Cancer Research Lab

Men who consume 5 cups a day or more could halve risk, study finds

Drinking green tea may reduce the risk of advanced prostate cancer, according to a study by researchers at Japan’s National Cancer Center.

It said men who drank five or more cups a day might halve the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer compared with those who drank less than one cup a day.

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But depression isn’t strongly linked to other types of cancer, review finds

NEW YORK - Depression appears to somewhat heighten the risk of breast cancer, but it has no significant association with lung, colon or prostate cancer, according to a review of the medical literature conducted by Dutch researchers.

“Depression is related to a slightly increased risk of cancer,” investigator Dr. Marjan van den Akker told Reuters Health. “The relation with breast cancer gets stronger with a longer follow-up period.”

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Microchip could help doctors tailor patient treatment, researchers say

CHICAGO - A highly sensitive microchip may help doctors detect rare traces of cancer circulating in the bloodstream, offering a way to better manage treatment, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

The device can isolate, count and analyze circulating tumor cells from a blood sample, the team at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston said.

These circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, are the tiniest fragments of tumors, which are carried in the blood.

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When patients open up, oncologists often cut discussion short, study found

NEW YORK - People with advanced cancer may suffer substantial emotional distress, but relatively few may be discussing it with their doctors, new research suggests.

In a study that recorded conversations between 270 cancer patients and their oncologists, researchers found that patients broached the topic of emotional concerns only about one-third of the time. And when they did open the door, their doctors often failed to encourage a discussion.

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A married couple who sailed to America from England around 1630 are the reason why thousands of people in the United States are at higher risk of a hereditary form of colon cancer, researchers said on Wednesday.

Using a genetic fingerprint, a U.S. team traced back a so-called founder genetic mutation to the couple found among two large families currently living in Utah and New York.

Cancer researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah did not name the families but said thousands of people across the country may have the mutation that spread widely as the couple’s descendants branched apart over many generations.

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Higher levels of a certain protein may offer protection, study says

WASHINGTON - People with Down syndrome suffer cancer less than most other people and a study in mice published on Wednesday gives one possible explanation — they produce higher levels of a certain protein.

The protein may keep tumors from growing, and this finding may help in the development of new cancer drugs, the team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reported.

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Famous Breast Cancer Survivors

Edie Falco
Sopranos star Edie Falco was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, and secretly battled it.

Melissa Etheridge
Diagnosed in 2004 with breast cancer, Etheridge is doing well.

Gloria Steinem
Activist Steinem discovered a lump in 1986.

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What is Cervical Health Awareness Month?
Cervical Health Awareness Month was created to raise awareness about the prevention of cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is currently the second-leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. The American Cancer Society estimated that over 9,000 women would be diagnosed with the disease in 2006 and over 3,000 would die from it in the U.S. alone.

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Did you know the Pap smear is the only screening tool for cancer that has resulted in a significant drop in the number of cancer diagnosis, as well as increasing the survival rate for any type of cancer dramatically? Regular Pap smears, or other newer tests such as Thin Prep which can detect possible pre-cancer changes in the cervix for up to five years, are the only way to catch cervical cancers at an early stage when surgery or another type of procedure often stops the progression to cervical cancer.

Follow your health professional’s advice about when you need to have a Pap smear. You can significantly lower your risk of full-blown cervical cancer developing by adhering to a strict schedule of having regular pelvic exams, as directed by your health care provider, throughout your lifetime.

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Reducing Your Risk of Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer. Because of the Pap smear test, the number of cervical cancer cases has dropped over the past twenty years. However, many women still develop cervical cancer. In fact, over 9,000 women in the U.S. develop cervical cancer every year.

While some cases of cervical cancer cannot be prevented, there are many things a woman can do to reduce her risk of developing cervical cancer.

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