8 Ways to Keep Cancer at Bay

What you eat—and just as importantly what you don't—may affect your risk of getting cancer

(NEWSER) - Genes may be a bigger factor than diet, but what you eat can still affect your chances of developing cancer. MSNBC tells you what to pile on your plate, and what to avoid. Eat up:

1. Cruciferous veggies like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kale
2. High-fiber anything
3. Foods rich in vitamin D and calcium

Awash in information, many remain dangerously misinformed

(NEWSER) - An American Cancer Society survey of 1,000 adults, as reported in Time, determined five major misconceptions about the disease.

1. The risk of dying from cancer in the United States is increasing.
2. Living in a polluted city is a greater risk for lung cancer than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.

HPV, hepatitis B vaccines key part of cancer prevention

(NEWSER) - A sixth of all cancers worldwide are the result of potentially treatable or preventable infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites, according to a new study. Researchers found that that almost 2 million new cancer cases in 2008 were caused by the human papilloma virus, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori, and that the proportion of cancers caused by infection was three times higher in developing countries, reports the Guardian . A fifth of the 7.5 million cancer deaths worldwide in 2008 were caused by infection-related cancers, the study found. More»

Cell lines used in study are often misidentified: Wall Street Journal

(NEWSER) - As many as one-third of cancer cell lines used by scientists around the world could be wrongly labeled, undermining huge amounts of medical research, reports the Wall Street Journal . For basic biology research, the problem is probably not so serious. But for the study of specific cancers and treatment, wrongly labeled cell lines means money and resources are often completely wasted. (The article begins with an anecdote from a scientist who had to pull his paper on head and neck cancer, because he discovered the cells he was working on were actually from cervical cancer.) Worse, critics say, is the possibility that misidentified cell lines could have led to drugs that are inappropriate for some types of cancer. More»

Findings may be tied to reduced infection rates

(NEWSER) - There may be a new weapon in the fight against prostate cancer: circumcision. A study finds that men circumcised before their first time having sex had a 15% lower risk of the disease, NPR reports. That could be because cancer can be linked to infection. Prostate inflammation caused by an infection can ultimately cause DNA damage as the body responds. And circumcision appears to reduce infection rates. More»