October 2021 Notable News

It’s important to keep things in perspective, especially when there is a lot of information coming at you, and there is a lot of information this month. From unwarranted vaccine concerns and real concerns about fighter pilots to potential new therapies involving CBD oil, anti-nausea meds and immunotherapies, it’s a lot to take in. The most important take away is to make sure you exercise and make sure you know your cancer risks and when you should get your screenings.

Breast Cancer Screening

Black women may want to consider starting mammograms at age 40 rather than age 50, says sciencedaily.com. New information shows that breast cancer deaths in black women could be reduced by 57 percent when screening is done every other year beginning at age 40. The study was done as part of an effort to develop equitable health recommendations for black women who tend to have higher rates of aggressive cancers at younger ages than white women. Learn more here.

Preventing Cancer with Activity

Americans could be preventing more than 46,000 cancer cases each year, reports medicalxpress.com. New data shows that physical inactivity, especially in women, led to three percent of all cancer cases in adults aged 30 and older. While meeting the recommended guidelines of five hours per week of moderate intensity activity could prevent those cancer cases, researchers note that there are often obstacles in the way of people meeting exercise requirements such as access to safe places to exercise, childcare costs, and long working hours. Learn more here.

Immunotherapy

Researchers may have discovered a new way for immunotherapies to be used against more cancers, reports mit.edu. With the new method, researchers remove tumor cells from the body and treat them with chemotherapy. They then put the cells back in the tumor and administer drugs that activate T cells. That combination seems to be the trick to awaken the immune system. Researchers found that cells that were injured by the chemotherapy were more successful at triggering the immune system than dead cells were. Learn more about this promising new immunotherapy method here.

Dexamethasone Benefits

An anti-nausea drug could be the key to better short-term survival for patients who have surgery for some types of cancer, reports usnews.com. Researchers found that patients who received dexamethasone were about one-third less likely to die in the 90 days following their surgery. In order to prove the findings, clinical trials will need to be done. Learn more about dexamethasone and it’s potential to increase patient survival here.

Lung Cancer and CBD

A case study reported in medicalnewstoday.com showed that a lung cancer patient who took CBD oil showed a reduction in her tumor. CBD oil is a concentrated extract of cannabis leaves or flowers which is often used by cancer patients to treat pain, and the side effects of chemotherapy such as nausea and vomiting. The female patient, located in the United Kingdom, was in her 80s and smoked more than a pack of cigarettes a week before and after her diagnosis, and did not change her diet or lifestyle while she was being monitored. During a two-and-a-half-year period, her scans showed a progressive decrease in her tumor. Learn more about the case study here.

HPV Vaccine

Parents are expressing concerns about the safety of the HPV vaccines despite 15 years of evidence that they are safe and effective, reports cancer.gov. The HPV vaccine protects against cancers caused by the human papillomavirus and is recommend for 11- and 12-year-olds, but the study shows that the number of parents who declined the vaccine for their children due to safety concerns nearly doubled between 2015 and 2018. However, during the same time period the reports of serious complications from the vaccine were rare. Researchers suspect that social media use is a factor in the increased doubts about the vaccines. Find our more here.

Fighter Pilots and Cancer

United States Air Force Fighter Pilots and crew members are more likely to get some cancers than other members of the Air Force, reports defenseone.com. A comprehensive study among pilots and crew of fighter aircraft found that they were 29 percent more likely to be diagnosed with testicular cancer, 24 percent more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma, and 23 percent more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Researchers are encouraging fighter aviators to discuss the study and their potential cancer risks with their care providers. Get more information about the study here.

Check out nwaonline.com for a really nicely written perspective about celebrating anniversaries from a ten-year cancer survivor here.