Tag Archive for: news

Notable News: Chemobrain

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Sometimes the most notable information isn’t the latest research or current news story. Sometimes what is most notable is what is most pertinent to patients and survivors. So, this month when a survivor shared her struggle with “chemobrain”, it seemed like something worth looking into. Chemobrain, also called chemofog, is something cancer survivors have described for decades, says cancer.gov. For months, or sometimes years after treatment, survivors find that they struggle with their memory, paying attention, and processing information. Labeled chemobrain because so many of the survivors had chemotherapy, the actual cause isn’t completely known. For many years, patients who complained about chemobrain were dismissed, but now, the condition is widely acknowledged by the medical community. The cognitive issues can be associated with treatment of many types of cancer, but much of the research is focused on breast cancer survivors. Studies have shown that 17 percent to 75 percent of breast cancer survivors showed varying forms of chemo brain from six month to 20 years after treatment. Further research is being done to understand why some do and some don’t get chemobrain and what actually causes the cognitive issues. Chemobrain is for real; survivors who struggle with it, know that for sure. More information about chemobrain can be found here, and a top ten list of what survivors want you to know about chemobrain can be found here.

Chemobrain isn’t the only thing survivors need to consider after treatment. They need to stay healthy to lower their risk of recurrence or of getting another form of cancer. According to cdc.gov, follow-up care as ordered by your doctor is critical, but so is making healthy choices. Healthy choices include quitting smoking and/or avoiding second-hand smoke, limiting alcohol consumption, protecting your skin, eating fruits and vegetables, maintaining a healthy weight, staying active, and getting a flu shot every year. More resources for healthy living after cancer can be found here.

Healthy living, research continues to show, is also critical in preventing cancer. Researchers have found a direct link between sugary drinks and the accelerated growth of tumors in colorectal cancer, reports medicalnewstoday.com. The research, done on mice, will need to be expanded before the findings can be applied to humans, but the research does suggest that consuming sugary drinks can reduce the time it takes for cancer to form. More about the study can be found here.

While you may not have been able to avoid it in the news, there is something else you might want to avoid in order to prevent cancer, reports komonews.com. A study shows that chemicals, found in the weed killer Roundup, increase the risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma by 41 percent. That makes the link between the weed killer and cancer stronger than was previously believed. The studies concerning Roundup and cancer continue, and more information can be found here.

There are some things about cancer that we may never understand, such as who will or won’t get chemobrain, but research continues to provide information about ways to prevent cancer, ways to live well after treatment, and ways to lower the risk of recurrence, and that is information that helps and empowers us all.

Notable News: March 2018

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Medicare-eligible cancer patients just got more access to genetic testing according to reuters.com. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will now pay for some genetic tests in order to help get patients the drugs most likely to benefit them. The coverage means that a patient’s test sample could be screened for all known gene mutations and potential treatments. Results can also be used to determine if a patient is eligible for clinical trials. Several in vitro diagnostic tests are covered and some future tests that gain approval by the Food and Drug Administration will be covered as well. Patients will also be covered for repeat testing of a new primary cancer diagnosis. More information about the coverage and genetic testing for medicare patients can be found here.
Vitamin D may protect against some cancers, reports sciencedaily.com. An international study conducted in Japan that followed more than 30,000 male and female participants for an average of 16 years found that higher levels of vitamin D were related to about a 20 percent reduction in cancer for both men and women. The study also showed a 30 to 50 percent reduction in liver cancer, mostly in men. The authors of the study say their findings support the theory that vitamin D protects against cancer, but they also note that more studies are needed to determine the optimum level of vitamin D to prevent cancer. You can find more details about this promising study here.
A diabetes drug may be able to stop the progression and spread of pancreatic cancer, says medicalnewstoday.com. The study, by Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, is not the first to find metformin as a possible treatment for cancer, but it is the first to pinpoint why. The drug has an effect on the signaling of what is called the REarranged during Transfection (RET) cell and by targeting it with metformin it appears to prevent the progression of pancreatic cancer. The studies on metformin and the treatment of cancer have created interest in also using metformin as a potential in preventing cancer, especially in those who are at high risk. The scientists who conducted the Rutgers study say further studies need to be done to determine exactly how metformin affects RET signaling in pancreatic cancer. Learn more here.
Researchers may have found a better way to predict the effectiveness of drugs in cancer patients, reports cnbc.com. The researchers took biopsies from colorectal cancer patients and created what they are calling microtumors. They then treated the micro tumors with drugs and observed how well they worked. The method proved much faster than the previous method of growing cancer in mice which typically takes six to eight months. The micro tumors grow in six to eight weeks. The microtumor method is also less expensive and was more effective in predicting how well drugs will treat an individual’s cancer. The microtumor option will help doctors prescribe the best drug for their patients and according to the lead doctor of the study, patients are already in trials for the new process. More information about the microtumors and how they will help patients can be found here.