Cancer Blog

Ghirardelli's all natural chocolate line, LUXE MILK™, is partnering with the National Breast Cancer Foundation in honor of breast cancer awareness month in October.

Chocolate lovers need only purchase specially marked Ghirardelli LUXE MILK™ packages, satisfy their sweet tooth, and enter the prize code noted on the package at http://www.ghirardelli.com/luxe/.

Ghirardelli will donate one dollar for every prize code entered – up to $50,000 – now through the end of December. Those who enter with a prize code also have a chance to win a $200 Cole Haan gift card, of which 400 will be given away.

"We are proud to once again support the National Breast Cancer Foundation through this promotion," Mona Maher, VP of Marketing for Ghirardelli, stated in a news release. "We hope that our initial donation of $50,000  will help further their mission of preventing breast cancer by providing mammograms for those in need.  Last year, we helped provide 1,000 women with mammograms who otherwise wouldn't have been able to receive this precautionary screening."

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

Researchers at Somalogic Inc., a privately held company focused on biomarker technology, presented at an American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Denver this week.

The company stated that a new blood screening technology will allow doctors to diagnose pancreatic cancer and mesothelioma patients at earlier stages.

"Currently these cancers are detected at an advanced stage, where the possibility of cure is minimal," Rachel Ostroff, clinical research director of Somalogic Inc, told Reuters. "Detection of these aggressive cancers at an earlier stage would identify patients for early treatment, which may improve their survival and quality of life."

To learn more about the cancers featured in this post, please visit our pancreatic cancer information and lung cancer information pages.

The Washington Post recently published an article highlighting lifestyle changes to reduce one's chance of developing cancer.

Dr. Ranit Mishori, a family physician and faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine, discussed several steps to limit oneself when trying to get healthy and deter cancer development. Those steps includes limiting or avoiding:

•    Obesity
•    Physical Inactivity
•    Drinking Past Moderation
•    Smoking
•    Sun Exposure
•    Sugary Drinks
•    Talcum
•    Radon
•    Pesticides
•    Cell Phones
•    Red and Processed Meats

What steps do you try to avoid? Do you have trouble moderating or limiting one of the steps above? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Dr. Devra Davis released a new book titled Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family.

Davis is an epidemiologist and toxicologist. She also happens to be an expert in environmental health. And according to TIME, Davis believes cancer is caused more by our environments than our genes – and cell phones are one of her biggest concerns.

"This is about the most important and unrecognized public health issues of our time," Davis told TIME."We could avert a global catastrophe if we act."

Cancer Compass has written several posts regarding concerns pertaining to cell phone radiation.

What are your thoughts regarding cell phone usage concerns? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

For Strength. For Health. For Life. That's the motto of Beat Cancer Boot Camp, a workout and support organization for cancer survivors, patients and their loved ones.

Based in Tucson, Arizona, Beat Cancer Boot Camp has two other chapters in Ohio and Massachusetts. Founder Anita " the Sarge" Kellman focuses on group support through physical activity as opposed to "woe is me," according to Beat Cancer Boot Camp's new website.

What do you think of Beat Cancer Boot Camp? Do you have a cancer-focused physical fitness group that you belong to? What do you and your loved ones do for support and health?

Young mother Janis Ollson experienced excruciating back pain while pregnant with her second child. She knew something was seriously wrong. And after seeing specialists to diagnose the issue, she soon discovered that she had an incurable bone disease called chondrosarcoma.

Ollson was faced with a major decision: undergo a major surgery that had only been performed on cadavers, which would cut her pelvis in two, remove her tailbone, part of her lower back and one of her legs - or, ultimately succumb to cancer.

Ollson opted for surgery.

“She said she knew this was going to be big surgery,” Dr. Nancy Snyderman, NBC medical correspondent, told Meredith Viera on the TODAY show. “But because she has kids at home, she said, ‘Look, there’s no option — I’m a mom, I’m willing to go to the Mayo Clinic, and I’m willing for them to do something that they have not done before.’ ”

Ollson will appear on the TODAY show Friday to further discuss her experience.

What are your thoughts about Ollson’s story?

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

More than 20 buildings in Chicago have been aglow since September 10, including Trump Tower, Willis Tower and the Chicago Board of Trade. As the Chicago Tribune reports, it's all part of the 2010 Light the Town Teal Ovarian Cancer Campaign. The buildings are glowing teal in an effort to shine a spotlight on ovarian cancer.

The idea of lighting up the Chicago skyline originated from Patty Rioux, co-president of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition's local advisory board.

"We wanted to light the town teal to bring ovarian cancer out of the dark," Rioux told the Tribune. "Women think they're covered with an annual Pap smear and mammogram. We're helping them recognize that these tools don't screen for ovarian cancer. If your symptoms persist after seeing a doctor, see a gynecologic oncologist. You must advocate for your own health."

According to the Los Angeles Times, another city has jumped on board. The dome of the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore glowed blue on Tuesday night to help raise awareness of prostate cancer.

To find out more about the cancers featured in this post, please visit our ovarian cancer information page and our prostate cancer information page.

Who doesn't love cupcakes? It's the amuse bouche of delectable desserts. Perfectly proportioned gems of sweetness that people aged 1 to 100 all love.

And this week, cupcakes are doing more than just filling bellies and satisfying sweet tooths.

Cupcakes for a Cause® Week, a national fundraiser benefitting CancerCare for Kids®,  kicked off its 7th year on Monday.

According to the program's website, the campaign has a three-pronged approach:

•    Cupcakes for a Cause® Week, September 20-26, 2010: Hundreds of participating bakeries and grocery stores across the United States sell specially-marked cupcakes and donate a portion of sales to CancerCare for Kids®.

•    Cupcakes for a Cause® Bake Sales: Various groups host bake sales throughout the fall and donate proceeds to CancerCare for Kids®.

•    e-Cupcakes: Create your own e-Cupcake and send it to friends and family. Sponsor göt2b will donate $1 for every e-Cupcake sent this month.

Will you be participating in Cupcakes For A Cause® Week? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

October 1st is the first day of breast cancer awareness month, but the firefighters of Palm Beach County got a head start on Sunday by driving pink fire trucks and donning pink t-shirts as part of the nationwide Pink Heals Tour.

“We treat a lot of people who have cancer, taking them to hospitals and things like that when they're sick,” Fire Rescue engineer Rick Rhodes told WPBF. “This is a way for firefighters to give back to the community and to tell them that we understand what's going on with them and it's our way of supporting their fight against cancer.”

The Pink Heals Tour is led by a group of firefighters and police officers known as the Guardians of the Ribbon. The group has raised nearly $207,000 by bringing their pink fire trucks to participating cities across the United States.

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

Sutter Home Family Vineyards announced Friday that it will renew its Capsules for Hope® program.

Capsules for Hope® encourages Sutter Home wine drinkers to mail-in their wine capsules from any Sutter Home bottle. The wine company provides postage-paid, pre-addressed envelopes at in-store displays. Sutter Home then donates $1 for every mailed-in foil capsule to City of Hope.

"Every October, I'm always thrilled to start the Sutter Home for Hope campaign. It's inspiring to see our loyal consumers rally around a cause as critical as breast cancer," Wendy Nyberg, senior director of marketing for Sutter Home, stated in a press release. "We launched this initiative when one of our winery owners, Vera Trinchero Torres, became a survivor of breast cancer. We all have had breast cancer hit close to home so we want to make a difference by supporting research for this disease."

Since 2001, Capsules for Hope® has generated more than $800,000 toward breast cancer awareness. And this year, Sutter Home will donate a maximum of $100,000 toward the cause.

Will you be drinking any Sutter Home wine to help raise funds for City of Hope?

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