Cancer News & Features

A new government report has rebuked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to tell residents about the health risks they face by living near facilities that release cancer-causing ethylene oxide gas.

The annual decline was slightly larger among men (1.8%) than women (1.4%), according to the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer.

The Rush brothers, ages 5 years, 4 years, and 7 months, share something that most brothers don’t: bilateral retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer. See how their mother, who was also born with the disease, handles treatments, daily life, and facing the unknown.

The use of virtual reality is exploding and is expected to continue to grow. It’s now being employed in a variety of settings -- from the clinic to medical classrooms -- and one recent report estimates the market for VR in health care will reach $7 billion by 2026.

Compared to those with strong social support, those with low support had a 52% higher risk of death from all causes and a 42% higher risk of death from colorectal cancer, the findings showed.

Researchers found that of 15 patients who'd received a one-time treatment with psilocybin, most were still showing "clinically significant" improvements in anxiety and depression four years later.

This particular group of responders appears to have an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer, leukemia and prostate cancer, as well as a slightly elevated overall risk of cancer, researchers report.

Focused ultrasound is already used to destroy tumors, with most approaches using either high-intensity beams to heat and destroy cells or injected contrast dyes. But both approaches can harm healthy cells and contrast dyes work only for a minority of tumors.

Cutting the amount of chemotherapy in half reduced serious side effects that can have a lifelong impact on a patient's health, said the team of British researchers.

A neighborhood west of Atlanta faces cancer risks that rise above what the government considers acceptable for airborne toxins due to ethylene oxide emissions, a study by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division shows.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who's been treated for cancer twice in the past 13 months, said that she is "cancer free."

Cancer deaths in the United States fell 2.2% between 2016 and 2017, the largest-ever single-year decrease.

The use of talc powder has been linked to other types of cancer, such as mesothelioma. A jury recently awarded a California couple nearly $30 million from Johnson & Johnson for the wife's mesothelioma, according to a CNN report.

The study authors found that the harder you exercise for that recommended time, the more you reduce your cancer risk.

Georgia environmental officials say a warehouse operated by a medical device company near Atlanta is releasing high levels of the toxic gas ethylene oxide, a finding Gov. Brian Kemp called "highly concerning."

The testing offers the first biologic evidence that living near a facility that emits ethylene oxide increases a person’s body burden of the chemical, which has been linked to breast and blood cancers

A new study from Japan found that compared to nondrinkers, people who had two drinks a day for 40 years had a 54% higher risk of cancer.

By law, the EPA is required to review and update these standards every 8 years, but the agency was behind schedule. It is under a court order to finalize the rule by March 2020.

So far, CRISPR has only been tried in three patients, two with multiple myeloma and one with a sarcoma. All had tried standard treatments, to no avail.

The agreement came just moments before a judge was set to hear arguments on the state’s motion for a temporary restraining order and injunction against BD.

Medical device makers and federal regulators are warning of potential shortages of medical devices if a court allows the state of Georgia to temporarily shut down sterilization operations of a Becton Dickinson, or BD, facility in suburban Atlanta.

The drug’s only maker, Pfizer, says relief may be coming soon. In a letter dated Oct. 18, Pfizer said the next delivery of the drug is expected in late October and will meet current patient needs for the rest of the year.

Air testing results showed high levels of a toxic gas in neighborhoods close to the plant.

Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable cancer death, according to the atlas. In 2017, smoking claimed 2.3 million lives worldwide, 24% of all cancer deaths.

In response to the crackdowns on vaping, those who use or sell the e-cigarette products are mobilizing. Touting the “We Vape, We Vote” slogan, this burgeoning movement is positioning itself to be a factor in 2020 elections.