Cancer
Would You Pay $475,000 for the New CAR-T Cancer …
The hottest new cancer treatment is called CAR-T. It stands for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Many world class medical centers have gone all in on CAR-T cancer research. That's becau…
New Anti-Inflammatory Drug Cut Chance of Lung Ca…
A trial of a drug for heart disease, nicknamed CANTOS for Canakinumab Anti-inflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Study, also examined the effects of this anti-inflammatory drug on the risk of developing ca…
Why Vitamin C Might Protect You Against Cancer
For decades, Nobel prize winning biochemist Linus Pauling advocated high-dose vitamin C to help prevent cancer. For the most part his ideas were dismissed as unproven. But research suggests one way th…
Colorectal Cancer Is Killing More Young Adults
Researchers are reporting that colorectal cancer is killing an increasing number of American adults under 55. The death rate has risen noticeably since the mid 1990s. Colorectal Cancer Is Killing Whit…
The Pros and Cons of Metformin for Diabetes
Metformin is #7 on the doctors' hit parade of top 10 prescription drugs. Each year the number of prescriptions increases substantially. Last year there were 87 million metformin prescriptions dispense…
Hair Dye & Breast Cancer?
A new study published in the journal Carcinogenesis suggests that dark-colored hair dyes may be linked to breast cancer. That means that millions of baby boomers are caught on the horns of a dilemma. …
Will Your Microbiome Save Your Life?
In recent years researchers have become extremely interested in the collection of microorganisms living in and on our bodies. This microbiome has a profound impact on our overall health. How Does the…
Can You Afford Your Medicine?
Are you spending more on prescription drugs and enjoying it less? A report from QuintilesIMS Institute shows that prices for medicines are still rising more rapidly than inflation (QuintilesIMS, May 3…
Why You Should Exercise and Eat Right, Now
We've all been told that we should exercise and eat right. Research to be reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting shows that a healthy lifestyle matters. That's true even after a…
Will Aspirin Keep Barrett’s from Turning i…
Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which the tissue lining the bottom of the food tube changes to resemble tissue lining the intestine. It is considered a pre-cancerous condition and is often assoc…
Are Younger People Now at Risk for Colon Cancer?
The rates of rectal and colon cancer have been declining for decades. That may be in part because of screening through colonoscopies. Most such cancers occur in middle-aged and older people. The usual…
Does Metformin Have Anti-Cancer Potential?
There is increasing evidence that a very old drug for diabetes called metformin may have anti-cancer potential. What Is Metformin's Anti-Cancer Potential? Studies suggest that this inexp…
Cancer Deaths Are Dropping, But Not Everywhere
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US, right behind heart disease. Between 1980 and 2014, death rates from cancer fell about 20 percent overall. That is good news, but there are plenty…
Why Smoking Just a Little Is Still Bad for You
Everyone recognizes that smoking is hazardous to your health. But some people have been telling themselves that smoking just a few cigarettes a day doesn't increase their risk of premature death. Are …
Will the Microbiome Affect Your Immune Response?
Research on treating ovarian cancer with the immunotherapy agent pembrolizumab is analyzing each participant's microbiome as part of the trial. Studying Immunotherapy Against Ovarian Cancer: The 40 w…
Can Herbs Prevent a Recurrence of Prostate Cance…
A few decades ago, any suggestion that herbs might reduce the risk for cancer would have been greeted with suspicion. As researchers scramble to find out what natural products might be helpful, they …
How Does a Colonoscopy Affect Microbes of the Di…
Colorectal cancer takes quite a toll on Americans, killing more than 50,000 adults each year (CDC, June 20, 2016). Gastroenterologists recommend periodic colonoscopy for early detection and prevention…
Save Money on Fall Special to Spice Up Your Heal…
Do you love spices and culinary herbs as much as we do? Humans have treasured spices for thousands of years. Our ancestors used garlic, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, rosemary and nutmeg to season food.…
Staying Active Can Help Prevent Chronic Health P…
Exercise remains one of the most powerful interventions for promoting health and preventing disease. An article in the BMJ reviewed 174 studies published over 25 years. The scientists evaluated the am…
Are There Toxins in Your Drinking Water?
Your drinking water might be contaminated without your knowledge. Harvard researchers have identified dangerous compounds in the PFAS class in the drinking water of 6 million Americans. These chemical…
Why Would Metformin and Crestor Stop Prostate Ca…
Q. I have been treated for prostate cancer. My oncologist has recommended that I take the diabetes drug metformin and the cholesterol medication rosuvastatin to reduce my risk of recurrence. When I sa…
Is the FDA Putting Americans at Risk with Chines…
The Food and Drug Administration is caught between two hard rocks. On the one hand the agency has been criticized for inadequate oversight of foreign drug manufacturing facilities, especially in China…
Should Everyone Be Taking Metformin to Fight Can…
Metformin was created in the 1920s by chemists who were working with the French lilac plant. That's because healers had been using French lilac for centuries to control the symptoms of type 2 diabetes…
Do You Need a Pelvic Exam Every Year?
For decades, women have scheduled an annual pelvic exam as part of their preventive health care. Now, the US Preventive Services Task Force says maybe that's not necessary. Is a Pelvic Exam a Problem?…
Should You Worry About Cellphones and Cancer?
We would not blame you if you are confused about the question regarding cellphones and cancer. Even the experts do not agree on what to make of the latest rodent research. Confusing Headlines About Ce…
Big Week for New Cancer Breakthrough Drugs!
This was an impressive week for the Food and Drug Administration and cancer treatment. The feds gave cancer breakthrough status to an extraordinary number of therapies for hard-to-treat malignancies. …
Do Teens Who Love Fruit Reduce Their Risk of Bre…
It is important to eat your fruits and vegetables. A new study of women's risk of breast cancer shows that when you eat them may also matter. Fruit During the Teen Years Lowers the Risk of Breast Canc…
Can You Prevent Breast Cancer with Aspirin?
A number of studies have shown that people who take aspirin on a regular basis are less likely to be diagnosed with certain cancers. This is one reader's response: Q. I am a participant in the NIEHS S…
How to Reduce Your Risk of Bile Duct Cancer
People who take aspirin on a regular basis are two and a half to three and a half times less likely to develop cancer of the bile duct than those who rarely or never take the pain reliever. Bile duct …
Could Your Diabetes Drug Prevent Death from Canc…
One of the most popular medications for type 2 diabetes, metformin, may reduce the likelihood of death from cancer. What Is Metformin? Metformin (Fortamet, Glucophage, Glumetza, Riomet) was original…
When Will FDA Start Testing Food for Roundup Res…
A year ago the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared that the widely used herbicide glyphosate is a probable carcinogen. In the U.S. glyphosate is sold under the brand name Round…
Immune Cell Therapies for Cancer Look Promising
Immune cell therapies against cancer have researchers excited. Over the last few years a number of new drugs have been approved for hard-to-treat malignancies such as melanoma and lung cancer. They wo…
Will Hair Dye Increase the Danger of Bladder Can…
For most people concerns about environmental exposures and cancer risks are abstract, something that other people worry about. For this reader the connection between hair dye and bladder cancer is pe…
Diclofenac Could Be a Powerful Cancer Fighter
Researchers have reported that aspirin has broad anti-cancer activity against a number of malignancies. Now another nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, diclofenac, has also demonstrated anti-cancer a…
Research on Twins with Cancer Raises Red Flags
Researchers have been debating the respective roles of genetics and environment on cancer for decades. This question is sometimes framed as "nature or nurture," and the general consensus is that usual…
Skeptical Doctor Doubts The Goodness of Garlic
Q. As a physician I usually enjoy your column. But I have some serious questions about your claims about garlic. What is the evidence that "Egyptian physicians used garlic"? You have stated that as if…
Grilled Meat Contributes to Kidney Cancer
Recently, experts at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (a branch of the World Health Organization) stirred up controversy when they announced that processed meats are human carcinogens. …
Beating Back Garlic Breath With Parsley
Q. My husband has decided he should be getting garlic every day to control his blood pressure and cholesterol and protect himself against cancer. He hates taking pills or anything synthetic so I am st…
Processed Meats Boost Risk of Cancer
Processed meats such as salami, bacon, hot dogs or ham have been classified as human carcinogens according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. This branch of the World Health Organizat…
Pricey New Cancer Drugs Produce Disappointing Re…
Over the last several years the FDA has approved a substantial number of new medicines for hard-to-treat cancers. Some of these drugs cost thousands of dollars a month and have been hyped as important…