Cancer Blog

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is beginning to follow the footsteps of the British government with regard to stricter tanning bed policies.

We recently posted that the British government is trying to ban children 18 years old and younger from using tanning beds in their country.

In March, U.S. FDA advisors will be exploring stricter tanning bed regulations too, which could include more stringent warnings, by opening a public hearing.

According to an article posted in The Washington Post Monday, an FDA UV radiation specialist said the FDA doesn't "recommend using (tanning beds) at all, but we know people do use them so we want to make them as low-risk as possible."

What are your thoughts about tanning beds? Should there be stricter regulations? Should the U.S. follow suit with the British and try to ban children 18 and under from using the devices?

A simple blood test can help determine if a woman is at higher risk for developing breast and ovarian cancer, however, some experts say only 2 percent of the population should be tested for the cancer mutations.

According to a Newswise article posted Thursday, Dr. Sofia Merajver, director of the Breast and Ovarian Risk Evaluation Program at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, said "It’s very important that the right women seek out genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer. Cancer risk is more complex than a simple yes or no, and the test for genetic mutations is only part of the picture.”

It is suggested that women who want to undergo the genetic testing should consult with a genetic counselor and their physician in order to fully understand what the results of their test may mean, and if needed, review lifestyle changes in order to lower their risk.

To learn more about the cancers mentioned in this post, please visit our breast and ovarian cancer information pages.

As we approach the middle of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, British researchers claim a test called visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) could save 100,000 women from cervical cancer in developing countries every year.

VIA tests cost nearly seven dollars less than the human papillomavirus (HPV) test, which is used in more developed countries like the United States.

According to a Reuters article published Thursday, lead researcher David Gregory from the University College London said, "VIA is an effective and affordable tool to screen women for pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix in under-resourced countries."

He stated further that VIA could reduce cervical cancer deaths by nearly a third, which as previously stated, is about 100,000 lives saved.

To learn more about the cancer mentioned in this post, please visit our cervical cancer information page.

Researchers at Yale Cancer Center and Fudan-Yale Cancer Center in China issued a news release regarding their study using fruit flies. The study looked at how stress turned some of the fruit flys’ cells cancerous.

According to a HealthDay article posted on Wednesday, researchers "discovered that mutations don't need to be in the same cell to cause tumors and that environmental stresses, including wounds, can cause cancer to develop."

Tian Xu, a researcher with Yale Cancer Center, said in the news release that a "better understanding of the underlying mechanism causing cancer always offers new tools to battle the disease."

To learn more about various types of cancer, please visit our cancer information page.

Two separate studies found that green tea and a diet rich in green vegetables may prevent lung cancer.

The first study compared smokers who consumed one cup of green tea or more per day against smokers who did not regularly drink the hot beverage. According to a Los Angeles Times article, researchers found that those "who did not drink green tea were 12.7 times more likely to develop lung cancer."

The second study focused on current and former smokers who took multivitamins and ate a diet rich in leafy-green vegetables and folic acid. According to the study, which was published this week in Cancer Research, it was discovered that the diet protected against "promoter methylation", which is associated with developing lung cancer.

Other researchers suggest more studies should be conducted before doctors recommend these dietary changes for lung cancer prevention.

To learn more about the cancer mentioned in this post, please visit our lung cancer information page.

Growing up, my mom had a note scotch-taped to the back door of our house: “Shoes off! Love, Mom” it read in her signature cursive. My brothers and I thought the rule was crazy and ignored it more than we should have.

Twenty years later, I am a notorious no-shoes-in-the-house person. I don’t like the idea of street germs coming indoors. Some people balk at the request (mostly my family and boyfriend), but if you’ve ever stepped in a dirty puddle or have dogs that live in your area, you may understand.

A new study finds that our shoes may be bringing a lot more than bacteria into our homes. Before the study, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, researchers weren’t exactly sure how certain carcinogens were landing in household dust.

The study found that the dust inside homes with coal-tar sealed surfaces outside had 25 times higher levels of the cancer-causing chemical, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), than those without it. Coal-tar sealant is what gives many driveways and sidewalks their smooth, (tar) black finish and protects against cracking. Over time, the sealant wears off and is tracked into our homes on our shoes.

Though it may be widely used, coal tar is a known carcinogen. Researchers say that asphalt or concrete is a better choice than coal tar, which has 1,000 times the levels of PAHs.

And because the world is full of coal-tar lots and countless other germs…shoes off is, in fact, a good practice!

The mango is one of those sweet, tropical fruits one sees frequently at the grocery store. It's great by itself, mixed in with chutney, or diced up in fruit salad.

However, a new study shows that mangoes may be more than just a yummy tropical fruit in the produce section.

Texas AgriLife Research, which is part of Texas A&M University, found that mangoes prevented or stopped breast and colon cancer cell growth.

Researchers tested five mango varieties common in the U.S.: Kent, Francine, Ataulfo, Tommy/Atkins and Haden.

According to an AgriLife news release, although the mango has less antioxidants than superfoods like blueberries, acai or pomegranates, the mango "still holds up very well in anticancer activity...it would be good to include mangoes as part of the regular diet."

To learn more about the cancers mentioned in this post, please visit our breast and colon cancer information pages.

The social media network Facebook was overrun yesterday with women posting their bra colors in their status updates.

"Pretty pink," "blue," "black," "red," "tan-ish," etc. filled the Facebook News Feeds of the more than 350 million active users.

Why did this happen?

While there is no hard evidence, it appears the viral action was all in the name of raising breast cancer awareness.

Yesterday, the Detroit Free Press's Director of Digital Media posted an article about the status updates stating the trend "has gained a small following...it'll likely become a trending topic on Twitter soon."

Did you notice this trend taking off yesterday when you logged into Facebook? Did you participate?

We recently reported that Maine and San Francisco officials were interested in putting warning labels on cell phones because of the electromagnetic radiation the communication devices emit, which some believe could lead to brain cancer.

Now, a new study reports that cell phone radiation may help with Alzheimer's disease. The study involved genetically tweaked mice that had an animal form of the disease which causes dementia and decreases cognitive abilities.

According to a recent National Geographic article, the study found that cell phone radiation protected against and even reversed the disease's symptoms in the mice.

The article states that "if cell phone exposure began before the genetically engineered mice started showing signs of Alzheimer's, they were less likely to develop symptoms later on in life. Furthermore, the genetically engineered mice that were exposed to the cell phone radiation after they had already begun to show cognitive deficits generally saw their memory impairment disappear after several months of the radiation exposure."

What are your thoughts on the cell phone radiation debate?

To learn more about the cancer mentioned in this article, please visit our brain cancer information page.

CBS News and USA Today teamed up to do an end-of-the-decade retrospective of what’s on Americans’ minds.

The poll of thousands of Americans found that cancer tops the list of our major concerns. Nearly 3 in 4 Americans have been affected by cancer—either they or someone close to them has had it. And more than half believe they will get cancer at some point in their lives. (Statistics bear out that, on average, 38% of women and 44% of men will get the disease.)

Perhaps not coincidentally, the vast majority of respondents also think we’re not doing enough as a country to fight obesity. Half of those surveyed said they want to lose weight themselves. Indeed, mounting research supports the link between excess weight and a variety of cancer types, including breast, kidney, endometrial, esophageal, pancreatic and others.

The good news is getting active can improve health even if you’re not losing weight, and 7 in 10 people surveyed said they have taken action to reduce their risk of cancer. Whether eating better, exercising, quitting smoking or otherwise, how do you stay healthy in body and mind?

Read more results at Where America Stands