cancer prevention

18 Stories

Magnesium Could Help Prevent Deadly Pancreatic Cancer

Every 100mg-a-day decrease in magnesium had real effect

(Newser) - Consuming higher levels of magnesium—a mineral found in dark leafy greens, nuts, beans, yogurt, and avocado—appears to dramatically reduce one's chances of getting pancreatic cancer, which is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the US. So report Indiana University Bloomington researchers this month in the...

An Aspirin a Day Cuts Cancer Risk
 An Aspirin a Day 
 Cuts Cancer Risk 
studies say
Mar 21, 2012 7:32 AM CDT

An Aspirin a Day Cuts Cancer Risk

And appears to stop cancer from spreading, too: studies

(Newser) - A daily low dose of aspirin has long been recommended as a way of lowering stroke and heart attack risk, but new studies published this week suggest it also greatly reduces cancer risk. The UK studies found that after taking 75mg to 300mg of aspirin per day for just three...

Screening Has Little Impact on Breast Cancer Deaths

Death rate down because of better treatment, researchers say

(Newser) - The drop in breast cancer deaths over the last few decades is thanks to better treatment, not widespread screening, according to a new study. European countries that introduced routine screening early saw breast cancer deaths decline at roughly the same rate as countries that introduced screening 10 to 15 years...

Value of Prostate Screening in Doubt: Studies

Routine checks don't lower risk of cancer death, research shows

(Newser) - Routine screenings may do little or nothing to prevent deaths from prostate cancer, two new studies show. In US research on 76,000 men, the widely used PSA blood test didn't lower the risk of death. And a European trial that covered 162,000 subjects found only a modest reduction....

Study May Help Mastectomy Dilemma

Research identifies factors likely to imperil second breast

(Newser) - Researchers alarmed by a spike in potentially unnecessary double mastectomies have identified three risk factors that might help breast cancer patients make better decisions about whether to have a healthy breast removed, the Houston Chronicle reports. The research was motivated by an earlier study that revealed 80% of women who...

Black-White Cancer Death Gap Persists

Colorectal disease rate falls overall, but racial disparity grows

(Newser) - Even as instances of colorectal cancer in the US decrease, the gap between whites and blacks is growing, new research shows. Black men and women are 45% more likely to die from the disease than whites, HealthDay reports. While rates are lower for both white and black men, the difference...

Vitamins Don't Change Cancer Risk: Studies

Perception that vitamins can prevent prostate problems is false

(Newser) - Two new studies debunk the perception that vitamin supplements help ward off prostate and other cancers, the BBC reports. The trials involving 50,000 men provided the most definitive results yet on the effects of vitamins C and E—or, rather lack thereof—on cancer. One study had planned to...

Abortion Foes: Cut Funding for Flush Planned Parenthood

They seek to keep the nonprofit from getting public funds

(Newser) - Abortion opponents’ newest strategy includes lobbying state and local governments to cut public funding for Planned Parenthood, the Wall Street Journal reports. Religious conservatives have taken to arguing that the organization is running a surplus and doesn’t need public dollars, which account for a third of the nonprofit's budget....

Breast Cancer May Vanish Without Chemo

Fewer cancers found in women screened less often

(Newser) - Breast cancer goes into spontaneous remission far more often than had been believed, a new study has discovered. Researchers found that a fifth more cancers were found in women screened every two years than in a group screened once in six years, leading them to conclude that many cancers may...

Experts Close In on Breast Cancer Vaccine

Link to childbearing hormones could be prevention key

(Newser) - The prevention of breast cancer has been strongly linked to hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy and breastfeeding, prompting a top cancer expert to predict that a vaccine could mimic such safeguards, reports the Guardian. The researcher called for increased efforts to prevent breast cancer in addition to treating it,...

Doctors Fight to Beat Cultural Cancer Taboos

Stigma surrounding cancer suspected of causing higher mortality rates

(Newser) - The fight against cancer is being hindered by the stigma the illness carries in many cultures, the Wall Street Journal reports. Chinese, Russians, Muslims, and many other groups may shun treatment and try to keep their condition secret. Experts believe the taboo plays a big role in the higher cancer...

Many Cancer Trials Go Unpublished: Study

Negative outcomes often shelved because they don't boost careers

(Newser) - Fewer than 20% of cancer trial results are published in peer-review journals, a new study says. And industry-sponsored trials only achieve publication one time in 20. The reason? Scientists seeking success and media-hungry journals don't want to publish negative results, analysts say—even if they would aid other cancer studies....

Armstrong Confirms Comeback
 Armstrong Confirms Comeback
Sep 9, 2008 7:04 PM CDT

Armstrong Confirms Comeback

(Newser) - Lance Armstrong today confirmed that he is getting back on his bike. The seven-time Tour de France winner, one week shy of his 37th birthday, says his retirement is over. "I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden,"...

Painkillers May Play Role in Prostate Cancer

Doctors unsure if drugs reduce risk—or merely make screening harder

(Newser) - Common pain relievers like aspirin and ibuprofen belong to a class of drugs that lowers protein levels doctors use to test for prostate cancer, the second-most-common cancer found in men. But researchers say it's not clear if the drugs are lowering the risk of developing the cancer or just making...

Swayze Joins Cancer Telethon
 Swayze Joins Cancer Telethon 
Sep 6, 2008 6:48 AM CDT

Swayze Joins Cancer Telethon

Celebrities touched by cancer join historic 3-network telethon

(Newser) - Dozens of Hollywood's finest got together for a historic hour-long, three-network telethon in support of cancer research last night, reports AP. They included cancer survivors Elizabeth Edwards, Christina Applegate and Lance Armstrong, among several others, who made passionate pleas for funding to fight the disease. Cancer kills 550,000 Americans...

New Cancer Scan Promising, But Much Testing Remains

Dramatic decrease in mortality rate is contested by scientists

(Newser) - A study claiming to dramatically reduce the risk of lung-cancer death is the object of intense scientific debate, Philip Boffey writes in the New York Times. Researchers screened asymptomatic smokers with spiral CT scans, which are more sensitive than the traditional chest X-ray. They estimate 92% of those found to...

Best Ways to Avoid Cancer
 Best Ways to Avoid Cancer 
Apr 8, 2008 7:40 PM CDT

Best Ways to Avoid Cancer

LiveScience identifies healthy behaviors that reduce risk

(Newser) - It's not all in the genes: About half of all cancer deaths are preventable, says the American Cancer Society. Follow LiveScience's 10 healthy behaviors to reduce risk:
  1. Quit smoking!
  2. Limit alcohol consumption to one drink per day for women, two drinks per day for men (and no, you can't "
...

Pill Guards Against Ovarian Cancer: Study

Even decades later, oral contraceptive provides protection

(Newser) - Oral contraceptives "confer powerful and long-lasting protection" against ovarian cancer, a cancer that often proves deadly because it's so difficult to diagnose early, a new study has found. The effect is so strong that women who take the pill for 10 years will enjoy significant protection against ovarian cancer...

18 Stories