from the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology:

Cancer Patients Relying More on Friends, Family for Treatment Advice
"Making treatment decisions with the help of family and friends is on the rise, as people widen their sources of information beyond the advice of their doctors and increasingly use the Internet and other public sources of data. In 2003, 56 percent of cancer patients and their families made their decision based upon the advice of their oncologist and 45 percent said they made their decision with the help of their primary care physician. However, in 2007, only 50 percent relied on the advice of their oncologist and 41 percent said they relied on their primary care doctor."


from Reuter's Health:

Yoga shown to help women with breast cancer
"Women with breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast may benefit from participating in a tailored yoga program that includes gentle yoga postures, breathing exercises, and meditation, new research suggests."


from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center:

Researchers uncover mutated genes involved in lung cancer; one affects nonsmokers
"Lung cancer patients who have never smoked are more likely than smokers to harbor one of two genetic mutations that researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have now linked to the disease. "This study describes the first known mutation to occur in lung cancer patients who have never smoked," said Dr. Adi Gazdar, professor of pathology in the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research and senior author of the study in today's issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 'These findings may help explain why certain lung cancer patients respond dramatically to a specific form of targeted therapy while others have little or no response.' "

from the BBC News:

Cancer threat for young tanners
"More young people are being diagnosed with skin cancer, a consultant dermatologist has claimed."


from Michigan State University:

MSU research strengthens link between smoking, pancreatic cancer
"Researchers at Michigan State University have added yet another piece to the puzzle that links cigarette smoking with cancer of the pancreas, one of the deadliest forms of cancer."


from the American Cancer Society:

Federal Panel: Don't Use Pain Relievers to Guard Against Colon Cancer
"Not enough scientific evidence exists to support using aspirin and other pain relievers to prevent colorectal cancer, according to a federal task force. Taking such medications in high doses (300 milligrams and higher) on a regular basis would do more harm than good, they found, by increasing a person's risk for stroke, internal bleeding, and kidney failure."

Study: CT Scans Still Not Advised for Lung Cancer Screening
"The use of computed tomography (CT) scans to screen current or former smokers for lung cancer is still too experimental to recommend for widespread medical use, according to results from a new study. "


from the National Cancer Institute:

Researchers Discover New Biomarkers for Liver Cancer
"Researchers have found that a unique pattern of activity in cells surrounding a liver tumor can accurately predict whether the cancer will spread to other parts of the liver or to other parts of the body."

Cancer News

from Sloan-Kettering:

Long-term Outcomes for Prostate Cancer Show Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Curative: 89 Percent of Men Disease-Free Eight Years Later
"Results from the largest study of men with prostate cancer treated with high-dose, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) show that the majority of patients remain alive with no evidence of disease after an average follow-up period of eight years."


from Indiana University:
Headache Herb May Boost Cancer Survival
"Now scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine want to write another, hoping to turn an extract from feverfew--an herb traditionally used as a treatment for migraine headaches--into a new tool to fight cancer.
The compound, parthenolide, may be a key to reducing the spread (metastasis) or the recurrence of several types of cancer, including breast, prostate, lung, bladder, leukemia, and myeloma."

Women with Mental Disorders Less Likely to Have Mammograms: Nature of Mental Illness Does Play a Role
"Severity contributed to lower receipt of mammography among women with mood and anxiety disorders, however women with psychotic, alcohol, and substance abuse disorders had decreased odds for receipt of mammography regardless of severity, the authors reported."


from M.D. Anderson:
Researcher at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Receives $250,000 Carcinoid Tumor Research Grant
"The Caring for Carcinoid Foundation has awarded a $250,000 grant for carcinoid research under the direction of Lee M. Ellis, M.D., professor of surgery and cancer biology and The John E. and Dorothy J. Harris Professor in Gastrointestinal Cancer Research at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center."


from the Center of the Advancement of Health:

Direct Access to OB/GYNs Fails to Improve Cancer Screening Rates
"Laws requiring managed-care plans to allow women direct access to obstetricians or gynecologists have failed to increase screening rates for breast and cervical cancer, according to a new study."


from the International Program for Psycho-Social Health Research:

Evaluation of Use of Standardised Questionnaire for Hospice
"The study is examining the question of whether the use of a number of assessment questionnaires interferes with or facilitates holistic, compassionate hospice care. To achieve this end, this work focuses on patient's descriptions of their experience with filling out the questionnaires."


from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital:

New hope for children when leukemia treatment fails
"Clinicians at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have successfully demonstrated an improved technique for blood stem cell transplantations in children that shows promise for those most likely to fail standard treatment for leukemia."

St. Jude announces breakthrough in eye cancer treatment
"Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have demonstrated in the laboratory a new, locally applied treatment for the eye cancer retinoblastoma that not only greatly reduces the size of the tumor, but does so without causing the side effects common with standard chemotherapy. "

from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society:
U.S. OKs Gleevec for Five Rare Diseases
"The newly approved uses for Gleevec include treatment of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia, hypereosinophilic syndrome, aggressive systemic mastocytosis, and some myeloproliferative disorders. "


from MSNBC:

Control your hormones to stop breast cancer
"Researchers now agree breast cancer occurs in several distinct forms. Although researchers continue to unravel how each form develops, a variety of hormones are critical pieces of the puzzle...a few steps [are] likely to promote healthy levels of the hormones involved."

Anti-smoking messages to appear on DVDs
"Film industry veterans Bob and Harvey Weinstein will put anti-smoking video messages on DVDs of movies in which people smoke — a move sought by U.S. states to combat teen smoking.
Beginning with December's release of "Clerks II" by director Kevin Smith, Weinstein's DVDs will include an anti-smoking ad aimed at discouraging kids from lighting up."


from the United States Department of Health and Human Services:
HHS Secretary Announces Development of Physical Activity Guidelines at National Prevention Summit
"HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced that the Department will develop comprehensive guidelines, drawn from science, to help Americans fit physical activity into their lives."


from the National Cancer Institute:
Lung Cancer Screening Study Spurs Optimism, Caution
"New results from a large, observational study suggest that using spiral computed tomography (CT) to screen people at increased risk for lung cancer can detect the disease at an early stage and may increase the number of people who can be cured. Currently, the vast majority of lung cancer diagnoses aren't made until the disease is well advanced, and most of these patients die within 5 years."

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Helps Survivors Overcome Fatigue
"Posttreatment fatigue is a common and debilitating side effect faced by many cancer survivors. A new study published in the October 20 Journal of Clinical Oncology reports that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), a form of psychotherapy, can be an effective tool for fighting persistent posttreatment fatigue."


from CureXtra:
Avastin Added to Standard Treatment for Lung Cancer, Cost Capped at $55K
"Avastin® (bevacizumab) was approved in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of a common lung cancer."

Vectibix Approved for Metastatic Colon Cancer, Price Cap Set for Drug Cost
"After the announcement that Vectibix™ (panitumumab) was approved for metastatic colorectal cancer following priority review by the Food and Drug Administration, the drug’s manufacturer, Amgen, announced the Vectibix Cap, a price cap for out-of-pocket expenses for patients equaling 5 percent of their annual income, regardless of income level or insurance status."


from Merck:
Merck's New Cervical Cancer Vaccine, Gardasil®, Unanimously Recommended by CDC Advisory Panel for Vaccination of Girls and Women 11 to 26 Years
"...the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously to recommend that girls and women 11 to 26 years old be vaccinated with GARDASIL® ...to prevent cervical cancer, precancerous and low-grade lesions, and genital warts caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16 and 18. "


OTHER WEBSITES OF INTEREST

If you want to find out if that "forwarded" email is really true, check out SNOPES, the Urband Legends Reference Page that researches the validity of some circulating emails.

For a while emails were circulating (and still are) about dioxins and how freezing and microwaving plastic containers can release chemicals into our foods and cause cancer. This is an urban legend. If you are concerned about microwaving food, dioxins, and cooking with plastics, the following two sites have helpful, reliable information on those topics:

Tips from the FDA on how to microwave food (imho, take a few more minutes and use the oven; toss the microwave).

What are dioxins? How do I cook with plastic? Rolf Holden, PhD. from the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, answers these questions and more.