Age and Rate of Cancer

According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, children who have survived cancer are more likely than the general population to have cancer return. Those who were first diagnosed under the age of 15 were most likely to have a tumor either in the central nervous system or non-melanoma skin cancer.

Adults older than 40 and experiencing their first diagnosis were more likely to develop a new tumor in the digestive, urinary or genital tracts.

Whereas the general 60-year old population may develop tumors at the rate of 8.4%, cancer survivors develop them at the rate of 13.9%.

Childhood cancer survivors who were treated with direct radiation near their abdominal or pelvic region may develop colorectal cancer in particular by the age of 50.

Genetic Test Identifies Certain High Risk Cancer Patients

German researchers report that a genetic test seems to be able to identify stage II colon cancer patients who have a higher risk of recurrence.

According to cancer experts, "this would be a huge help to doctors in determining which patients need follow-up treatment after initial surgery and which do not, and it would be an improvement on existing ways to predict recurrence."

80% of stage II colon cancer patients are cured with surgery. The new test aids in decision-making on chemotherapy and radiation.

Dr. Robert Rosenberg at University Hospital, Technical University, Munich, said that those patients identified as high risk by the test were over four times as likely to develop a distant metastasis.

Cancer Cells May Be Able to Urge Own Death

Researchers are hopeful they can influence cancer cells.

In a study published online in December, 2010, it was announced that "many cancer cells are equipped with a kind of suicide pill." A protein found on their surfaces give them the ability to send an "eat me" signal to immune cells to destroy them.

Radiation Before Surgery, A Possible Deterrent to Recurrence of Rectal Cancer

Robert Preidt wrote for Medline Plus Monday, october 25, 2010, that a new Dutch study found that patients who receive short-term radiation before surgery for rectal cancer "are about 50 percent less likely to experience a return of their cancer."

After studying more than 1,800 rectal cancer patients, Dr. Corrie Marjnen suspects that "tumors in the middle rectum and stage III rectal cancer patients will most greatly benefit from receiving radiation before surgery."

Hope For Blood Cancer Patients

Having two cousins with multiple myeloma (one passed away) makes me pay special attention to any advances toward improving her survival.

In a study published December 4, 2010, researchers found that treating multiple myeloma patients early with a type of bisphosphonate called zoledronic acid improved survival. It also bolstered bone health and the risk of fracture and bone pain, common to the disease.

Of the 1,960 multiple myeloma participants, about half were treated with zoledronic acid in combination with either intensive or non-intensive chemotherapy. Even though chemotherapy intensity did not appear to affect fatality or survival outcomes, those taking zoledronic acid in proper dosages had notably higher survival rates.

Medical Marvel: Cold Caps Save Hair During Chemotherapy

On ABC this morning there was a segment about a medical marvel--about 70% of breast cancer (and some other cancers) patients may save their hair by applying cold caps during chemotherapy. It's not an easy process changing the caps every 30 minutes for 7 hours but my cousin vouches that it has preserved all her hair (and she even grew some!) with her 3rd (or 4th?) bout of chemotherapy treatments for her Stage 4 colon cancer.

She contacted Penguin Cold Cap creator Frank Fronda and through him met a woman in her area who had successfully used the caps. Not only did this woman attend Eve's chemotherapy appointments, she graciously helped and instructed Eve's dream team how to properly apply the caps.

If you or someone you know has cancer and is traumatized about losing their hair, check into this treatment. It cannot help with all kinds of cancer (leukemia, etc.) but it can give you hope.

However, we are reminded (and I ardently agree) that just like a man is not his car, a woman is not her hair.

Cancer Studies: News Releases

According to a 7/13/10 news release in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a study called Indiana Cancer Pain and Depression (NCPAD) shed more insight into cancer pain and depression. Included were 405 patients in 16 community-based urban and rural cancer practices.

Half were part of the intervention group, some experiencing depression or pain only and some experiencing both. They were assessed at the beginning, one month, three month, six month and 12 months. The patients in this group received automated home-based symptom monitoring by interactive voice recording or the Internet and centralized telecare management by a doctor-nurse specialist team.

This group of 202 patients reported significants improvements in both pain and depression, suggesting that collaborative care intervention (human and automated) is an effective way to treat both the physical and psychological conditions often associated with cancer.

On 7/14/10 the American College of Cardiology reported that an increase in HDL or the good cholesterol lowers your chances of getting cancer. In the study, participants who increased their HDL by 10 mg had a 36% greater chance of not contracting the disease.

Ways for us to increase our HDL include:

Losing excess weight

Getting plenty of exercise

Certain medications

Proton Therapy: Radiation As Cancer Treatment

Proton therapy targets radiation directly into cancerous cells. The proton beam is more precise than traditional radiation therapy and will not damage surrounding tissue, reported Gerry Smith (McClatchy News Service).

More long-term studies need to be conducted on this form of cancer treatment, however. The Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality questions whether the additional expense is cost-effective when many cancers can be treated effectively with other radiation therapies.

For more on cancer treatments, visit 50somethinginfo.com.