Cancer Warrior, The Judah Folkman and other researchers pioneer a novel approach to cancer treatment.
2008
Tuesday 24 June 2008 TORONTO: CANCER SOCIETY WARNS ABOUT CIGARILLOS
The Canadian Cancer Society has called for a government ban on the sale of cigarillos. The lobby was reacting to the 2006-2007 Youth Smoking Survey by the University of Waterloo which found that 35 per cent of Grade 10 to 12 students had tried cigars or cigarillos. According to the Society, cigarillos are attractive to young smokers because they come in such flavours as vanilla, chocolate, strawberry or mint but are just as liable to cause cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, lungs and esophagus as standard cigarettes.
Tuesday 20 May 2008
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MIXING IT UP FOR MEDICINE
The National, the Post, and the Citizen go inside with a vote in the British parliament that opens the door for the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos. The country’s parliament defeated an amendment that would have banned inter-species stem cell research, giving a legal seal of approval to potentially life-saving work already being conducted by two groups of scientists. According to the Reuters article that runs in the Post and the Citizen, the vote seals Britain’s reputation as a leader in hybrid stem cell research, which remains illegal in many European countries, including France, Germany, and Italy. The technique involves injecting human DNA into animal cells, allowing scientists to extract stem cells used to research cures for diseases such as Parkinson’s. The law prohibits the hybrid embryos from being transferred to a human or animal, and stipulates that they must not be allowed to develop for longer than fourteen days. Still, critics of the research worry that the law opens the door for the genetic engineering of humans, and Catholic members of Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government, allowed to vote their conscience, voiced their opposition to the new measures. In a comprehensive review of Britain’s embryology laws, parliament stopped short of authorizing so-called “saviour siblings”—babies born from specially selected embryos in order to provide genetic material for ill relatives. Advocates of the practice laud it as a way to save the lives of children who are unable to find matching tissue donors, while critics argue that it might impact negatively on the lives of children born for the sole purpose of saving their siblings.
Josh Ginsberg is a Montreal-based MediaScout writer for Maisonneuve Magazine.
Tuesday 06 May 2008 Lasers May Treat Cancers of the Larynx
A new outpatient laser procedure could eliminate the need for radiation treatment for cancer of the larynx if the tumors are detected early.
Friday May 2, 2008 Study focuses on ovarian cancer
By the time a woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it's often too far advanced, says Dr. Lucy Gilbert, head of gynecological oncology at the McGill University Health Centre.
Gilbert heads a long-term research project called the DOVE study: Detecting Ovarian Cancer Early. It aims to identify a cluster of symptoms most common to the illness. But what is also needed is a diagnostic tool for women at risk of developing the disease at the early stages Gilbert said. The next step for DOVE is finding such a diagnostic probability tool, which would be made available on the Internet. Women wishing to participate in the DOVE project should call the hotline 1-866-716-3267 or visit www.muhc.ca/studies/dove
Saturday 19 April 2008 Breast checks 'benefit over-70s'
Women should be screened for breast cancer up to the age of 75, a study of over 860,000 women has suggested.
Thursday 10 April 2008 CANCER’S CRIPPLING MATH The National, CTV News, the Globe (not available online), the Star, and the Citizen go inside with a new trend analysis of cancer in Canada. A report released Wednesday by the Canadian Cancer Society has most of the Big Seven sharing the same handful of human-interest stories that illustrate what the numbers now claim: Heavy treatments given to children with cancer often result in life-long debilitating side effects. For example, as told by The National and the Globe, Toronto Blue Jays sales representative Trevor Johnson beat cancer twice as a child, at age four and age nine. Both times he was treated and dosed with heavy rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. Now, at twenty-three, he has chronic back problems, a damaged heart, stunted growth and a high risk of developing cancer again in adulthood. The Citizen speaks with Dr. Paul Grundy, chairman of the C17 Research Network and a pediatric oncologist, who explains that children with cancer are at risk of developing “late effects” of their disease even months after treatment.
As morbid as the Big Seven’s statistics may sound, there are positive signs buried in the mountains of statistics. The five-year survival rate for children with cancer is up 11 percentage points from a decade ago, and 82 percent of children diagnosed with cancer now survive for five years past diagnosis. The main concern of research now is to prevent what happened to Trevor Johnson from happening to the two-thirds of children with cancer who are expected to experience at least one late effect. The National reports that cancer will be diagnosed 166,400 times this year, and 850 of the diagnosed individuals will be younger than fourteen. CTV News adds that more than 73,000 people will die of cancer this year—one death every seven minutes, one new case diagnosed every three minutes.
Tuesday 12 February 2008 FREDERICTON: THOUSANDS OF MEDICAL TESTS NEED REVIEW
New Brunswick Health Minister Mike Murphy says that about 15,000 tests for breast and prostate cancer will have be be reviewed or repeated because of uncertainties about the work of a suspended pathologist. Mr. Murphy says most of the patients live in Miramichi in the east of the province. The minister says the situation is outrageous and possibly tragic because some patients have been misdiagnosed. Mr. Murphy didn't name the pathologist but said he has been suspended for over a year.
HEALTH BBC Monday 11 February 2008
Prostate cancer screening 'hope'
UK researchers have discovered seven new genes associated with prostate cancer, which could be used to find men at high-risk of the condition.
Thursday 01 November 2007 GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND EAT VEGETABLES The
National, CTV
News, and the
Globe front while the Post briefs (not available online) the release of
an enormous new study about diet and cancer. While the findings of the
study have an air of “well, duh” about
them—body fat is bad for you, fresh fruits and unprocessed grains
are good for you, red and processed meats are to be avoided, too much
alcohol will increase your risk of getting sick—they also, in their
depth and comprehensiveness, reveal surprising and often subtle
relationships between body shape and cancer risk. As the Globe reports,
tall people were found to be at greater risk for postmenopausal breast and
colorectal cancer, while high birth weight in women was highly correlated
with premenopausal breast cancer. Even a small amount of excess body fat
was shown to increase the risk of a whole range of cancers, and study
spokesperson Dr. Phillip James put it this way: “If you’re
already a bit fat, don’t get any fatter.” Over the words of
James and other doctors from the study, both of the broadcasts run B-roll
footage of fat people happily striding around in public, shot from the
neck down while smoking and eating fast food, contrasted with leaner,
sweatier types gamely huffing and puffing in aerobics classes. The
findings of the study sound more like a report on cardiovascular health
than cancer risk, but the lifestyle risk factors—and recommendations
for addressing them—are apparently quite similar in both cases. The
authors of the study suggest engaging in moderate exercise for an hour per
day, avoiding sugary drinks and favouring non-starchy fruits and
vegetables, and trying to get one’s vitamins and minerals from food
instead of supplements. Despite all the public worry about
carcinogenic chemicals in the environment and genetic factors, the effects
of fitness and diet were found to predominate in determining cancer risk as
smoking rates continue to decline.
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But in China, as in most other emerging economies, breast cancer is a relatively new concern, something that both patients and doctors are only haltingly learning how to treat. Previously a malady that mostly afflicted white, affluent women in the industrial hubs of North America and Western Europe, breast cancer is everywhere. Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America have all seen their caseloads spike. By 2020, 70% of all breast-cancer cases worldwide will be in developing countries.
Tuesday 21 August 2007 TORONTO: COALITION WANTS ACTION ON CARCINOGENS
A coalition of health groups has demanded that the Ontario government devise a strategy aimed a preventing cancer. The coalition includes such groups as Cancer Care Ontario, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Ontario Medical Association. The coalition expressed concern about such carcinogens as tobacco smoke, pesticides, industrial soot and tar, asbestos and automobile exhaust. The groups are demanding that the government require labels on such products identifying them as containing carcinogens, while at the same time launching a campaign to educate the public about the dangers of the substances. The coalition's report says that unless the substances are checked, they will cause tens of thousands of new cases a year. The document says 159,900 cases of cancer will be diagnosed this year, including more than 59,000 in Ontario.
Monday Jun 25, 2007 Stronach battling breast cancer
Liberal MP Belinda Stronach is recovering well in a Toronto hospital after undergoing surgery to treat...
Dion praises MP for strength, dignity as she recovers from surgery Breast cancer strikes one in nine
Canadian women. But the chances of complete recovery for Stronach are
high, as almost 90 per cent of breast cancer victims between the ages
of 30 and 49 survive.
Thursday 14 June 2007 Symptoms Found for Early Check on Ovary Cancer Cancer experts have identified a set of health problems that may be symptoms of ovarian cancer, and they are urging women who have them to see their doctors.
Tuesday 12 June 2007 Incentives Limit Any Savings in Treating Cancer
By ALEX BERENSON
The ballooning cost of cancer treatment offers an example of how difficult it may be to rein in the nation’s runaway health care spending.
Sunday 10 June 2007 rci VITAMIN SEEN AS HELPFUL AGAINST CANCER
The Canadian Cancer Society is recommending that Canadian adults consider taking a specific amount of Vitamin D. The recommendation comes after evidence linking the vitamin to reduced risk for colorectal, breast and prostate cancers. The recommendation also coincides with a study in a United States journal that found taking vitamin D supplements and calcium substantially reduced all cancer risk in post-menopausal women.
Friday 08 June 2007
Sweeping cancer edict: take vitamin D daily
Recommendation comes on heels of U.S. study suggesting supplement slashes risk of disease by as much as 60 per cent
...It follows a flurry of research suggesting the low-cost vitamin confers a high degree of protection against a wide variety of cancers. There are also striking study results suggesting that people who develop the disease often have low blood levels of vitamin D. Although it is not known how many of the approximately 160,000 cancer cases diagnosed annually in Canada might be avoided by regular popping of a vitamin D pill, the cancer society said these findings are so compelling it felt it had to start urging people to act on them.
Monday 05 March 2007 STRIPPING FOR A CAUSE CTV
News goes inside with the difficulties the Exotic Dancers of Canada
are facing in their efforts to raise money for cancer research. After four
years of annual fundraisers, which included silent auctions, t-shirt sales
and exotic shows, the B.C.-based group of strippers discovered this year
that the Breast
Cancer Society of Canada no longer wants to accept their donations.
“There’s nothing wrong with getting naked for charity,”
founder Trina Ricketts told CTV News. But in a letter of explanation to
the group, the Canadian Breast Cancer Society took a different position.
“As a result of donor disgruntlement … we have decided not to
accept any donations from what donors consider controversial
sources.” The initial media coverage associated with the refusal
spawned interest by other cancer groups looking for increased funding.
Eventually, a match was found between the dancers and the group Rethink
Breast Cancer. As Rethink’s executive director. M.J. Decoteau,
pointed out, the partnership was an easy fit because the disease does not
discriminate against women based on vocation. “All women are
affected by breast cancer, whether they're a Bay Street lawyer or an
exotic dancer,” CTV quoted him as saying.
Ceri
Auis an Ottawa-based MediaScout writer for
Maisonneuve Magazine.
June 15, 2006 Cancer: A day in the life .... There are 153,100 new cases a year in Canada, about 420 a day, and each day also brings an average of 193 cancer deaths, more than 70,000 a year. But those numbers hide a more complex tale, one that includes thousands of shaken families, excruciating loneliness, yearning loss and deep transformation.
Thursday Jan 5, 2006 nyt Gain Reported in Combating Ovary Cancer By DENISE GRADY A rarely used abdominal procedure can extend the lives of many women with advanced cases of ovarian cancer.
2005
Tuesday Dec 27, 2005 nyt Slowly, Cancer Genes Tender Their Secrets By GINA KOLATA Scientists are now finding that untangling the genetics of cancer is not impossible and are basing new treatments on their findings.
Wednesday Dec 21, 2005 nyt New Drug Points Up Problems in Developing Cancer Cures By GARDINER HARRIS Drug regulators will soon announce initiatives that they hope will help salvage cancer research, which is quietly undergoing a crisis.
Monday Nov 7, 2005 Reuters Genentech (DNA): DNA's fight against disease
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Many biotechnology companies are aggressively seeking ways to treat and cure this scourge of the modern era. One such company was at the beginning of the biotech revolution and it continues to make significant research advances. Genentech (DNA) recently scored on Reuters Select stock screens in three different categories. From the Growth arena, DNA showed up on the screen for Relative Momentum; from the Quality segment, DNA showed up on the screen for Strong Operating Margins; and from the Sentiment category, DNA appeared on the screen for High P/E Multiples. As such, DNA fits in nicely with this week's Reuters Select Top Down article series, which focuses on the Healthcare sector
Friday Oct 28, 2005 nyt Mammograms Validated as Key in Cancer Fight By GINA KOLATA A new study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute found that the screening test contributed to a pronounced drop in the death rate from breast cancer.
D&D
With all the anecdotal reports about waiting times (usually from critics
while happy patients seldom hit the news) this UK approach strikes me as
eminently sensible and worth implementing here.
David
Cancer guidelines from NICE aim to reduce variation in referral times
London Zosia Kmietowicz
New guidelines on referring patients with suspected cancer in England and
Wales have been launched by the National Institute for Health and Clinical
Excellence (NICE). Professor Peter Littlejohns, clinical and public health
director at NICE and executive lead for the guidelines, said that the
document "will help to ensure that people wherever they live in England and
Wales, who present in primary care with suspected cancer will benefit from
a consistent and coherent approach which is based on the best available
evidence."
The guidelines update previous recommendations from the Department of
Health published in 2000, taking account of new evidence from research and
from audits. They make recommendations on the diagnostic and referral
process for the most common cancers, including lung cancer, breast cancer,
skin cancer, upper and lower gastrointestinal cancer, and cancer in
children and young people.
For each cancer the guidelines list symptoms that should alert GPs to
referring patients either immediately (acute admission or referral within a
few hours), urgently (within two weeks), or non-urgently (all other
referrals). The recommendations are each graded according to the evidence
on which they are based.
Jan 1, 2004 ts An end to death from cancer?
ANAHEIM, CaLIF.—Death from cancer can be eliminated by 2015, thanks to an "explosion" in cancer research, the director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute said yesterday in a dramatic revelation.
Jan 1, 2004 ts Dr. Sheila Singh
ne day in the not-too-distant-future, there is hope that a diagnosis of brain cancer won`t carry with it an almost certain death sentence. That hope was born in a Toronto laboratory.
Sunday Dec 12, 2004 cbc NEW BREAST CANCER DRUG BETTER THAN TAMOXIFEN: DOCTORS
A standard treatment used to prevent breast cancer from returning should
be replaced by a newer drug, according to a study released on Wednesday.
Friday Dec 3, 2004 cbc INEX SHARES TUMBLE ON CANCER DRUG SETBACK
Shares of Inex Pharmaceuticals took a hammering on Thursday after a U.S.
Food and Drug Administration committee recommended against fast-track
approval for a cancer drug the company is jointly developing.
Tuesday Nov 30, 2004 ts Cancer vaccines proving elusive
FRANKFURT—With nearly 200 cancer vaccines in clinical development, scientists say, these new drugs will soon help prevent relapses of the disease.
Monday Nov 22, 2004 ts Cancer vaccines proving elusive
FRANKFURT—With nearly 200 cancer vaccines in clinical development, scientists say, these new drugs will soon help prevent relapses of the disease.
Monday Nov 22, 2004 ts $9M boost in cancer fight
OTTAWA—Work on developing new cancer drugs at Toronto`s Advanced Medical Discovery Institute will pick up the largest share of new federal money aimed at restoring world-class status to Canada`s cash-strapped health research facilities.
Sunday Sep 19, 2004 cbc VACCINE PROTECTS AGAINST 70% OF CERVICAL CANCERS: RESEARCH
A new vaccine provides 100-per-cent protection against two types of a
virus that causes cervical cancer, researchers reported Friday in the
medical journal The Lancet.
Nov 11, 2004 ts Cervical cancer vaccine hailed
A new vaccine that targets two types of a virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer — a disease that kills 250,000 worldwide (400 in Canada) annually — could drastically reduce the death toll.
Tuesday Oct 26, 2004 ts All-out war on cancer as family gives $25M
The battle against breast cancer just turned into an "all-out war."
Cancer & David Allan YMI
Tuesday Oct 5, 2004
BIOTECHNOLOGY Experimental cancer therapy David Allan, CEO of YM BioSciences, talks about the Canadian company's partnership with CancerVax to develop a cancer treatment based on drugs developed in Cuba. (9/30)
Saturday Aug 28, 2004 cbcCOLON CANCER TEST SHOWS TINY MISS RATE: STUDY
Doctors consider colonoscopy to be the gold standard method to screen
for colorectal cancer, but a new Canadian study suggests it can miss a
"concerning" number of cases.
Thursday Jul 29, 2004 ts MRIs valuable in cancer detection
NEW YORK—In women at high risk of breast cancer, new research suggests MRI scans find nearly twice as many tumours as mammograms do, but they cost a lot and trigger more unneeded biopsies.
Friday Jul 9, 2004 ts New clue to prostate danger
WASHINGTON—A sharp rise in the score on a test commonly used to screen for prostate cancer appears to offer a powerful way to identify men with the most dangerous tumours, researchers reported yesterday.
Health of nations
May 20th 2004
From The Economist print edition
Click to enlarge
Greater health-care spending does not necessarily lead to better outcomes, according to a new comparison of five industrialised countries published in Health Affairs, a journal. America spends more on medicine than Australia, Canada and New Zealand, yet it has worse survival rates for colorectal cancer and kidney transplants. All the countries in the chart could prevent flu-related deaths by vaccinating more old people.
Friday Apr 16, 2004 ts Canadian economy losing $14.2B to cancer
Cancer is costing the Canadian economy a staggering $14.2 billion a year — an amount that will soar over the next two decades without an all-out strategy to halt the disease`s progress, the Canadian Cancer Society warns.
BBC
NEW BREAST CANCER DRUG BETTER THAN TAMOXIFEN: DOCTORS
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