Articles

University of Utah School of Medicine researchers have found compelling evidence that Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer and melanoma. Research analysis shows this increased cancer risk also extends to close and distant relatives of individuals with PD, a progressive neurologic condition that leads to tremors and difficulty with walking, movement, and coordination. This is the first time that an increased risk of prostate cancer has been reported in PD.

Women with type 2 diabetes are nearly 30% more likely to get breast cancer, according to a comprehensive review of 40 separate studies examining the potential link between breast cancer and diabetes. The analysis, by researchers at the International Prevention Research Institute (i-PRI), Lyon, is published in the British Journal of Cancer.

A new study, published online in the journal Cancer Causes and Control, shows that smoking during the middle-aged years significantly increases a patient’s risk of dying of cancer.

Northwestern Medicine researchers discovered that there is a greater risk of dying of cancer for male smokers than for female smokers. However, both male and female smokers are much more likely than nonsmokers to die of the disease.

An international study published in BMJ online included almost 2000 women with BRCA faults from the Netherlands, France, and the UK between 2006 and 2009. Researchers sought to determine if variations in DNA increased the risk of breast cancer after a patient’s exposure to low doses of radiation.

A new device for breast cancer screening has been approved for women with dense breast tissue who have a negative mammogram and no symptoms of breast cancer. The FDA has approved the somo-v Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS), the first ultrasound device for use in combination with a standard mammography of dense breast tissue.

The specially shaped transducer of the somo-v ABUS can automatically scan the entire breast in about 1 minute to produce several images for review.

Breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy are at risk for mild cognitive deficits following treatment, according to a large meta-analysis conducted by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center. Analysis showed that on average, study participants experienced mild impairments in verbal abilities and visuospatial abilities. Study authors stated that cognitive functioning varied across survivors. Some patients reported no impairments, and others reported more severe deficiencies.

According to research presented at the 2012 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology, Hispanics/Latinos with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have a higher overall survival compared to non-Hispanic white patients.

Men with prostate cancer treated with hormone therapy intermittently respond as well as those treated continuously. The stop-start treatments allows for quality-of-life benefits, too, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Study results showed the benefits for patients treated with intermittent therapy included fewer urinary problems and hot flushes, as well as improved libido and erectile function.

In the first week following breast cancer surgery, women are up to 3 times more likely to have severe pain if they already experience other painful conditions, such as arthritis, low back pain, and migraine, according to a Cancer Research UK study published in the British Journal of Cancer.

According to a detailed comparison of the SEER-17 (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results) for the years 1999-2003 and the years 2004-2008, patients with stage I, non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with radiation therapy have an increased median survival of 21 months (2004-2008) compared with 16 months (1999-2003). Furthermore, the percentage of patients who receive no treatment for NSCLC declined from 20% for the years 1999-2003 to 16% for the years 2004-2008.