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NEWS ABOUT: oncology

Critical Cancer Drug Running Out

Childhood leukemia victims run low on methotrexate

(Newser) - Bad news for Americans with childhood leukemia: A critical medicine used to treat the disease is so hard to find that hundreds or thousands of kids could die, the New York Times reports. Methotrexate, typically used to treat leukemia in children aged 2 to 5, fell into short supply after... More »

Doctors Blast New Mammogram Guidelines

Cancer societies, gynecologists won't follow government's lead

(Newser) - There was an instant backlash from oncologists and gynecologists yesterday after a government panel recommended that that women in their 40s stop getting annual mammograms. “I think it is unfortunate that they came to this conclusion,” the director of imaging at one breast cancer center told the Los ... More »

DNA Screening May Help Beat Ovarian Cancer

55% of women carry variant placing them at a higher risk

(Newser) - An international coalition of geneticists has discovered a DNA variant in women with ovarian cancer that could lead to earlier detection and lower mortality rates, reports the Guardian. More than half of women exhibit the genetic trait, which increases the likelihood of ovarian cancer by up to 40%. The researchers... More »

Combo Treatment Halves Prostate Death Rates: Study

Researchers say using radiation plus hormones should be worldwide practice

(Newser) - Using radiation therapy in combination with hormone treatment can double the survival rate of patients with advanced prostate cancer, a new European study finds. Of those men given only standard drugs, 24% died after 10 years, compared to less than 12% of those given both treatments. Combined treatment is already... More »

Cancer Docs Shy Away from Empathy: Study

But helping cope with existential questions is key, say experts

(Newser) - When it comes to cancer, a doctor’s ability to empathize with a patient is paramount, experts say —but a new study finds that physicians aren't feeling patients' pain, HealthDay reports. “Physicians only responded to 10% of empathic opportunities, and when patients raised existential concerns, physicians tended to... More »

Dying Patients Helped by Docs' End-of-Life Talks

But only a third of terminally ill receive them, study says

(Newser) - While only a third of terminally-ill cancer patients received end-of-life talks from their doctors, those who did fared better, a study has found. Doctors who hedge may think they’re protecting their patients, but patients who got the talk were no more likely to get depressed, avoided living their final... More »

Sun Exposure May Reduce Risk of Lung Cancer

Residents of darker locales have higher rates of disease, new research shows

(Newser) - Lack of exposure to sunlight may increase the risk of lung cancer, a study of 111 countries shows. Smoking is the risk factor most closely associated with the disease, accounting for as many as 85% of cases, but limited access to UV rays is second, the Telegraph reports. Vitamin D,... More »

MRIs Beat Mammograms at Spotting Earliest Breast Cancer

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,... More »

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