A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that older black patients had a 31% higher risk of colorectal cancer than older white patients. Researchers noted greater racial and ethnic disparities for distal colon and rectal cancer than for proximal colon cancer. “Black persons have the highest incidence of and mortality rates from CRC
In an unprecedented move, the FDA today granted accelerated approval to the cancer drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda – Merck & Co) for treatment of any unresectable or metastatic solid tumors associated with the genetic abnormality known as microsatellite instability. It’s the first time the agency approved a cancer treatment or indication that is not for a tumor
“Colon cancer patients who had a healthy body weight, engaged in regular physical activity … and drank small to moderate amounts of alcohol had longer disease-free and overall survival than patients who did not,” Erin L. Van Blarigan, ScD, of the University of California San Francisco said during a press briefing prior to the American
Study links extended antibiotic use to higher risk of colon polyps A study in the journal Gut found women who took oral antibiotics for at least two weeks in their 20s through 50s increased their risk of colon polyps in their 60s, compared with not taking the drugs for extended periods of time. “This suggests
In honor of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Today.com interviewed physicians about symptoms that should never be ignored. “People are maybe sometimes uncomfortable about talking about that part of their body,” Dr. Jennifer Inra, a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, told Today.com. Still, the best way to address the risk is to
Use of a scalp-cooling device during chemotherapy reduced the incidence of severe hair loss by 50% in patients with breast cancer on chemotherapy, according to a randomized study. Half of the patients who used the electronic scalp cap had moderate or no hair loss, whereas all patients assigned to control therapy had severe or total
We now have more evidence that fat fuels cancer’s spread Scientists have stopped metastasis in mice. Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world, but until now, scientists have struggled to understand exactly how and why cancer cells go through the energy-intensive process of splitting off, travelling through the bloodstream, and taking
Bioengineering has come a long way in the past few years. Organic is so passe. GMO’s are mainstream. What’s the next controversy? A recent hot topic you may have seen online is the idea of engineering ready-to-eat meat right in the research lab. Proponents tout it as a humane way to get us the protein
In what may come as a bit of a surprise, a new study found that overweight colon cancer patients tended to have better survival than their normal-weight peers. However, obesity increases the risk of having polyps and colon cancer to begin with. So although this is a little surprising, don’t bank on being overweight as
