Light breakfast may cut cost of prostate cancer drug

Researchers at the University of Chicago have unveiled a new study indicating that taking the prostate cancer drug Zytiga together with a low-fat breakfast boosts the efficiency of the medication.  While Zytiga is typically prescribed as a 250mg pill, 4 of which are taken an hour before breakfast, the new study, led by Dr. Russell Szmulewitz, a prostate cancer specialist at the University of Chicago has found that patients "taking one-fourth of the recommended dose with a low-fast breakfast...was just as effective.  This, in term has cut drug costs by 75%.

To read more about this study, click here. 

Higher risk of heart failure seen in some cancers

The results of a new study show that some people who have been treated for breast cancer or lymphoma have a higher risk of developing congestive heart failure than people who haven't had cancer. The study researchers retrospectively compared heart failure rates in people who were diagnosed with breast cancer or lymphoma with those in people who did not have cancer.

To read more about the study, click here. 

Task force issues stronger skin cancer prevention guidelines

A new, revised recommendation issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force suggests that skin cancer advice from physicians to patients should begin earlier, particularly for patients that are light-skinned.  The new guidelines recommend beginning consultations at 6 months, since "children and teens who are exposed to the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation are at greater risk for developing skin cancer in adulthood."

To read more about these new guidelines, click here. 

Study finds shared decision making still lacking in prostate cancer screening

A new study finds many men receiving prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing do so without a comprehensive shared decision making process, contrary to current guidelines. In the Annals of Family Medicine a study conducted by the American Cancer Institute finds that in both 2010 and 2015 about 6 in 10 men who reported recent PSA testing said they had received at least one component of shared decision making. Meanwhile, only 1 in 10 with no PSA test reported receiving any component of shared decision making in both 2010 and 2015.


To read more about this study, click here.

Testing an interactive approach to promote exercise in young cancer survivors

A study at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital created an interactive website designed to promote physical activity among children and adolescents who have completed treatment for cancer. According to preliminary results from a pilot study, the website may indeed help encourage them to get regularly exercise.

To read more about this study, click here.