A new Dutch study shows that women who get routine mammograms can lower their risk of dying from breast cancer by nearly half.

Danish researchers report that second cancers often are the same type as the first.  The risk varies depending on the original disease.

A majority of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer will succumb to the disease. But, Dr. Dennis Johnson, a surgical oncologist in York, PA says that there are long-term survivors and treatment shouldn't be dismissed when a person is diagnosed.  Norma Warfel, one of Dr. Johnson’s patients, has survived for ten years and is looking forward to another ten.

(Chambersburg) -- Pennsylvania's so-called smoking ban, the Clean Indoor Air Act, has been in effect since 2008. The American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network pushed for the legislation, but the group says there's still work to be done on cancer-prevention measures in both the state and federal government.

Cancer News in Brief for the week of 11.7.11

Epigenetic drugs that control gene expression may help certain patients with advanced lung cancer, and researchers say they think they may have a way of spotting those who will benefit.

When Ken Bazaar was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he turned to Wikipedia for information on his diagnosis.  He found links and information that brought him up-to-date on the disease and what he was facing, and it ultimately helped him to decide which treatment was right for him.

According to a recent study, regularly drinking, even in moderation, can raise the long-term risk of several kinds of cancer including cancers of the breast, lung, liver, colon, pancreas, mouth, throat, larynx and esophagus.

THE CONCEPT OF THE ‘THERAPEUTIC WINDOW’


The core goal of physicians and medical researchers in advancing medical intervention can be defined as ‘opening the therapeutic window’.  

Conceptually, a medical intervention with an ‘open’ therapeutic window is one that is effective in providing cure and, at the same time, doing so with no side effects or with side effects that are minimal or tolerable.



Cancer news in brief October 27:  The United States Preventive Task Force’s new recommendations for prostate-cancer screening have caused some controversy in the medical community. Some doctors and policy-makers are weighing in on this issue. 

(Miami Beach, Fl.) -- Vitamin D is found in milk and other foods like fish and eggs. It's also found in a lot of supplements making all sorts of medical claims.  witf's Craig Layne talked with a Pennsylvania medical student who has just published a study on Vitamin D and its possible effects on cancer.