Cancer

There is no doubt we live in scary and challenging times. The pandemic has already killed 160,000 Americans, and counting, and infected millions more during what experts are calling the “greatest health crisis” of a century. But the good news is that there’s an easy and effective way to help keep your loved ones safe.

Anne Kiltie and her team. By 2066, it’s predicted that around a quarter of the total UK population will be over 65 years old. A number approximately equivalent to the population of London. This is in part due to increasing life expectancy, a result of progress made through medical research. But as life expectancy increases,

Lung cancer cell. Credit: LRI EM Unit Whether it’s exams, a COVID-19 test or a mid-treatment scan, waiting for results can be nerve-wracking. The anxiety. The unknowns. The implications for the future. The growing sense of anticipation as the day looms. Will it be good news, or bad?  This week, the whole of cancer research got some long-awaited results – and they’re a tentative thumbs-up. New data from the US National Cancer

Summer vacation is looking a lot different due to new travel restrictions.  Traveling during a pandemic requires planning ahead, lots of advanced research, willingness to play-it-by-ear and adapting to new rules. You may be asking yourself… Is it safe to go on vacation? Where should I go? Should I drive or fly? Can I vacation

Breast cancer cell image (credit: LRI EM department) Study claims young people up to seven times more likely to contract coronavirus Teens and young adults who use e-cigarettes could be five to seven times more likely than non-smokers to catch coronavirus, new research suggests. The study linked vaping to an increased risk in young people

Summer is berry time! Here are some great recipes to enjoy berries all summer long. Lemon Cream with Blueberries Ingredients: 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 8 pitted dates, coarsely chopped 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 (12-ounce) package silken tofu, drained 2 cups fresh blueberries Instructions:

Being away from friends and family for the past 5 months has not been easy. In the beginning of the pandemic we were staying connected through video chats, drive by car visits, virtual happy hours, zoom chats, etc. Now it seems reasonable to want to spend time with friends and family in-person, at a safe

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the fabric of our lives the world over. Many have lost their jobs and their livelihoods. Frankly, it’s a dark time. On the bright side, we’re learning more about the coronavirus every day, and the promise of a vaccine brings us hope. An end to our quarantined lives.   Many

Ovarian cancer is an aggressive disease. In the UK, ovarian cancer is the 6th most common cancer for women and causes the most deaths of all the gynaecological cancers. But researchers are keen to do better, not only by developing new treatments and tools to diagnose cancers earlier, but also by understanding if there are

We have all seen in the news that there is still lots of discussion about how COVID-19 is really transmitted from person to person. Is it transmitted by droplet or by airborne transmission? The current stance is that it is transmitted through droplets, but researchers are not fully convinced that this is the only way

Doctors diagnose cancer in a dinosaur The horned dinosaur, originally excavated in 1989, was originally thought to have a leg fracture that hadn’t healed properly. But a team of scientists have since diagnosed the plant-eating Centrosaurus with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. The dinosaur, which lived around 77 million years ago, is thought to

Staying hydrated on hot days can be a challenge. Many fruits and vegetables contain potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium which helps us stay hydrated and support our exercise goals without adding extra calories. This watermelon feta salad is packed with flavor and everything you need to beat the heat… Watermelon, Feta, and Mint Salad Greens

Dr Becki Lee is a clinician scientist who left the lab to return to her work as as a cancer doctor in Manchester. From labs closing to funding cuts, the impact of COVID-19 on research has been wide-ranging. But while COVID-19 has slowed us down, we will never stop.    We caught up with Dr Amanda Cross

With news about the coronavirus pandemic developing daily, we’re pulling together the latest government and NHS health updates from across the UK in a separate blog post, which we’re updating regularly. Sponge on a string could transform oesophageal cancer diagnosis A new ‘sponge on a string’ test could identify 10 times more people with Barrett’s

Staying active and hydrated in hot weather can be challenging. Beets are one of those super foods that are packed full of nutrients. They are a good source fiber, folate, manganese and potassium. Beets and beet greens contain a powerhouse of bioactive antioxidants, specifically betaine, attributing to the deep purple color of beets and lutein,

The Cytosponge can be used to detect oesophageal cancer earlier. Around 9,100 people are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer each year in the UK.  A big challenge with this type of cancer is that many people don’t realise there’s a problem until they start to have trouble swallowing. Often, these symptoms aren’t recognisable until a later

The first half of 2020 just couldn’t have gone much worse for Dana McSwain. Right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, as she was working full-time and caring for her two daughters and step-son, the 36-year-old was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. Dana has no family history of breast cancer, but after her

We know that it has been harder for people to stay active over these last several weeks. Christina Lombardi, DPT PT has put together easy stretches to get you moving at home! Each stretch includes descriptive information and a video to demonstrate how to do it. This week will be part 2 of back stretches.

A dog’s sense of smell is 1,000 times better than ours and has been used to sniff out explosives, drugs, and even to detect illnesses in humans. A research team wanted to test the snouts of eight dogs in the German military to see if they could help detect COVID-19. The study was conducted by

Today, the UK Government launched a new strategy to tackle obesity. A raft of measures – including restricting junk food marketing on TV and online, and promotions in-store – have been announced to help people get healthy, protect themselves against COVID-19 and protect the NHS. Some of these will apply UK-wide, and others just to

With news about the coronavirus pandemic developing daily, we want to make sure everyone affected by cancer gets the information they need during this time. We’re pulling together the latest government and NHS health updates from across the UK in a separate blog post, which we’re updating regularly. Cancer blood test hits the headlines Researchers

Sofi Leota was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 23 years old. In the two years since her diagnosis, she has gone through surgery, chemo, radiation, and fertility preservation, as well as remission, a pregnancy, and the birth of her first child, a beautiful baby girl. In the spring of 2018, Leota found

We know that it has been harder for people to stay active over these last several weeks. Christina Lombardi, DPT PT has put together easy stretches to get you moving at home! Each Wednesday for the next several weeks we will share these stretches with you. Each stretch includes descriptive information and a video to

Cara Sapida is only in her 30s, but she’s facing a breast cancer diagnosis. When the TV news reporter for WPXI in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, found a lump in her breast, she was immediately concerned. “Like many of you, I experienced this pandemic while going through some hardships, in my personal life as well as with

Diet is important to anyone’s health, but it’s particularly vital for people who are ill. If you have cancer and are undergoing chemotherapy, you may be wondering whether popular diets such as intermittent fasting can be good for you. In many cases, not enough research has been done to determine whether current fad diets can

Every week, a new figure comes out. And despite the fact that they’re all trying to estimate the same thing – the number of extra cancer deaths that could be caused by service disruption during the pandemic – there’s a big range. Anything from 3,300 to 60,000 so far. That’s because estimating the impact of

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is reminding us of the deep societal inequities that make certain populations more vulnerable to harm and illness than others. Today, we are seeing this play out as two Indigenous tribal nations, White Mountain Apache and Navajo Nation, lead the United States (U.S.) in COVID-19 cases. Though COVID-19 is

At some point during her battle with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, a 25-year-old woman named Sydnee Geril decided to adopt a dog. After 9 months of chemotherapy and grueling hospital treatments, the young Florida woman noticed that everything seemed better when therapy pets were around. So when her cancer finally went