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Oncology
Regular mammograms from 40, US experts now say
Alarmed by an increase in breast cancer diagnoses among younger women and persistently high death rates among black women in particular, US health experts...
Vital early signs of colon cancer in young adults – US study
Prolonged bouts of diarrhoea, stomach aches and blood during bowel movements may be signs of early-onset colorectal cancer, according to recent research, which pinpointed...
Small pancreatic cancer vaccine trial shows promise
Using mRNA tailored to each patient’s tumour, a novel vaccine may have staved off the return of one of the deadliest forms of cancer...
New breast cancer risks flagged by Washington researchers
Scientists have long known that dense breast tissue is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer in women, but a recent study adds...
ADHD, autism in men raises testicular cancer risks – Swedish study
Men suffering from neurodevelopmental disorders are 54% more likely to develop seminoma, a tumour in the testicles, say Swedish scientists, who although unsure what...
Growing risk of throat cancer from oral sex
An increase in oropharyngeal cancer (the area of the tonsils and back of the throat) over the past 20 years is being directly attributed...
Ageing population contributes to high cancer deaths in SA
Early detection remains critical to reducing cancer rates in South Africa, with a recent report revealing that deaths from the disease rose from 5.6%...
Prostate cancer risk higher for black men – US study
Not only do black men have more chance of contracting and dying of prostate cancer but they also face longer delays between diagnosis and...
Nine-year study reveals cancer’s ‘infinite’ ability to evolve
An unprecedented analysis of how cancers grow has revealed an “almost infinite” ability of tumours to evolve and survive, say scientists, who, after tracking...
Local anaesthesia before breast cancer surgery improves survival – Mumbai trial
An inexpensive peritumoral injection of a local anaesthetic before breast cancer surgery significantly increased disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in women with...
Merck, Eisai skin cancer drug trial fails to achieve goals
Drug companies Merck and Eisai are discontinuing a late-stage study of Keytruda plus Lenvima for people with unresectable or metastatic melanoma, as they showed no...
Hiccups and their curious connection to cancer
Because hiccups can seem innocuous, they remain mysterious and surprisingly understudied, and yet, they’re one of the most common bodily experiences humans (and rats,...
Cancer deaths in South Africa on the rise
Deaths due to cancer are increasing in South Africa, with the black and coloured population seeing the most alarming climbs, according to a report...
Breast cancer risk upped by contraceptive pill use – UK meta-analysis
Any type of hormonal contraceptive could increase the risk of developing breast cancer, with progestogen-only hormonal contraceptives, compared with the oestrogen-progestogen only pill, resulting in a 20%-30%...
FDA sets new rules for dense breasts cancer warning
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has introduced new standards, making it compulsory for mammogram providers to tell women with dense breast tissue,...
Melanoma rates climb among white South Africans – SA study
Researchers have called for urgent intervention after their recent study found melanoma rates, now among the top 10 cancers in South Africa annually, alarmingly...
Dense breasts a high risk of cancer – US study
Dense breast tissue poses up to four times higher risk of developing breast cancer, yet a recent study found that many women are unaware...
Older breast cancer patients’ survival unaffected by no radiation – UK study
Scientists have found that radiation therapy, often a follow-up after breast cancer surgery and which has unpleasant side-effects, may not be needed by older...
Cost of key cancer drug drops after generics victory
Lenalidomide is an important medicine in the treatment of multiple myeloma but it’s probably most infamous for its high price tag, notes MedicalBrief.
So high...
New prostate cancer blood test has 94% accuracy – UK study
Researchers have helped develop a new blood test to detect prostate cancer with greater accuracy than current methods, the Prostate Screening EpiSwitch (PSE) blood test being...
Cancer threat raised by ultra-processed foods – UK-led study
Researchers have produced the most comprehensive assessment to date of the association between ultra-processed foods and the risk of developing cancers.
People consume far too...
Heart failure risk remains long after chemo – US study
Anthracycline users with breast cancer or lymphoma had a higher risk of congestive heart failure (CHF) persisting during long-term follow-up in a population-based case-control...
Different radiotherapy regimens for small-cell lung cancer equally effective – US trial
The results of the largest trial in limited stage small cell lung cancer ever performed could have major implications for treating the illness, with...
UK study finds higher cancer death risk with type 2 diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to die from some cancers compared with the general population, according to a recent study, which...
Novel therapy treatment for advanced liver cancer – Hong Kong study
A pioneering phase II clinical study on tri-modality therapy (START-FIT) has found that nearly 50% of patients with inoperable locally advanced liver cancer, can be...
Higher suicide risk in cancer surgery patients – US cohort study
Regular suicide screening should be implemented for patients undergoing cancer surgery, say researchers, whose retrospective cohort study showed suicide cases were significantly higher in...
FDA approves novel bladder cancer gene therapy treatment
The first gene therapy for treating a form of bladder cancer has been given the nod by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA),...
Vitamin D supplement link to reduced melanoma risk – Finnish study
A recent study, involving nearly 500 people with an increased risk of skin cancer, like basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, found that...
SA team devises cost-effective genetic breast and ovarian cancer screening
In a breakthrough that is hoped will reduce time, money and save lives, a Free State medical scientist in genetics and a PhD candidate...
CRISPR technology makes significant headway in cancer treatment
Researchers have taken an important step towards a long-desired goal: using the gene-editing technology CRISPR to treat cancer. The results of their trial showed...
Medical advances make breast cancer surgery less common – Texas study
Medical experts are questioning whether women who respond fully to neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) for breast cancer still need surgery, after a research review...
Uterine cancer risk linked to hair-straightening products – US study
Scientists have linked frequent use of hair-straightening and other hair products to uterine cancer.
“We estimated that 1.64% of women who never used hair straighteners...
Early mammograms increase radiation exposure, false readings – US study
There is little evidence supporting the recommendation that women with a first-degree relative (mother/sister/daughter) diagnosed with breast cancer, who are otherwise at average risk,...
SA cancer rates set to double by 2030, actuaries predict
The incidence of all cancers in South Africa, boosted by ageing and population growth and measured from 2019, will almost double by 2030. This...
Why some breast and ovarian cancers are resistant to chemotherapy – US study
Just as bacteria, viruses and fungi develop strategies to outsmart antimicrobial medications, cancer cells can become resistant to chemotherapy – and those associated with...
400 UK cancer cases daily from junk food, alcohol and sunbathing
Around 400 preventable cancers are caught a day in the UK, experts have warned, listing fast food, alcohol and too much sun exposure as...
Modified herpes virus helps shrink terminal patients’ tumours
In early trials, one quarter of terminally-ill cancer patients who had exhausted all other treatments saw their tumours completely eradicated or shrunk after being...
Why under-50s cancer is rising – US review
Lifestyle factors beginning in adolescence and young adulthood are possible risk factors for the increasing cases of early-onset cancers, which occur before the age...
Potential lifesaving blood test spots multiple cancer types early – Pathfinder study
Doctors have told health services to prepare for a new era of cancer screening after a study found a simple blood test could spot...
Drug extends breast cancer survival by 3.2 months – Gilead trial
Gilead Sciences’ Trodelvy drug extended by 3.2 months the survival of patients with advanced stages of a common type of breast cancer, (i.e. reduced...