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Oncology
Breast cancer deaths to rise 68% by 2050 – WHO study
Global cancer researchers have warned that breast cancer diagnoses and deaths are expected to surge worldwide in the coming decades, rising to more than...
WHO launches free cancer meds for children in low-income countries
The World Health Organisation has launched a new platform providing cost-free cancer medicines for thousands of children living in low- and middle-income countries, whose...
mRNA vaccine shows promise in pancreatic cancer trial
When a routine scan led to American Barbara Brigham’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2020, all she could think about was how she wanted more...
Neuroblastoma patient in remission 18 years after CAR-T infusion
A woman diagnosed with neuroblastoma in childhood has remained in remission for more than 18 years after being treated with an engineered CAR-T cell...
Yoghurt may help ward off colon cancer risks – US study
Eating at least two servings of yoghurt a week may help protect you from cancer in a particular part of the colon, suggest scientists – as...
Getting to the bottom of cancer rise among young people
The sharp increase in cancer diagnoses among young adults is alarming the medical profession, with scientists intensifying their efforts to determine what’s driving the...
Major study of 100 000 black women to probe cancer risks
When the VOICES of Black Women pilot study launched in 2023, its co-principal investigator Lauren McCullough, PhD, MSPH, was the first participant to sign...
Gauteng cancer patients still awaiting lifesaving treatment
Thousands of cancer patients – and advocacy groups – in Gauteng are still waiting in vain for news about treatment, despite the provincial Health...
Chemotherapy link to chronic nerve pain in 40% of patients – US study
A pooled analysis of all available evidence has suggested that worldwide, cancer chemotherapy is linked to persistent severe peripheral nerve pain (neuropathy) for around...
Lung cancer increasing among non-smokers, WHO warns
Being a non- or never-smoker appears to provide little protection against the ravages of cancer nowadays, with an increasing proportion of people being diagnosed...
Green light from FDA for breast cancer treatment
The Food & Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for American patients with a common form of breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the...
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...