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l cáncer de mama es el tumor femenino más frecuente (iStock) Los fabricantes de medicamentos se están enfocando en qué pacientes de cáncer se beneficiarán de las nuevas terapias inmunológicas y cómo encontrar muchas más de las que los escépticos habían pensado. Por primera vez, un ensayo clínico mostró que un tratamiento con una nueva generación de medicamentos diseñados para desencadenar el sistema inmunológico del cuerpo contra los tumores puede ayudar a algunas mujeres con el tipo de cáncer más agresivo a vivir más tiempo. El estudio fue presentado por Roche Holding en la conferencia de cáncer más grande de Europa. Estas medicinas, lideradas por la exitosa Keytruda de Merck & Co., se venden para más de una docena de diferentes tipos de cáncer, y las compañías farmacéuticas están trabajando obsesivamente para expandir sus aplicaciones con versiones más nuevas y mezcla de tratamientos. Según el Instituto de Investigación del Cáncer, financiado en gran parte por los fabricantes de medicamentos que buscan una buena parte de una previsión del mercado,para 2024 hay unos 1.300 tratamientos basados en el sistema inmunitario. "Esto es solo la punta del iceberg", subrayó Axel Hoos, jefe de investigación y desarrollo en oncología del gigante farmacéutico del Reino Unido GlaxoSmithKline, que está tratando de volver a la oncología después de vender sus productos existentes a Novartis AG en 2015. "Hay un poco de exageración, pero hay mucha sustancia".  En la reunión de la Sociedad Europea de Oncología Médica, Roche reveló los resultados de un estudio que mostró que un grupo de pacientes cuyos tumores de mama dieron positivo a una proteína llamada PD-L1 vivió un promedio de 25 meses cuando recibieron una terapia inmunológica llamada Tecentriq: aproximadamente 10 meses más que otras que solo recibieron quimioterapia. Las terapias inmunitarias irrumpieron en escena hace unos ocho años, cuando Yervoy de Bristol-Myers Squibb se convirtió en el primer medicamento de este tipo en extender la vida de las personas con melanoma, un cáncer de piel letal. Los éxitos en los cánceres de riñón y pulmón siguieron poco después. Cuando las terapias inmunitarias funcionan, el efecto puede durar años, una de las razones por las que se las considera revolucionarias. Pero en la mayoría de los pacientes no ocurre nada útil, incluso en los tumores de la piel y los pulmones, donde se han observado algunos de los efectos más dramáticos. "Hay algunos cánceres en los que el sistema inmunológico simplemente no puede reconocerlo", comentó Mace Rothenberg, directora de desarrollo para oncología del gigante farmacéutico Pfizer Inc. Al volar bajo el radar protector del cuerpo, los científicos se refieren a ellos como "tumores fríos". Las compañías están empezando a repensar su estrategia para los casos más difíciles, según dijo Dan O'Day, jefe farmacéutico de Roche. La prueba de los tumores de los pacientes para detectar proteínas y genes específicos ayudará a identificar a los que tienen más probabilidades de beneficiarse. "Queremos alejarnos del concepto de administrar inmunoterapia contra el cáncer al 80 por ciento de los pacientes y que solo la mitad responde", indicó en una entrevista. "Busquemos las otras opciones de tratamiento para los otros tipos de pacientes". El estudio de cáncer de mama de Roche ayudó a respaldar la idea de que hay formas en que los médicos pueden identificar más cánceres y someterlos a la terapia inmunológica. El medicamento utilizado en el estudio, Tecentriq, bloquea la proteína llamada PD-L1 que dificulta el ataque del sistema inmunitario contra los cánceres, y solo sirvió en las mujeres cuyos tumores tenían niveles altos de proteína. O'Day sugirió que otro indicador en la búsqueda de respondedores podría ser la gran cantidad de mutaciones en un tumor. Es una estrategia que puede extender aún más el alcance de las terapias inmunológicas, como lo indican los estudios presentados en la conferencia. Los estudios de cánceres de colon y recto, que han sido menos sensibles a la terapia inmunológica, demostraron que los tumores con daño genético grave pueden ofrecer mejores objetivos para medicamentos como el Opdivo de Bristol y Yervoy. "Están realizando pruebas en cada tumor diferente que puedna imaginar", indicó Richard Gaynor, jefe de investigación y desarrollo de Neon Therapeutics, una empresa de inmunología oncológica. "Habrá subconjuntos de pacientes dentro de cada grupo que puedan beneficiarse". Y en muchos casos, la terapia inmunológica puede necesitar ayuda. La pregunta es cómo empujar el sistema de protección del cuerpo para que actúe contra ciertos tumores, de acuerdo al director ejecutivo de Incyte Corp., Herve Hoppenot. Su compañía probó la estrategia a principios de este año, combinando su fórmula experimental con Keytruda de Merck, y fracasó. Aún así, Incyte y otros fabricantes de medicamentos continúan en su búsqueda de formas de detectar tumores que hayan eludido la inmunoterapia. "Estamos arañando la superficie", comentó Luciano Rossetti, jefe de investigación y desarrollo global para biofarma de Merck Egaa con sede en Alemania. "Tenemos una primera ola de emoción real".

Ashya King, Charlie Gard y Alfie Evans. Tres casos distintos de niños con enfermedades que tienen un fuerte nexo común: las incoherencias del sistema sanitario y judicial británico. Los dos últimos no podrán dar testimonio de los avances de la medicina, sin embargo el primero -gracias a un hospital en República Checa- sí. Desde el año 2014 hasta hoy, la sociedad europea es testigo de cómo la autoridad británica trata de imponerse a las decisiones de los padres que tienen hijos enfermos. El último ejemplo ha sido Alfie Evans, ingresado en un hospital de Liverpool por una enfermedad degenerativa. Ni la intervención del Papa Francisco, ni todas las ofertas del gobierno italiano pudieron frenar la decisión de los jueces de retirarle el soporte vital que lo mantenía con vida. Ingresado en el Hospital General de Southampton ¿Quizás por la inseguridad de que se llevaran otro chasco y de que quedaran en ridículo delante de todo el mundo? Quizás. Esta última polémica hace remontarnos a cuatro años atrás, cuando un pequeño, hijo de un matrimonio perteneciente a los Testigos de Jehová, se encontraba ingresado en el Hospital General de Southampton librando una batalla contra el cáncer. El principio de la historia comienza con la sugerencia de los padres, Brett y Naghemen King, de suministrar a su hijo un tratamiento que consistía en una terapia de protones. Ellos consideraban que sería menos dañino que la radioterapia convencional que ofrecía por aquel momento el Servicio Nacional de Salud de Reino Unido (NHS). Primeramente le habían eliminado con éxito y mediante cirugía el meduloblastoma. Arrestados en España durante 24 horas Tras las desavenencias entre los progenitores y el equipo médico del centro, decidieron que la mejor opción era sacar al menor de allí y buscar otra alternativa fuera del país, por lo que el 28 de agosto de 2014 se embarcaron en un ferry dirección Francia. El trayecto los llevó hasta Vélez -Málaga- donde por una Euroorden fueron arrestados durante 24 horas. Recibieron el apoyo de multitud de personas y tras una dura lucha judicial se les retiró la solicitud de extradición. El asunto fue llevado hasta el Tribunal Supremo, que el 5 de septiembre dictaminó que Ashya podía recibir el tratamiento en Praga. A pesar de las negativas previsiones del hospital británico -los médicos auguraron que los efectos secundarios de la terapia de protones serían los mismos que los de una radioterapia convencional- los King tiraron para adelante. Totalmente curado En marzo de 2015, pasada ya la estancia en el Proton Therapy Center de Praga, un escáner cerebral verificó la buena nueva que todos estaban esperando: el pequeño estaba libre de cáncer. Tres años más tarde, el menor –de ocho años ya- ha vuelto a ser examinado y la luz blanca brilla de nuevo: está plenamente curado. Una noticia que llena de felicidad a los padres y que pone en jaque a aquellos que quieren tomar decisiones por encima de nadie. El diario EL MUNDO publicaba el pasado 5 de mayo un breve reportaje en el que informaba que estos padres habían declarado no guardan rencor ni al hospital ni a los jueces británicos. Probablemente los Evans o los Gard, no puedan decir lo mismo. https://infovaticana.com/2018/05/09/ashya-king-el-final-feliz-que-pudo-haber-tenido-alfie-evans/

Thirty U.S. states have enacted medical cannabis laws, and all but one of them include cancer in the list of conditions allowed. Such laws give cancer patients across the country access to a substance that remains illegal under federal law. Anecdotal reports suggest marijuana is helpful in managing symptoms of chemotherapy, like pain and nausea. But it's unlikely curious patients are getting clear guidance from their doctors on whether they should try marijuana, which form might work best and how much to take. A new survey of 237 oncologists from around the country finds that while roughly 80 percent talk with their patients about marijuana, fewer than 30 percent feel they have sufficient knowledge to advise them about its medicinal use. Despite their shaky knowledge of the drug, nearly half of all oncologists do recommend medical cannabis to their patients, according to the study, which was published Thursday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. But more than half of those suggesting it, don't consider themselves knowledgeable to do so, says Dr. Ilana Braun, a cancer psychiatrist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass. and the study's lead author. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/05/10/610039787/when-cancer-patients-ask-about-weed-many-doctors-say-go-for-it

Married people are more likely than the unmarried to get timely diagnosis and treatment for malignant skin cancer. Early detection of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is essential to effective treatment. The five-year survival rate for stage 1 disease is more than 98 percent, but by stage 3, the rate declines to 62 percent. A study published in JAMA Dermatologyused a large cancer registry to catalog tumor stage and marital status in 52,063 patients diagnosed with melanoma. The population, average age 64, was 58.8 percent male. Almost 70 percent were married. After controlling for age, sex, education level and other factors, the researchers found that 46 percent of married people went to a doctor at the earliest stage of the disease, compared with 43 percent of the never married, 39 percent of the divorced, and 32 percent of the widowed. Patients who were never married were 12 percent more likely to present with a later stage cancer, the divorced 34 percent more likely and the widowed more than twice as likely. Results were the same for men and women. Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/18/well/live/married-people-less-likely-to-die-from-melanoma.html

Transferred by train from Pavlodar labour camp to cancer hospital in Almaty, Jehovah's Witness pensioner Teymur Akhmedov was pardoned and freed on 4 April. Prosecutors say a criminal case against a Protestant pastor will "soon" be closed down. Prosecutors are still investigating a five-year-old criminal case against an atheist. The trial of three Muslims continues in Karaganda. After nearly a year and a quarter in jail, Jehovah's Witness prisoner of conscience, pensioner and cancer-sufferer Teymur Akhmedov was pardoned on 2 April and released from custody on 4 April. He had already been transferred by train from labour camp in the northern city of Pavlodar to a hospital in the southern city of Almaty, where he underwent a further operation. The 61-year-old Akhmedov's release from his five-year prison term came as a result of a pardon from President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Akhmedov always vigorously refuted the charges that he had "incited religious discord" by talking about his faith to young men sent by the National Security Committee (KNB) secret police. Forum 18 was unable to reach the KNB investigator who had launched the criminal case against Akhmedov. He has since been transferred from the city to the national KNB (see below). Forum 18 has been unable to find out if the authorities will lift the three-year post-sentence ban on Akhmedov conducting "ideological/preaching activity" or remove him from the list of "terrorists and extremists" whose bank accounts are frozen (see below). An official of Kyzylorda City Police's Investigation Department told Forum 18 that the criminal case on the same charges of "inciting religious discord" against New Life Protestant Church pastor Serik Bisembayev "will soon be closed down for absence of a crime". The criminal case was opened the day the police raided his New Life Church congregation in February (see below). Prosecutors are still investigating the criminal case on charges of "inciting religious discord or hatred" launched against the atheist blogger and human rights defender Aleksandr Kharlamov back in January 2013 (see below). The trial in the central city of Karaganda of three Muslims accused of membership of the banned Muslim missionary movement Tabligh Jamaat is due to resume on the morning of 6 April. The Prosecutor's Office told Forum 18 that police investigators have not yet handed over criminal cases against three more Muslims arrested with them in October 2017 (see below). Since December 2014, 63 alleged Tabligh Jamaat adherents (all of them Kazakh citizens) are known to have been given criminal convictions. Of these, 49 were given prison terms while 14 were given restricted freedom sentences (see F18News 5 March 2018 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2359). Pardoned, further cancer operation Jehovah's Witness prisoner of conscience, pensioner and cancer-sufferer Teymur Sultan ogly Akhmedov (born 7 May 1956) was serving his sentence in a labour camp in the northern city of Pavlodar. As the authorities refused to heed United Nations (UN) appeals for his "immediate release" (see below), he lodged an appeal for pardon earlier in 2018 while insisting that he was not guilty of any offence. As Akhmedov's state of health worsened, he underwent surgery on 8 February. Doctors removed two tumours, one of which was malignant. On 12 February, doctors diagnosed sigmoid colon cancer. "The initial diagnosis by doctors in Pavlodar indicates that his cancer is transitioning from stage II to stage III, requiring urgent investigation and long-term treatment," Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18 in early March (see 5 March 2018 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2359). In mid-March, the prison authorities decided to transfer Akhmedov to Almaty for further hospital treatment. As the train journey would take about five days the family offered to pay for him to be flown with any necessary guards. However, the prison authorities refused this offer and Akhmedov was transported by train, Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18. Once in Almaty, Akhmedov was assigned to Almaty City Investigation Prison LA-155/1 and it was from this prison that he was formally freed, according to the 4 April release certificate signed by Prison Chief Azamat Iztleuov and seen by Forum 18. However, the authorities had already placed Akhmedov in a city cancer hospital. He underwent a further operation on 27 March and is now recuperating, Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18. Akhmedov's wife Mafiza travelled down from their home in Astana to be with him in the Almaty hospital. Akhmedov was able to participate in hospital in the commemoration of the Memorial of Christ's Death, which Jehovah's Witnesses observed this year on 31 March, Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18. President Nazarbayev signed Decree No. 656 on 2 April, pardoning Akhmedov and "releasing him from serving the rest of his punishment in the form of deprivation of liberty and expunging his criminal record". The Decree has not so far been published on the presidential website or on the database of legal acts, as of the end of the working day in Astana on 5 April. Forum 18 has been unable to find out if Akhmedov's three-year post-sentence ban on conducting "ideological/preaching activity" remains in force. Any bank accounts Akhmedov has remain frozen as his name still appears on the most recent list (issued on 3 April) of the Finance Ministry Financial Monitoring Committee List of individuals "connected with the financing of terrorism or extremism". Forum 18 has been unable to find out if the authorities have provided Akhmedov with "an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law" in line with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Opinion on Akhmedov's case (see below). Forum 18 was unable to reach Medet Duskaziyev, the KNB secret police Investigator who launched the criminal case against Akhmedov. The officer who answered his phone at the Astana City KNB on 5 April told Forum 18 that Duskaziyev has been transferred to a job in the central KNB secret police administration. The officer – who did not give his name – was unable to give Forum 18 a telephone number for him. KNB secret police entrapment, arrest, torture, jailing The KNB secret police arrested Akhmedov and another Jehovah's Witness in Astana in January 2017 for discussing their faith with others. Akhmedov was, as in other cases involving Muslim and Protestant prisoners of conscience, set up for prosecution by the KNB secret police using informers it recruited. These informers invited those prosecuted to meetings the KNB recorded in which they shared their beliefs. Akhmedov was sentenced in May 2017 to a five year jail term with a further three-year ban on conducting "ideological/preaching activity" (see F18News 3 May 2017 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2277). The national cancer centre stated in early 2017 that Akhmedov needed to be hospitalised for an operation, so his jailing broke the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (known as the Mandela Rules). The judge claimed jailing was necessary to defend "a civilised society" (see F18News 2 February 2017 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2252). Prisoner of conscience Akhmedov was also tortured in detention. However, in defiance of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment - and as in other cases involving Muslim prisoners of conscience - no officials have been arrested or tried for torturing prisoners of conscience jailed for exercising freedom of religion and belief (see F18News 7 March 2017 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2262). Akhmedov's lawyers were threatened with criminal trial for "revealing information from a pre-trial investigation". Their "crime" was to send copies of their legal appeal to President Nazarbayev and the Foreign Ministry (see F18News 3 April 2017 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2269). But the criminal cases against the lawyers were dropped after prisoner of conscience Akhmedov was jailed (see F18News 22 September 2017 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2317). Criminal Code Article 174 Akhmedov, a retired bus driver, was convicted under Criminal Code Article 174, Part 2 ("Incitement of social, national, clan, racial, or religious discord, insult to the national honour and dignity or religious feelings of citizens, as well as propaganda of exclusivity, superiority or inferiority of citizens on grounds of their religion, class, national, generic or racial identity, committed publicly or with the use of mass media or information and communication networks, as well as by production or distribution of literature or other information media, promoting social, national, clan, racial, or religious discord"). The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, the UN Human Rights Committee, and Kazakh human rights defenders have strongly criticised Article 174 and have repeatedly called for it to be reworded or abolished (see F18News 3 May 2017 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2277). Five of the 24 people known to have been convicted in 2017 to punish them for exercising freedom of religion or belief were convicted under Criminal Code Article 174. Five were Muslims while two (including Akhmedov) were Jehovah's Witnesses (see F18News 5 March 2018 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2359). UN calls in October 2017 for Akhmedov's "immediate" release On 2 October 2017, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention publicly stated that Kazakhstan should release prisoner of conscience Akhmedov "immediately". The Working Group's Opinion (A/HRC/WGAD/2017/62) found that Kazakhstan contravened both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. "The Working Group considers that, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Akhmedov immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law". On 9 January 2018 the UN Human Rights Committee also called for interim measures "without delay" so that prisoner of conscience Akhmedov could receive adequate medical care. Yet Kazakhstan's Supreme Court and the government still refused to release him (see F18News 12 January 2018 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2345). "Inciting religious discord" charges against Protestant Pastor to be dropped? An official of Kyzylorda City Police's Investigation Department told Forum 18 on 5 April that the criminal investigation against New Life Protestant Church pastor Serik Bisembayev "will soon be closed down for absence of a crime". He was being investigated on charges of "inciting religious discord" under Criminal Code Article 174, Part 2 ("Incitement of social, national, clan, racial, or religious discord"). "No one is planning to imprison him," added the official, who would not give his name. He refused to discuss the case further, insisting that Bisembayev would be informed of the "legal decision" in writing. The official refused to say if the pastor, or any church members, would face prosecution under the Administrative Code. Nor would the official say if the books officers seized from Pastor Bisembayev had been returned. Police opened the criminal case against Pastor Bisembayev on 25 February, the same day officers raided his New Life Church congregation in the southern city of Kyzylorda. Officers of the Regional Police's Department for the Struggle with Extremism as well as the city police halted Sunday worship, filmed those present, and forced them to state why they attend. Teachers from a Special School for children with hearing difficulties questioned adult former students why they were present and insulted their faith (see F18News 26 March 2018 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2364). Five-year criminal investigation continues Prosecutors in the northern town of Ridder in East Kazakhstan Region are still investigating the criminal case launched back in January 2013 against the atheist blogger and human rights defender Aleksandr Milentievich Kharlamov (born 2 July 1950). He is being investigated on charges of "inciting religious discord or hatred" under Article 164 of the old Criminal Code (equivalent to Article 174 of the current Criminal Code) for his writings on religion. Said Aimukhan, Ridder's Prosecutor who is leading the criminal case against Kharlamov, told Forum 18 on 5 April that the case is "being investigated". Asked why it is still being investigated more than five years after it was opened, Aimukhan put the phone down. Subsequent calls went unanswered. Prosecutors launched the case after claiming to have found insults to members of various faiths in his writings, claims he denied. As part of that case he spent from March to September 2013 in pre-trial detention, including a month in a psychiatric hospital (see F18News 7 March 2017 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2262). "They're refusing to close down the criminal case because I'd then have the right to take them to court for exceeding their powers," Kharlamov told Forum 18 from Ridder on 5 April. "Given my age, they're just spinning it out until I die." However, he said he was preparing to lodge a case to court within the month against the prosecutor's failure to bring the case to court or close it down. Kharlamov added that prosecutors have returned all the books seized from him. Although the court-imposed restrictions on his movement remain in force, they are not being applied. "But they could stop me from travelling abroad." Criminal trial underway After nearly six months' pre-trial detention, the criminal trial of three Muslims began under Judge Maulet Zhumagulov at October District Court in the central city of Karaganda on 12 March. Kazbek Asylkhanovich Laubayev (born 30 October 1978), Marat Amantayevich Konyrbayev (born 16 March 1981), and Taskali Nasipkaliyevich Naurzgaliyev (born 3 May 1981) are being tried on charges of membership of the Muslim missionary movement Tabligh Jamaat. Further hearings were held on 19 and 27 March. The trial is due to continue at 11 am on 6 April, according to court records. The three were among six Muslims arrested in a "special operation" in Karaganda in October 2017. The case was prepared by the KNB secret police and the ordinary police (see F18News 12 January 2018 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2345). The other three Muslims detained with them are still being investigated (see below). Laubayev, Konyrbayev and Naurzgaliyev are being tried under Criminal Code Article 405, Part 1. This punishes "organising the activity of a social or religious association or other organisation after a court decision banning their activity or their liquidation in connection with extremism or terrorism they have carried out" with a fine or up to six years' imprisonment. At the initial hearing on 12 March, witnesses were questioned. They insisted the three Muslims did nothing wrong, Yelena Weber of Radio Free Europe's Kazakh Service, who was present in court, noted the same day. The witnesses said all they did was "after Friday namaz [prayers] they gathered in a flat over a cup of tea and spoke about Allah". Yergen Yezhanov of October District Prosecutor's Office, who is leading the case in court, told the hearing that the three men participated in Tabligh Jamaat's activity before an Astana court banned the movement in 2013. They continued to do so knowing the movement had been banned, Yezhanov claimed, spreading the group's "ideology" in Karaganda Region and recruiting new members. Relatives of the three men, who are each married with several young children, rejected the accusations. One of Konyrbayev's sisters told Radio Free Europe that her brother always told them "Pray the namaz and fear Allah". "He acknowledges only that they gathered, drank tea, prayed and spoke about Allah," she insisted. "Before 2013 nothing like this happened," another sister told Radio Free Europe. "Everything was possible: praying the namaz, going to mosque, meeting together, drinking tea. Now the law is that no more than three can meet together." The relatives added that the three men did not have the money to pay for lawyers of their choice. Criminal cases not reached Prosecutor's Office Three other Muslims arrested in Karaganda in October 2017 together with Laubayev, Konyrbayev and Naurzgaliyev are still being investigated on criminal charges. "The three men's cases have not yet reached the Prosecutor's Office," an official of Karaganda's October District Prosecutor's Office told Forum 18 on 5 April. He refused to discuss the cases further. In early November 2017, October District Court ordered the three men to remain at home under restrictions as the criminal investigation against them under Criminal Code Article 405 continued. The court has periodically extended the restrictions (see F18News 12 January 2018 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2345). Forum 18 understands that the three men have been questioned at the trial of Laubayev, Konyrbayev and Naurzgaliyev. (END) http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2366

Hairdressers spend more time looking at the tops of heads than anyone else, so are well positioned to spot suspicious skin changes. Of all types of skin cancer, melanoma causes the majority of deaths. When on the scalp it can be especially difficult to catch in a self-examination — when was the last time you examined the top of your head? One person who might be able to help: your hairdresser. While cutting your hair, they've got a great view for a scalp inspection. And they can learn how to spot scary changes, researchers say. In a report published Wednesday in JAMA Dermatology, researchers from the University of Southern California and University of Colorado Denver detailed their efforts to educate hairdressers with a training video. Hairdressers had told some of the same researchers that they wanted to learn more about melanoma detection in an earlier survey, so they seemed like willing participants. Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/12/06/568815387/looking-below-the-locks-teaching-hairdressers-to-spot-melanoma

Date: November 28, 2017 Source: The Lancet Summary: Diabetes and high BMI (a BMI over 25 kg/m2) were the cause of 5.6% of new cancer cases worldwide in 2012 - equivalent to 792600 cases, according to the first study to quantify the proportion of cancers attributable to diabetes and high BMI. When considered individually, 544300 cases of cases were attributable to high BMI (equivalent to 3.9% of all cancers), and 280100 were attributable to diabetes (2%). Diabetes and high BMI (a BMI over 25 kg/m2) were the cause of 5.6% of new cancer cases worldwide in 2012 -- equivalent to 792600 cases, according to the first study to quantify the proportion of cancers attributable to diabetes and high BMI published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171128092315.htm

Men can get breast cancer Everyone recognizes the pink ribbons that signify breast cancer awareness, but few think the cause relates to men. After all, women are 100 times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than men. More than 2,400 new cases of male breast cancer will be diagnosed this year, reports the American Cancer Society, but there’s still a lot to be discovered about the disease. “Research needs to better understand the biology of male breast cancer,” says Ayca Gucalp, MD, an oncologist who specializes in male breast cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Read more: http://www.health.com/breast-cancer/male-breast-cancer?utm_campaign=time-health&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=flipboard.com#2-male-breast-cancer-rare

Cancer Does Not Stop Local Jehovah's Witness Couple Leslie and Jim Donigan attend the Jehovah's Witnesses conference today at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence, Missouri. (Mike Sherry | Flatland) At happy moments, Jim and Leslie Donigan often find themselves dancing to “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars,” the Andy Williams hit that has been their song since they first met at a pizza joint in Mission, Kansas, decades ago. One of those dance-worthy occasions took place late last year, at the end of a long medical journey. The memory remains strong, even though they have hit a recent bump in the road. As Jehovah’s Witnesses, they plan to attend the Midwest convention that runs today through Sunday at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence, Missouri. Organizers believe few attendees embody this year’s theme, “Don’t Give Up,” more than the Donigans, who are both 71 years old and live in Kansas City. About 5,000 people are expected to attend, said Craig Cochran, the convention’s media services coordinator. The ability to be part of a global experience of faith is important to the Donigans, as they once again face medical uncertainty. “It’s like a spiritual family reunion,” Jim said. A website for the religion says there are more than 8.3 million Jehovah’s Witnesses in 240 countries. According to the Pew Research Center, fewer than 1 percent of American adults are Jehovah’s Witnesses. “Don’t Give Up” is the them of this year’s Jehovah’s Witness conference. (Mike Sherry | Flatland) Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in God, who is called Jehovah. As Christians, they believe in heaven and salvation, but they do not believe in hell or eternal suffering. Witnesses, as followers are called, believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God. However, they recognize some parts are symbolic and do not believe all parts of the Bible are to be understood literally. Jehovah’s Witnesses also do not believe in blood transfusions, based upon their reading of passages in both the Old and New testaments. They cite Genesis 9:4, for example, where God says, “Only flesh with its soul — its blood — you must not eat.” No ‘Cowards in the Foxhole’ On Oct. 1, 2004, Leslie fainted. That was abnormal for her, a runner who lives a healthy lifestyle. Doctors could not pinpoint a cause, and later that month they understood why: They found a gastrointestinal stromal tumor, a rare cancer that leaves no blood marker. The tumor was growing on a section of the small intestine and was also threatening her pancreas. The belief about blood transfusions was an obvious complication when it came to surgery. So, the Donigans worked through a Jehovah’s Witnesses group in Brooklyn to find Dr. Marvin Romsdahl, a surgeon at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, who performed a modified version of a common surgery to remove pancreatic tumors. The modified version did not require a transfusion. The night before the surgery, the anesthesiologist backed out because of the risks of doing surgery without blood transfusions. “That’s good,” Jim told Romsdahl. “We don’t need any cowards in the foxhole.” The surgery lasted 13.5 hours, but it was successful. Yet further treatment included a prescription for the chemotherapy pill Gleevec. The cost of the therapy, which Leslie said at the time cost $2,500 per month, brought them to the breaking point, even after using Social Security and Medicare. “It’s always been more than we could swallow,” Jim said, “and progressively over time, it took everything.” More bad news hit in 2008, when Jim lost his banking job during the recession. They had to sell the house they had built nearly four decades before, the same house where they had raised their three children. But in one sliver of good news, a neighbor approached them during their garage sale and told them he would buy another house for sale on the block and then rent it to them. Things began to look up, as Jim found another job, Leslie qualified for a hardship program that allowed her to take Gleevec for free, and then got off the medication altogether when her cancer went into remission. The cancer returned, however, and Leslie must remain on Gleevec for the rest of her life. Now, Gleevec costs $13,000 per month, she said. Another Test In April 2016, the family was tested again, when Jim started having shortness of breath. Their first thought was a heart problem, but the first diagnosis was multiple myeloma, a form of incurable blood cancer. A second opinion was different, but not any better: a form of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which causes tumors to grow in the lymphatic system. A PET scan revealed 100 tumors, and Jim started his own costly round of chemotherapy. The Donigans vist with their son, Joel, and his wife, Carrie, at the conference. (Mike Sherry | Flatland) His lymphatic system failed during treatment, causing fluid buildup around his stomach and lungs. Jim suffered malnutrition when draining the fluid removed electrolytes and proteins. By October, doctors gave him two months to live. Leslie got it in writing. Yet as he sat in the hospital, saying his goodbyes, Jim had a thought: “Why couldn’t we take those fluids from my stomach and put them back into my heart, where they need to be?” The question sparked an idea for one of Jim’s doctors, who inserted a shunt normally used to treat cirrhosis. Within two weeks, the fluid buildup was gone. On Dec. 27, when he was home filing paperwork, Jim came across the letter telling him he only had two months to live. He did the math, and then they had an “I ain’t dead yet party.” At the party, Jim sipped his first glass of wine in a year, and the couple danced once again to their favorite song. The luster remained up until this week, when an infection flared up around the shunt, and the fear of cancer returned. This most recent medical challenge has shown Jim and Leslie how important their faith is in preparing them for the troubles that can lie ahead. The convention, and especially its theme, is coming at just the right time to help guide them through this newest trial, Leslie said. “No one is shielded from the human experience,” Leslie said. “But personally, we find it better to be prepared to keep these types of relapses in their proper perspective.” — Catherine Wheeler is a multimedia intern for Flatland. She is a graduate student studying journalism at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Catherine has a bachelor’s degree in English-Writing from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. She currently lives in Kansas City. You can reach her at cwheeler@kcpt.org https://www.flatlandkc.org/beyond-belief/swaying-music/

Although many of us routinely indulge in a glass (or two or three) of wine at the end of the day, a new study suggests that our glass-a-day habit might not be healthy: Having a glass of wine (or another alcoholic drink) each day has been found to increase a person’s breast cancer risk. But luckily, it appears vigorous exercise may help counteract that risk. As the Washington Post reports, a new review from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund analyzed 119 studies that used data from 12 million women worldwide. While a standard drink has 14 grams of alcohol, the study found that just 10 grams of alcohol per day – which is the equivalent of one small glass of wine, beer or other alcohol – is linked to a heightened breast cancer risk of 5 percent for pre-menopausal women and 9 percent for post-menopausal women. Read more: http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/05/wine-alcohol-breast-cancer-risk-study.html

There's a straightforward way to live longer after being diagnosed with advanced cancer and it doesn't involve chemotherapy or surgery. It's just eating right and exercising more, doctors reported Wednesday. Cancer survivors who followed standard American Cancer Society guidelines for healthy living were 42 percent less likely to die than similar survivors who didn't, researchers found. "We found that patients who maintain a healthy body weight, engage in regular physical activity, and eat a diet rich in vegetables and whole grains and low in red meats and processed meats did better and survived longer than those who didn't," said Dr. Erin Van Blarigan of the University of California, San Francisco, who led the study. "I think the magnitude of the benefit was surprising," Van Blarigan told NBC News. Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/colon-cancer-survivors-live-longer-healthy-habits-n761231

#EL_CANCER_____ ??? Who are you and where you come from? Who gave you permission to To my body you've introduced ??? Silent coward and treacherous Get out of my body I don't want you I remember you I'm a server Of the one true God ??? A lot of pain and tears I've had But loyal to my God Jehovah I've kept the am united ??? In my nights of wakefulness I pray to the Lord with longing I of the holy spirit in this bed And so it will be because he loves me ??? You destroy my flesh but my faith never I have faith, in the beautiful promises Biblical, where you won't be there ??? I remember I'm the property of the Lord Strength and faith hope he will give me I will stand firm and don't forget me Always be with me ??? Concern and despair To family and friends I've caused However, not so easy to be defeated Many petitions I have prayed And my God Jehovah has answered me Son @ mine don't lose your faith in the New world what I have promised ??? I'll be strong... be strong With Jehovah Christ I will be ??? Where the Lord my God to all loyal will heal you and your classmates. My God will destroy ??? Coward and murderer to humanity Have you done to suffer without mercy But the Jehovah's witnesses We stay with loyalty And in the resurrection and paradise Know it all security #POEMA_DEDICADO_A_NUESTROS #AMADOS_HERMANOS_ENFERMOS Based on (. 25:8; Rev. 21:1-4) Jesus Moreno Gomez #AGAPE♡???

It’s pretty obvious that carrying around extra weight can make you feel sluggish, affect your self-esteem and put you at increased risk for heart disease and diabetes. But increasingly, researchers are also making connections between obesity and cancer—several different types of cancer, in fact. Cancer is caused by mutations within cells, which cause those cells to grow and multiply at unnatural rates. Many cases of cancer occur because of genetic traits, or purely because of chance. But for others, obesity can be a big contributing factor. “We know that a good third of cancers are associated with our lifestyle behaviors, such as what we eat, how much we exercise, and collectively, our weight,” says Melinda Irwin, director of Cancer Prevention and Control at Yale University. “And obesity is now the leading modifiable risk factor, even ahead of tobacco use, that’s associated with cancer risk and mortality.” How does obesity encourage cancer growth? High-levels of long-term inflammation—the immune system’s response to injury, illness, or other disturbances in the body—has been shown to fuel the growth of cancer cells. “And we know that obesity is basically a chronic inflammatory state,” says Irwin. Not only can obesity itself trigger inflammation; so can some of the the eating behaviors that lead to weight gain in the first place—like high-sugar and high-fat diets. Having too much fat around the belly, regardless of body mass index, increases inflammation in the body, as well. Some cancers are also linked to sex hormones like estrogen. Women’s bodies produces estrogen in their fat cells, especially after menopause. “The higher levels of body fat you have, the higher levels of estrogen,” says Irwin. Then there’s the way that obesity contributes to insulin resistance—a condition in which the body loses its sensitivity to the hormone and can’t respond normally. This can lead to excess levels of insulin and insulin-related growth hormones in the body, which has been linked to cell proliferation and several types of cancer. Read more

More than half of smoking-related deaths took place in China, India, Russia and the U.S Smoking kills more than one in 10 people worldwide. A major new study in the medical journal Lancet found that, in 2015, 11.5% of global deaths (approximately 6.4 million people) were attributable to smoking worldwide, of which 52.2% took place in four countries: China, India, Russia and the U.S. The study used over 2,818 pieces of research identified through several sources, including the Global Health Data Exchange, World Health Organization, and International Smoking Statistics Database. Smoking has claimed more than 5 million lives every year since 1990, and its contribution to illness such as cancer, lung and heart disease is growing, especially in lower income countries as the tobacco industry moves to target previously untapped markets, the study found. “The negative effects of smoking extend well beyond individual and population health as billions of dollars in lost productivity and health-care expenditure are related to smoking every year,” it said. Despite more than half a century of “unequivocal evidence” of the harmful effects of tobacco on health in 2015, one in every four men in the world was a daily smoker. “Prevalence has been, and remains, significantly lower in women — roughly one in every 20 women smoked daily in 2015,” the report found. “Nonetheless, much progress has been accomplished in the past 25 years. The report was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies. “Smoking remains a leading risk for early death and disability worldwide,” the study found, “and therefore continues to require sustained political commitment.” Smoking was ranked among the five leading mortality risk factors in 109 countries in 2015, rising from 88 countries in 1990, it said. However, only four countries had significant annualized increases in smoking prevalence between 2005 and 2015: Congo and Azerbaijan (for men) and Kuwait and Timor-Leste (for women). The tobacco industry in the U.S. is heavily regulated. Adding pictures on cigarette packs to illustrate the dangers of smoking increases attempts by smokers to quit, according to a month-long clinical survey released last year and conducted among 1,900 adult smokers, professors at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The findings were published on the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Internal Medicine website. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (2009) requires pictorial warnings on cigarette packaging, but the rule hasn’t been enforced. In 2012, the implementation was stalled after the tobacco industry sued the Food and Drug Administration. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that same year that the FDA had “not provided a shred of evidence” that the pictorial warnings reduce smoking. Unlike many European countries, the U.S. tobacco industry, which is worth around $38 billion in revenue and shrinking by 2% annually, does not require cigarettes to be sold in packs without logos. “Over the past five years, the cigarette and tobacco manufacturing industry persevered despite increasingly challenging operating conditions and intense scrutiny from both the government and the public,” according to industry research group IBISWorld. Reynolds American RAI, +0.35% and Philip Morris PM, +0.90% said they were committed to helping smokers use healthier tobacco products; British American Tobacco BTI, +0.36% and the National Association of Tobacco Outlets, which supports retailers that sell tobacco products, did not respond to request for comment. A spokesman for Imperial Brand IMB, +0.76% said it supports reasonable tobacco regulation and referenced a fuller statement here. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-how-many-people-smoking-still-kills-every-year-2017-04-06

Se trata del docetaxel, una de las drogas utilizadas en los tratamientos contra la enfermedad. Investigaciones revelaron dos tipos de efectos secundarios que terminaron con la muerte de los pacientes e marzo de 2017 Docetaxel, el medicamento en la mira de las autoridades francesas Cuarenta y ocho enfermos de cáncer tratados con docetaxel fallecieron en los 20 años de comercialización de este producto en Francia, anunció este miércoles la Agencia Nacional de Medicamentos (ANSM), que mantendrá la recomendación de evitar temporalmente su empleo para ciertos cánceres de pecho. Esta decisión muestra que los riesgos asociados al medicamento "no son despreciables", si bien el docetaxel sigue siendo "un medicamento de importancia en el tratamiento contra el cáncer", lo que ha permitido reducir la mortalidad ligada a esta enfermedad, subrayó Dominique Martin, director general de la ANSM, interrogado por la AFP. El organismo lanzó una investigación de farmacovigilancia en septiembre tras un "pico de advertencias" por la muerte de mujeres tratadas por cáncer de pecho. Las autoridades sanitarias determinaron dos tipos de efectos secundarios (colitis y choques sépticos) en pacientes que tomaban ese medicamento en cualquiera de sus formas (Taxotere de Sanofi y genéricos). Tras revisar las incidencias por su uso en tratamientos de cáncer de pecho, pulmón, próstata, cáncer gástrico y de vías aerodigestivas superiores desde su comercialización en 1996 hasta el 7 de febrero de este año, "se reportaron 187 casos de colitis o de choques sépticos, de los que 48 condujeron a la muerte" del paciente, concluyó la ANSM. Pese a ello, "los decesos son inhabituales (del orden de 1 por cada 10.000 pacientes) para un medicamento que ha permitido reducir la mortalidad en numerosos cánceres", subraya la agencia. (iStock) El director general de la ANSM añadió que se están llevando a cabo investigaciones complementarias, relativas concretamente a la calidad de los productos empleados. A la espera de los resultados de nuevos análisis, por precaución "se mantiene la recomendación de no utilización del docetaxel en cánceres de seno localizados, operables". El 10 de marzo, la Agencia Europea del medicamento (EMA) anunció una serie de "análisis preliminares" a nivel continental que mostraron que "no existía un aumento de la frecuencia de aparición de enterocolitis neutropénicas" (una complicación digestiva que puede conducir a perforación intestinales) en pacientes tratados con docetaxel entre enero de 2015 y enero de 2017.

Sugar is one of the most dangerous ingredients on the market. It’s addictive, added to almost every processed food, and will make you overweight, depressed and sick if you eat too much. In fact, Americans eat close to 130 pounds of the stuff per person per year (4 times more than the recommended daily allowance), likely because it is so addictive. That’s why it’s exciting to know there are alternative sweeteners made in nature, like “stevia,” that don’t wreak havoc on your health – or do they? Is Stevia safe? That’s what I went on a quest to find out. Here’s what happened… What Is Stevia? For those of you that are hearing about stevia for the first time, it is a plant that is typically grown in South America, and while its extract is 200 times sweeter than sugar, it does not raise blood insulin levels. That’s what makes it so popular. However in 1991 the FDA refused to approve this substance for use due to pressure from makers of artificial sweeteners like Sweet n’ Low and Equal (a one billion dollar industry). But in 2008, the FDA approved the use of rebaudioside compounds that were derived from the stevia plant by Coca-Cola (Cargill) and PepsiCo – hmmm doesn’t that sound suspicious? Not until a major food company got involved did stevia become legal, and only after it had been highly processed using a patentable chemical-laden process…so processed that Truvia (Coca-Cola’s branded product) goes through about 40 steps to process the extract from the leaf, relying on chemicals like acetone, methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile, and isopropanol. Some of these chemicals are known carcinogens (substances that cause cancer), and none of those ingredients sound like real food, do they? The whole leaf stevia that you can grow in your backyard (and has been used for centuries in countries like Brazil and Paraguay) remains a non-approved food additive by the FDA. However, rebaudioside A (the stevia extract) that was approved by the FDA has not been used for centuries and long term human health impacts have not been studied and are still unknown. The sweetener/sugar industry wields powerful influence over what is ultimately approved at the FDA, and this is just another example where they are influencing decisions that don’t make sense. How can a chemically derived extract be deemed safe in processed food and a plant from mother nature not? What Kind Of Stevia To Avoid The 40-step patented process used to make Truvia should make you want to steer clear of this stevia product alone, but there are two other concerning ingredients added (not only to Truvia but other stevia products as well). First, erythritol is a naturally occurring sugar that is sometimes found in fruit, but food manufacturers don’t actually use the natural stuff. Instead they start with genetically engineered corn and then go through a complex fermentation process to come up with chemically pure erythritol. Check out the manufacturing process below: “Natural flavors” is another ingredient added to powdered and liquid stevia products, likely due to the fact that once the stevia leaf is processed it can develop a metallic taste. Manufactured natural flavor is contributing to what David Kessler (former head of the FDA) calls a “food carnival” in your mouth. This makes it difficult to stop eating or drinking because the flavors they have synthesized will trick your mind into wanting more and more. When companies use manufactured flavor, they are literally “hijacking” your taste buds one-by-one; that’s why I recommend putting products that contain “natural flavors” back on the shelf. “Stevia in the Raw” sounds pure and natural, but when you look at the ingredients the first thing on the label is “dextrose” – so it’s certainly not just stevia in the raw. And Pepsi Co’s “Pure Via,” also pictured above, isn’t exactly pure either with this ingredient being first on the label, too. Dextrose is a sweetener that’s also derived from genetically engineered corn and has a long complicated manufacturing process, just like erythritol. Even certified organic stevia can have sneaky ingredients added, like this one above which has more organic agave inulin than the stevia extract itself. Agave inulin is a highly processed fiber derivative from the blue agave plant. Also on the ingredient list is an item you are probably familiar with from those little packets sometimes found in boxed goods – silica (pictured). It is added to improve the flow of powdery substances and is the same ingredient that helps strengthen concrete and creates glass bottles and windowpanes. It may cause irritation of the digestive tract (if eaten) and irritation of the respiratory tract (if accidentally inhaled). While it is non-toxic and probably won’t kill you in small quantities, it’s definitely not a real food ingredient I would cook with or that I want to be putting in my body. How To Choose The Right Kind Of Stevia Luckily there are ways to enjoy this sweet leaf closer to it’s natural state… because let’s be honest, the no-calorie artificial sweeteners out there are really dreadful, and no one should consume them (check this post for the low down on those). So here’s what you can do: Buy a stevia plant for your garden (luckily it’s totally legal!) or purchase the pure dried leaves online – you can grind up them up using a spice grinder (or use a mortar and pestle) for your own powdered stevia. When choosing products already sweetened with stevia, look for “whole leaf stevia” on the ingredient label. For example one of my favorite protein powders is made with “whole stevia leaf” instead of rebaudioside a or stevia extract. Add fresh or dried leaves directly to tea or drinks for natural sweetness (note the straight stevia leaves are only 30-40 times sweeter than sugar, vs. 200 times using the extract). Make your own liquid stevia extract (see graphic below for recipe). If you are not up for getting a stevia plant of your own or making your own extract, remember to look for a stevia extract that is 100% pure without added ingredients (Sweet Leaf & Trader Joe’s have versions). And when all else fails, choose a suitable alternative and forget stevia altogether. Use honey, pure maple syrup, or I personally prefer coconut palm sugar, since it is low glycemic (making it more diabetic friendly) and one of the most natural unprocessed forms of sugar available. It is naturally high in amino acids – has 10,000 times more potassium, 20 times more magnesium and 20 times more iron than conventional sugar. I use it all the time in my baking, from pound cake to muffins to a recent delicious cookie that is low in sugar – check out all those recipes here! If you know someone who uses artificial sweeteners or stevia, please share this post with them. Wishing you the best health life has to offer, Food Babe http://foodbabe.com/2013/04/25/stevia-good-or-bad/

A large study has found that body mass index, waist circumference and diabetes are all associated with an increased risk for liver cancer. Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer, and its incidence has tripled since the mid-1970s in the United States. For the study, in Cancer Research, researchers pooled data from 14 prospective studies with more than 1.5 million participants. After controlling for age, sex, alcohol use, smoking and race, they found that being overweight increased the relative risk for liver cancer by between 21 percent and 142 percent as B.M.I. increased. For each 2-inch increase in waist circumference, the risk of liver cancer increased by 8 percent, even after controlling for B.M.I. And those with Type 2 diabetes had more than double the risk of liver cancer, even among the non-obese. There was no association of B.M.I. with cancer if the patient had hepatitis, a cause of liver cancer so strong that it overwhelms any other cause. But among those without hepatitis, the increased risk was significant. “This study underscores that the parallel increase in obesity is part of the increase in liver cancer rates,” said the lead author, Peter T. Campbell, an epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society. “Now we have to accept the fact that obesity and Type 2 diabetes are strongly associated with liver cancer.” http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/18/well/live/obesity-and-diabetes-tied-to-liver-cancer.html?_r=0

Here’s another reason, as if you needed it, to feel crippling anxiety about everything you eat and drink. A new study published in the journalAddiction concludes that alcohol consumption causes cancer — and you’re at risk even if you just enjoy the occasional glass or two of Pinot. Most people probably realize drinking can cause liver cancer, but that’s just thebeginning. The study’s analysis directly links alcohol consumption to the development of seven types of cancer, including that of the breast and liver, and now there’s growing evidence that it can cause skin, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. According to the study, 5.8 percent of cancer deaths around the world can be attributed to drinking. Author Jennie Connor, a professor of preventive and social medicine in New Zealand, drew on studies conducted over the last decade by the World Cancer Research Fund, the World Health Organisation’s cancer body, and other organizations. While she says heavy drinkers are most at risk, Connor insists that public-health campaigns should encourage everyone to cut down, and tells The Guardian light drinkers experience a “considerable burden.” That, of course, is the exact opposite of how drinking should make you feel. Over in England, the country’s chief medical officer caused some hoopla earlier this year when she warned women that drinking could cause breast cancer. She also helped usher in new government guidelines that suggest men limit their alcohol consumption to seven pints of beer a week. (That limit sounds particularly unrealistic now that the country’s citizens are coping with the consequences of Brexit.) One doctor with Cancer ResearchUK even went so far as to suggest alternating rounds of booze and soft drinks, or drinking low-alcohol cocktails. One thing’s certain: It’s another great reason to avoid blue wine when it hits the market. http://www.grubstreet.com/2016/07/study-linkes-drinking-alcohol-to-cancer.html

For the very first time, U.S. officials have given the green light for scientists to experiment with the modification of human genes. It's been approved in the hope of developing new anti-cancer technology. But the tests, undertaken on humans, have been underway for some time already. Elizabeth Parrish CEO of Bioviva spoke to RT

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that higher levels of vitamin D - specifically serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D - are associated with a correspondingly reduced risk of cancer. The findings are published in the April 6, online issue of PLOS ONE. "We have quantitated the ability of adequate amounts of vitamin D to prevent all types of invasive cancer combined, which had been terra incognita until publication of this paper," said Cedric Garland, DrPH, adjunct professor in the UC San Diego School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine and Public Health and member of Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health. Garland and his late brother, Frank, made the first connection between vitamin D deficiency and some cancers in 1980 when they noted populations at higher latitudes (with less available sunlight) were more likely to be deficient in vitamin D, which is produced by the body through exposure to sunshine, and experience higher rates of colon cancer. Subsequent studies by the Garlands and others found vitamin D links to other cancers, such as breast, lung and bladder. The new PLOS ONE study sought to determine what blood level of vitamin D was required to effectively reduce cancer risk. The marker of vitamin D was 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the main form in the blood. The researchers employed a non-traditional approach, pooling analyses of two previous studies of different types: a randomized clinical trial of 1,169 women and a prospective cohort study of 1,135 women. A clinical trial focuses upon whether a specific test or treatment is safe and effective. A prospective study looks for outcomes during the study period, in this case incidence of cancer among participants. By combining the two studies, the researchers obtained a larger sample size and a greater range of blood serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D or 25(OH)D. The only accurate measure of vitamin D levels in a person is a blood test. In the Lappe trial cohort, the median blood serum level of 25(OH)D was 30 nanograms per milliliter. In the GrassrootsHealth prospective cohort, it was higher: 48 ng/ml. The researchers found that the age-adjusted cancer incidence was 1,020 cases per 100,000 person-years in the Lappe cohort and 722 per 100,000 person-years in the GrassrootsHealth cohort. Cancer incidence declined with increased 25(OH)D. Women with 25(OH)D concentrations of 40 ng/ml or greater had a 67 percent lower risk of cancer than women with levels of 20 ng/ml or less. Recommended blood serum levels of vitamin D have been a source of vigorous debate in recent years. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that levels lower than 12 ng/ml represented a vitamin D deficiency and recommended a target of 20 ng/ml, which could be met in most healthy adults (ages 19 to 70) with the equivalent of 600 International Units of vitamin D each day. Subsequently, other groups have argued for higher blood serum levels: 50 ng/ml or more. Above 125 ng/ml, there may be side effects. Many vitamin D supporters now advocate 800 to 1,000 IUs daily; more for persons older than 70 and pregnant or lactating women. Garland does not identify a singular, optimum daily intake of vitamin D or the manner of intake, which may be sunlight exposure, diet and/or supplementation. He said the current study simply clarifies that reduced cancer risk becomes measurable at 40 ng/ml, with additional benefit at higher levels. "These findings support an inverse association between 25(OH)D and risk of cancer," he said, "and highlight the importance for cancer prevention of achieving a vitamin D blood serum concentration above 20 ng/ml, the concentration recommended by the IOM for bone health." Garland said a broad effort to increase 25(OH)D concentrations to a minimum of 40 ng/ml in the general population would likely and substantially reduce cancer incidence and associated mortality. "Primary prevention of cancer, rather than expanding early detection or improving treatment, will be essential to reversing the current upward trend of cancer incidence worldwide," the researchers wrote. "This analysis suggests that improving vitamin D status is a key prevention tool." Source: http://www.sciencenewsline.com/news/2016040712210037.html