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Oncology
Time to rename some cancers?
Cancer terminology hasn't changed much over recent decades, but some experts say it's time for that to change, notes MedicalBrief.
In 2012, the US National...
Global quest to find out how some survivors beat cancer
Doctors from more than 40 countries have begun the first global study of why some people with cancer beat the odds and survive so...
Hormone therapy not tied to higher glioma risk in women – Chinese analysis
Experts said postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) did not significantly increase the risk of glioma, leaving unresolved the reason for the sex disparity incidence, according...
US bans Red No 3 dye, flags cancer links
The US has banned the use of a synthetic red food dye that gives some sweets, cakes and certain oral medications a cherry-red colour,...
Hormonal contraceptives and cancer risk – Australian study
Many women worry that hormonal contraceptives have dangerous side-effects, including increased cancer risk. But this perception is often out of proportion with the actual...
Daily glass of milk could slash bowel cancer risk – UK study
Recent British research involving more than half a million women suggests that upping your daily milk intake by as little as one glass could...
Immunotherapy may boost bladder cancer patients’ survival – UK trial
There’s hope on the horizon for bladder cancer sufferers, according to a recent British clinical trial carried out among more than 1 000 people,...
Exercise may cut cancer mortality – SA study
The role of exercise in cancer management is being explored as a potential benefit, with a recent study suggesting that physical activity before diagnosis...
Surgeon-General wants cancer warnings for alcohol
The US' top doctor has called for risk warnings on alcohol – similar to the labels on cigarettes – after new research flagging links...
EPA warns of common chemical’s link to cancer
A recent investigation has found that formaldehyde causes more cancer than any other toxic air pollutant, exposing everyone to elevated risks of developing cancer no...
Nine years of chemotherapy for non-existent cancer
In a horrific story of apparent profit over humanity, a US oncologist subjected patients to years of unnecessary mental, emotional and physical anguish by...
Genetics put African men most at risk of prostate cancer
Breakthrough research, and the largest study of its kind, has identified the genetic risk factors contributing to increased prostate cancer in African men.
The study,...
Cancer drug combo almost halves blood cancer death risk
The experimental cancer drug Blenrep, in combination with other treatments, reduced the risk of death by 42% in multiple myeloma, a common type of...
Two-decade SA study unpacks challenges in nephroblastoma treatment
A 21-year study on nephroblastoma by the University of the Free State revealed unique challenges, with the scientists noting that future research should analyse...
Gauteng Health denies blowing oncology millions
Activist organisations this week challenged the Gauteng Department of Health in court over the R784m budget intended to tackle an oncology backlog, accusing it...
Covid linked to cancer regression in US study
In what could be a significant development, American researchers have found what they believe is an extraordinary link between infection with Covid and cancer regression,...
Right-sided colon gets rid of cancer – Japanese study
Cancer is rarely detected in the right-sided colon because genes’ function of ejecting tumour cells and other foreign substances there is as strong as...
Colonoscopies detect more colorectal cancer than blood tests, study finds
Although people might prefer to get screened for colorectal cancer with a blood test rather than a colonoscopy, the latter stool-based procedure can prevent...
T-cell therapy ups odds of solid tumour survival – Singapore trial
Data from the first-of-a-kind T cell therapy trial in Singapore for solid tumours show positive results, and represent a significant milestone, say experts.
“The delivery...
US analysis links 22 pesticides to prostate cancers
Researchers have found that nearly two dozen pesticides are associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer in the United States, four of them also being...
Analysis projects global cancer deaths will double by 2050
Experts have predicted that cancer cases around the world was going to skyrocket, resulting in millions more fatalities by 2050. This will be largely...
Major UK trial to see if red wine chemical stops bowel cancer
British scientists are launching a large trial to determine if a chemical found in wine, red grapes, as well as blueberries, raspberries and peanuts,...
Baby powder recalled after suspected asbestos link
Another baby powder in the US has made the news after the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced an expanded recall of a range...
Early morning, evening activity could cut bowel cancer risk – German study
Being more active in the morning and evening may reduce the risk of bowel cancer by 11%, according to a study that suggests the...
SAHPRA approves bid for unregistered cancer drug
Umhlanga cancer patient Ina Requilet finally has access to potentially life-saving medication after the health regulator approved a treatment not yet registered in South...
Amazon, social media flooded with unsound cancer info – UK study
The internet is awash with cancer misinformation, according to researchers, with misleading information receiving more engagement than factual sources, and with Amazon, the world’s...
Radioactive treatment shrinks brain tumour by 50% in UK trial
A new radioactive therapy offers hope to people with hard-to-treat brain cancer, with the first patient signed up to the British clinical trial having...
US study finds immunotherapy boosts Hodgkin’s survival chances
An immunotherapy approach to treating advanced Hodgkin lymphoma may drastically increase patients’ chances of survival, including in those as young as 12, according to...
Durban doctor leads the way with research on breast cancer trends
A recent study by Durban’s Dr Mpoi Makhetha on breast cancer patients in KwaZulu-Natal is believed to be the first of its kind in...
Gauteng Health expands HPV jabs to private schools
Vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) will now be available to girls aged nine to 15 at private schools in the province, Gauteng Health...
Combination treatment slashes cervical cancer deaths by 40%
British researchers are hailing a new cervical cancer treatment as the biggest improvement in 20 years, cutting the risk of death by 40% and...
UK launches major study of personalised cancer therapies
A large-scale collaborative study of personalised cancer therapies could offer clinicians a real-time view of how well treatments are working, say scientists, and decide...
SAHPRA rejects woman’s bid for cancer drug not yet registered in SA
An Umhlanga woman (53) is battling cancer and bureaucracy in attempts to acquire medication that might save her life.
Ina Requilet has an aggressive mutation...
Colon cancer therapy fails late-stage trial
A combination of Merck’s experimental drug and blockbuster therapy Keytruda had failed a late-stage trial testing it in previously treated patients with a type...
Alcohol consumption linked to rising cancer cases – US study
Adults under 50 have been developing breast cancer and colorectal cancer at increasingly higher rates over the past few decades, and alcohol use may...
Breastfeeding after breast cancer a safe option – Italian studies
Two international studies presented at last week’s ESMO Congress 2024 in Barcelona showed no increase in recurrence or new breast cancers in women who...
US researchers identify new, rare small cell lung cancer
A team of doctors and researchers say they have found a new, rare type of small cell lung cancer that worryingly, primarily affects younger...
mRNA cancer vaccine shows promise in trial
Scientists say they are pleased with the interim data from the phase I dose escalation part of the mRNA cancer jab (mRNA-4359) trial, which,...
Common trait excludes African, Middle-Eastern patients from trials
Researchers have recently discovered that clinical trials, including those of new cancer drugs, may inappropriately exclude some people with a common benign trait (Duffy-null...
Why kidney cancer research has doctors excited
Kidney cancer patients are now living longer and better, thanks to developments over the past 20 years, and the fact that many are being...