Stand Up To Cancer

Disturbing news from Forbes this week, reporting on an increasingly widespread form of tonsil cancer caused by a virus. The new form of the disease, which is different from that caused by smoking and problem drinking, is caused by HPV - the same virus that causes cervical cancer in women. The NCI estimates that 4,000 people, 75% of them men, develop the form of throat cancer annually. One solution could be to give kids of both genders the HPV vaccine, but the jury's still out.
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1102/health-cancer-tonsils-virus-hpv-at-our-throats.html

New research shows that cancer patients going through chemotherapy experience less treatment-related fatigue when they exercise. A study from Denmark confirms what many already knew: that exercise boosts feelings of well-being during chemo, thereby helping with the fatigue problem. The exercise program should include both high- and low-intensity activities like aerobics and massage therapy.
http://in.reuters.com/article/health/idINTRE59E4J320091015

Meanwhile, research out of Japan indicates that it is possible for cancer cells to be passed from a pregnant woman to her unborn child, although the cases are very rare. Generally speaking, the placenta and the baby's immune system prevent cancer cells from being passed on, but in one case discovered by Japanese researchers, a woman passed leukemic cells to her unborn daughter. It is the first time that this link has been genetically proven.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2009/10/091013_cancer_child.shtml

According to a cell biologist at UC Berkeley, skin cells may be able to provide an early warning for cancer risk elsewhere in the body. By inexpensively culturing a few skin cells, Harry Rubin argues that increases in how densely cells grow can be measured, warning of cancer risks that could be ameliorated by behavioral changes. "This is the first step in cancer, though not yet cancer, and you can measure these changes quantitatively," Rubin said.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015163555.htm

Finally, new Norwegian research indicates that survivors of testicular cancer face an increased risk of long-term illness owing to the medical treatment they receive. A study published in the November issue of the Journal of the British Association of Urological Surgeons shows that almost 25% of testicular cancer survivors develop long-term neurological, hearing and circulation problems. Twenty percent of the men studied also faced infertility. The researchers recommend quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight and increasing physical activity as ways to mitigate these long-term issues.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7016701624?Testicular%20Cancer%20Surviors%20Face%20Long%20Term%20Health%20Risks%20From%20Treatments

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

--Cat