Taking of Vitamin E supplements increase risk for lung cancer, according to cancer research in the University of Washington. Researchers conducted experiments on 78,000 adults over 4-year period. The lung cancer risk is especially high in smokers. This research study was published in the first issue of “American Journal of respiratory and Critical Care Medicine” which was published by American Thoracic society. Vitamins and cancer: 100 milligram increase intake of Vitamin will raise lung cancer risk by 7%. American Cancer Society is not recommending vitamin intake to prevent from lung cancer. Staying away from smoking is the best method to decrease lung cancer incidence. Vitamin D has some proven protective measures against breast, colon and ovarian cancers while foods rich in Vitamin A has shown effect in reducing cancer risk. American Cancer Society is recommending diet rich in green leafy vegetables and fresh fruits to protect from cancer. One should stay away from junk diet and refined foods to decrease cancer risk. Note: One should not take vitamin supplements with doctor’s advice. Smoking and Lung Cancer: According to a research study by University of California, Hydrogen peroxide in smoking is the major culprit for causing lung cancer. This research study was published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). Tobacco contains more than 4,000 chemical substances of which 43 substances are carcinogens. Smoking alone is responsible for 0.4 million deaths in the United States alone, according to Centre for Disease Prevention (CDC). Smoking is responsible for more than 80% of lung cancers in Americans and is the major cause of preventable deaths among Americans. Please share your opinion on harmful effects of smoking. … [Read more...]
Overuse of CT scans can cause cancer
Overuse of CT scans will increase risk of cancer due to excessive exposure to radiation. According to a research article in the "New England Journal of Medicine", this cancer risk is very high in children due to sensitive tissues in them. According to Columbia University scientists, 2% of cancers are due to this excessive exposure to radiation in the coming days. As per researchers, 30% of diagnostic tests recommended by doctors are unnecessary. But due to increase in legal suits by patients, physicians are not wanting to take undue risks and recommending as many tests as possible. According to a study, 20 million adults and 1 million children are undergoing unnecessary CT scans annually. 62 million scans were done on US citizens in 2006 of which 4 million were on children. 30% of these scans are unnecessary which is alarming. MRI and ultrasound are comparatively safer than CT scans as they have less radiation exposure. But CT scans are the best diagnostic method to detect cancer as they produce 3-dimensional images of the organs. Physicians should be extra cautious in recommending CT scans for children. They should evaluate other diagnostic options before recommending CT scan. You can read more information on this research report in the November issue of New England Journal of Medicine. … [Read more...]
Exercise reduces cancer risk
Regular brisk walking can not only decrease heart disease and diabetes risk, but also cancer risk. Exercise also prevents infection and cold. Moderate exercise like brisk walking for 45 minutes a day, five times a week, will prevent breast cancer in post menopausal women. According to the researchers, exercise enhances the immune system and decreases the risk of breast and prostate cancers. This research study was published in the journal of the “Archives of Internal Medicine”. Vigorous exercise reduces prostate cancer diagnosis risk by 67% and lowers prostate cancer deaths by 74%. Exercise reduces colon cancer risk by 35%. Patients should consult doctor before starting exercise regimen. Obesity increases prostate cancer death risk: Obesity increases death risk from prostate cancer, according to a research study. This research report was published in the journal “Cancer”, a publication of American Cancer Society (ACS). Obese men twice likely die from advanced prostate cancer than normal patients. Overweight increases death risk by 52% and obesity raises this risk by 64%. Body Mass Index (BMI) in between 18-25 is considered normal. BMI in between 25-30 is considered as overweight while BMI>30 is Obese. According to researchers, prostate cancer treatments are less effective in obese men. Obese men generally suffer from other chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension which further raises death risk. … [Read more...]
Cancer Diet: low fat foods reduce ovarian cancer risk
Health foods like fruits and vegetables which are low in fat and high in fiber will help postmenopausal women in reducing ovarian cancer risk, according to Women’s Health Initiative dietary study. Women who reduced fat content in their diet have reduced ovarian cancer risk by 40%. This is a complete contrary finding to the WHEL trial (published in the Journal of American medical Association) which found no relation between no relation between diet and breast cancer. This randomized control study was done on 48,835 postmenopausal women over 8 years. The research study was published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute. Low-fat diet reduces ovarian cancer risk by decreasing estrogen production. Ovarian cancer statistics:Ovarian cancer is a rare one which affects 1 in 60 women but it is very difficult to diagnose in the early stage. It is a very serious disease which kills 55% of patients within 5 years. According to American Cancer Society estimates, 22,430 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007 of which 15,280 women will die of it. Ovarian cancer prevention: Currently, use of birth control pills is the only way to reduce ovarian cancer risk and removal of ovaries is the major treatment. Birth control pills will reduce cancer of ovaries by 60%. Pills and fiber diet combination will reduce ovarian cancer risk by more than 80%. Genetic mutation is another major ovarian cancer cause. If women can take these simple modifications in their diet, they can be free of this deadly disease. … [Read more...]
New Lung cancer guidelines by ACCP
American college of chest physicians (ACCP) issued new guidelines on screening, preventing, staging and coping with cancer. These guidelines were published as a supplement to the special edition of the journal “Chest”, reviewed journal of ACCP. The recommendations were rigorously developed and reviewed by 100 multidisciplinary panel members, including pulmonologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, thoracic surgeons, integrative medicine specialists, oncology nurses, pathologists, health-care researchers, and epidemiologists. The guidelines were further reviewed and approved by the ACCP Thoracic Oncology Network, the Health and Science Policy Committee, the Board of Regents, and external reviewers from the journal Chest. The guidelines have been endorsed by the American Association for Bronchology, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Asian Pacific Society of Respirology, Oncology Nurses Society, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and the World Association of Bronchology. Lung cancer statistics: Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in United States. All the other 4 major cancers, colon, breast, pancreas and prostate, are causing less number of deaths than lung cancer. Lung cancer is responsible for 30% cancer deaths in men while it is at 26% in women. Tobacco use is the major cause for lung cancer. New Lung Cancer Guidelines: 1. Lung cancer screening: The ACCP advises against low-dose Computed Tomography (CT) scanning or chest X-rays to screen for lung cancer. Nodules are commonly found during screening. But to determine whether these nodules are cancerous or not requires additional testing which is invasive and expensive. This may cause risk for patient both physiologically and psychologically. Population screening for lung cancer may put patient at risk for further complications. 2. Lung cancer prevention: People at risk for lung cancer aren't advised to take beta-carotene supplements, vitamin E supplements, retinoids (vitamin A), N-acetylcysteine, selenium, or aspirin for lung cancer prevention. They have no preventive effects on the lung cancer. Vitamin A use may increase mortality among current smokers. Complementary therapies for Lung Cancer: For the first time, the ACCP has issued guidelines on the use of complementary therapies for lung cancer patients. The guidelines support the use of massage for lung cancer patients experiencing anxiety, mood disturbances, or chronic pain. The guidelines also recommend acupuncture for lung cancer patients experiencing nausea, vomiting, pain, or fatigue from their lung cancer treatment, and for those who haven't been able to quit smoking through other methods. Lung cancer patients should tell their doctors about any complementary therapies they use and avoid treatments that claim to replace conventional medical care, according to the ACCP. Electro stimulation wristbands are not recommended for managing chemo-induced nausea/vomiting, as studies show that they do little to delay nausea/vomiting compared with placebo. … [Read more...]
New Research results on Breast Cancer
1. New molecules to fight against Breast Cancer. Hamilton college research scientists discovered new molecules that will be effective in the fight against Breast Cancer. They found them using advanced computational Tomography techniques. Albany Medical professional synthesized those molecules. This research on Breast Cancer will be published in the May 16 issue of Journal of American Chemical Society. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and Tamoxifen is the preferred drug for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer treatment. According to American Cancer Society estimates, 0.18 Million people will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer in America. 2. Breast cancer comprises 60% of alcohol-attributable cancers among women. Drinking Alcohol (even in moderate amounts) is the major cause for Breast Cancer in Women. 3. According to the research by Italy Oncologists, Women at high risk for breast cancer who have undergone a hysterectomy appear to benefit from taking Tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer. 4. Decrease in Breast Cancer rates started even before the wide spread use of Hormone Replacement Therapy. … [Read more...]
