Visit the new NIHSeniorHealth page on leukemia. Also, visit the MedlinePlus topic pages on adult acute leukemia and adult chronic leukemia.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Stay Safe This Halloween
Keep these safety tips in mind this Halloween.
For Kids: Treats, Makeup, Novelty Contact Lenses and the Candy Game.
For Parents: Advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and KidsHealth.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Director's Comments: Surprise: Nuts & Popcorn Curb Diverticulitis
Listen to the NLM Director's Comments called "Surprise: Nuts & Popcorn Curb Diverticulitis." The transcript is also available.
In a challenge to common clinical advice, a national study found eating nuts, corn, and popcorn are not associated with a risk of diverticulitis, a disease of the colon. The findings, recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, are the first comprehensive study of the impact of eating nuts, corn, and popcorn on diverticulitis...
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Sunday, October 26, 2008
October Issue of NIH News in Health Now Available
The October issue of NIH News in Health is available. Featured stories cover protecting kids hearing and kicking kidney stones. Also check out the health capsules and the featured Web site.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Director's Comments: Epsom Salts & Cerebral Palsy Prevention
Listen to the NLM Director's Comments on Epsom Salts & Cerebral Palsy Prevention. The transcript is also available.
A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine found cerebral palsy rates were cut in half if a mother received magnesium sulfate during labor -- after a risk of a pre-term delivery was determined. In the study, 2,241 women at high risk of delivering a baby between 24 and 31 weeks were assigned into two groups. The children of mothers who received an intravenous infusion of magnesium sulfate as labor began (plus other smaller infusions every hour) experienced half the cerebral palsy rate compared to a placebo group...
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
October Is National Celiac Disease Awareness Month
October is National Celiac Disease Awareness Month. Visit the MedlinePlus topic page on celiac disease to learn more.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Director's Comments: Paul G. Rogers: A Tribute
Listen to the NLM Director's Comments called "Paul G. Rogers: A Tribute." The transcript is also available.
Representative Paul Rogers was called 'Mr. Health' by current and former members of the U.S. Congress because of his passion and commitment to medical research. A Democrat, who represented W. Palm Beach, Florida from 1955-1979, Cong. Rogers died recently at age 87. Rogers left a remarkable legacy to improve the health of all Americans and later committed himself to enhancing global health. Let's pay tribute to a remarkable person by noting a few of his many accomplishments...
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Live Webcast: Obesity Surgery
Watch a live webcast of obesity surgery on October 23 at 6 p.m. CDT.
Also, browse through links to prerecorded webcasts of surgical procedures. These are actual procedures performed at medical centers in the United States.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
New Exercise Guidelines Help Adults Stay Fit
New exercise guidelines help adults stay fit. Visit Be Active Your Way: A Guide for Adults to learn more. Also visit the exercise and physical fitness topic page and the latest news.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Flu Season Is on the Way!
Flu season is on the way! Find out how to foil the flu.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Fentora cancer-related drug deaths confirmed by Cephalon
Filed under: Drug, All Cancers
It's never a good thing when a drugmaker sends letters to doctors saying that a drug they are prescribing has resulted in confirmed deaths.But that is what Cephalon did this week, as it admitted its cancer drug -- Fentora - has been linked to some patient deaths. Fentora, used to treat acute cancer pain, are sometimes prescribed for other pain-related ailments.
Cephalon took issue with the apparent claim that it markets Fentora for uses other than cancer pain, even though some doctors use it "off label" in normal practice.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
Millions around the world die in pain due to morphine bans
Filed under: Drug
Millions of people around the world die in severe pain due to bans of morphine, reports The New York Times. While poverty plays a role, doctors also fear law enforcement of morphine bans. The World Health Organization estimates that 4.8 million people around the world suffer with moderate to severe cancer pain in addition to millions who suffer needless from late-state AIDS pain. At pain conferences, doctors from Africa describe patients whose pain is so bad that they throw themselves in front of trucks.
In another related article, the newspaper examines the slow movement of the Japanese culture away from the fear of painkillers.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
This Is Get Smart About Antibiotics Week
This is Get Smart About Antibiotics Week. Visit the topic pages on antibiotics, MRSA and C. diff. infections to learn more.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Director's Comments: HPV Vaccine Update
Listen to the NLM Director's Comments providing an HPV Vaccine Update. The transcript is also available.
Two recent articles in the New England Journal of Medicine underscore some missing evidence about the clinical efficacy of human papilloma virus vaccines and analyze the cost effectiveness of the shots, which are currently recommended in the U.S. for girls before age 13...
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Yoga benefits breast cancer survivors from ethnically diverse populations
Filed under: Breast Cancer
A new study from researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine shows that yoga can benefit ethnic minority breast cancer survivors, particularly African-Americans and Hispanics, as well as those from under-served communities. During the 12 week study, researchers compared quality of life measures between two groups of women with early stage breast cancer; one group took a weekly yoga class and the other group didn't. More women in the non-yoga group experienced a worsening of social well-being compared to the yoga group. The yoga classes seemed to offer social support, which may have helped counteract loneliness and isolation, which is common after a cancer diagnosis.
The women in the yoga group participated in a gentle, seated form of yoga based on Integral Hatha Yoga, and classes were provided in both English and Spanish.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
Heart failure rare in leukemia patients on Gleevec
Filed under: Leukemia
According to researchers at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, congestive heart failure rarely occurs among leukemia patients who take Gleevec (imatinib). The study was led by Dr. Jorge Cortes who said that there is no need for routine cardio-specific monitoring of all patients taking imatinib, although those with cardiac history should be close monitored. In a separate paper lasat year, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania reported that imatinib may be cardio-toxic in humans.
Imatinib targets two members of the tyrosine kinase class of enzymes and a hybrid tyrosine kinase known to cause chronic myologenous leukemia (CML) and Ph-postive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Before imatinib, only about half of CML patients survived five years. Now the five year survival rate is 95 percent.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
Live Webcast: Scoliosis Surgery
Watch a live webcast of scoliosis surgery on October 7 at 3 p.m. CDT.
Also, browse through links to prerecorded webcasts of surgical procedures. These are actual procedures performed at medical centers in the United States.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Oral birth control pills shown to lower cancer risk
Filed under: Prevention, All Cancers
It's something that many women would cheer about -- the use of oral contraceptives actually lowers overall cancer risk as a side effect.A 12 percent decrease in cancer risk was the conclusion of a very large study that looked at the correlation between oral contraceptives and cancer, as over 46,000 women were tracked over four decades since oral contraceptives began to be widely used in the late 1960s.
However, an increase in cervical cancer risk was found in women who had taken birth control pills for eight years or longer.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
Testicular cancer linked to birth weight
Filed under: Testicular Cancer
There might be some bad news out there for men with above or below normal birth weights -- new studies are showing that they might be at a high risk for testicular cancer than those who were born a more normal size. To be more precise, men with low birth weights were 18% more likely to develop testicular cancer than their normal-sized counterparts, and high birth weight men were 12% more likely to be diagnosed with the disease. It should be noted, however, that the findings are only try to seminoma testicular cancer, which is the most prevalent type. Researchers are not indicating whether they believe there might be a reason to these findings. I wonder if some unhealthy habits of mothers that may have lead to low or high birth weights could be playing a role in the health of their sons later in life? What do you think?Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
A mutation in BRAF can predict likelihood of recurrence of papillary thyroid cancer after treatment
Filed under: Thyroid Cancer
A mutation in the BRAF oncogene, BRAF V600E, has been linked to the most common type of tyroid cancer, conventional papillary thyroid cancer or PTC. A new study shows that this mutation is also significantly associated with cancer recurrence after treatment, according to Dr. Electron Kebebew at UCSF. Most patients diagnosed wtih PTC have small, localized PTC, but may receive aggressive treatments becasue their risk of recurrence cannot be predicted before surgery.
According to the researchers, this result shows that this particular mutation is a reliable indicator for recurrence likelihood and testing for the mutation may be useful for selecting the initial therapy.Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
October Issue of NIH News in Health Now Available
The October issue of NIH News in Health is available. Featured stories cover protecting kids hearing and kicking kidney stones. Also check out the health capsules and the featured Web site.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Two or more drinks a day in postmenopausal women doubles risk of endometrial cancer
Filed under: Endometrial Cancer
Postmenopausal women who consume two or more alcoholic drinks a day may double their risk of endometrial cancer, according to a new study published by Veronica Wendy Setiawan and colleagues at the University of Southern California. Endometrial cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive system and accounts for six percent of all cancers in women, according to the NCI.
According to Setiawan, previous studies have shown that alcohol consumption has been associated with higher estrogen levels in postmenopausal women, which could be the mechanism that increases the risk of endometrial cancer.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
Fatigue still around long after cancer battle starts
Filed under: All Cancers
It what seems like an obvious result, a recent U.S. study found that breast cancer survivors who received both chemotherapy and radiotherapy were the most apt to have severe fatigue. In addition, that fatigue lasted for prolonged periods of time.Over 221 women in the early stages of breast cancer were looked at in this study, with the expectation of the greatest amount of fatigue just after initial treatment.
But, when chemo was combined with radiotherapy, fatigue was pronounced for longer periods of time. No wonder depression is often a side effect of traditional cancer treatment.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
Celeb charm necklaces in support of cancer
Filed under: Celebrity fundraisers
Popular celebrities like Kate Moss and Scarlett Johansson have lent their signature style to the fight against cancer by designing charms that reflect their own character, which will be sold with the profits going to a prominent UK cancer charity. The charms are appearing on a necklace that is being sold at Wallis for about $51USD each. Moss' charm is a petite swallow, while Johansson's is a vibrant yellow and orange lilly. Other contributors include designer Christian Louboutin and comedian Catherin Tate. I think it's great to see celebrities and designers offering their time and their good taste towards a good cause. Don't you agree?Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
New on NIHSeniorHealth: Parkinson's Disease
Visit the new NIHSeniorHealth page on Parkinson's disease. Also, visit the MedlinePlus Parkinson's disease topic page.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Oncologists critical in managing psychiatric disorders
Filed under: Stress Reduction, Cancer Caregivers, Cancer Survivors, Cancer Pre-vivors
According to an article in CANCER, mental illness and emotional distress in patients with advanced cancer is often overlooked by oncologists, but proper management can improve a patient's quality of life.
The review article was written by Dr. Michael Miovic and Dr. Susan Block from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Miovic and Block found that 50 percent or more of patients with advanced or terminal cancer suffer from at least one of three major disorders: adjustment disorders, anxiety disorders and depressive disorders. Medical management of cancer has improved in the last decade, but management of mental health issues has lagged, according to the authors. Studies show that depressive symptoms can even impact patients' lives even more than pain.
The authors recommend listening as the most important screening tool in the oncologist's toolkit.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | CommentsRead More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
Experience Project to launch The Cancer Support Project on October 1st
Filed under: All Cancers, Events, Services, Cancer Caregivers, Cancer Survivors, Cancer Pre-vivors
Experience Project is launching a new online cancer support network , The Cancer Support Project, on October 1st, 2007.Experience Project is built around dynamic groups of users who come onto the platform, share narratives and personal stories about their life experiences, and then connect with others who are going through the same experiences. Experience Project will never ask for your name; you can keep your identity completely private while meeting new friends who can understand you.
The central goal of The Cancer Support Project is to provide a hub for emotional and psychological support for all experiences involving cancer, including experiences as a survivor or a caregiver, something that is not currently widely addressed as many sites focus on sharing information regarding therapies. The Experience Project will also be launching a Facebook application within The Cancer Support Project to enable people to show their support and raise cancer awareness via Facebook, MySpace, blogs and web pages.
The Cancer Support Project will be launching on October 1st, but you can check it out now. I know I will be checking it out for sure! The Cancer Support Project is located here.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
On Pavarotti and pancreatic cancer
Filed under: Pancreatic Cancer, Politics
Luciano Pavarotti, possibly the most famous classical singer on earth, received a final sendoff this past weekend in his hometown of Modena, Italy. Pavarotti died last week of pancreatic cancer. More than 100,000 people filed through the cathedral and plaza, more than 700 guests attended the funeral mass and millions watched the live broadcast on television.Pavarotti underwent surgery for a malignant pancreatic mass in July 2006. A month later, after his surgery, Pavarotti told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, "I was a fortunate and happy man. After that, this blow arrived. And now I am paying the penalty for this fortune and happiness."
One could not be surprised that Pavarotti felt this way. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers, with a five-year survival rate here in the U.S. of less than 5%, although surgery can improve survival greatly. Pancreatic cancer is also one of the most underfunded research areas in cancer. For more information about what you can do to increase funding for pancreatic cancer research and raise awareness of this deadly disease, please see PanCAN's action page.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
Fat Bastard supports cancer
Filed under: Fundraisers
I'm a big fan of Fat Bastard wine, which I picked up a bottle of a few years back simply because of the odd name. If you enjoy their wine too be sure to pick some up during the months of September and October because the makers will be donating $0.25 from every bottle sold to breast cancer charities. It might seem to be a bit of a contradiction to sell alcohol in support of cancer, but actually wine (in moderation) can help reduce to your risk of several types of cancer, not to mention heart disease. Just make sure you stick to one glass a night and enjoy the benefits of a good vintage.
I'm curious to know that you think though. Is it wrong to sell wine to raise money for breast cancer?Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
Eli Lilly's Evista cancer drug approved by FDA
Filed under: Drug, All Cancers
It's interesting when a drug is re-purposed into something aimed at fighting cancer, but that is what has happened to Evista, a prescription drug made by Eli Lilly which was originally for osteoporosis patients.The FDA has officially approved Evista for use in breast cancer patients as of late this week, although the drug will now come with a box warning advising patients of a heightened risk for stroke by taking the drug.
I'm not sure -- are some drugs worth the possible benefits when certain side effects can be just as bad as what is trying to be treated?
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
Routine lung cancer screening gets thumbs down
Filed under: Lung Cancer
Lung cancer screening by using CT scans may not be the best thing to do, according to a recent report by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).That group stated that, outside of research studies, studying lung cancer using CT technology is not worth the risk since it rarely (if at all) leads to reduced lung cancer deaths.
The reason? Sounds to easy, but with CT tests only looking at lung cancer detection, actual survival rates were not looked at in many cases (and weren't affected anyway).Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
Filed under: Ovarian Cancer
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Advocates and researchers at the University of Michigan hope that increased awareness about ovarian cancer can save lives.Here is what they want you to know.
1. Symptoms do exist. Bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating, feeling full quickly, and frequent or urgent urinating are have been shown to be related to a possible case of ovarian cancer and if they persist you should see your doctor.
2. There is no early detection screening test currently.
3. All women should get yearly pelvic exams.
4. Ovarian cancer is difficult to treat because it's often resistant to current treatments.
5. Survival rates are better at the early stage.
6. Most common in older white women.
7. A small number of ovarian cancers are hereditary, linked to the same genes that are linked to breast cancer, BRCA1 and BRCA2.
8. The best person to treat ovarian cancer is a gynecologic oncologist.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
Mobile phone cancer link brought up once more
Filed under: All Cancers
In the last decade, we've seen studies that try to link mobile phone use to all kinds of cancer, the most common type being brain cancer. The thinking is that the radiation output from these devices affects the brain when those phones are held close to the head for extended periods.Well, here's one to shoot this theory down, I guess. In Australia, authorities there have said that mobile phone use does not cause cancer, and talking on a phone in the car is no more dangerous than having a passenger aboard. Wow-- those are heavy hitters.
For many of us, those ultra low-power Bluetooth headsets are the solution for not holding that cellphone near your head for along periods of time. You?
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
More men need prostate cancer testing
Filed under: Prostate Cancer
In Canada, health officials are wanting more men in the high-risk group (most likely, middle aged) to get screened for prostate cancer. Why? Well, only two in every five men in that country from within that group apparently have tested for prostate cancer in the past year. That's just too low.An astounding 39 percent (only) of men over the age of 45 have taken blood tests to measure the prostate specific antigen levels, with only 33 percent having undergone a digital rectal exam.
In other words, there could be a lot more undiagnosed prostate problems under development with such a low amount of high-risk men being tested.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Read More...
[Source: The Cancer Blog]
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Live Webcast: Fetal Laser Surgery
Watch a live webcast of a fetal laser surgery on October 1 at 4 p.m. EDT.
Also, browse through links to prerecorded webcasts of surgical procedures. These are actual procedures performed at medical centers in the United States.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
New on NIHSeniorHealth: Parkinson's Disease
Visit the new NIHSeniorHealth page on Parkinson's disease. Also, visit the MedlinePlus Parkinson's disease topic page.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Today is my 36th B-Day and my doctor says that there are no cancer cells in my body
During the last half of September, I had two MRI's. One was for my head and the other on my back. My cancer doctor found a small cancer cell section there during the summer before I started my chemo in May. Then I went back to see my cancer doctor on September 14, 2008. He told me that there are no cancer cells in my body at this time.
Of course I still have to have my port flushed every six weeks and again when I see my cancer doctor six weeks later. The doctor says that I might be able to have my port removed in 6 months or so after my next round of scans to check for cancer. I will not be able to say that I'm cancer free for 5 years.But I hope that time goes by fast.
On the bright side of this, I returned back to work at Ace Hardware here in Burley,Idaho,USA. I'm only working 32 hours a week. My old boss let me come back to my old job. I help customers out on the sales floor and I'm forbidden from lifting heavy objects(cancer doctor's orders).If I worked 40 hours it would be too much for my body. I'm also trying to promote this blog and my movie review website more since I'm making money again. The last 4 months and this summer have been a nightmare for me with chemo and cancer.
At least I have some happy and great news for readers of my blog!!
Hopefully tonight I will go see "Hancock" for $2 at my town's cheap movie theater!! I'm been wanting to see it all summer. Hopefully it will worth my waiting so long in seeing it!!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Director's Comments: Weight and Health Reconsidered
Listen to the NLM Director's Comments called "Weight and Health Reconsidered." The transcript is also available.
Recent findings suggest about 24 percent of normal weight adults are at risk for cardiovascular disease while half of overweight adults are not. The findings, from a U.S. national study recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, partially challenge a stereotype that associates weight and health problems. The findings add insights about watching your waist -- plus the importance of regular exercise...
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Live Webcast: Fetal Laser Surgery
Watch a live webcast of a fetal laser surgery on October 1 at 4 p.m. EDT.
Also, browse through links to prerecorded webcasts of surgical procedures. These are actual procedures performed at medical centers in the United States.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
New on Go Local: Go Local North Dakota
Visit Go Local North Dakota, one of the latest Go Local sites.
Go Local connects users with local health services. To find local resources, you can go straight to your local area or use the Go Local link on a MedlinePlus Health Topic Page.
Read More...
[Source: What's New on MedlinePlus]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
