Future Daddy

The Institute for Comparative Cancer Investigation at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, is aiming to help canines with cancer while also advancing knowledge about human cancer.

According to Brenda Coomber, dogs with cancers that have naturally developed are a much better model of human cancer than using mice and rats, where tumors often have to be induced for studies.

But what about the dogs at this clinic? Is this research good for them?

Coomber states that all dogs treated at the clinics have developed their cancers naturally and that the quality of life of the animal is always kept in mind. In addition, the research will also work towards coming up with new and better options for treatments for canine cancers in the future.

As for the human benefits, one example was work in dogs with osteosarcoma in a limb that led to the development of a novel surgery that is now being tested in children.

According to Coomber, "Cancers that develop in these dogs are an enormous resource. Figuring out what's going on in a tumour, finding out about the disease, it will absolutely be applicable to people."

Tags:canine cancer, CanineCancer

It was all about the bike for Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards this past Wednesday. Decked out in spandex bike shorts, he pedaled with champion cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong on the Register's Annual Great Bike Race Across Iowa (RAGBRAI). Riding at an easy pace of 10 to 12 mph from Hampton to Cedar Falls, Edwards chatted with riders about their pressing issues, including their concern for his wife Elizabeth who was diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer this year.

About his bike trek, Edwards commented, "This is an accident waiting to happen."

Why did he take on the challenge? "Lance has become a friend," Edwards said. " Proud of what he's doing, particularly on the cancer issue. It's obviously very important to us personally. And I've heard about this race -- err, race -- this ride, ever since I'd been coming to Iowa so I wanted to see what it looked like."

Edwards reports he's only been on a bike two or three times in the last 20 years. Still, he's physically fit. He runs four to six miles a day and is serious about sticking to his exercise routine.

Tags:armstrong, bike, breast, cancer, candidate, democratic, edwards, elizabeth, exercise, iowa, john, lance, presidential, RAGBRAI, recurrence, survivor, wife

The main goal of programs aimed at smokers has been to help them stop smoking completely. There has been little attention to helping them reduce their use. However, some people are willing to try to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke while they are unwilling to quit completely.

A team of Cochrane Researchers analyzed the current studies available to see if there were any effective methods that could reduce use.

The team found that between 6% and 9% of people using nicotine replacement products managed to reduce their use of cigarettes, which was certainly better than the control groups where only 1-3% reduced their use. The team also found no evidence that the treatments that aimed to reduce use diverted people from stopping completely.

However, the researchers point out that there is no evidence that reducing the number of cigarettes used has any health benefits, other than leading people to one day quit smoking entirely.

I can read this analysis two ways. One way tells me that reducing the number of cigarettes is not an unreasonable path to completely quitting smoking one day. That's promising. The other way seems to say that reducing the number of cigarettes doesn't improve health anyway, so you might as well smoke more? I'll go with the first. Less cigarettes has to be better than more.

Tags:smoking cessation, SmokingCessation

OK, women of the world. Grab some paper and a pen and jot down this list of seven check-ups every woman needs. Don't just write them down, though. Make sure you take action on each and every one. They might just save your life.

1. Start with your weight, height, and BMI (body mass index). The scores you get on these simple tests are important because many conditions and diseases are associated with being overweight or underweight.

2. Check your blood pressure, and find out where you stand because hypertension is a disease with no symptoms. High blood pressure puts you at risk for cardiovascular disease -- but there are very effective treatments for this condition.

3. Get a pap smear every year, starting at the onset of sexual activity or around age 20. This is the test that tries to catch cervical cancer in its earliest stages.

4. Conduct a breast self-exam every month. Many women find breast cancer this way. I did.

5. Monitor your skin for new moles and those that change in shape, size, and color. Ask your partner or a friend to help you.

6. Pursue a diabetes screening test if you are overweight, have a family history of diabetes, or come from African-American, Latino, or Asian descent.

7. Cholesterol testing is recommended for women beginning at age 20 (some say age 40 but an earlier baseline reading is best). If normal, you won't have to be tested for five years. High cholesterol increases your risk for other diseases.

There are other screenings you might choose for yourself, like an HIV test, an eye exam, and a dental check-up -- which can turn up abnormalities that might signal cancer of the mouth, neck, throat. I say go for them all. Leave no stone unturned, and be sure you are doing the best you can to ensure your best future.

Source: Woman's Day, July 10, 2007

Tags:blood, BMI, cancer, cardiovascular, cervical, check, cholesterol, dental, diabetes, diseases, exam, eye, height, HIV, hypertension, overweight, pap, pressure, screening, seven, skin, smear, sunday, tests, underweight, ups, weight, woman

Lung cancer patients may not need to wait until their radiation treatment is over to know if it worked according to a new study.

A PET scan several weeks after starting radiation for lung cancer can indicate whether the tumor will respond to treatment, according to researchers the University of Michigan.

PET, positron emission tomography, has been used after radiation treatment to assess response. However, researchers found that PET could be used only a few week into treatment, with a strong correlation between tumor response a few weeks in and three months after treatment completion.

This could allow doctors to change plans midway through treatment and improve outcomes.

Tags:lung cancer, LungCancer, PET