Cancer

Cancer Research UK scientists have developed 2 tests that can detect the presence of glioma, a type of brain tumour, in patient urine or blood plasma. It’s the first time a test has been able to detect glioma using urine. Although the research, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, is in its early stages and only

You never know what will happen when you plant those tiny seeds in early spring. This year did not disappoint when it comes to cucumbers! Mine are going bananas- I am picking 2-3 every day. So, what am I doing with them? Making salads, pickles and just snacking on them with some hummus. These 2

Lymph nodes play a very important role in the body’s immune system and are vital to the body’s ability to respond to and kill off cancerous tumors. In theory, therefore, the lymph nodes should not be a place where cancer likes to hang out. And yet, for some reason, they are. It may seem like

A CT scan showing a case of cholangiocarcinoma The drug pemigatinib (Pemazyre) will now be an option for people with a rare type of bile duct cancer that has continued to advance or spread after initial chemotherapy. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved the use of this drug in adults

I actually saw this on a bumper sticker the other day:  “Scars are tattoos with better stories.”  Isn’t that great?!  Think about your own scars.  They do come with stories. We all bear scars from our life experiences. This includes our cancer experience.  They mean things to us.  We also bear emotional scars that are

Cancer Research UK is looking to the future with renewed optimism following one of the most difficult years in its history. The charity’s Annual Report and Accounts 2020/21 reveals the impact of the pandemic on its income and spend on charitable activities over the past year. The report also highlights how it has shown resilience

It may set a bold ambition to increase funding for UK life science – but what could the government’s Life Sciences Vision mean for cancer research? Here we summarise the plan and find out how Cancer Research UK influenced its formation. The UK Government recently published its Life Sciences Vision which sets out how the

Studies show that about 13% of women will develop breast cancer sometime during their lives. By contrast, those who inherit the BRCA genetic variant face a much greater risk. About 55%–72% of women who inherit a harmful BRCA1 variant and 45%–69% of women who inherit a harmful BRCA2 variant will develop breast cancer by 70–80 years of age. The

Nobody ever likes to find a suspicious lump in their breast. But for Valerie Buchanan, the truly difficult part of finding a lump the size of a bottle cap in her left breast was the terrible timing. She first felt it in March of 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was sweeping across North America

Summer farmer’s markets are full of fresh picked goodness from the farm. Last week I found Lots of green, yellow, and purple beans-also known as string beans. Eat them raw; steam them lightly and marinate in a vinaigrette dressing; sauté them with lots of garlic and sprinkle with some toasted pine nuts, slivered almonds, or walnuts;

A Sheriff’s Sergeant from St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, is fighting for her life since being diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. Sherri Wallace‘s friends, family, and colleagues say she has incredible strength and will certainly come out on the other side of this battle. But Sherri herself is encouraging other people not to

A Cardiff University-led UK-wide survey has found that more than 1 in 5 people are less likely to take part in cancer screening now than before the pandemic. The researchers from Cardiff University and Cancer Research UK, who ran the study, are calling for national campaigns to encourage people to take part in cancer screening.

Summer is upon us, which means more time outdoors, enjoying those lovely moments of good weather. We’ve put together 11 common myths around sun safety to help you through the summer months. Take a read through to help you keep your skin healthy and reduce your risk of serious sun damage. 1. MYTH: I can

It comes as no surprise that timely treatment is an important factor in the survivability of breast cancer. However, you may be a bit more surprised to hear that getting done with treatment quickly can also promote survival. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi found that there was a notable increase

1 in 25 newly diagnosed cancer cases in the last year may be associated with drinking alcohol, according to a global study published in The Lancet Oncology. The study calculated that 17,000 cases of cancer in the UK in 2020 could be linked to alcohol consumption. The authors of the paper are calling for greater

by Lucretia Hurley-Browning I keep notes on lots of things…..notes and lists.  Lists of what needs to be done….notes on what I am experiencing.  Over the weekend as I was ‘purging’ my computer of all kinds of lists and some notes, I came across a several-year-old note from a precious visit with a woman, two years

Roughly 10 million adults in the United States struggle with dysphagia, the term used to describe difficulty swallowing. It’s common for people with Alzheimer’s to have this issue, but it also appears in people with autism spectrum disorder and patients undergoing cancer treatments like chemotherapy. It can also affect those with Down syndrome, Parkinson’s disease,

The period after cancer surgery can be a stressful and uncertain time. Despite surgeons’ best efforts, it’s difficult to know whether someone’s cancer has been completely removed, or if a little is left behind. And that distinction is crucial, because even if a small number of cancer cells remain, it could mean a patient’s cancer

Nancy Litterman Howe Cancer Rehabilitation: An Invaluable Service but a PR Challenge In part 1 of this blog, I told you about the ways that cancer rehabilitation (rehab) providers can help people with cancer, from the time of diagnosis through well into survivorship. After reading that you may have thought why don’t all people get

Roughly half of women don’t get their annual mammograms as recommended, with minorities being particularly unlikely to come in for screening, and the issue has gotten even worse since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The reasons why women are opting not to get mammograms are many, including cost, fear of pain, fear of radiation,

I’ve worked for Cancer Research UK for over 5 years now. Before that, I worked in the NHS for 6. You’d think I’d be a model patient, I’d know all the signs and symptoms and be meticulous about checking myself, attending my screening appointments, all of that. So it’s strange that I only properly looked

Healthcare professionals have extended an apology to one of their patients who mistakenly received an unnecessary medical procedure and then was forced to wait several months for the issue to be rectified. Brenda Young, a 65-year-old hospice nurse in the UK, first visited a National Health Service Hospital in February of 2020 for a routine

Exercise has some amazing benefits for the human body, so perhaps it’s not surprising to learn that it can also be hugely beneficial for people who are on medications or who are undergoing treatment for cancer. But a recent study may give you two more reasons to smile after your workout: your medications may work

Gina Pozzi‘s mother died of breast cancer at the age of 47. Now, at age 45, Gina’s annual mammogram seems to show that she’s suffering from the same disease. There’s a suspicious spot in her right breast and white specks in her armpit lymph nodes as well that resemble calcium deposits. “When cancer hits you

Cancer is one of the greatest global challenges. No one organisation, sector or even country can solve it alone. Just like what we’ve seen with the pandemic, global collaboration and proper investment are what’s needed to drive progress in cancer too. It’s been a terrible year. But even in the worst times, there are silver

Don’t hide when your neighbor comes to your door with another one of those baseball bat-sized zucchini! Here some fun recipes from The American Institute for Cancer Research.   What’s to love about those long green and yellow summer squash that seem to go from tiny little squash fingers into baseball bats overnight? Low in calories

Ashley Hawkins is a decorated war veteran who served in Iraq and was the first woman to earn the Bronze Star for her actions in combat in March 2005. As a specialist, she was credited with saving the life of a wounded fellow squad member by using her own body as a shield for him

It has been announced today that Philip Morris International (PMI), the American tobacco company, and maker of Marlboro cigarettes, is buying Vectura, the British respiratory drugs company, for £1.04 billion. Vectura has worked on treatments for lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and is the pharmaceutical company responsible for developing a pioneering inhaled treatment