Stand Up To Cancer

A New Gene That May Help In Ovarian Cancer Detection RAD51D. These six characters may look innocuous, but they represent a newly discovered gene that's linked to ovarian cancer - one of the deadliest cancers for women. Researchers from the UK-based Institute of Cancer Research compared the DNA of women from more than 900 families with history of breast and ovarian cancer, with nearly 11,000 women with no family history. They found women with a faulty RAD51D gene had a one in 11 chance to develop ovarian cancer, compared with a one in 70 chance for the "control

women." The researchers think this discovery can lead to lab tests hitting the market within years to predict who's at a higher risk for the cancer that often doesn't show symptoms. "At this level of risk, women may wish to consider having their ovaries removed after having children, to prevent ovarian cancer occurring," Study author Dr. Nazneen Rahman, head of the Institute's division of genetics and epidemiology said in a written statement. The study was published in the August 7 issue of Nature Genetics.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20090148-10391704.html

The Morning Cigarette: No Butts About It
Smokers who light up right after they wake up in the morning may be at greater risk for lung, head and neck cancers than those who wait longer before having their first cigarette of the day, a new study finds. The study was released online Aug. 8 in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the journal Cancer. "These smokers have higher levels of nicotine and possibly other tobacco toxins in their body, and they may be more addicted than smokers who refrain from smoking for a half hour or more," said Joshua Muscat, of Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, in a journal news release. "It may be a combination of genetic and personal factors that cause a higher dependence to nicotine." In the study, researchers compared 4,775 lung cancer patients with 2,835 smokers who didn't have cancer. They found that those who smoked 31 to 60 minutes after waking up were 1.3 times more likely to develop lung cancer than those who waited at least an hour before lighting up. Meanwhile, those who smoked within 30 minutes of waking up were 1.79 times more likely to develop lung cancer. http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/story/2011/08/Morning-smokers-may-be-at-higher-cancer-risk/49883834/1

The Rationing of Cancer Care
Right now cancer care is being rationed in the United States. Probably to their great disappointment, President Obama's critics cannot blame this rationing on death panels or health care reform. Rather, it is caused by a severe shortage of important cancer drugs. Of the 34 generic cancer drugs on the market, as of this month, 14 were in short supply. They include drugs that are the mainstay of treatment regimens used to cure leukemia, lymphoma and testicular cancer. As Dr. Michael Link, the president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, recently told me, "If you are a pediatric oncologist, you know how to cure 70 to 80 percent of patients. But without these drugs you are out of business." This shortage is even inhibiting research studies that can lead to higher cure rates: enrollment of patients in many clinical trials has been delayed or stopped because the drugs that are in short supply make up the standard regimens to which new treatments are added or compared. The underlying reason for this is that cancer patients do not buy chemotherapy drugs from their local pharmacies the way they buy asthma inhalers or insulin. Instead, it is their oncologists who buy the drugs, administer them and then bill Medicare and insurance companies for the costs. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/opinion/sunday/ezekiel-emanuel-cancer-patients.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=cancer&st=cse

Exercise During Cancer Treatment Could Be A Lifesaver
All patients getting cancer treatment should be told to do two and a half hours of physical exercise every week, says a report by Macmillan Cancer Support. Being advised to rest and take it easy after treatment is an outdated view, the charity says. Research shows that exercise can reduce the risk of dying from cancer and minimize the side effects of treatment. Adult cancer patients and cancer survivors should undertake 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week, the reports says, which is what the Department of Health guidelines recommend. In the report, the American College of Sports Medicine also recommends that exercise is safe during and after most types of cancer treatment and says survivors should avoid inactivity. Getting active, the report says, can help people overcome the effects of cancer and its treatments, such as fatigue and weight gain. "The evidence review shows that physical exercise does not increase fatigue during treatment, and can in fact boost energy after treatment." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14417084