‘You gotta have friends’: breast cancer patients forge bonds
(Melody Parker/ WCF Courier) — Breast cancer is a diagnosis no one wants to hear. It’s a club no one wants to join. Once it happens, there is an immediate connection with other members. Having a support system of family and friends can help cancer patient cope with the diease and treatment, experts say. But […]
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An introduction to radiotherapy: what is it, how does it work, and what’s it for?
In the first instalment of our blog series on radiotherapy, we give a broad overview of this type of treatment for cancer, tracing back to its roots in the 19th Century to how it’s used today. (Justine Alford/ Cancer Research UK) — It’s been used in cancer medicine for more than a century, but radiotherapy is […]
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Mediterranean diet may reduce risk of form of breast cancer – study
Eating plenty of nuts, fruit and fish may cut risk of getting oestrogen-receptor-negative cancer, Dutch research finds (Haroon Siddique/ The Guardian) — Following a Mediterranean diet could help reduce the risk of contracting one of the worst types of breast cancer by 40%, according to a large study for the World Cancer Research Fund. The […]
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Breast cancer’s decline in U.S. may have saved 322,000 lives
(Mary Elizabeth Dallas/ HealthDay News) – New research finds the number of American women who’ve lost their lives to breast cancer has fallen precipitously in the past 25 years, with more than 322,000 lives saved in that time. Overall, advances in care have led to a 39 percent drop in breast cancer deaths of between […]
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Our milestones: A radical change that improved breast cancer surgery
(Cancer Research UK) — In this post, we look at how a breast cancer clinical trial we helped fund in the 60s and 70s laid the foundations for improving surgery for women with early-stage breast cancer. Its results allowed breast cancer surgeons to move away from ‘radical’ mastectomies towards kinder, less invasive surgeries. Alex King, […]
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Living in a greener neighbourhood could lower your risk of death: study
Not just parks but also streetside trees and lawns could have health benefits, study suggests (Emily Chung, CBC News) — Trees stretching their canopies over city streets and grass tickling the sidewalk near your home are more than just pretty, they could actually be helping you live longer, a new study suggests. Researchers at the University […]
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22 ways to help a friend with breast cancer
(Anne Krueger/ Health.com) — Whether your friend or family member is newly diagnosed or in the midst of treatment, she’s unlikely to be wowed by vague offers or having to do your thinking for you. She has enough on her mind; she has cancer. She may not want that tuna casserole or to hear about what […]
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Here’s when women should be screened for breast cancer
(Alexandra Sifferlin/ Time Magazine) — At age 45. At age 50. Once a year. Once every two years. If you’re trying to find some consensus on when and how often women should get screened for breast cancer with mammograms, you’re not going to find universal agreement. As confusing and conflicting as the advice seems, the […]
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Huge drop in men’s sperm levels confirmed by new study
(Dr. Chris Barratt/ The Conversation) — Sperm count in men from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand declined by 50-60% between 1973 and 2011, according to a new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Surprisingly, the study, which analysed data on the sperm counts of 42,935 men, found no decline in sperm counts in […]
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Using viruses to fight cancer
(Euronews) — This week in Business Planet, we will be finding out about a new approach that uses viruses in cancer treatment. Biotech expert Jean-Jacques Le Fur joins us to shed light on this new technique. “The main difference between conventional treatment and this new technique is that immuno-oncology uses the body’s immune system to […]
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