Regular exercise before and after cancer diagnosis increases lifespan

A new study conducted at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Buffalo, N.Y. has shown that regular exercise both before and after a cancer diagnosis "significantly improves odds of survival."  The study conducted on 5,800 patients with a wide range of cancers in all stages who exercised 3-4 times/week before and after cancer diagnosis had a 40% lower death rate than those patients that were inactive.  However, study author Rikki Cannioto stated that even those patients who never exercised prior to cancer diagnosis still reduced their death rate by 25%-28%, provided they began an exercise regimen once they were afflicted with cancer.


To read more about this study, click here.

Cancer mortality rates have declined continuously for the past 25 years

Cancer death rates in the United States have continuously declined between 1991 and 2016, there has been a 27% drop overall which translates to approximately 2.6 million fewer cancer deaths. The article appears early online in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, and is accompanied by a consumer version, Cancer Facts & Figures 2019.

To ready more about this study, click here.

A study tracked cancer patients using crowdfunding to pay for homeopathy

Health policy researchers from Simon Fraser University (SFU) and University of Alberta conducted a study to find out how often cancer patients or their supporters turned to crowdfunding platforms to raise money for complementary treatment. The analysis was published in The Lancet, identified 220 active fundraising campaigns in June 2018.

To read more about this study, click here.

Testicular cancer greater threat to young men

Although testicular cancer is quite rare (an estimated 9,000 cases are predicted this year in the United States), "it is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in males aged 15 to 40."  According to Dr. Aditya Bagrodia, assistant professor of urology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, early diagnosis is essential, and men should be aware of conditions such as painless swelling or pea/marble-size mass in the testicle, along with a dull ache in the groin or scrotum.  Dr. Bagrodia further emphasized that "diagnosis at an early stage can mean the difference between a straightforward surgical cure and having to potentially undergo chemotherapy, radiation, and multiple surgeries", should the cancer spread to other parts of the body.


To read more, click here.

Season's Greetings & Happy Holidays - blog posts will resume in January 2019

To all our readers,


Blog postings will resume in January 2019, so that our library staff can celebrate the festive season with family.  Happy Holidays!

New chemotherapy regimen can considerably extend lifespan of pancreatic cancer patients

A new clinical trial consisting of a 4-drug chemotherapy combination has resulted in considerable extensions in lifespan for early-stage pancreatic cancer patients.  According to trial results, median survival rate of patients who were administered the new drug regimen was 4.5 years.  While authors of the trial mentioned that 75% of patients experienced more serious side-effects after taking the new experimental drug combination (compared to 53% of those on standard chemotherapy treatment), they remain cautiously optimistic that this new drug discovery is "an important step forward." 


To read more about this trial, click here.

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis may be linked to prostate cancer

A new study conducted at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago has uncovered a link between men with inflammatory bowel disease and a subsequent higher risk of developing prostate cancer.  According to lead author Dr. Shilajit Kundu, the study, conducted on over 1,000 men with inflammatory bowel disease, showed higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels over long-term follow-up, levels representative of a 4-5 times more likely change of being diagnosed with prostate cancer.


To read more about this study, click here.

New Canadian breast cancer screening guideline for women aged 40-74

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care has released a new guideline for breast cancer screening among women aged 40-74.  The fundamental difference in this latest guidelines release from the 2011 previous edition is with regards to the 40-49 age group.  The 2011 guidelines recommended against routine mammograms for women between 40-49 years old.  According to task force vice-chair Dr. Ainsley Moore, physician at McMaster University, the 2018 guidelines "are intended for an empowered position, [putting] the decision-making into the hands of the individual woman in terms of what she prioritizes." 


The complete guideline is available here.

Test helps identify thyroid nodules that don’t require surgery

Researchers in JAMA Oncology, found that a test measuring genomic changes in tissue samples taken from the thyroid can help identify which patients likely need diagnostic surgery for thyroid cancer and which do not. When a suspicious small growth or lump (called a nodule) is found in the thyroid, doctors perform a fine-needle biopsy so that the cells can be examined by a pathologist.

To read more about this study, click here.

System is broken: medical journals do not reveal doctor's ties

A recent article in the New York Times has revealed that several prominent physicians who publishing in prestigious academic medical journals, including the Journal of Clinical Oncology, "have failed in recent years to report their financial relationships with pharmaceutical and health care companies when their studies are published..."  As a result, journal editors have or are in the process of implementing changes that will clarify submission process and reduce errors. 


To read more about this review, click here.

2018 World Cancer Congress report

The World Cancer Congress has released a summary report of proceedings that took place from October 1-4, 2018 in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.  The top 5 congress highlights consisted of networking and creating collaborations, sharing best practices, big debates, creating a global village, and meeting experts. 


To access the summary report, click here.

Study links social isolation to higher risk of death

A large American Cancer Society study, appearing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, links social isolation with a higher risk of death from all causes combined and heart disease for all races studied, and with increased cancer mortality in white men and women. The study says addressing social isolation holds promise if studies show interventions are effective, as they could be relatively simple and could influence other risk factors, as social isolation is also associated with hypertension, inflammation, physical inactivity, smoking, and other health risks.

To read more about this study, click here.

Eight factors may link disparities in cancer death rates and income

The results of a recent study in JAMA Network Open linked food insecurity to an increased risk of cancer death. People in low- and middle-income counties in the United States are more likely to die of cancer than those who live in high-income counties. Eight factors, including lack of access to high-quality clinical care, food insecurity, smoking, and obesity may explain more than 80% of the relationship between poverty and disparities in cancer death rates at the county level.

To read more about this study, click here.

Blood test shows promise for detecting genetic changes in brain tumors

A new study, published in Clinical Cancer Research on October 15, 2018, has found that a blood test may reveal whether a child with a type of brain tumor known as a diffuse midline glioma has a specific genetic mutation associated with the disease. The test is called a liquid biopsy. The finding that DNA from these tumors can be detected in blood means that it should be possible to identify and follow molecular changes in children with these rare and highly lethal brain tumors using a minimally invasive test, according to the study's leaders.

To read more about this study, click here.

Global melanoma deaths up among men, but not women

A new report from the World Health Organization analyzing global melanoma skin can cancer death rates from 1985-2015 indicates that in nearly all 33 countries studied, men had higher melanoma death rates compared to women.  Australia exhibited the largest increase in death rates while Japan registered the lowest.  Further the Czech Republic was the only country of those studies that had a decrease (albeit it only 0.7%) over the 30-year study.  While study author Dr. Dorothy Yang explains that there are a number of biological factors explaining the difference in mortality rates among genders, she does also state that "men are less likely to protect themselves from the sun or engage with melanoma awareness and prevention campaigns."


To read more about this report, click here.

How necessary is HPV cervical screening for women after 55?

A new Canadian study questions the necessity of screening for cervical cancer in women over 55 with one negative result from the HPV test.  The study, conducted on 200,000 women in British Columbia indicated that a single negative HPV SNA test at age 55 resulted in a very low risk (less than 1%) of developing cervical cancer.  According to study author Talia Malagon, "continued screening [for[ women [that] have a negative HPV test would provide little benefit."


To read more about this study, click here.

Immunotherapy drug cemiplimab approved for advanced squamous cell skin cancer

Cemiplimab. a drug that belongs to a class of agents known as immune checkpoint inhibitors, Has been approved by the FDA for patients with an advanced form of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a common type of skin cancer. This is the first agent to be approved by FDA specifically for advanced SCC.

To read more about this drug, click here.

Luxembourg molecular diagnostic programme for better cancer treatment

On October 29, 2018, the Luxembourg Institut National du Cancer (INC) launched MDLUX2, a molecular diagnostics program with a goal of "improving the effectiveness of cancer treatment whilst supporting cancer research." It is believed that this program will allow further analysis of tumours and determine potential clinical trials that a patient may benefit from.


To learn more about MDLUX2, click here

Better outcomes in colorectal cancer can be linked to a healthy diet

According to a new American Cancer Society study, Colorectal cancer patients who followed healthy diets had a lower risk of death from colorectal cancer and all causes, even those who improved their diets after being diagnosed. To read more about this study, click here.

Using artificial intelligence to classify lung cancer types and predict mutations

Researchers are working on training a computer program to read slides of tissue samples to diagnose two of the most common types of lung cancer with 97% accuracy. The program also learned to detect cancer-related genetic mutations in the samples just by analyzing the images of cancer tissue.

To read more about this research, click here.

Bacteria that causes stomach cancer may lead to increased tisk of colon cancer

A new study conducted at the Duke Cancer Institute in the United States has shown a strong cause and effect relationship between the bacteria causing stomach cancer and a subsequent increased risk for colon cancer.  The study, conducted on 4,000 colon or rectal cancer patients, also found a correlation between genetic origin or heritage and the level of antibodies present in H. pylori bacteria proteins.  According to lead study author Meira Epplein, "VacA antibodies increased the odds of colorectal cancer in African Americans and Asian Americans, and not in whites and Latinos."


To read more about this study, click here.

A new report suggests prioritizing tobacco control

A new report, appearing in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, says that the highest priority in a national cancer control plan must be expansion of tobacco control—the intervention with the largest potential health benefits—according to a new American Cancer Society report, the second in a series of articles that together inform priorities for a comprehensive cancer control plan.

To read more about this report, click here.

New trial alert: Move for surgery - a novel preconditoning program for lung cancer patients

A new clinical trial sponsored by St. Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton, Ontario, is presently recruiting patients for Move for Surgery (MFS), "a preconditioning program that encourages and empowers patients to improve their health prior to surgery."  According to the investigative team, the randomized trial, capped at 186 participants  claims that MFS will lower respiratory complication rates, reduce length of stay in the hospital and increases changes of recovery after surgery.


To read more about this trial, click here.

Investigating the cardiac side effects of cancer treatments

Approximately 100 researchers attended a workshop in June, on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, about an important but underappreciated side effect of some treatments for cancer: heart problems. Certain cancer treatments can damage the heart and the cardiovascular system. These side effects, including high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, and heart failure, can be caused or exacerbated by chemotherapy and radiation therapy, as well as by newer forms of cancer treatment, such as targeted therapies and immunotherapies.

To read more of this article, click here.

Zika virus may aid in the fight against brain cancer

Preliminary research conducted by a joint team at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, and the Chinese Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing indicates that a harmless form of the Zika virus could be used to destroy glioblastoma brain tumours.  According to a news release from the American Society of Microbiology, use of a Zika virus vaccine extended survival of mice with glioblastomas from 30 to 50 days.  These results are promising, and the research team's next step "is to collaborate with doctors to develop trials evaluating the approaches' safety in patients."


To read more about this study, click here.

Risk of developing endocrinopathy determined in children and young adults after radiotherapy for brain tumours

A recently published study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reports on the association between radiotherapy dosage for brain tumours in children and young adults and the risk of developing endocrine dysfunction.  Following the analysis of 222 patients between 1 month-26 years of age, it was determined that "patients between 6 and 10 years of age had a higher rate of endocrinopathy than patients less than 6 years old at treatment outset; patients 10 years of age or older shows the lowest incidence of hormone deficiency."


To read more about this study, click here.


Study mentioned: Vatner RE, Niemierko A, Misra M, et al. Endocrine Deficiency as a Function of Radiation Dose to the Hypothalamus and Pituitary in Pediatric and Young Adult Patients With Brain Tumors. J Clin Oncol; Published online 17 August 2018. DOI:  10.1200/JCO.2018.78.1492

A new study shows that appendix cancers are genetically distinct

The largest-ever study of DNA changes in cancer of the appendix shows that this rare cancer is distinct from colorectal cancer and other cancers of the gastrointestinal (GI) systemExit Disclaimer. Moreover, the study authors reported that specific genetic mutations found in the tumors may help predict whether they are likely to be aggressive. are likely to be aggressive. The study was published online on August 8 in JCO Precision Oncology.

To read more about this study, click here.

Vegetarian diet reduces colon cancer risk

A recently published study in JAMA Internal Medicine indicates that the adoption of a vegetarian diet lowers the risk of developing colon cancer.  The study, conducted on 77,000 adults, found that on average, "eating vegetarian may lower colon cancer risk by 19% and rectal cancer by 29% compared to non-vegetarians."  According to the different types of vegetarian diets listed in the study, pesco-vegetarians, those eating fish and seafood and avoiding other meats lowers colorectal cancer risk by up to 43%."


To read more about this study, click here.

Exosomes may help tumors evade immune system

A new study, led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, has identified what may be an important and previously unknown route by which tumors evade the immune system: They secrete small membrane-encased sacs, called exosomes, that are studded with a protein that dials down the immune response. The study found that in lab models of the skin cancer melanoma and in humans with the disease, tumor cells release exosomes coated with proteins called PD-L1. These proteins are part of a family of immune checkpoint proteins that bind to partner molecules on immune cells, effectively deactivating them.

To read more about this study, click here.

Two drugs work together to block ‘master regulator’ of breast cancer

A new study has found that the two-drug (arsenic trioxide and tretinoin) combination commonly used to treat a type of leukemia blocks an enzyme that has a central role in breast and many other cancers. The drug combination has essentially turned acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) from a fatal disease into a curable one. But the mechanism by which it kills cancer cells has been a mystery.

To read more about this study, click here.