Elizabeth Edwards's Cancer Recurs

Ends underdog bid overshadowed by fierce Obama, Clinton rivalry

(NEWSER) - Democratic hopeful John Edwards is ending his second quest for the presidency, reports the AP, capping a campaign in which he focused on progressive ideals and wrestled with the recurring cancer of his wife, Elizabeth. The former senator canceled campaign events last night for what was to be a major speech on poverty in New Orleans this afternoon. Instead, he will use the 1pm speech to drop out, said insiders. More»

Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, melanoma yield to new approaches

(NEWSER) - New treatments for cancer—breast, ovarian, and skin—raised hopes at this weekend's meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago. The findings aren't enough for Robert Langreth of Forbes , who sees "serious questions about whether big drug companies may be rushing too fast." Judge for yourself.

• A single dose of radiation administered at the site of tumor removal deterred recurrence of breast cancer as well as the standard grueling course of radiation on the entire breast, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Researchers urge switch to save lives

(NEWSER) - MRIs significantly outperform mammograms in detecting pockets of abnormal cells that can lead to full-blown breast cancer, and the costly scans should be used routinely to save more women's lives, researchers say. A new study out today says MRIs detected 92% of the early lesions, called ductal carcinoma in situ, while mammograms found only 57%, the Guardian reports. More»

Breast cancer triggered by BRCA1 and BRCA2 no more lethal than other forms

(NEWSER) - Women who carry one of the two known breast-cancer-causing genes—BRCA1 and BRCA2—are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease before 50, but they're not more likely to die from it than other breast-cancer patients, a new study concludes. Tracking the 10-year survival rates of women in 22 hospitals in Israel, scientists found no significant difference between those with and without the gene. More»

Candidate's wife asks columnist politely to back off the nastiness

(NEWSER) - Elizabeth Edwards tried to coax conservative hellcat Ann Coulter into toning down the personal attacks on political candidates yesterday, calling in to "Hardball with Chris Matthews" while Coulter was on. Edwards entreated Coulter to cut the character assassination and focus on issues. Coulter shot back that Edwards' call was obviously a fund-raising stunt. More»