Smoking And Cancer Link Long Established

Smoking is a serious habit that has been linked to a wide variety of cancers and may play a contributing role in the development of a host of other potentially deadly diseases. The connection between this habit and cancer, in fact, has long been established. One of the first definitive looks at smoking and lung cancer was published way back in 1939, but it took decades before the general public would become fully aware of the dangers lighting up might pose.

A timeline of the findings of researchers in regard to the smoking-cancer link sheds light on just how rapidly the body of evidence against the habit grew even as the acceptance of smoking continued. In the 1950s, for example, a major study came out that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. That study connected cigarette smoking to a rise in lung cancer deaths of an estimated 144 percent from 1938 to 1948. This study was followed by many more, but the persistence of the habit continued. 

By the end of the 1950s, the American Surgeon General issued a statement about the lung cancer risk smokers faced. As the 1960s arrived, medical professionals were beginning to offer smoking cessation assistance to patients. Despite increasing evidence of the connection, the first health warnings didn’t appear on cigarette packages until 1966. While the number of smokers has declined in the years that have followed, the habit hasn’t been crushed out entirely just yet. Each year, thousands for current and former smokers are diagnosed with lung cancer and related diseases.

Battling the effects of smoking remains an ongoing concern for healthcare providers and advocates of a smoke-free society. For those who do smoke and wish to kick the habit, a number of programs and tools are now available to assist them. Quitting smoking and sticking with the plan can dramatically lower a person’s risk of cancer and a host of other diseases.

While it took society decades to fully embrace the link between smoking and cancer, it is now very well established. Smokers who need help leaving the habit behind are urged to speak with their healthcare providers for assistance. 

New Breast Cancer Radiotherapy Recommendations Not Impacting Reconstruction

Changes in post-mastectomy radiation recommendations for certain breast cancer patients have not had a profound impact on breast reconstruction rates as previously feared. Researchers, in fact, say that a new study indicates growing comfort with the idea of irradiating new breast reconstruction.

The changes were made recently in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines in association with radiation for patients who had tumors that were 5 cm or less and had 1 to 3 positive lymph nodes.  As more studies began to show the benefits of post-mastectomy radiation therapy in these cases, the NCCN began counseling physicians to strongly consider radiation in these cases. Before the recommendation changes were made, some feared the switch might delay or cause some women to forego breast reconstruction all together. This, it was feared, would have a tremendous impact on patients’ quality of life.

Despite those fears, the benefits of post-mastectomy radiation won out. The recommendations for treatment were in fact changed. Researchers have since found that those recommendation changes have had very little impact on the number of women undergoing reconstruction follow mastectomy. In a population-based cohort study focused on mastectomy patients from 2000 to 2011, in fact, it was found that reconstruction rates remained positive.

More than 200,000 American women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. For many of these women, treatment will include a combination of surgery and chemotherapy. Studies have shown that radiation therapy can also help shrink tumor size while helping prevent recurrence and spread. Women who are diagnosed with this disease, however, are urged to discuss all treatment options with their healthcare providers. The best recommendations will hinge on the particulars of the tumor, its stage and whether spread has been detected. All women are urged to undergo routine breast cancer screenings. This disease, when caught early, is often highly treatable.

Men’s Health Supplements Not All They’re Cracked Up to Be

When it comes to reducing the odds of developing prostate cancer or beating the disease if it’s present, supplements may not work the miracles many men believe they can. Researchers have found, in fact, that men’s health supplements play no significant role in lowering risk of metastasis for those who are battling this form of cancer.

Prostate cancer strikes an estimated 220,000 American men each year. Some 27,500 men die from the disease annually, according to the American Cancer Society. Many of those diagnosed with the disease incorporate supplements into their lives to help reduce cancer’s effects. Studies, however, have shown that supplements like saw palmetto have little to no impact on the disease. What’s more is that some supplements may actually lower the benefits of cancer treatments, such as radiation and chemo, essentially doing more harm than good.

One of the more recent studies into the topic was conducted by the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. There doctors looked at 2,207 men who were treated with IMRT for localized prostate cancer. Of these men, about 10 percent reported using supplements, most especially saw palmetto, along with their treatments. Researchers found at the five-year mark, there was no lower risk for metastasis in men who took supplements versus those who did not.

The bottom line, researchers noted, was that men’s health supplements can impede successful treatments in some cases and provide false hope in others. To avoid issues with treatment, men are urged to discuss all products consumed during prostate cancer treatment with their healthcare providers. Even basic, over the counter, nutritional supplements may cause more harm than good during cancer treatments. With that in mind, it’s best to check before taking.

Men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer will find there are a host of treatments available to them. The best bet for beating the disease will depend on a man’s distinct case. Regardless, the use of any vitamins or supplements during prostate cancer treatment should be reviewed by a healthcare provider.

Proton Therapy May Offer Help for Chronic Pain

While best known as a relatively new form of cancer treatment, proton beam therapy may also offer hope for people who suffer from chronic pain. This highly precise, targeted treatment could hold the key to helping people deaden pain while lessening the need to use potentially addictive management medications.

To find out more about the possibilities, researchers at the Loma Linda University Cancer Center are working with veterans to determine if this treatment can ease suffering. This population was specifically chosen because an estimated 44 percent of military veterans suffer from chronic pain versus 26 percent of the general public.

The concept behind the study, which is actively under way, involves using proton beams to target areas where pain originates. The hope is to use the radiation to neutralize the pain so the brain cannot interpret it. The overall goal is to lessen pain while helping decrease the need for patients to use potentially dangerous and costly pain medications. How soon results might be available remains unclear.

Proton beam therapy works in a similar fashion to standard radiation therapy. This form of treatment, when used in cancer, has the goal of killing off cancer cells through irradiation. The properties of proton beams enable doctors to be highly precise in their delivery of radiation, which can mean a dramatic reduction in the potential to damage otherwise healthy cells.

At present, proton beam therapy for cancer patients is somewhat limited in its availability. This therapy calls for highly specialized, costly equipment. Even so, the effectiveness of the treatment in some studies is giving rise to a growing demand for this alternative. Should it also prove effective in treating chronic pain, it’s likely demand will grow even more.

People who suffer from conditions that cause chronic pain are urged to discuss all treatment options with their healthcare providers. The best course of action will hinge on the details of each individual case. While proton therapy may offer hope, much study must be done to gauge its effectiveness in this arena along with prospective risks. 

Marker May Help Predict Prostate Cancer Bone Metastasis

Advanced prostate cancer is known to sometimes spread to the bones, making treatment especially problematic. Determining which cases of cancer are likely to spread to the bones, however, has been problematic at best in the past. Researchers in Turkey believe they have found a new way to better predict the likelihood of prostate cancer’s spread.

Doctors at the Sivas Numme State Hospital in Sivas, Turkey, reviewed data related to 633 men with prostate cancer. The analysis showed that men who tested positive for perineural invasion (PNI) had an increased risk for bone metastasis. In fact, the research showed an 11-fold increased risk, making them conclude that this finding could serve as a good predictor of metastasis risk.

PNI is an abnormality found in a few different types of cancer. It involves the spread of cancer to the space surrounding a nerve. In prostate cancer, the finding often does not play a role in recommended treatments. The Sivas’ researchers say it is time for that to change.  The study’s results, researchers say, show that PNI found in biopsy specimens has the potential to predict the likelihood of bone metastasis. That said, they highly recommend the PNI results be taken into careful account during treatment and clinical care.

Prostate cancer affects an estimated 220,000 American men each and every year. In many cases, the disease is caught early and can be treated and/or managed with a high degree of success. In some cases, however, advanced forms of the disease present or the disease is not caught until after it has spread. Having the ability to better understand the potential aggression level of the disease is critical for helping doctors guide more effect treatments.

Men are urged to discuss prostate cancer carefully with their personal physicians. Doctors can help men assess their risks and can offer insights on early screening protocols. 

Obesity is a Cancer Risk People Can Modify

Every form of cancer comes with its share of potential risk factors. Some of these factors can be modified and some simply cannot. While a person cannot alter their family history, gender or ethnicity to lower cancer risk, kicking a smoking habit, for example, is well within personal control. For those who are obese, shedding pounds may also prove to be an excellent way to lower risks related to some forms of cancer.

Researchers have found strong links between such cancers as kidney, colorectal, pancreatic and postmenopausal breast and obesity. While the mechanisms behind the link are not fully understood, the evidence supporting a connection is strong. One of the possible reasons, many have proposed, is that inflammation cytokines are increased in those who are obese due to an excess of adipose tissue. The connection between inflammation and cancer has also been established.

So, how can those who are carrying around extra pounds lower their cancer risks? Here are a few suggestions:

• Go in for a checkup – It’s not a bad idea to start off by going in for a routine checkup and to discuss overall cancer risks with a personal physician. He or she will be able to recommend any necessary screenings and can also offer insights on how to lose weight in a safe and healthy manner.
• Watch the diet – It’s often best to eat a number of small meals and snacks throughout the day. Make sure meals are healthy, well balanced and low in fat.
• Work exercise into the routine – Getting active can make a great deal of difference in overall health while also assisting with weight loss.

Cancer has many risk factors that are simply out of a person’s control. Some risks, however, can be tackled. Obesity is one of those factors and it’s related to some of the most commonly diagnosed forms of the disease. Taking steps to lower weight can make a big difference in those risks while also having a positive impact on overall health.

Radiotherapy Remains Valuable Prostate Cancer Treatment

While the use of post-surgical radiation in prostate cancer treatment is on the decline evidence suggests this important procedure delivers benefits that should not be overlooked. A new study published in the journal European Urology indicates that less than 10 percent of American patients at risk for recurrence are receiving postoperative radiotherapy within six months of surgery. This is despite the fact that about 30 percent of radical prostatectomy patients develop biochemical recurrence after surgery. For those who are diagnosed with more aggressive cancers, the rate of recurrence can climb to 60 to 70 percent.

Use of immediate, or near immediate, radiotherapy has long been the focus of debate among urologists and oncologists. Two schools of thought exist in relation to the use of this therapy immediately post-surgery and the likelihood of the development of side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction. Urologists have long held that holding off and taking a wait-and-see approach is the way to go, but oncologists have counseled for more swift application of radiation to ensure cancer’s eradication while lowering recurrence risks.

While these two schools of thought have existed little evidence was available to support arguments on either side of the debate. Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, however, have stepped forward with more quantitative proof that supports immediate care. Through two separate studies, researchers found that there is no significant reduction of side effect incidence when the wait-and-see approach is taken.

Radiotherapy following radical prostatectomy might seem like an unnecessary precaution to some, but the reality is this treatment can be vital for those at greater risk for recurrence. Men who undergo radical prostatectomy should be mindful of the benefits of this potential secondary treatment and should carefully consult with their doctors for the best treatment options in their particular case. While radiotherapy can present risks, recurrences may as well, and waiting may deliver no real benefit in avoidance of potential side effects.