Stand Up To Cancer

The World Health Organization has approved a second cervical cancer vaccine, Cervarix, millions of doses of which will be employed in developing nations. Of the around 280,000 cervical cancer deaths worldwide every year, over 80% occur in developing countries. Health officials estimate that the new vaccine could save tens of thousands of lives per year. Though Cervarix is approved for use in 97 countries, the US FDA is still determining whether it will be available here.
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/07/09/health-highlights-july-9--2009.html

Migraines are no fun, but they may come with an unexpected benefit. According to a new study out of the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle, the brutal headaches may be associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer. The reason? Low estrogen levels seem to increase the severity and frequency of women's migraines, but increased levels of the hormone up breast cancer risk.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5686YX20090709

This WebMD article poses an important question: does race impact cancer survival? Studies have shown that while black women have a lower risk of developing breast cancer than white women, they are still more likely to die of the disease. But for the majority of cancers, when access to care is equal - a big assumption to begin with - there is no disparity between mortality rates. "Some biological and even genetic differences in populations are not inherent from birth and immutable," notes ACS chief medical officer Otis Brawley, MD. "They are influenced by environmental factors associated with socioeconomic status and culture."
http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20090708/does-race-affect-cancer-survival

According to the results of a new survey, less than half of all Americans believe their health insurance plans will cover the full cost of treatment should they develop cancer. And they're right to think that way: according to the president of the Community Oncology Alliance, very few private insurance plans pay the full cost of treatment, which can add up to over $5,000 a month. Most alarmingly, 33% of those surveyed said they would stop cancer treatment if it became too expensive.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5670JX20090708

Finally, new research released by Stanford University School of Medicine makes a strong case for preventive prostate cancer treatment. For years now, clinicians have hesitated to give men at risk of developing the disease the drug finasteride; though it had been shown to prevent cancer in 25% or so of patients, those who did get prostate cancer were 25% more likely to get a more aggressive form of the disease. Now research shows that the drug did not actually cause the more aggressive type of prostate cancer - it merely made it easier to diagnose.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707161418.htm

That's all I've got for this week, but I'll be back next Thursday with more!

--Cat