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Health Diaries > Health News > Cancer News > August 2005



August 29, 2005

Melatonin May Increase Cancer Survival Rate

A natural therapy could help improve cancer patients' survival rates, according to a new study. Use of the hormone melatonin is linked to a substantial improvement in survival after one year. (Ivanhoe.com)

Posted by news editor at 6:53 PM | Comments (0)

Battle Over Bloodroot Cancer Salve Continues

Curtis Brown carries business cards with old pictures of his tumors, including an egg-sized growth on his neck. He says they were each shed after the application of a flesh-eating paste containing the medicinal herb bloodroot. "I cured myself of cancer," the cards read ... Georgia's medical board and the Food and Drug Administration don't share Brown's enthusiasm for the paste. (ABC News)

Posted by news editor at 6:36 PM | Comments (0)

August 28, 2005

Skin Cancer Risk and Redheads

Redheads sunburn easily, but that may not be the only reason they are at high risk of skin cancer. New research suggests the pigment that colors their skin may set them up for cancer-spurring sun damage even if they do not burn. (Yahoo!)

Posted by news editor at 6:00 PM | Comments (0)

August 26, 2005

August Wilson Dying from Liver Cancer

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson has been diagnosed with liver cancer and told a newspaper in his native Pittsburgh that he is dying. Wilson, 60, who lives in Seattle, was diagnosed with the ailment in June. (startribune.com)

Posted by news editor at 9:38 AM | Comments (0)

August 24, 2005

Testicular Cancer Linked to Mother's Weight

Pregnant women's weight is apparently associated with the subsequent risk of testicular cancer in male offspring once they become adults, according to a Scandinavian study. (Reuters)

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Colon Cancer and Aspirin

Long-term use of aspirin does help ward off colon cancer, but only at high doses that could cause gastrointestinal bleeding, researchers said on Tuesday. (MSNBC)

Posted by news editor at 8:22 AM | Comments (0)

August 23, 2005

Brock Peters Dies from Pancreatic Cancer

Actor Brock Peters, best known for his heartbreaking performance as the black man falsely accused of rape in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” died Tuesday at his home after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 78. (MSNBC)

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Robert Moog Dies of Inoperable Brain Tumor

Robert Moog, the creator of the electronic music synthesizer that bears his name and that became ubiquitous among experimental composers as well as rock musicians in the 1960's and 70's, died on Sunday at his home in Asheville, N.C. He was 71.

The cause was an inoperable brain tumor, discovered in April, his daughter Michelle Moog-Koussa said. (New York Times)

Posted by news editor at 4:42 AM | Comments (0)

August 22, 2005

Early Signs of Ovarian Cancer

Many women diagnosed with ovarian cancer actually complained of symptoms of the disease at least four months before they were diagnosed, according to a new study to be published in the October 1, 2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. (medicalnewstoday.com)

Posted by news editor at 5:09 PM | Comments (0)

August 17, 2005

Obesity and Prostate Cancer Risk

Men who are overweight are more likely than thinner men to be diagnosed with prostate cancers that are less likely to be detected on screening and more likely to be aggressive, according to a report in the medical journal Urology. (Reuters UK)

Posted by news editor at 1:43 AM | Comments (0)

August 16, 2005

Researchers Find Stem Cells for Brain Tumors

Some types of brain cancer may start with specialized stem cells, researchers said in a report that could lead to new treatments for hard-to-treat brain tumors. (Reuters)

Posted by news editor at 5:55 AM | Comments (0)

August 15, 2005

Armstrong Urges More Money for Cancer Research

Seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong said yesterday that the United States, which is embroiled in a costly war in Iraq, should focus more effort on a war facing many Americans -- the one against cancer. (Boston Globe)

Posted by news editor at 4:48 AM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2005

Battle Over Bloodroot Paste Used on Cancer Patients

Georgia's board of medical examiners has accused Lois March, an ear, nose and throat specialist, of aiding and abetting Dan Raber's practice over the last three years by providing pain medication to patients who had received the [bloodroot paste] treatments. One patient's flesh was eaten so badly from his shoulder that the bone was exposed. (Washington Post)

Posted by news editor at 5:18 PM | Comments (0)

August 12, 2005

Prostate Cancer and Testosterone

Prostate cancer developed in 20 men within months to a few years after they began testosterone supplementation to correct a deficiency of the hormone, investigators report. (Reuters)

Posted by news editor at 2:29 PM | Comments (0)

Pollution Linked to Childhood Cancer

Exposure soon after birth, or even before, to combustion gases and particularly engine exhaust, is strongly linked to the development of childhood cancers like leukemia, according to a report from the UK. (MSNBC)

Posted by news editor at 6:41 AM | Comments (0)

August 11, 2005

Diet and Prostate Cancer Studied

A radical ultra low-fat diet and other lifestyle changes may help keep early-stage prostate cancer from worsening, says the first attempt to test the theory. (Yahoo!)

Posted by news editor at 5:52 AM | Comments (0)

Jennings Thought He Would Beat Lung Cancer

ABC anchorman Peter Jennings believed he would beat the advanced lung cancer that ultimately took his life Sunday. "The amazing thing was he really stayed Peter," his ex-wife, Kati Marton, told "Inside Edition." (New York Daily News)

Posted by news editor at 5:46 AM | Comments (0)

August 10, 2005

Barbara Bel Geddes Dies of Lung Cancer

Barbara Bel Geddes, the actress who played Miss Ellie Ewing on the TV series Dallas, has died of lung cancer at the age of 82.

"Bel Geddes was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress for the 1948 drama I Remember Mama and was the original Maggie the Cat on Broadway in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ... But she was best known as the matriarch of the rambunctious Ewing oil family on Dallas, which hurtled to the top of the ratings despite negative reviews." (Houston Chronicle)

Posted by news editor at 6:00 PM | Comments (0)

Gene Test Could Save Men from Prostate Cancer Surgery

The Checkerboard Tissue Microarray (TMA) method, developed by scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research, looks for the multiple markers of various genes associated with prostate cancer - including the E2F3 gene. "Overexpression" of E2F3 - first identified by the institute - is a marker of how aggressive cancer will be. (scotsman.com)

Posted by news editor at 9:04 AM | Comments (0)

Lung Cancer in Nonsmokers

Most lung cancers occur in smokers, but nonsmoker Dana Reeve’s situation isn’t as uncommon as it appears. Like Reeve, widow of “Superman” star Christopher Reeve, 1 in 5 women diagnosed with the disease never lit a cigarette, doctors say. Yet they share an unfortunate stigma with cancer patients who smoked. (MSNBC)

Posted by news editor at 8:09 AM | Comments (0)

August 9, 2005

Dana Reeve Battling Lung Cancer

Dana Reeve, wife of the late Christopher Reeve, is battling lung cancer. She released a statement today that read, in part: "I have recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and am currently undergoing treatment. I have an excellent team of physicians and we are optimistic about my prognosis." (Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation)

Posted by news editor at 6:22 AM | Comments (0)

August 7, 2005

Peter Jennings Dies from Lung Cancer

Nearly four months to the day since he announced in a hoarse voice on his evening newscast that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, longtime ABC "World News Tonight" anchor Peter Jennings died Sunday, according to the ABC News network. He was 67. (CNN.com)

Posted by news editor at 9:33 PM | Comments (0)

Fiber and Colon Cancer

Fiber is already recommended as part of a healthy diet, but new studies now show that along with its other benefits, dietary fiber helps prevent colon cancer. (ajc.com)

Posted by news editor at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)

August 5, 2005

Milk and Ovarian Cancer

High intakes of whole milk and lactose might be associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer, suggests a review of 21 published studies. (HealthDay News)

Posted by news editor at 3:20 PM | Comments (0)

Study Says Melanoma Overdiagnosed in U.S.

The increase in rates of melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, in the United States in recent years may reflect heightened diagnostic scrutiny rather than a true increase in new cases, the results of a study suggest. (UPMC Cancer Centers)

Posted by news editor at 3:27 AM | Comments (0)

August 3, 2005

Broccoli May Prevent or Slow Bladder Cancer

Working in the laboratory, U.S. researchers found that certain compounds in broccoli appear to interfere with bladder cancer cells -- especially aggressive cells that tend to spread quickly around the body. (UPMC Cancer Centers)

Posted by news editor at 8:53 PM | Comments (0)

Diabetes and Pancreatic Cancer

Middle-aged and older Americans who are newly diagnosed with diabetes also appear to have a higher risk of deadly pancreatic cancer, according to a study published Tuesday. (Reuters)

Posted by news editor at 3:56 PM | Comments (0)