Cancer Prevention News and Research

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Statins appear to lessen chance of developing breast cancer

According to a new study women who are taking the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, such as Lipitor or Mevacor, appear to have much less chance of developing breast cancer.

16 May 2005

Breast cancer hormone drug might help prevent prostate cancer

A hormonal drug used to fight breast cancer might help prevent abnormal prostate growths from turning into cancers.

15 May 2005

Major Northern Ireland survey to seek public views on cancer

A major postal survey which will help raise cancer awareness is being conducted by the University of Ulster and funded by the Ulster Cancer Foundation.

10 May 2005

A new approach to prevent cancer

Researchers at the University of Dundee have identified a way of inactivating a naturally occurring human protein, a development which could offer new routes to developing cancer prevention treatments.

10 May 2005

New treatments for common vaginal infection being studied

Whether a two-week regimen using a stainless steel douching device can eradicate the most common vaginal infection is under study at the Medical College of Georgia.

9 May 2005

Baby hormone reduces risk of breast cancer

It has been common knowledge that having a baby by the age of 20 cuts a woman's future risk of breast cancer in half, but now U.S. scientists at the Fox Chase Cancer Centre, Philadelphia, have shown that the hormone that heralds pregnancy could offer a way to prevent breast cancer.

19 Apr 2005

New test for cancer, more sensitive than any existing techniques

Speaking at the Institute of Physics conference Physics 2005 in Warwick, scientists will reveal a new test for cancer, more sensitive than any existing technique and capable of predicting for the first time whether a tumour has spread.

12 Apr 2005

Can cancer be prevented?

Common habits – what we eat, how much we exercise, smoke and use alcohol – contribute to about a third of cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.

12 Apr 2005

Tamoxifen still not popular with women at risk of breast cancer

Tamoxifen still not popular with women at risk of breast cancer A new study has revealed that less than one in five women eligible to take tamoxifen decided to take the drug after being told of its risks and benefits.

11 Apr 2005

Vitamin E supplements speed up the development of latent cancers

Taking high-dose vitamin E supplements for an extended period doesn't protect against cancer; in fact, it may even speed up the development of latent cancers, according to a study by researchers from Hotel-Dieu de Quebec Research Centre and Universite Laval. Their results are published in the April issue of the prestigious Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

5 Apr 2005

First North American trial to evaluate the role of an aromatase inhibitor in the prevention of breast cancer

Today, a new clinical trial evaluating a novel approach to breast cancer prevention launched in the United States and Canada. Called the ExCel research study, this is the first North American clinical trial to evaluate the role of an aromatase inhibitor in the prevention of breast cancer.

30 Mar 2005

Strawberries destroy cancer cells

Researchers specializing in the health benefits of plant compounds have shown that quercetin, a phytonutrient found in abundance in strawberries and other fruits, can induce programmed self-destruction of human cancer cells.

23 Mar 2005

Important advance in our understanding of colorectal cancer

An international team of medical scientists has made an important advance in our understanding of the second most fatal form of cancer in the industrialized world. Professor Jeremy R. Jass, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Gastrointestinal Pathology at McGill University in Montreal

3 Mar 2005

An apple a day keeps breast cancer away

An apple a day can help keep breast cancer away, according to a study in rats by food scientists at Cornell University.

1 Mar 2005

Celebrex provides a two pronged attack against prostate cancer

Celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor with promising anti-cancer properties, has now been found to attack prostate cancer cells in a second way that differs from Vioxx (rofecoxib), another anti-inflammatory drug that also inhibits COX-2.

1 Mar 2005

Common epigenetic problem doubles cancer risk

In experiments with mice, a team of scientists from the United States, Sweden and Japan has discovered that having a double dose of one protein is sufficient to change the normal balance of cells within the lining of the colon, thereby doubling the risk that a cancer-causing genetic mutation will trigger a tumor there.

27 Feb 2005

Is it exercise or dieting that helps prevent cancer?

Scientists and health professionals have long believed that maintaining a healthy - or "ideal" - weight makes a difference in decreasing an individual's risk for cancer. But one lingering question is whether or not it's better, in terms of cancer prevention, if that weight is reached and maintained by dieting or by exercising.

23 Feb 2005

Vioxx doubles risk of heart attacks and strokes

The largest prospective trial ever examining the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx as a chemoprevention agent found that the risk of developing a cardiovascular "event" - heart attacks and/or strokes - was almost double in patients who received the drug, compared to patients who took the placebo, according to a study out Feb. 15 on-line in The New England Journal of Medicine.

15 Feb 2005

Cancer pledge needs anti-smoking action

The community will question the Labor Government's commitment to boost spending on cancer prevention while it does little to stop passive smoking killing more and more West Australians, the AMA (WA) said today.

8 Feb 2005

Why some men develop aggressive prostate cancer that becomes resistant to hormone-withdrawal therapy

Researchers found that certain mutations in a protein called the androgen receptor cause advanced and invasive prostate cancer when put into otherwise healthy mice. The androgen receptor's normal function is to control growth of the prostate gland in response to cues from male hormones called androgens, which have long been thought to stimulate prostate tumors.

26 Jan 2005