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Oncology
Can a mammogram help find heart disease?
A growing body of evidence has proved that cardiovascular disease clues lie in the breasts, with experts calling for more emphasis on the importance...
UK starts new prostate cancer treatment trials using AI, robotics
Britain has launched a transformative trial for a prostate cancer treatment that has fewer side effects and which could work as well as if...
Global study flags disparities in child cancer deaths
Concerned experts are urging faster action to help reduce childhood cancer rates and boost survival, while calling for investment in registries as well as...
Bleeding alert for cancer patients on extended blood-thinners
Researchers who have identified four predictors of clinically relevant bleeding in patients receiving extended anticoagulation with apixaban (Eliquis) for cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) said...
More proof that one dose of HPV jab as good as two – Costa Rica trial
The results from a recent trial support the WHO recommendation for single-dose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to achieve higher coverage while sustaining efficiency, say...
US approves changes for cervical cancer screening
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is introducing two key changes for cervical cancer screening: the option of self-collection of vaginal samples for primary human...
Growing concern over tattoos, cancer link – Swedish study
Sweden’s population has become one of the most tattooed in Europe, but at the same time, the incidence of melanoma is increasing, with a...
Why screening for the deadliest cancer misses most cases – US study
Recent research has found that current lung cancer screening guidelines could be missing most cases, prompting calls for changes to detect the disease earlier,...
PARP inhibitors under-used for prostate cancer – Utah study
Experts say it’s concerning that nearly half of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who are eligible for PARP inhibitors – which could improve...
Why colorectal cancers are rising in young people – US nurses’ study
The sharp climb of colon and rectal cancers in young people has overlapped with the consumption of ultra-processed foods in the United States –...
Serotonin’s role in cancer
Serotonin is often described as the happiness chemical because of its well-known role in regulating mood. However, recent research suggests this familiar molecule may...
SA’s cervical cancer crisis a wake-up call
Sixteen women die from cervical cancer every day in South Africa; a sobering reality which calls for authorities to take stock of its approach...
WHO roadmap for paediatric cancer drugs
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released six new target product profiles for child-friendly formulations of essential cancer medicines, giving pharmaceutical manufacturers a technical...
Grant for NMU researcher to study cancer-fighting indigenous plants
Dr Nehemiah Latolla, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Nelson Mandela University’s Department of Human Physiology, has been awarded an Australia-Africa Universities Network Partnership Research...
Eastern Cape chemo patients left in the lurch after bungle
There appears to be no end to the problems affecting the Eastern Cape Department of Health, the latest mess coming after its account with...
Cancer victim dies after alleged wrong diagnosis of TB
A 20-year-old woman from Bizana in the Eastern Cape who was apparently treated treated for tuberculosis (TB) for two years instead of cancer as...
Why are so many millennials getting cancer?
Millennials – people born between 1981 and 1995 – are the first generation at greater risk of developing tumours than their parents, writes Lydia Begoña Horndler...
Pioneering light therapy may kill cancer cells in 30 minutes – Texas study
American scientists have suggested that a groundbreaking light therapy could kill cancer cells in just 30 minutes, and while the research is in its earliest stages,...
FDA approves GSK’s myeloma drug
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved GSK’s blood cancer treatment Blenrep, in one combination regimen, the company has announced, clearing the way...
Covid-19 jabs could unlock new tumour treatment – US study
The Covid-19 mRNA-based vaccines that saved 2.5m lives globally during the pandemic could help spark the immune system to fight cancer, write Adam Grippin...
Guided missiles create super highway for targeted cancer treatment
A new generation of precision missiles – antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which are treatments that work like a Trojan horse, delivering chemotherapy to the interior...
First MS patient gets CAR T-cell therapy in UK trial
A biology teacher has become the first patient in the United Kingdom to receive CAR T-cell therapy to potentially treat multiple sclerosis (MS), with...
Low quality cancer drugs in Africa sparks call for tighter regulations
The number of people receiving treatment for cancer has risen dramatically in the past decade in many African countries, but regulatory bodies often don’t have the...
Increase in several cancers among adults of all ages – global study
While colorectal cancer is rising particularly fast among young adults, researchers have found that several other cancers have showed an increase in numerous countries...
Toxic BPA found in breast milk, but no SA law to stop exposure
In South Africa, there is no law preventing toxic chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) from being used in most food packaging, even though research...
Common painkiller may have anti-cancer properties – UK study
Ibuprofen is a household name – the go-to remedy for everything from headaches to period pain – but recent research suggests this everyday drug...
Ultrasound holds promise for surgery-free cancer therapy
Ultrasound has long been used for helping doctors see inside the body, but focused high frequency sound waves are offering new ways of targeting...
Private sector to bail out NHLS in cancer test backlog
In a bid to slash its overwhelming backlog of cancer tests at its Johannesburg facility, the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) – which receives...
Cancer deaths to top 18m in 2050 – The Lancet
The global number of cancer cases and deaths between 1990 and 2023 showed a sharp increase, despite advances in cancer treatment and efforts to...
Low-dose radiation re-emerging as osteoarthritis therapy
Increasing numbers of radiation oncologists are now offering low-dose radiation for osteoarthritis in the hands, feet, knees, shoulders, elbows and hips, saying it’s becoming...
Hysterectomy ups stroke risk – meta-analysis of 2m women
The surgical removal of the uterus and both ovaries may come at a serious and overlooked cost to individual health, scientists from China suggest,...
Poor oral hygiene linked to higher cancer risk – NYU cohort study
Scientists say that failing to brush your teeth regularly could triple your risk of developing pancreatic cancer, after their study discovered discovered that harmful...
Rise of forgotten cancer in young people
Appendix cancer is a condition that, until recently, was so rare that most people never gave it a second thought, for decades being something that...
Dermatitis drug may be tied to increased cancer risk
People with atopic dermatitis who took the drug Dupixent had a four times greater risk of developing a rare skin cancer than those who...
FDA approves J&J’s non-surgical bladder cancer treatment
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Johnson & Johnson’s drug delivery system for a type of bladder cancer, offering a potential surgery-free option...
EU bans gel nail polish ingredient over fertility concerns
The European Union has banned a key ingredient in gel nail polish, with all 27 EU member states now being prohibited from using or...
Experts unpack potential cancer risk of tattoo ink
Recent studies have connected tattoos and cancers, including skin cancers, lymphoma and leukaemia, and although the research is early, and many unknowns remain –...
New science improves clarity of genetic cancer tests
Cancer treatment is becoming more personalised. By considering a patient’s unique genetic and molecular profile, along with their lifestyle and environmental factors, doctors can...
Breast cancer pill extends survival in seven-year trial – Lilly
A breakthrough therapy for advanced breast cancer also works well in the early stages, improving survival outcomes for patients, according to Lilly Oncology, which says its...
Free State team performs robotic surgery marathon
In a medical milestone, six Free State patients recently underwent robotic surgery at Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein in six days in a breakthrough...