Get Healthy!

There's another reason to keep your tippling to a moderate level: Alcohol plays a significant role in cancer cases and deaths in the United States, researchers say.

On average, drinking accounted for 4.8% of cancer cases and 3.2% of cancer deaths or about 75,200 cancer cases and nearly 19,000 cancer deaths a year, from 2013 to 2016.

Rates ranged from a high of 6.7% of cancer cases ...

As clinics closed for non-essential care and patients' COVID-19 fears kept them from check-ups, the United States saw a steep drop in cancer screenings and diagnoses during the first peak of the pandemic, a new report finds.

Researchers analyzed data on how many patients underwent cancer screening tests -- procedures such as mammograms, colonoscopies, Pap tests, PSA blood tests for prost...

When journalist Catherine Guthrie learned that she would need to have a mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis, she was shocked by what seemed like a cursory explanation from her surgeon about what would happen next.

That included removing both of her breasts, adding implants, and moving a muscle from her back to her chest to make the results look more natural. It didn't feel righ...

You have probably seen the social media posts: Your good friend's co-worker is raising money online to help pay for cancer treatments or another friend needs funds to pay medical bills after a car crash.

Crowdsourced fundraising seems to, at least partly, fill a gap between out-of-pocket health care costs and what people can afford.

A new study looked at what the role of one of th...

Improved lung cancer treatment is a major reason for the 31% decline in cancer death rates in the United States between 1991 and 2018, including a record 2.4% decrease from 2017 to 2018, the American Cancer Society says.

How the COVID-19 pandemic will affect this downward trend is unknown, the society noted.

"The impact of COVID-19 on cancer diagnoses and outcomes at the population...

A cup of java may not be a bad idea for men's health: Drinking lots of coffee may reduce their risk of prostate cancer, researchers report.

The investigators analyzed data from 16 studies conducted around the world. Together, the studies involved more than a million men, about 58,000 of who went on to develop prostate cancer. The team was led by urologist Dr. Kefeng Wang, of China Medic...

Could a cancer diagnosis sometimes produce positive life changes? In a new study, many people with colon cancer, even in advanced stages, believed their diagnosis had brought some beneficial effects to their lives.

In surveys of 133 colon cancer patients, researchers found that nearly all -- 95% -- said their lives had benefited in some way since their diagnosis. Often, they felt their f...

New research on illness in English bulldogs has discovered a previously unknown genetic health condition -- and could save the lives of some beloved family pets.

Researchers were attempting to better understand B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (BCLL), a common cancer, when they uncovered a non-cancerous syndrome called polyclonal B-cell lymphocytosis. This benign condition has many sim...

If you're a Black man, your risk of getting prostate cancer is 75% higher than it is for a white man, and it's more than twice as deadly.

Now, research is helping to bring genetic risks for people of various racial and ethnic groups into focus. In doing so, dozens more risk factors that could better help pinpoint the odds of developing prostate cancer have been uncovered. And that could ...

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 6, 2021 -- In extremely rare instances, newborns can contract cancer from their pregnant moms during delivery, a new case report suggests.

Two boys, a 23-month-old and a 6-year-old, developed lung cancers that proved an exact genetic match to cervical cancers within their mothers at the time of birth, Japanese researchers report.

It appears that the boys breathed in ...

Researchers say a new study may offer hope for future patients with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. It's the brain tumor that killed Senators John McCain and Ted Kennedy.

Investigators from the University of Toronto discovered that the healing process after a brain injury could spur tumor growth if new cells meant to replace those lost in the injury were derailed by mutations.

A New Year's resolution to take better care of yourself is one you should keep, especially in the era of COVID-19.

Wearing a mask, maintaining a safe distance from others and washing your hands frequently are going remain important in 2021. But don't forget to prioritize a healthy lifestyle that improves your overall health and quality of life, and helps prevent cancer, according to exper...

THURSDAY, Dec. 31, 2020 -- Even the most privileged people in the United States with the best access to health care are sicker and more likely to die than average folks in other developed nations, a new study finds.

People living in the highest-income counties in the United States are, on average, more likely to die from a heart attack or cancer, during childbirth, or to lose an infant th...

Women with advanced breast cancer who undergo surgery to remove the tumor after chemotherapy or another type of systemic treatment may live longer than those who don't have surgery, a new study suggests.

The findings challenge a long-held belief that surgery confers little benefit for women with stage 4 breast cancer unless the cancer is causing pain, bleeding or other symptoms. Stage 4 i...

Cancer survivors are at greater risk of developing another cancer and dying from it, a new study finds.

These new cancers can result from a genetic predisposition, from treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy used to fight the first cancer, as well as from unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking and obesity, according to researchers from the American Cancer Society.

Some of these...

Esophageal cancer is increasing among young Americans, and they're more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease, according to a new study.

Esophageal cancer accounts for about 1% of U.S. cancer diagnoses, and just over 18,000 cases are expected to be diagnosed nationwide this year. Only one in five patients is alive five years after diagnosis.

In the new study, researchers ana...

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, many routine cancer screenings were put on hold. Now a new study suggests that lung cancer screenings have yet to rebound.

The findings come from one hospital system, but experts said they add to worries about the pandemic's impact on cancer care.

In the spring, when many U.S. hospitals were overrun with COVID-19 patients and stay-at...

Children with cancer don't have an increased risk of severe COVID-19, a new British study concludes.

Researchers analyzed COVID-19 infections in 54 children with cancer. They found that most had no symptoms or only mild infections. Only 5% required intensive care support, and there were no deaths.

"The COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly in the early part of 2020 and there were initia...

Fan-blown air is one of several drug-free treatments that may ease breathlessness in advanced cancer patients.

Researchers also found that medications -- including opioid painkillers -- do little to help.

The conclusions are from a review of 29 clinical trials involving more than 2,400 adults with advanced cancer.

"Breathlessness, or dyspnea, is a common and distressing sympto...

The holiday season can be difficult for people with cancer, especially with the added stress of the COVID-19 pandemic this year.

As they undergo treatment and cope with symptoms and side effects, they may struggle to get any pleasure from the season, according to the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

Emotional and physical fatigue can make it hard for cancer patients to take p...

A pair of studies shed new light on why a relatively rare blood cancer — acute myeloid leukemia (AML) — is more deadly among Black patients.

The takeaways: Where patients live and their access to quality health care matter. And even when Black people with AML have the same access to treatment as white patients, their survival is shorter — something genetic differences might explain....

The spread of a deadly disease that was pushing Tasmanian devils towards extinction appears to be slowing, researchers say.

They found that the transmissible cancer called Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease is switching from an emerging disease to an endemic one.

That means the spread of the disease is decreasing to the point that each infected devil is infecting just one or few...

Mindfulness, meditation and survivorship education can help young breast cancer survivors overcome depression and other problems, a new study indicates.

About 20% of breast cancer cases occur in women younger than 50, many of whom face significant struggles.

"For women in their 30s and 40s, the experience with breast cancer and its treatments is substantially different from that of ...

Fewer U.S. patients are dying after cancer surgery, but Black patients still have a higher risk than white patients, new research shows.

For the study, researchers analyzed Medicare data on nearly 871,000 cancer surgeries conducted from 2007 to 2016 on patients with nine major types of cancer.

During that time, death rates after surgery improved by 0.12% a year among Black patient...

The diversity, and therefore the health, of the microbes in your gut is linked to your levels of vitamin D, a new study suggests.

The gut microbiome is composed of bacteria, viruses and other microbes that live in our digestive tracts and are important factors in our health and risk for disease.

In this study, researchers analyzed stool and blood samples from 567 men in six U.S. cit...

People diagnosed with cancer often have many concerns, including "financial toxicity," the hardship and stress associated with the cost of treatment.

New research found that for men with early-stage prostate cancer, choices about initial treatments can be a source of stress. And the cost is a big reason why.

"Cost of treatment and the associated financial burden could be an importan...

Major birth defects are associated with an increased, lifelong risk of cancer, researchers say.

It has been known that people with major birth defects have a greater risk of developing cancer as children and teens, but it wasn't clear whether the risk extends into adulthood.

To find out, Norwegian researchers compared more than 62,000 people in Scandinavia, aged 46 and younger, who ...

Cancer cases among U.S. teens and young adults have shot up 30% since the 1970s, new research reveals.

Kidney cancer has risen at the greatest rate, increasing more than threefold among young men and women, according to the researchers. Breast cancers were the most common cancers among women and testicular cancer was the most common among men.

Using data collected by the U.S. N...

Cancer survivors have higher odds of dying from seasonal flu, suggesting they may also be at increased risk from COVID-19 and may need to be among the first in line for vaccination against both diseases.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine analyzed medical data from more than 630,000 people in the United Kingdom between 1990 and 2014, including more than 10...

Nearly 15% of talc-based cosmetic products analyzed in a recent study contained asbestos.

Environmental Working Group (EWG) -- an American advocacy nonprofit that commissioned the tests and did the analysis -- said methods used by the cosmetics industry to screen talc supplies are inadequate. The voluntary testing method developed by industry is not sensitive enough to screen for asbestos...

Women have higher survival rates after lung cancer surgery than men, according to a new study.

Previous research on sex differences in survival after lung cancer treatment has yielded conflicting results, so researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden decided to study the association between gender and survival after lung cancer surgery.

"The health care sector is always striv...

Men with COVID-19 and cancer run a greater risk for severe symptoms and death than women with both conditions, a new study finds.

Researchers concluded that male cancer patients are 60% more likely to have severe COVID-19 and even die from it than women.

"Knowing this propensity for poorer outcomes in males with COVID-19 and cancer will help physicians make better decisions in carin...

Social and financial struggles are common among Black American cancer survivors and take a heavy toll on their health-related quality of life, according to a new study.

Health-related quality of life among cancer survivors -- how a person perceives their mental, physical and social well-being -- tends to be significantly lower among Black Americans than in other groups.

In this stud...

Colon cancer treatment for low-income Americans has improved with Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, a new study says.

That includes earlier diagnosis, increased access to treatment and better surgical care, according to the researchers.

They compared data for more than 4,400 patients in 19 states that expanded Medicaid in January 2014 and more than 6,000 patients in ...

Negative biopsies among early-stage prostate cancer patients who've chosen active surveillance are associated with a low risk of disease progression, but they aren't a sign that their cancer has completely vanished, a new study indicates.

Active surveillance refers to close monitoring for signs of cancer progression -- what's often called "watchful waiting." Patients sometimes get regula...

Hormone therapy can be a lifesaver for men with prostate cancer, but it also appears to put some at increased risk of heart problems, a new study reports.

Long-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) increased the risk of heart-related death nearly fourfold in a group of prostate cancer patients, and also caused their heart fitness to decrease, researchers found.

There is one import...

Lung cancer patients who harbor certain bacteria in the airways may have a poorer prognosis, a new study finds, adding to evidence that the body's "microbiome" may play a role in cancer patients' outlook.

The microbiome refers to the trillions of bacteria and other microbes that naturally dwell in the body. Research in recent years has been revealing how important those bugs are to the bo...

As the Affordable Care Act faces scrutiny once more from the U.S. Supreme Court, new research shows it may be helping to save American lives otherwise lost to cancer.

The study found that expansions of health insurance coverage through Medicaid — a feature of Obamacare — appeared tied to a rise in the number of cancers spotted via screening when they were still early in development. C...

The spice that adds punch to your favorite Kung Pao chicken, Tex-Mex chili or Indian curry may also help save your life.

Preliminary research shows that eating chili pepper may reduce your risk of death from heart disease, cancer and other causes, building on past studies that have found chili pepper to have health benefits.

"I think a lot of people are going to find this informatio...

Expanded Medicaid passed in some states as part of the Affordable Care Act has significantly reduced deaths from newly diagnosed breast, lung and colon cancers, a new study finds.

Death rates from these cancers are lower in states that opted for expanded Medicaid than in those that didn't. The positive trend is largely due to earlier diagnosis, which increases the odds of survival, t...

Average folks should start being screened at age 45 to prevent colon cancer, five years earlier than is now recommended, the nation's top preventive medicine panel says.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force currently recommends that people aged 50 to 75 be regularly screened for colon cancer, one of a handful of cancers that can be prevented outright.

But new data suggest...

If Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is repealed, pediatric cancer patients could lose critical insurance coverage, a new study warns.

Kids with cancer often require intensive treatment and long-term follow-up to beat the disease. The ACA allows them to stay on their parents' insurance coverage to age 26 and bans exclusion of patients with preexisting conditions.

...

A combination of two "targeted" therapies can beat back a rare form of blood cancer -- without the toxic effects of chemotherapy, a new study has found.

In a trial of 63 patients, researchers found that the drug regimen frequently wiped out all signs of the cancer -- a subtype of the blood cancer acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). And at 18 months, 95% of patients were still aliv...

Actor Jeff Bridges announced on Monday that he has been diagnosed with lymphoma.

Telling his fans on Twitter, the acclaimed thespian said, "Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good. I'm starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery."

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prev...

Early diagnosis of colon cancer is crucial to improve a patient's chance of survival, an expert says.

Colon cancer is on the rise, especially among younger people, so it's important to know the symptoms and how to prevent it, according to Dr. Sameet Shah. He's a gastroenterologist with Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Group in Verona, N.J.

The risk is the same for me...

While men can take solace in a new government report that shows prostate cancer cases have been declining overall in the past two decades, the same analysis finds that the opposite is true for advanced prostate cancer cases.

In fact, the number of cases of cancer that had already spread from the prostate to other parts of the body doubled between 2003 and 2017, going from 4% to 8&...

Breast cancer in men is rare. But because it's not often suspected in men, diagnosis often comes only after a tumor has begun to spread throughout the body, new research shows.

"Approximately one-half of males with breast cancer received a diagnosis after it had already spread," either to nearby or distant tissues, said a team of researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...

Weight-loss surgery significantly reduces the risk of pancreatic cancer in obese people with diabetes, a new study finds.

For the study, the researchers analyzed 20 years of data from 1.4 million people, including more than 10,000 who'd had weight-loss surgery. About three-quarters of those who had weight-loss surgery were women.

People who'd had weight-loss surgery were les...

Young women with cancer are at a high risk for employment and financial consequences, a new study finds.

"Our study addresses the burden of employment disruption and financial hardship among young women with cancer -- a group who may be at particular risk for poor financial outcomes after cancer given their age and gender," said researcher Clare Meernik, a fellow at the University of...

DNA mutations in skin cells may signal a risk for melanoma long before it's visible to the eye, a new study suggests.

Exposure to sun damages skin and DNA, and this damage can be measured. Using a new method for analyzing DNA harm, researchers say they can estimate the risk of developing melanoma.

"It turns out that a multitude of individual cells in so-called normal skin ...