Squamous cell carcinoma increasingly common

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is becoming more common, with dermatology experts warning the public to remain vigilant for warning signs of the disease.  According to Dr. M. Laurin Council, assistant professor of dermatology at Washington University in St. Louis, identifies several signs of possible squamous cell carcinoma, including "a pink or white bump; a rough, scaly patch; or a sore that won't heal."

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Asbestos-associated genome-wide DNA methylation changes in lung cancer

An Epub ahead of print article published July 19, 2017 in the International Journal of Cancer follows up on previous studies correlating exposure to asbestos and lung cancer.  The current study, a cooperative endeavour between researchers in Finland, France, and Lithuania, reveals "distinctive DNA methylation changes" after a comparison of lung tissue from asbestos-exposed and non-exposed patients (primarily smokers).

 The abstract of this study can be found here.

Nerlynx approved to help prevent breast cancer recurrence

The US. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the drug Nerlynx (neratinib) to help prevent HER2-positive breast cancer recurrence.  According to the FDA news release, Nerlynx was administered to more than 2,800 early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer patients over a 2-year clinical trial.  Results showed that "after 2 years, 94.2% of users hadn't had their cancer recur, compared with 91.9% of those treated with an inactive placebo.

To read more about this news release, click here.

Little evidence that vasectomy raises prostate cancer risk

A new study conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota finds very little evidence associating a vasectomy with an increased risk of prostate cancer.  According to the study authors, led by Dr. R. Jeffrey Karnes, 53 worldwide studies involving over 14 million men were analyzed; the overall consensus was that "there is no link between vasectomy and 'high-grade' aggressive prostate tumors", with a weak association of ~5% between a vasectomy and any form of prostate cancer.

To read more about this study, click here.

Parkinson's and melanoma may co-occur

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota have unveiled a co-occurring link between Parkinson's disease and melanoma skin cancer. The study, led by Dr. Lauren Dalvin and conducted on 1,000 Parkinson's patients as well as 1,500 patients with melanoma established that individuals with Parkinson's were about 4 times more likely to develop melanoma"; the converse relationship between melanoma patients developing Parkinson's was at the same rate.

To read more about this study, click here.