Stand Up To Cancer

Did you know that today is World Cancer Day? This year's theme is prevention, with a focus on lifestyle changes like eating a healthy diet, quitting smoking and exercising regularly. The World Health Organization has issued a report indicating that around 40% of cancers worldwide are potentially preventable. WHO also warned that without changes, global cancer deaths could jump from an estimated 7.6 million this year to 17 million in 2030.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020301299.html

You don't hear a lot of good news about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) these days, but a new study suggests that menopausal women using HRT may have a lower risk of developing colon cancer. This news, reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, must be taken with a very large grain of salt, as HRT has repeatedly been proven to come with hefty health risks, including an increased chance of developing breast cancer. However, the findings do support the theory that estrogen offers some protection against colon cancer, and point to a need for further study into the effects of HRT on different organs, the researchers say.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6134XJ20100204

Yowza. New research in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention indicates that soft drinks may be worse for your health than you ever knew. In a study of over 60,000 men and women in Singapore who were followed for 14 years, researchers found that those who consumed two or more soft drinks a week had an 87% higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer, possibly because of elevated insulin levels in the body. However, the study's senior author does add that those who consumed the drinks on a regular basis tended to have a "poor behavioral profile" in general, which may have contributed to their increased risk.
http://www.examiner.com/x-12568-Indianapolis-Health-Examiner~y2010m2d4-Two-or-more-soft-drinks-a-day-raise-pancreatic-cancer-risk-82

A recent study from the journal Nanomedicine shows that magnetic nanoparticles have the ability to selectively remove ovarian cancer cells from human ascites fluid, potentially preventing the spread of the disease. "Circulating tumor cells can implant at distant sites and give rise to secondary tumors. Our technique is designed to filter the peritoneal fluid or blood and remove these free floating cancer cells, which should increase longevity by preventing the continued metastatic spread of the cancer," noted one of the study's authors.
http://www.healthimaging.com/index.php?option=com_articles&view=article&id=20475:magnetic-nanoparticles-might-prevent-spread-of-the-cancer

Finally, a little dispatch from the personal finance department: the Wall Street Journal reports on a new study indicating that discussing treatment costs with health providers as early as possible after a cancer diagnosis helps patients budget better for the payments to come. Don't be uncomfortable raising these issues with doctors and office staff, advises the director of the ACS' Patient Navigator Program: "When you do get sick you have so much on your plate, so at least having a general understanding of what insurance covers relieves some of that stress," she says.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100204-711888.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines

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

--Cat