from St. Jude:

Study of leukemia survivors gives hints for better care
"The longest follow-up study ever conducted with survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) shows the importance of monitoring former patients through the years. This process will help clinicians identify complications that might develop and modify current treatments to reduce those risks, according to St. Jude investigators."


from the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology:

IMRT Allows Higher Radiation Therapy Dose for Breast Cancer
"Women with breast cancer who receive higher doses of radiation with IMRT each day can reduce their treatment time by two weeks without increasing side effects, according to a study released today in the June 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology."


from M.D. Anderson

Sunscreen and Summer Sun Safety
"As part of National Skin Cancer Awareness Month this May, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is encouraging everyone to learn more about the proper application of sunscreen to lower their lifetime risk of developing skin cancer."


from the American Institute for Cancer Research:

Soda: The Newest Health Food?
"One thing’s for certain, America has a soft drink habit...This spring, Coke is launching a “nutrient-enhanced” version of Diet Coke, which, according to the nutrition label, includes 25 percent of the recommended daily allowance of several B vitamins, as well as 15 percent of the RDA for magnesium and zinc.
Pepsi is also rolling out new “healthy” drinks they call “sparkling beverages” (“soda” is so 20th century), including the vitamin-fortified Tava and Diet Pepsi Max, an energy drink with increased caffeine and ginseng. Soda executives call diet and light sodas their “health and wellness brands..."

from the American Cancer Society:

Psychosocial Support for Cancer Survivors Needs Strengthening
"While one in four cancer survivors participates in a support group after diagnosis, use of support groups varies considerably by cancer type, and few survivors receive referrals to such programs from their physicians, according to a new study. Published in the June 15, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study finds that cancer survivors are more likely to attend a support group compared to people with other chronic conditions, but there is little active support for such use by treating physicians."

Mammography Rates Declining In the United States
"Since 2000 mammography rates have declined significantly in the United States, according to a new study."

from Discovery Health

Podcast Your Story
Click on the link above to see how you can share your story with others!


from the American Cancer Society:

Study Links Breast Cancer Decline to Quitting Hormones
"The new findings show that breast cancer rates stabilized at that new lower level between 2003 and 2004 -- as did use of HRT. Moreover, the decline in breast cancer incidence was seen only in women 50 or older (those most likely to have used hormone therapy) and was greater for estrogen-receptor-positive tumors (the kind fueled by hormone therapy) compared to those with no estrogen receptors.
This suggests that declining hormone use was the primary factor behind the drop in breast cancer, according to lead researcher Peter Ravdin, PhD, MD, and his colleagues."

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 American Cancer Society:


American Cancer Society Report Finds Signs that Cancer Progress Could Stall
"An annual report from the American Cancer Society finds that despite recent declines in cancer death rates, there are worrisome signs that progress could stall."

Many Women Undertreated for Ovarian Cancer
"The study of hospital data from nine states found that women who were over 70, of African American or Hispanic race, or insured by Medicaid, were at greatest risk for undertreatment."


from National Public Radio:

Podcast from Journalist, Leroy Shievers, entitled My Cancer
"Leroy Sievers has spent a long career as a journalist covering war, genocide and natural disasters. Now after decades of observing other people's deaths, he is forced to contemplate his own. He's fighting cancer."