Weekly Links - 7/2/09
This excellent Wall Street Journal piece looks at the problems cancer poses for elderly patients. Because patients in their seventies and eighties often suffer from multiple health issues, it's a challenge for the clinicians treating them to determine the safest and most effective course of therapy. "We know that older, sicker people are at higher risk of harmful side effects from cancer treatments, but we don't know how best to vary those treatments to accommodate the wide range of health problems common in the elderly," the author writes.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124647445003381775.html
You may have already heard that the diabetes drug Lantus has been linked with an increased risk of cancer according to several European studies. This Q&A helps answer some of the more pressing questions Lantus-takers may be asking themselves, including what may have caused the link and whether the evidence is conclusive enough to cease taking the medication.
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLT70133920090629
The cost-effectiveness of cancer treatment, especially for patients with poor prognoses, is a topic of much debate. A recent Journal of the National Cancer Institute study reports, for instance, that a course of lung cancer therapy that costs $80,000 for an 18-week regimen only prolongs a patient's life by around 1.2 months. The piece notes that "some countries, like the United Kingdom, agree to pay for expensive drugs only if they meet a certain threshold of efficacy, but no such rationing exists in the U.S."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052970203872404574258302761872972.html
Bad news for carnivores: yet again, the consumption of meat has been linked with an increase drisk of cancer. Looks like those who consume a high amount of animal fat are more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly forms of the disease. "Most of the increased risk was associated with total, saturated, and monounsaturated fat from red meat and dairy food sources," the article notes.
http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=21802
On a more hopeful note, a new method of attacking cancer cells has been proven to be surprisingly effective in animal testing. The journal Nature Biotechnology reports that Australian researchers implanted mice with a human uterine tumor that was highly aggressive and resistant to drugs; all of the treated animals were free of tumor cells 70 days after treatment. Researchers also obtained a similar outcome in dogs with advanced brain cancer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/health/research/29drug.html?ref=world
That's all for this week, but I'll be back next Thursday with more. In the meantime, have a great holiday weekend!
--Cat
Posted by Melissa | July 4, 2009 9:05 AM
I was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago on my 2 July birthday. I have been cancer free for almost two years and now celebrate my birthday on the August date of the surgery to remove the tumors. I am very thankful.