Birth Control Pill Has Prevented 100,000 Deaths in Past 50 Years
A new study has concluded that at least 100,000 deaths from ovarian cancer have been prevented worldwide by the contraceptive pill during the past 50 years. The study found that using oral contraceptives substantially reduces women’s risk of developing ovarian cancer.
Five Genes May Increase Risk of Prostate Cancer
A combination of five gene variants sharply raises the risk of prostate cancer, according to a new study. Along with family history, the gene combination accounted for nearly half of all cases in a study of Swedish men.
Down Syndrome Gene May Suppress Tumor Growth
People with Down syndrome are less likely to get some cancers, according to a report from Johns Hopkins researchers. The researchers say that the extra copy of one gene might help block cancers. As many as 95% of Down syndrome cases are caused by trisomy 21, in which a baby has three rather than two copies of chromosome 21.
Saliva Test May Help Detect Breast Cancer
Scientists are developing a test that dentists could use to screen patients for breast cancer. The test checks saliva for marker proteins that give an early warning of the disease.
Virtual Biopsy Possible With Skin Scanner
A noninvasive diagnostic tool to detect surface cancers quickly and painlessly using technology currently used to calculate body composition has been developed by an Australian physicist. The experimental technique measures irregularities in cells, allowing for a “virtual biopsy” of suspicious lesions without the need to cut and test the skin in a laboratory.
Copay May Be a Deterrent to Getting Mammograms
Small insurance copayments are enough of a deterrent to keep many older women from getting mammograms to detect breast cancer, according to a recent study. Screening rates were 8.3% lower for women in insurance plans requiring a copay than in plans that picked up the full cost of mammograms.
Giant Database Allows Scientists to Share Information
Researchers at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Rutgers University are collaborating with IBM on a project that is hoped will unleash the power of supercomputer technology in the fight against cancer. In an effort to improve cancer care, researchers are creating a giant digital database designed to allow oncologists and scientists to share vital information. The new computer system will allow physicians and researchers worldwide to access the latest developments in cancer research and treatment, specifically more than 100,000 cancer tissue microarrays, which will allow new samples to be simultaneously compared and multiple experiments to be conducted on the samples in shorter periods of time.
For more details about these news stories, see Just In and New Treatments, New Hope in the May issue.
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