Why is asparagine, a rather boring molecule that biology majors are forced to memorize, grabbing international headlines? It can be found foods containing protein – which are many – including asparagus, the vegetable after which it was named. But some in the media say it causes cancer, which means asparagus causes cancer. (We're not kidding.)
breast cancer
Drugs submitted for FDA approval must have safety and efficacy data for the condition they're designed to treat. Sometimes, however, a drug is found to be effective for another condition, and doctors are within their rights to prescribe it for such "off-label" uses. Such may soon be the case for metformin.
Women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancers are commonly treated post-surgery for five years with drugs that interfere with the hormone-tumor interaction. But sometimes the cancer reoccurs, and the initial tumor and lymph node status seems to be important in determining who would be at the greatest risk of recurrence.
A new report from the American Cancer Society says that deaths attributable to breast cancer have decreased by 39 percent, with improvements in mortality rates observed in all races and ethnicities. All told, nearly 323,000 fewer women have evaded the horror of this terrible disease.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, best known for her comedic work on VEEP and Seinfeld, announced Thursday on Twitter that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Here's what the Emmy-Award winning actress may be facing.
Both obesity in general, and central obesity, are associated with a higher risk of some breast cancers, finds a new Chinese study. The strength of the association was affected by whether the tumors carried receptors for estrogen or progesterone.
It used to be that breast cancer diagnosis often meant a radical surgery, removing the breast as well as underlying muscle. But in the last few decades, we've learned that such extreme measures are usually not necessary. And recent research indicates that minimal surgery (along with radiation and systemic treatment) may be all that's necessary, in some cases.
While for some women it's been a lifesaver, the utility of mammography screening for breast cancer has been a bone of contention since it's unpleasant and can be downright painful. One way to make it more bearable would to give women more control over the procedure – and the FDA recently approved a device to do just that.
The headlines are scary — even one daily alcohol-containing drink causes an increased risk of breast cancer (oh my!) But a closer look at the study giving rise to such headlines should help calm those fears, at least a little.
The actress revealed in an online post that she's in remission from breast cancer. She eloquently articulated a very harsh reality for cancer patients about what remission does – and does not – mean.
Soy has estrogen and anti-estrogen components. This study hoped to determine whether women with breast cancer should eat more or less soy. The study itself has good and bad points. But the media presented misleading headlines, which confused more than clarified. (What else is new?)
Consumption of milk and other dairy products has been variously linked to a host of ills — especially by animal rights groups that want us all to avoid any animal products. Here's an example of the type of questionable data such groups often use to hoodwink unwary consumers.