Study: Advanced Breast Cancer Rates on the Rise for Women 25-39

According to an analysis of more than 30 years of data from the U.S. National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, metastatic breast cancer rates in young women have increased about 2 percent each year since 1976. Metastatic cancer is cancer that has spread from the place of origin to other parts of the body.

Results of the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, show that out of every 100,000 American women aged 25 to 39, 1.53 were diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 1976, and 2.90 were diagnosed in 2009. Women 25 to 39 years old were the only age group to see such a significant increase – and the increase was similar among all races, ethnicities and regions.

The study’s authors did not give a reason for the increase, but suggested that the trend could be related to lifestyle factors such as:

Diet
Exercise
Obesity
Earlier onset of menstruation
Use of birth control
Delayed pregnancy

They also pointed out that the fact that cancer rates in young women are rising steadily and that no cause has been determined is worrying. This is due to the fact that:

There is no recommended routine screening practice for young women
Women in this age group are less likely to have health insurance
Cancer tends to behave more aggressively in the young

Overall, cancer in young women is still relatively rare – only 7 percent of cases in the U.S. involve women under 40. However, it doesn’t hide the fact that this there is a growing problem.

Though women don’t necessarily need to run out and start getting mammograms at a younger age, it is important for them to be aware of the risk – and for their doctors to be aware of it, as well. Starting at the age of 20, women should have a clinical breast exam done by a healthcare provider once a year.

Who You Gonna Call? CANCER-MYTH-BUSTERS!

Not ALL brain cancers need to be operated on! There are alternative non-invasive treatments available, such as radiosurgery

Our resident Blogger Nurse, Robyn Nazar RN, clears up some common myths and misconceptions about brain tumors.

This year, Cancer Awareness Day-ran by the Union for International Cancer Control-is on a myth busting mission. Focusing on four primary misconceptions about cancer, the day aims to break down the ivory towers of suspicion and misunderstanding that surround cancer.

They aim to put the record straight.

Naturally, there are hundreds of misconceptions about cancer. Cancer Awareness Day focuses on four:

Myth 1: Cancer is just a health issue

Myth 2: Cancer is a disease of the wealthy, elderly and developed countries

Myth 3: Cancer is a death sentence

Myth 4: Cancer is my fate

As a member of the health care community, I decided to get involved and use my own myth busting skills, to tackle myth number #3: Cancer is a death sentence.

Concentrating on brain cancer, a cancer that will affect 69,720 American’s in 2013, I investigated these common misconceptions, which attribute to the idea that brain cancer is a death sentence.

MYTH: Open brain surgery is the only option available to treat a malignant (cancerous) brain tumor.

TRUTH: Known as a craniotomy in the world of surgery, open brain surgery is the most common treatment for malignant brain tumors, HOWEVER it is not the only option.

Dr. Lipani, a leading expert in brain and spine radiosurgery, finds that:

Many patients are unaware of the non-invasive or knifeless option for treatment of brain tumors

These knifeless options are radiotherapy, radiosurgery and chemotherapy, which, depending on the case, may be used alone, or together to tackle and kill cancerous brain cells. They do not carry the same risk of infection and tissue damage as brain surgery.

Radiotherapy and radiosurgery in particular, is extremely important for the treatment of brain and indeed other cancers. Cancer Awareness Day advocates the message that:

Radiotherapy should be included in EVERY country’s cancer treatment plan, as it is a good quality, affordable and an effective cancer treatment

MYTH: Metastatic brain cancer cannot be controlled.

TRUTH: Although 10-30% of cancer patients will develop brain metastasis, radiology experts find with the new technology available in this field, that they manage to control metastasis in 98% of patients. Ninety Eight PERCENT! That does not sound like an uncontrollable disease to me.

MYTH: Radiological treatment of brain cancer will damage a person’s sensory (one or more of their 5 senses), movement and cognitive (thinking) function.

TRUTH: Remember how I mentioned above that there are many new technologies available in radiotherapy? Yes? Great. New technology in radiotherapy means that we control better than EVER before, the delivery of radiation to cancer cells, via a new system called radiosurgery.

One such technology is CyberKnife (which has nothing to do with knives!). Developed in Stanford in 1994 by the respected John R. Adler, Jr. MD, Cyberknife technology delivers radiation SO precisely that it is said to “paint” the tumor with radiation. It is unmatched by other radiotherapy and radiosurgery delivery systems. The way in which CyberKnife pin points the tumor, means that surrounding healthy tissue is spared.

This new technology also uses image guided software. This means, the radiation delivery is extremely sensitive. Any slight patient and/or tumor movement can be picked up immediately; also ensuring surrounding health tissue is not damaged.

Sounds great doesn’t it? Perhaps a little complicated? Like it could be an intense and heavy procedure? Think again. Expert radiologists actually schedule some patients radio sessions during their patients lunch breaks from work!

Phew! I am a little tired after all that myth busting, if you still have energy, check out the World Cancer Day website for more information about Cancer Myths!

According to Consumer Reports: Cancer Tests to Avoid

For the first time, Consumer Reports has rated 11 different cancer screening tests, taken by millions of patients every year. The magazine found most of these tests should be avoided.

A just-released analysis of the latest research and extensive expert interviews reveals that many cancer tests have been oversold to the general population, and the risks of some outweigh the benefits.

According to the Consumer Reports, the message that people have nothing to lose and everything to gain from being screened – that is, to be tested for a cancer before you have any symptoms of it – simply isn’t true.

The screening tests that a person should get are for colon cancer for people ages 50 to 75, mammography for breast cancer for women 50 to 74 every other year, and pap smears for cervical cancer for women 21 to 65 every three years.

Some of the tests listed as inadvisable include ovarian, pancreatic, testicular, lung, prostate, bladder, oral, and skin. These are the tests in which the risks outweigh the potential benefits.

The two most worthy of discussion are screening tests for prostate cancer and ovarian cancer. In both cases, Dr. John Santa, who runs the Health Ratings Unit at Consumer Reports, those tests are very unlikely to result in saving your life, but can definitely result in significant biopsies, surgeries that can hurt a person.

Asked what people should do concerning preventative care, Santa said, “We’re supposed to get current. The modern thinking about cancer is much more nuanced. We need to get away from the cookbook that all prevention is good for you, that all preventive tests are good for you. They’re not. You need to sit down with somebody who knows what they’re talking about, your doctor usually, and figure out what are the best screening tests for you. Not get it out of a mobile van.”

“These are guidelines for the general population. If you have a family history or medical factors that put you at higher risk, work with your doctor to determine the cancer screenings you need and when to have them,” Dr. Santa said.

To read more about the report, click here. It will be published in the March 2013 edition of Consumer Reports.

Skin Cancer Risk From Tanning Beds Worse Than Thought

Researchers have warned that using an artificial tanning bed has more than double the skin cancer risk than spending the same length of time in the Mediterranean midday summer sun, and in some cases the risk is six times higher.

The tanning bed, along with the sun itself, is a large source of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and overexposure to this radiation, regardless of whether the source is artificial or natural, can cause a number of health problems such as skin cancer.

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer, and is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common form of cancer for young people 15-29 years old.

The research, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, tested the tanning beds and compared skin cancer risk with the same amount of time spent in the midday Mediterranean sun.

Scientists at the University of Dundee in the UK found that the risk of skin cancer from sunbeds is at least double that from the sun. They tested the levels of UV radiation from 402 tanning beds in England and found that nine out of ten emit radiation levels that are above British and European Union standards.

On average, the strength of radiation was almost double the recommended limit. One of the beds tested produced a risk six times higher than the sun’s rays.

In 2010, 12,818 people in the UK were diagnosed with malignant melanoma skin cancer, and 2,746 people died from from condition. Comparatively, in the US, 61,646 people were diagnosed with melanomas of the skin, and 9,199 people died.

Tanning beds have long been a source of controversy. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have warned and continue to promote the dangers associated with exposure to the UV radiation administered by tanning beds.

Exposure to UV light, accounts for 90 percent of the symptoms of premature skin ageing and sun damage such as skin cancer. Although the findings are alarming, damage from tanning beds is perhaps one of the most preventable types of skin damage.

Biking to work; great for heart, damaging to lungs.

Everyone is doing it. New immigrants do it more than U.S. citizens. Men are three times more likely to do it than women. If you are from the west you will do it more than those down south.

Biking to working is a new trend sweeping the United States. In New York City 200,000 people bike to work daily. Between 2008-2009 there was a 26% increase in the city of the amount of people hitting the street with their bike.

What are the reasons for this increase? A survey of 2,400 cyclists reported that people do it for both environmental as well as economic reasons. With the prices of fuel in the U.S. rising, as well as cities become more populated, cyclists save money on gas and heavy city parking costs.

Unsurprisingly, 95% of cyclists report that they were mainly influenced to cycle due to the associated health benefits. The average bike commute is about 35 minutes, which meets the American Heart Association’s guidelines for daily exercise.

However a risk factor that cyclist’s often overlook, is that daily, they are exposed to harmful toxins and pollutants. Although daily exercise has endless benefits for heart function, the long term exposure to air pollution does increase the incidence of cardiopulmonary and lung cancer mortality.

Wearing a mask to combat air pollution may be something associated with heavily populated cities like Beijing however the need for respiratory protective masks in the U.S. is increasing. Pictures showing a the filters of a mask post cycling commute in London really highlight how much toxins are entering commuters lungs daily in a city (London’s air pollution is comparable with New York City’s pollution).

More research is needed to prove the long term maladies associated with commuting in a heavily populated and polluted city. However, cyclists have been warned to take necessary precautions when cycling to work in cities to protect their future pulmonary function.

New Lung Cancer Vaccine from Cuba Gives Lung Cancer Patients New Hope

A new therapeutic lung cancer vaccine has been developed and patented in Cuba by the Center for Molecular Immunology (C.I.M.).

The anti-body called Racotumomab underwent clinical trials in 86 countries. Ana Maria Vazquez, a specialist at the center has quoted that although this vaccine is not a cure for lung cancer, it can greatly improve the quality of life for those diagnosed with this aggressive disease.

Racotumomab combats the lung cancer by reducing cancer cells, which in turn minimize the presence of tumors.

In its clinical trials the vaccine increased survival rates, and, proved to have good safety and tolerance levels.

The vaccine presently is available in Cuba and is also for export to Argentina.

This is the second lung cancer vaccine that has been developed by the C.I.M. in Cuba. Their first vaccine for lung cancer, CIMAvax-EGF was also shown to be successful in fighting aggressive later stage lung cancer, by turning it into a manageable chronic disease.

In a country like cuba where lung cancer is the 2^nd post prevalent type of cancer, this new vaccine is welcome news. As many as 5,000 Cuban citizens are in the end stages of this disease.

And the rest of the world? In the United States more people die of lung cancer when compared to other types of cancer. It affects both men and women equally. In 2008 208,493 people were diagnosed with lung cancer. 158,592 of this people went on to die from their diagnosis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This vaccine is still very new, but hopefully for lung cancer suffers it won’t be too long before it becomes an international export.

Could you be suffering from vitamin D deficiency?

The sun, with its harmful UV rays, has often been touted as the enemy of cancer. With long sun exposure being linked to the development of skin cancer, we layer on the sun cream trying to protect every fold of skin with the cream’s UV fighting properties.

However, the conundrum arises, when, now experts are linking Vitamin D deficiency to the cause of some cancers. It has been suggested that vitamin D could prevent cancers of the colon, breast, pancreas and prostate.

Vitamin D, a fat soluble vitamin is clearly central to human health. Deficiency in this vitamin has been linked to not only the development of cancer, but also, type 1 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Having many health benefits it:
· Helps reduce inflammation

· Helps absorption of calcium in the small intestine

· Helps improve muscle strength

· Helps improve immune function

· Helps maintain calcium and phosphate levels in blood. Which are needed for bone formation, growth and repair.

Luckily vitamin D is free and ready to be absorbed, as, our main source of Vitamin D is the sun. The skin changes the UBV photons of light into vitamin D. Great news for physicians such as Michael F. Morrow M.D. and other cardiologist Florida as living in the sunshine state, vitamin D is nearly always readily available for the general population. However it can become tricky to get a good source of vitamin D if one does not have access to regular sunlight, or due to skin cancer awareness blocks the absorption of vitamin D.

As exposure to sunlight has been linked to cancers, especially those of the skin people often use creams and clothes to protect their skin from the sun’s rays. However it has been reported that factor 8 sun cream reduces the skins production of vitamin D by 95% and factor 15 reduces it by 99%.
People with more melanin (natural substance in skin that humans developed in equatorial regions that acts as natural sun protection in skin) need 10-50 times more sun exposure (depending on level of melanin in their skin) when compared to those who have no melanin in their skin as they do not absorb the same amounts of vitamin D from the sun.

It must also be noted that it is of vital importance that people absorb their vitamin D from sunlight as vitamin D is not readily available in most of the human diet. Although it can be found in oily fish and some fortified breads and milks.

The solution to getting the vitamin D rays without overexposing oneself and risking skin cancer? Perhaps finding a balance.

Depending on your melanin level in the skin you may need only a small bit of exposure to sunlight to get vitamin D, when compared to those with higher melanin levels (they will need more). Moderate exposure on hands, face and arms, or arms and legs is all that is recommended to get adequate levels of vitamin D.

If you are worried about low vitamin D levels you should make an appointment with your physician who will be able to test your blood for vitamin D deficiency.