater pain increases smoking? Some findings...
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January 21, 2011
"Eat Me"
In certain conditions, cancer cells signal the immune system to "eat" them, which could lead to powerful new cancer drugs...
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January 15, 2011
Why Does Staph Prefer Humans?
Scientists discover why staph infections prefer humans over other animals: it's all in the blood...
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December 24, 2010
For the New Year: Let's Quit!
The Surgeon General's report on smoking details the damage and the speed with which smoke (even secondhand) harms you...
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December 16, 2010
Aspirin Reconsidered
A 20-year study found that low daily doses of aspirin greatly reduced the risk of several types of cancer. But risks remain...
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December 13, 2010
More Evidence for Early Mammograms
Just in: Another new study finds that early mammograms may bring big benefits to women under 50...
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November 30, 2010
Don't Try This At Home
We're talking about smoking, especially if you have children. Turns out, secondhand smoke is even more dangerous for them...
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November 18, 2010
Aspirin for the Colon
Low doses of aspirin may be quite effective in fighting off colon cancer in those at high risk — but how it works is still a mystery...
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November 3, 2010
Hormones Raise Cancer Risk
A landmark study finds that HRT raises a woman's odds of developing invasive breast cancer, and of dying from it...
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October 28, 2010
Erring on the Side of Caution
Doctors are over-prescribing some colon cancer screening, and ignoring other tests. Healthcare dollars are at stake...
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October 24, 2010
Mammograms for 40-Somethings?
Two new studies add to the debate about whether mammograms should be standard for women in their 40s...
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October 13, 2010
Wiser Than We Knew
Wisdom teeth may be able to provide the same sort of flexible stem cell that bone marrow does...
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September 26, 2010
Challenging Mammograms
Hormone Replacement Therapy may affect how doctors interpret the tests, leading to diagnoses of breast cancer where none is present...
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September 15, 2010
Black Rice?
Researchers find that black rice has more antioxidants than blueberries. The trick will be figuring out where to buy it...
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September 11, 2010
Just Be Yourself
Despite earlier theories, stressed out, neurotic people do not get cancer more frequently than laid back, out-going types...
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September 05, 2010
Where There's Smoke, There's Damage
Even casual smokers and those exposed to second-hand smoke show serious changes in the genes of their airway cells...
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September 02, 2010
More Bad News for Fructose
Cancer cells actually prefer fructose over glucose to fuel themselves and help them proliferate...
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August 19, 2010
Not So Sweet Alabama
People who have higher levels of the chemicals PCBs in their bodies also seem to have higher blood pressure...
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August 07, 2010
Put a Little Stress in Your Life
Mice “stressed” by living in stimulating environments fought cancer better, making experts suggest that a little stress may be good...
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July 24, 2010
To Screen or Not to Screen?
Screening for prostate cancer has been controversial. A new study finds that it really does help -- especially men under 60...
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July 20, 2010
Anemia Drugs Not for Kidney Patients
ESAs, a common class of drugs used to treat anemia post a risk of stroke and clots for elderly kidney patients...
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May 28, 2010
"Eat Your Broccoli"
A new study finds that a compound in broccoli called sulforaphane may stop the growth of breast cancer stem cells....
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May 17, 2010
Detecting Lung Cancer Early
A new approach yields cells that provide a look at a genetic marker which may predict cancer before a tumor starts...
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April 30, 2010
Weight Gain Ups Breast Cancer Risk
When women gain a good deal of weight in middle age, raising their BMI, their risk of breast cancer goes up, too...
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April 29, 2010
Fruits, Veggies Not a Cure-All
Fruits and vegetables may not be the cancer preventives we all might hope. But they can't hurt and can help in other ways...
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April 24, 2010
Beta-Blockers May Stop Cancer
Women who were taking beta-blockers had a 71% reduced risk of dying from breast cancer, and a 57% lower risk of developing a second type of cancer...
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April 18, 2010
Fatty Diet and Alcohol Raise Breast Cancer Risk
This analysis of findings on over 400,000 women found alcohol consumption and diet were related to the risk of breast cancer...
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April 13, 2010
New Drug Helps Ease Chemo Nausea
Aprepitant, FDA-approved, offered much relief to bone marrow transplant recipients, who receive heavy doses of chemo...
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April 11, 2010
Inroads in Early Pancreatic Cancer Detection
Two studies have identified different to detect the risk and presence of pancreatic cancer early, a key factor in improving survival rates...
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March 13, 2010
Lung Cancer Survivors, Quit
When people diagnosed with early−stage lung cancer quit smoking, they double their chances of survival...
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March 6, 2010
Selenium May Cut Risk of Some Cancers
Consuming enough of the trace element selenium, found in meats, grains and nuts, seems to reduce the risk of certain gastric and esophageal cancers....
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March 4, 2010
An Apple A Day...
It appears apples provide beneficial bacteria and a pH environment that keep the intestines healthy and the doctor away...
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February 25, 2010
Acupuncture and Breast Cancer
Giving breast cancer patients acupuncture can help ease the side effects of hormone therapy and improves sex drive in some...
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February 18, 2010
Cracking Cancer's Genetic Code
The mutations that produce skin cancer and lung cancer have been identified. Most are from exposure to sun and smoke...
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February 11, 2010
Tiny Sensors That Detect Cancer
The search is on to develop nano−sensors that would detect biomarkers in blood or sputum to catch cancers early...
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January 29, 2010
Milk Thistle for Chemo−Induced Inflammation
The folk remedy milk thistle appears to help keep levels of two key liver enzymes low during chemotherapy...
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January 22, 2010
Eat Soy to Prevent Some Cancers
Because they mimic estrogen's effects, soy foods seem to lower the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers...
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January 15, 2010
The Spice of Life
Compounds in tumeric and pepper slow the growth of cancer stem cells, which can in turn prevent tumor formation...
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January 12, 2010
Safer Radiation Therapy
Researchers have found a way to protect healthy cells from radiation therapy, using a cell signaling inhibitor and making the therapy far more effective...
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November 25, 2009
Tenderness, HRT, and Cancer
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) often causes breast tenderness. A study has found that this tenderness is associated with a far higher risk of breast cancer down the road...
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November 13, 2009
Guzzle Green Tea
Drinking lots of green tea (5+ cups a day) can significantly reduce lymph and blood cancers, a recent study has found...
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November 12, 2009
Pancreatic Cancer Progress
Pancreatic cancer is treatment−resistant, as evidenced by the death of Patrick Swayze. New research has found a way to turn off the TAK−1 enzyme most responsible for making chemotherapy ineffective...
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October 21, 2009
Prostate Cancer, A Waiting Game
Three new studies shed light on the reasons to give serious thought to postponing treatment, especially if you are over 65. However much depends on how high risk...
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October 15, 2009
How Risky Is HRT?
For women approaching or coping with menopause, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can offer relief, but at what risk? New research shows that the breast cancer risk appears related to a number of factors...
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October 6, 2009
HPV Vaccine & Breast Cancer
The HPV vaccine appears to also offer protection from certain types of breast cancer, making the vaccine a Win−Win decision for women (and perhaps men)...
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September 25, 2009
Men and Alcohol And Cancer Risk
Men who consumed the most alcohol in a recent study had an up to 700% increased cancer risk. Wine appeared not to be implicated, but it is too soon to tell...
more...
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September 4, 2009
Fertility and Ovarian Cancer
Women with Stage 1 ovarian cancer may be able to remain fertile and avoid the early menopause brought on by removal of their ovaries. A new study has found there is no...
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August 27, 2009
Glycemic Load & Breast Cancer
Women who ate the highest glycemic load were at an 81% increased risk of developing estrogen receptor (ER)–positive/progesterone receptor (PR)–negative breast cancer...
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July 30, 2009
How Cancer Invades Brain
Most brain cancer begins somewhere else. Until now, researchers weren't quite sure how it moved into the brain, a usually terminal development. It appears that the brain's blood supply...
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July 20, 2009
Trapping Cancer Cells
Engineers have come up with a device that prevents cancer cells from spreading or metastasizing. It uses tiny molecular channels to separate normal cells from cancer cells...
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July 14, 2009
Ginger Eases Chemo's Nausea
Ginger has been a folk medicine for a long time. Its benefits now appear to extend to the nausea experienced by those receiving chemotherapy...
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June 2, 2009
How Fiber Fights Cancer
Butyrate, the byproduct of the bacteria−driven breakdown of fiber in the gut, actually acts as an anti-cancer agent, helping the colon prevent cancer from becoming established...
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May 19, 2009
Chi Energy and Radiation Ills
Wearing a wristband may help ease the nausea that accompanies radiation therapy. It's no placebo effect, but how and why it works is not yet clear...
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may 5, 2009
Omega-3 Oils Reduce Tumors
Research on mice with tumors has found that the more Omega−3 fatty acids the mice consumed, the more their tumors shrank. Other variables related to tumor growth also showed...
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April 30, 2009
Do Men Over 75 Need the PSA?
Prostate screening by PSA test may not be necessary for older men.
The finding suggests that healthcare dollars might be better spent elsewhere...
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March 18, 2009