CDC – Cancer Screening Rates Low – Especially Among Asians and Hispanics
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the NCI (National Cancer Institute) announced the results of their joint study on cancer screening statistics. The results were disturbing on a few fronts. As a whole, the U.S. population is not engaging in cancer screening procedures to the extent recommended by health care professionals.
Researchers also determined that the screening rates were even lower among Asians and Hispanics. One troubling element of these stats is that many U.S. residents do not have access to health insurance that would enable critical screening.
“It is troubling to see that not all Americans are getting the recommended cancer screenings and that disparities continue to persist for certain populations. Screening can find breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers at an early stage when treatment is more effective,” said Sallyann Coleman King, M.D., an epidemic intelligence service officer in CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control and lead author of the study. “We must continue to monitor cancer screening rates to improve the health of all Americans.”
While screening cannot “prevent” cancer, it can save lives. Early detection offers patients more options for treatment at a less damaging stage of the disease. Lack of access to preventive health care is a serious problem in the U.S. Politics aside, we need to realize that in order to truly make a dent in cancer incidents and stats we need to find a solution that enables as many as possible to have the opportunity to receive life saving early detection screening.
Major Setback For Cancer Genomic Research
The once promising area of Cancer Genomic Research suffered some serious setbacks after a former Duke researcher (and colleagues) issued their eighth retraction of published research studies. A retraction letter was published on JAMA on January 6th. As reported on: GMA News Online, Dr. Brawley of the American Cancer Society weighed in on this revelation:
….The whole episode has been a “huge setback,” said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. “What happened at Duke is that you have a whole bunch of folks worried that this genomic information is just too complicated, making it too easy for someone to basically create fraudulent science,” Brawley said…….
Brawley said the issue also shows how problematic it is to have universities police their researchers. “As science progresses, those universities are more and more interested in how many patents they have, and how many licenses they have for those patents,” he said, pointing out that Duke had an ownership stake in CancerGuide Diagnostics, formerly Oncogenomics, Inc…..
Irish Scientists Discover New Vaccine Approach
for Cancer Treatment
Killer T Cells Attacking a Tumor
Scientists from the University Of Dublin’s Trinity College announced that they have developed a new vaccine to treat pre-clinical cancer.
The research team ….discovered a new approach for treating the disease based on manipulating the immune response to malignant tumours…… there are plans to develop the vaccine for clinical use for cancer patients…..tumours… produce molecules that suppress the efficacy of the immune system. They generate regulatory cells that inhibit the immune response that could potentially clear the tumours…..Professor Mills’ group has developed a novel vaccine and immunotherapeutic approach that can overcome these obstacles and has the potential to significantly improve on existing technologies……The therapy is based on a combination of molecules that manipulates the immune response to curb the regulatory arm while enhancing the protective arm, allowing the induction of specialist white blood cells called killer T cells to target and eliminate the tumours. The new vaccine approach was found to be highly effective at pre-clinical stage in treating a range of cancers…..
BPA In Cans Linked to Increased Cancer Risk
As you prepare for the New Year and start to purge your closets, cabinets, home and life of your 2011 clutter, be sure to also toss the toxins that threaten your health. Check your pantry for canned goods that may contain BPA, a chemical that has been linked to increased cancer risk. Look for alternative packaging options that do not contain BPA. Soups are available in BPA free cartons. And vegetables are available in easy steam frozen packs. You can also help to lobby manufacturers to eliminate BPA from their cans altogether. For more information on BPA free ideas check: The Breast Cancer Fund’s Campaign: “Cans Not Cancer.”
Get our Blog Posts + Cancer Free News in your Email.
You’ll also get a FREE Prevention Book & Audio Program.
Please use the buttons below to share this tip with your friends.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) Delivers Innovative New Radiation Treatment During Surgery
Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) announced that they now offer Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT), a breakthrough radiation treatment option for cancer patients undergoing surgery, and who also require radiation therapy. This new treatment tool enables oncologists/radiologists to deliver radiation treatment during surgery. The benefits appear to be improved targeting of microscopic cancer cells at the time of surgery and the alternative of a single 1 minute radiation dose vs. weeks of post operative radiation treatments.
“This is a promising option for patients who have a recurrence or if a new tumor develops in a different part of the breast. Currently, lumpectomy patients who receive whole breast post-operative radiation therapy undergo mastectomy if they have local recurrence or a new tumor,” said Dr. Ray.
Other medical and quality of life benefits of IORT are that healthy organs and tissues are spared. During IORT, a precise radiation dose is applied while shielding healthy tissues and structures, such as the skin that could be damaged due to traditional techniques. This allows for a higher dose of radiation to be delivered to the tumor bed while sparing normal surrounding tissues. Critical organs within the radiation field, such as the lungs and heart, can also be protected.
Get our Blog Posts + Cancer Free News in your Email.
You’ll also get a FREE Prevention Book & Audio Program.
Please use the buttons below to share this tip with your friends.
Such a sad headline: “Former Miss Venezuela
dies of breast cancer at 28″
Seeing headlines like this always make me sad. 28 year old Eva Ekvall, who was crowned Miss Venezuela at age 17, in 2000 died on Saturday from breast cancer. Losing someone at any age to cancer is devastating. However, to be robbed of one’s life at such a young age is just so “criminal.” And as is, all too often the case, Eva left behind a 2 year old daughter.
In her book, “Fuera de Foco” (“Out of Focus”), Eva shared her struggle with cancer. And while her fame, has highlighted her sad story……she is but one of thousands of young women and men who are robbed of a full life, by cancer.
One common theme that resonates with young cancer patients is that many times they are not informed of, or offered, early detection options because they don’t “fit the profile” of a cancer statistic. Often their cancers are found too late for effective life saving treatment.
So if there is anything that we can “gain” from such a sad story is the message to all that we must listen to our bodies, question our doctors, get second opinions, demand testing and evaluation whenever you have symptoms that concern you and refuse to be profiled. We must be our own advocates by embracing cancer prevention and early detection.
Can Thermography Detect Cancer?
The technology behind thermography has advanced tremendously in industrial applications over the last 50 years. In short, thermal imaging allows us to see variations in temperature from one field of evaluation to the next. Thermographic cameras have been used extensively in construction and by firefighters to see through smokey areas. However, the most cutting edge potential for thermography lies in its medical detection use.
As more and more women question the use of radiation emitting mammograms as the primary screening tool to detect cancer, thermography has gained in appeal. Thermography is believed to detect, throughout the body, very subtle changes in temperature that can be the result of factors indicating health issues. This can include inflammation and increased blood flow due to vascular proliferation/angiogenesis/tumor growth.
There are critics, of course who reference past evaluations of thermography’s ability to show effective detection. However, those studies are in many cases from over 30 years ago and thermographic detection cameras have advanced tremendously. Just think of how cameras have advanced over the last 30 years (e.g. old Polaroids…….to digital cameras on smartphones).
Although, I would not suggest that women abandon or forgo regular mammograms, I do believe that we need to be open to new detective technologies that cause fewer side effects. I do believe that as thermograms become more acknowledged, accepted, available (and as fresher data is accumulated) they may become an effective companion and potential replacement for radiation screening. Every advancement in medicine was possible only when we were willing to consider new options.
I recently interviewed Catherine Johnson, the owner of Silk Thermal Imaging. We discussed the protocols, procedures and promise of thermography. If you would like to learn more about thermography, access the interview here.
Does Turmeric (Curcumin) Prevent Cancer?
This article has been moved to a new URL:
http://cancerfree123.com/does-turmeric-curcumin-prevent-cancer/
