Cancer awareness: Assessing (and lowering) your risk
For information focused on breast cancer, visit our Breast Cancer page and breast cancer FAQs.
Cancer — the word instills fear. Understandably. The disease or, rather, the collection of diseases can take a terrible toll in terms of life and quality of life. But that's changing. Increased screenings, targeted interventions, high-tech treatments, drug research and new knowledge about prevention and treatment — all are having an impact. This collection of stories offers a snapshot into the current state of the war on cancer. That war may not be over, but in many cancers, the odds are becoming more favorable.
8:47 PM CDT, May 14, 2012
Lasers take aim at brain tumors
After little more than two hours of preparation, Simone DiGiacomo was ready to have a tumor that was lodged 3 inches deep in her brain cooked by a laser.
May 17, 2012
Hampton man celebrates 5-year survival of cancer
When Floyd Walker, now 62, was diagnosed with prostate cancer five years ago, his treatment choices were limited, both by his health history and available therapies in the area. After checking out local options, he took matters into his own hands and self-referred to Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Philadelphia.
5:16 PM CDT, May 17, 2012
Donna Summer: Lung cancer leading cause of cancer death
Disco legend Donna Summer, 63, died Wednesday night, reportedly of lung cancer. As of press time, her family hadn’t released details about her illness, so it was unknown what type of lung cancer she had, and how long she may have been ailing.
May 15, 2012
Cancer survivors, friends ready to walk for a cure
HAMPTON — Two years ago, Linda Batchelor Smith couldn't finish a lap around the track at Darling Stadium during Hampton's Relay for Life.
12:52 PM CDT, May 11, 2012
What's in sunscreen? What do the labels tell us?
Sun worshippers, be warned! On Friday, May 11, the Food and Drug Administration announced it is delaying comprehensive new sunscreen standards for six more months. U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) criticized the FDA for failing to protect consumers.
3:26 PM CDT, May 5, 2012
Gallery: Susan G. Komen vs. Planned Parenthood (update 5-5-12)
In what looks to be a break between two organizations dedicated to women's health, a national breast cancer awareness group said it would stop providing funds to Planned Parenthood centers for breast cancer examinations and other breast health services. Komen had a change of heart after supporters complained.
5:13 PM CDT, April 21, 2012
Hopkins clinician mixes art, science in facial prosthetics
A shade or two darker than her skin, fashioned from silicone rubber, it covers the places where you'd normally see a nose and cheek. Its purpose: to conceal the hole cancer has eaten in her face, a gap so large she has been unable to live a normal life since 1997.
6:34 PM CDT, April 17, 2012
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Warren Buffett's stage 1 prostate cancer: What is it, what's next?
Warren Buffett announced Tuesday that he has stage 1 prostate cancer and that doctors have begun treating it with radiation. Buffett is 81 and, at that age, it would be more surprising if he didn't have it. A full 80% of men older than 80 have some form of prostate cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute, but many or even most of them do not know it. Even if they do know, in many cases, the tumor is progressing so slowly that it doesn't need treatment. Instead, doctors simply monitor to make sure that it doesn't begin progressing too rapidly, a process known as watchful waiting or active surveillance.
April 10, 2012
Lung cancer screenings 'a good value,' study finds
Screening longtime tobacco users for lung cancer would be less costly than the widely accepted practice of screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers and would reduce the death toll of lung cancer by an estimated 15,000 lives a year, according to a study released Monday that is likely to ignite debate on expanding healthcare coverage for smokers.
4:55 PM CDT, April 9, 2012
Is the price Americans pay for cancer treatment worth the results?
Healthcare in the United States has a reputation for being pricier than care in other countries. But is it worth the extra expense?
4:33 PM CDT, April 9, 2012
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Ingredient in herbal medicines linked to urothelial cancer
If you’ve ever considered taking an herbal remedy under the theory that it can’t hurt and it might help, read this: A study published online Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that people who thought they were taking a harmless weight-loss supplement wound up with a type of bladder cancer as a result.
April 8, 2012
Cancer survivor finds comfort in Stations of the Cross
Alice Brown remembers the moment of dread when doctors diagnosed her with cancer. She imagines her terror and despair were much like what Jesus felt when he was sentenced to die on the cross.
2:00 PM CDT, March 31, 2012
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Diabetes drug metformin may double as cancer-fighting medicine
Metformin is a workhorse drug for people with diabetes. It helps patients control their blood sugar and makes them more sensitive to insulin. But soon, metformin may take on a new role fighting cancer.
7:01 PM CDT, April 4, 2012
Cancer diagnosis raises risk of heart attack and suicide, study says
Cancer can kill long before malignant tumors take their toll, new research shows. A study involving more than 6 million Swedes reveals that the risk of suicide and cardiovascular death increases immediately after a cancer diagnosis.
7:10 PM CDT, March 30, 2012
Hopkins surgeon performs 2,000th Whipple
Early Friday in a small, brightly lit operating room in Johns Hopkins Hospital, a half-dozen doctors and nurses huddled over the gut of a cancer patient, quietly passing metal instruments and surgical sutures.
March 28, 2012
Ask the Expert: Dr. Howard Kaufman on aspirin and cancer
According to studies published last week in The Lancet, taking a daily dose of aspirin can reduce the risk of cancer.
5:25 PM CDT, March 21, 2012
Should you take aspirin to prevent or treat cancer?
Earlier this week, three studies in the medical journal The Lancet (here, here and here, no subscription required) co-authored by researcher Peter M. Rothwell of the University of Oxford in England and an accompanying comment (subscription required) by Andrew Chan and Nancy Cook of the Harvard Medical School all detailed results suggesting that a daily dose of aspirin can prevent cancer -- or at least slow its progress.
March 21, 2012
Loyola researchers try to bolster fight against infection, cancer
Researchers at Loyola University Medical Center have recently made a discovery that could be the first significant step toward helping the body's immune system put up a more effective fight against severe infections and possibly cancer.
7:16 PM CST, March 8, 2012
Personalized cancer treatment: Genetic differences abound in tumors
Patients are holding out hope that someday — soon, they hope — physicians will be able to personalize medical treatment more precisely than they’ve been able to in the past. For people with cancer, this might mean taking a quick biopsy, studying the genetic profile of a tumor and then tailoring interventions to target the cancer effectively, with as few side effects as possible.
2:31 PM CST, March 7, 2012
Can tubal ligation lessen risk of ovarian cancer?
Q: Is it true that ovarian cancer may start in the fallopian tubes? Will having a tubal ligation lessen my chance of developing it? I have a family history of the disease and am a BRCA1 carrier.
1:57 PM CST, March 2, 2012
Diesel exhaust raises risk of dying from lung cancer, study says
Diesel engine exhaust has long been officially classified as a probable carcinogen. A new study, however, provides evidence that long-term exposure to even low levels of diesel exhaust raises the risk of dying from lung cancer.
7:13 PM CST, February 28, 2012
Sleeping pills linked to higher risk of cancer, death, study says
A new study suggests that the 6% to 10% of Americans who use prescription sleep medications such as zolpidem (Ambien), temazepam (Restoril), eszopiclone (Lunesta) and zaleplon (Sonata) are more likely to develop cancer, and far more likely to die prematurely, than those who take no sleep aids.
3:34 PM CST, February 27, 2012
'Chemo brain' may last and last
Chemotherapy patients have long complained of the mental fog that tends to accompany treatment, but a new study suggests that certain combinations of chemo drugs may have long-term effects on cognition.
February 27, 2012
Drug may be near for cancer's companion condition cachexia
Bonnie Addario didn't even know there was a word for what was happening to her. As if lung cancer weren't bad enough, the 54-year-old had lost 30 pounds off her normally 130-pound frame. Her life was limited to her husband's Barcalounger, where she had to recline because she lacked the strength to sit up straight.
7:59 PM CST, February 22, 2012
Colonoscopic polyp removal prevents cancer deaths, study says
Colon cancer is the third deadliest cancer in the U.S.; it is expected to kill more than 51,000 Americans this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Physicians have long assumed that removing precancerous polyps during patient colonoscopies reduces the numbers of such deaths. Now researchers have proved it.
February 15, 2012
HPV connected to oral cancers too
It's common knowledge that HPV — or human papillomavirus — is linked with cervical cancer, thanks to the controversy over the vaccine. But far fewer people know that this same sexually transmitted viral strain is connected to oral cancers, according to a new study, recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
3:30 PM CST, January 25, 2012
Robotic technology to treat lung cancer
The da Vinci robotic technology allows doctors to perform more precise surgeries. The technique also enables patients to recover more quickly with fewer complications in many cases. The technique is used to perform many different types of surgeries. Dr. Gavin Henry, program director of the surgical residency at Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, uses it over traditional lobectomy surgery to treat patients with lung cancer. The hospital said Henry is poised to outpace every surgeon in Maryland in the use of robotic technology for this operation. He talks about the technique below.
12:54 PM CST, January 19, 2012
Sex gap: Men get 32 of 35 cancers more often than women, study shows
Men are at higher risk of getting 32 out of 35 cancers, according to an international study, which further suggests that the greatest reason for the gap lies in biology.
8:46 PM CST, January 6, 2012
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Annual PSA screening doesn't reduce prostate cancer deaths
Prostate cancer screening doesn't appear to do men much good, according to a study published online Friday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
December 14, 2011
Caregivers get someone to take care of them
Friends and relatives caring for lung cancer patients have a new resource to turn to after the recent launch of a 24-hour online service for caregivers by LUNGevity Foundation, the country's largest lung cancer organization.
11:56 AM CST, December 3, 2011
Ulman Cancer Fund merges with 4K for Cancer to help fundraising
Ryan Hanley spent the summer before he turned 18 thinking about organizing a transcontinental bike ride to raise money for cancer. When he entered the Johns Hopkins University, he set about selling the idea and recruiting classmates and friends to ride 4,000 miles.
8:44 AM CST, December 5, 2011
E! News host Giuliana Rancic to undergo double mastectomy
E! News host and reality television star Giuliana Rancic has revealed that she will have a double mastectomy, after lumpectomies failed to completely eradicate her breast cancer.
November 26, 2011
Study reveals strongest link yet between organ transplants, cancer
The most comprehensive study ever on the link between organ donations and cancer is arming physicians with new data that could help make the procedures safer.
12:46 AM CST, November 13, 2011
Evelyn Lauder, who created breast cancer's pink ribbon, dies at 75
Evelyn Lauder, a member of the Estee Lauder cosmetic company who helped create the pink ribbon symbol for breast cancer awareness, died Saturday in New York City.
November 9, 2011
Doctors defend prostate screening
For most of the last decade, Ronald Vari watched helplessly as his PSA level steadily rose, all too aware that the pattern could be a sign of prostate cancer. Yet initial biopsies didn't detect the disease.
9:45 PM CDT, October 30, 2011
Young breast cancer survivor thanks Dilon employees in person
When something felt "just not right," Shelley Barnes consulted her best friend, then went to the doctor. It was a Monday. Three days later, on a Thursday, she had surgery for Stage 2 cancer in her right breast. That was in 2008, when Barnes was 25
1:02 AM CDT, October 28, 2011
Hand-written notes help fight breast cancer
It's hard to part with a piece of emotion. You've probably received special letters or cards that you can't give up.
1:44 PM CDT, October 27, 2011
Ovarian cancer risk increases after IVF
Women who underwent at least one vitro fertilization cycle in an effort to become pregnant were almost twice as likely to develop ovarian cancer as women who experienced infertility but did not get such treatment, say the authors of a large Dutch study published this week.
12:11 PM CDT, October 26, 2011
Are we five years from a breast cancer vaccine?
Clinical trials for a breast cancer vaccine are entering their final testing phase according to doctors at the University of Washington and some researchers are now predicting a vaccine that prevents relapses in patients could be ready in five years.
4:40 PM CDT, October 19, 2011
Understanding the new prostate cancer screening recommendations
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent advisory panel, recently recommended that healthy men not be given PSA blood tests to detect prostate cancer. But that won't mean the end of diagnosis and treatment of the disease, the most common cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death in American men.
10:57 AM CDT, October 18, 2011
Police pitch in to help Aurora girl fighting brain cancer
An Aurora couple whose two-year-old daughter is being treated for brain cancer received a financial lift Monday to help cover their medical costs.
October 15, 2011
POSTCARDS FROM FLORIDA
Jim Abbott on Florida Travel: 'Wacky Women Week': Perdido Key getaway for a good cause
Somehow, when I hear about an event called "Wonderful Wacky Women Week," the image that comes to mind is a cross between spring break and a reality TV show.
6:00 PM CDT, October 6, 2011
Local teen hopes cancer fight helps others
"I just like deal with it, pretty much. It's part of life." Testicular cancer has become a big part of Elvis Lopez's life, but this amazing 15-year-old is handling it with an inner strength and quiet calmness.
9:52 AM CDT, September 30, 2011
Cancer patients turn to acupuncture to cope with symptoms, side effects
Acupuncture, the traditional Chinese medicine that uses needles for treatment, is increasingly being used with cancer patients. Dr. Ting Bao, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and faculty at Maryland's Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center and Center for Integrative Medicine, regularly used acupuncture to alleviate pain and treat side effects.
6:44 PM CDT, September 28, 2011
Survivor: Cervical cancer an easy fix if caught early
September is gynecologic cancer awareness month. One of the most advanced surgical techniques to treat women's cancers is available in Northwest Arkansas.
11:28 AM CDT, September 26, 2011
Web chat on Wednesday 9/28: Ask the Experts about breast cancer
Join us in a live Web chat from noon to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28, to learn more about early detection of breast cancer.Mary Beth Gibson, cancer survivor and co-founder of the Williamsburg-based breast cancer advocacy group, Beyond Boobs!, will answer readers' questions.All questions are confidential and anonymous.Can't make the chat? Email your questions in advance to psalasky@dailypress.com.
Proton therapy
Killing tumors while sparing healthy tissue. It's the goal of doctors treating cancer patients around the world. Closer to home, a new weapon to fight the disease. It zaps away cancer cells much like traditional radiation, but this treatment's promise lies in what it doesn't touch.
September 7, 2011
HPV vaccination rates low nationwide
Because most cervical cancer cases and some less common malignancies are caused by human papillomavirus, or HPV, area physicians and public health experts were thrilled when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006 approved the first vaccine to prevent HPV.
2:22 PM CDT, August 31, 2011
Olivia Newton-John teams up with Terrell Owens for cancer awareness
After selling more than 100 million albums, starring in one of America's most beloved films and finding time to be a wife, mother and author, Olivia Newton-John has earned a break.
June 22, 2011
Cancer patients get help through financial, health care mazes
Wendy Schwartz, 35, survived ovarian cancer, but three years into a clean bill of health, she is almost out of money, underemployed and wishing she had known sooner about the legal rights that might have eased her struggle.
5:02 PM CDT, May 3, 2011
Diagnosed with cancer, mom-to-be makes tough decision
It was a routine visit to her obstetrician early in her pregnancy, and Jill Wrobel, 30, a first-time expectant mom, had lots of questions.
1:15 PM CDT, April 9, 2011
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Alcohol may be linked to cancer
The latest alarming headlines warn that alcohol may raise your risk for certain cancers—not exactly a finding to which to raise your glass tonight. But don’t abandon those evening plans just yet.
5:07 PM CDT, March 22, 2011
BOOSTER SHOTS: Oddities, musings and news from the health world
Skin cancer risk is higher for rich women than for poor women, study finds
The rich really are different from the rest of us – at least when it comes to skin cancer.
February 24, 2011
Arthur Schatzkin dies at 62; epidemiologist studied relationship between cancer and diet
Dr. Arthur Schatzkin, an epidemiologist who overturned the widely held belief that eating a diet rich in fiber could prevent the recurrence of the polyps that are a forerunner of cancer of the colon, died Jan. 20 at his home in Chevy Chase, Md. He was 62 and was suffering from brain cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute, where he spent most of his career.
3:21 PM CST, February 23, 2011
What is sugar's role in cancer development?
Q I've read various studies that suggest sugar can cause cancer. I was diagnosed with cancer two months ago, and a dietitian advised me to avoid sugar. Is there a connection between sugar and cancer?
May 11, 2010
Conduct a skin self-exam
Skin cancer is easiest to cure when caught early. So The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends monthly self-exams. Your doctor may suggest more frequent self-exams if you have a higher risk for skin cancer.
May 8, 2000
Our Health
The facts on skin cancer -- and how to reduce the risks
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, with about 800,000 new cases diagnosed every year. When diagnosed early, most skin cancers are easily treated and highly curable. But they can be life-threatening when allowed to progress.
August 31, 2009
YOUR MONEY / YOUR HEALTH
Cancer tests are priceless
Are you due for a cancer screening test? Don't let cost stand in the way.
July 6, 2009
THE NEW VACCINES
Coming soon in the medical arsenal against cancer: vaccines
It's a deceptively simple idea: What if doctors could recruit the body's own immune system to fight cancer? The complexities of the immune system have kept this from becoming reality, until now. Three cancer vaccines -- for prostate cancer, melanoma and lymphoma -- have achieved positive results in so-called Phase 3 clinical trials -- the kind of studies that the Food and Drug Administration requires for a medicine to gain approval.
July 6, 2009
THE NEW VACCINES
A cancer cocktail's edge
Even if a vaccine produces an appropriate cancer-attacking immune response, it still may not be enough to achieve clinical benefit, especially in patients with very advanced disease.
July 24, 2006
MEDICINE
Cloudy links to cancer
Many of us are, shall we say, rather haphazard sunscreen users -- a fact that makes dermatologists apoplectic.
April 12, 2010
Technology expands breast cancer screening options
Breast-cancer-screening isn't like looking for a needle in a haystack. It's harder. It's like looking for needles in a big field of haystacks, where some of the haystacks have needles, while most don't, but you don't know which are which, so you have to look in all of them.
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