Cancer is not just one disease, but a large group of almost one hundred diseases. Its two main characteristics are uncontrolled growth of the cells in the human body and the ability of these cells to migrate from the original site and spread to distant sites. If the spread is not controlled, cancer can result in death.
Elevated hormone levels add up to increased breast cancer risk – Breast cancer risk may rise with high hormone levels – Eight different sex and growth hormones may rise the risk of breast cancer, each elevated hormone level increase risk by 16% in post-menopausal women.
Most breast cancer patients do not have breast reconstruction surgery – Breast reconstruction surgery has a very positive effort on women with breast cancer as they go through their breast cancer journey. Only 7% of female breast cancer patients opt for breast reconstruction surgery.
Tanning bed ban for minors under 18 in California US – Teens and owners object to tanning-bed ban – California toughens teen tanning laws – California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., signed groundbreaking legislation today that will prohibit the use of commercial indoor tanning devices for those under the age of 18. California is the first state to ban minors from using commercial tanning booths.
More aggressive treatment not necessary for men with a family history of prostate cancer – Approximately 10-20 percent of prostate cancer patients have a family history of the disease. There are three major factors that are used to evaluate the extent and aggressiveness of prostate cancer, help make treatment decisions, and estimate prognosis: the Prostate Specific Antigen Level (PSA), Gleason score (GS) from the biopsy, and the digital rectal exam findings (DRE).
Unequal access to cancer care can no longer be tolerated — Radical change needed to deliver affordable care in developed countries – Cancer is one of the leading causes of death and morbidity worldwide, and its economic burden grows year by year. In 2008, the worldwide cost of cancer due to premature death and disability, excluding direct medical costs, was estimated to be US$895 billion.
Novartis drug Afinitor? helps women with advanced breast cancer live significantly longer without their disease progressing – A pivotal Phase III study shows Afinitor (everolimus) tablets plus exemestane, a hormonal therapy, more than doubled the time women lived without tumor growth (progression-free survival; PFS) and significantly reduced the risk of cancer progression by 57% versus exemestane alone in patients with advanced breast cancer.
TGen breast cancer research benefits from $3.5 million Komen award — Grant enables multi-institute team to study rare and aggressive type of breast cancer – The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is part of a team of medical investigators receiving a $3.5 million grant from Susan G. Komen for the Cure to study triple-negative breast cancer, a highly aggressive form of this cancer that disproportionately affects African-Americans.
First Phase III trial of an alpha-pharmaceutical — Shows improved survival in patients with bone metastases and advanced prostate cancer – Until recently, options for patients with bone metastases from advanced prostate cancer have been very limited. But now the first Phase III study of an alpha-pharmaceutical in these patients has shown that it can prolong survival significantly, according to research reported recently at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress.
Association found between stress and breast cancer aggressiveness – Psychosocial stress could play a role in the etiology of breast cancer aggressiveness, particularly among minority populations, according to study results presented at the Fourth AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities, held.
More women dying from breast and cervical cancer at a younger age in developing countries — Women in high-income countries benefit from medical advances, while an increasing number of women are at risk of dying in poor countries – The number of cases and deaths from breast and cervical cancer are rising in most countries, especially in the developing world where more women are dying at younger ages, according to a new global analysis by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.
FDA approves Zelboraf and companion diagnostic test for late-stage skin cancer — Second melanoma drug approved this year that improves overall survival – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved Zelboraf (vemurafenib), a drug to treat patients with late-stage (metastatic) or unresectable (cannot be removed by surgery) melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer.
Researchers discover 5 inherited genetic variants linked to the most lethal prostate cancers – An international team of researchers led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has identified five inherited genetic variants that are strongly associated with aggressive, lethal prostate cancer.
