As reported in JAMA Internal Medicine by Toledo et al, a large Spanish primary prevention nutrition intervention trial in patients at high cardiovascular risk (PREDIMED) showed a large reduction in risk for invasive breast cancer among women 60 to 80 years of age who were randomly assigned to the...
A study evaluating the effects of bariatric surgery on obese women most at risk for cancer has found that the weight-loss surgery slashed participants' weight by one-third and eliminated precancerous uterine growths in those who had them. Other effects included improving patients' physical quality...
In a phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Demetri et al found that treatment with trabectedin significantly improved progression-free survival vs dacarbazine in patients with advanced liposarcoma or leiomyosarcoma after prior conventional chemotherapy. Interim analysis of...
Two phase III studies of anamorelin found that the medication effectively combats wasting and increases body weight and lean body mass in certain patients with lung cancer. Results (Abstract ORAL29.01) from the ROMANA 1 and ROMANA 2 phase III trials of anamorelin were presented at the 16th...
In an analysis of a randomized trial of aspirin in patients with Lynch syndrome reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Movahedi et al found that obesity was associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, with the excess risk being restricted to those not receiving aspirin. ...
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers demonstrated a benefit in overall survival among patients with epithelial ovarian cancer receiving generic beta-blocker heart medications. Survival was shown to be greatest among those prescribed first-generation nonselective beta-blockers. According to...
In an individual-patient meta-analysis reported in The Lancet Oncology, the Collaborative Group on Epidemiological Studies on Endometrial Cancer found that oral contraceptive use was associated with long-term protection from endometrial cancer. Reduction in risk was greater for carcinomas than...
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Patel et al found that inflammatory cytokine levels were associated with poorer memory function in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, with higher pretreatment levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor type ...
A study comparing the effects of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise on body fat in inactive postmenopausal women has found that 300 minutes of vigorous exercise each week was superior in reducing total fat and other adiposity measures, especially in obese women, than shorter amounts of exercise. ...
Spending more leisure time sitting was associated with a higher risk of total cancer risk in women, specifically heightened multiple myeloma, breast, and ovarian cancer risk, according to a new study by the American Cancer Society. The higher risk was present even after taking into account body...
Although being overweight with a high body mass index (BMI) has long been associated with a higher risk for colorectal cancer, thinner patients might not fare as well as previously expected after treatment for advanced cancer, according to a new study from Duke Medicine. The study, which was...
In a study assessing factors in racial/ethnic survival disparities in breast cancer reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Warner et al found that black women with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer were significantly more likely to die from the disease within the first 2 years of ...
Pictures illustrating the dangers of cigarette smoking were more effective at strengthening people’s intentions to quit smoking than text warnings, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill analysis of multiple research studies has found. These findings were published by Noar et al in...
Being very overweight in your teens may double the risk of developing bowel cancer by the time you are middle-aged, suggested research published by Kantor et al in the journal Gut. A high level of an indicator of systemic inflammation—erythrocyte sedimentation rate—at this age is...
A large study evaluating the relationship of dietary patterns with prostate cancer–specific and all-cause mortality among men diagnosed with nonmetastatic prostate cancer has found that the men who ate a Western-style diet of foods rich in processed meats, red meats, and high-fat dairy...
In an analysis of participants in the SELECT prevention trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Barrington et al found that obesity in African American men was associated with a greater risk of prostate cancer than in white men. African American men have the highest prostate cancer incidence and mortality ...
Nearly 20% of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma “wait more than 3 months from presentation to diagnosis, which can contribute to interval tumor growth,” Patel et al concluded in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. They based their conclusions on a review of...
Statin use was not associated with reduced mortality among patients diagnosed with primary colorectal cancer between 2003 and 2009 and followed for a median of 3.4 years in the Darmkrebs: Chancen der Verhütung durch Screening (DACHS) study, an ongoing population-based study of colorectal...
Despite strong evidence and guidelines supporting its use, postsurgical radiation therapy for prostate cancer patients at risk of tumor recurrence is declining in the United States. The study, published by Sineshaw et al in European Urology, finds fewer than 10% of patients at risk of tumor...
Breast density, which is associated with breast cancer risk, was found to be higher in black women than white women when measured using novel quantitative methods, according to research presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2015, held April 18 to 22 in Philadelphia (Abstract 2770). “Since...
Obesity in black men substantially increased the risk of low- and high-grade prostate cancer, whereas obesity in white men moderately reduced the risk of low-grade cancer and only slightly increased the risk of high-grade cancer, according to the first large, prospective study to examine how race...
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, McGlynn et al found that statin use was associated with a reduced risk of primary liver cancer in a setting of low liver cancer prevalence. Other studies have shown a preventive benefit of statin therapy in regions of the world...
A new study showed that providing women with skills to manage stress early in their breast cancer treatment can improve their mood and quality of life many years later. Published by Stagl et al in Cancer, the findings suggest that women given the opportunity to learn stress management techniques...
In an analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kelly et al found that low baseline serum vitamin D levels are associated with poorer progression-free and overall survival in patients with previously untreated follicular lymphoma. Study Details The study involved analysis of data...
Very low mammographic breast density worsens the prognosis of breast cancer, according to a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland. Researchers published their findings in an article by Masarwah et al in European Radiology. The lower the breast tissue density, the less fibroglandular...
In a study of women with high-grade endometrial cancer, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found sentinel lymph node mapping accurately identified all women with node-positive, high-risk endometrial cancer, when prospectively compared to a complete pelvic and...
Bisphosphonate use for treatment or prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women has been associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer, including in a study in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) population. In a WHI study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Newcomb et al...
Breast cancer risk prediction models have underestimated the risk for African American women, a factor that has contributed to lower rates of recruitment to prevention trials in this population. In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Boggs et al developed a risk model, derived...
Sensor technology has the potential to significantly improve the teaching of proper technique for clinical breast exams, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The results of the study were published in a correspondence in The...
In a Swedish study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Holm et al found that interval cancers in women with low mammographic density breasts were more aggressive vs screen-detected cancers in these women and vs interval cancers in women with dense breasts. Use of hormone replacement...
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Ng et al found consistent trends suggesting benefit of aspirin use and COX-2 inhibitor use on recurrence-free, disease-free, and overall survival in patients with stage III colon cancer. Study Details This prospective...
In a study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Jaiswal et al found somatic mutations associated with hematologic cancers at increasing frequency with increasing age, with presence of the mutations being associated with increased risk of hematologic cancers, all-cause mortality,...
Among nearly 375,000 U.S. women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, the likelihood of diagnosis at an early stage, and survival after stage I diagnosis, varied by race and ethnicity, with much of the difference accounted for by biologic differences, according to a study reported by Iqbal et al...
In an integrated analysis of two phase II trials reported in The Lancet Oncology, Garcia et al found that treatment with anamorelin, an oral ghrelin-receptor agonist with appetite-enhancing and anabolic activity, produced a gain in lean body mass in patients with cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome. ...
A prospective analysis of data from a phase III study of patients newly diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer indicates that patients with higher vitamin D levels have better outcomes after treatment with chemotherapy and targeted therapy. The median overall survival for patients with the...
A new analysis suggests that women who use bisphosphonates have about half the risk of developing endometrial cancer as women who do not use the drugs. The findings by Alford et al, published early online in Cancer, supports other research that has shown an anticancer effect of this type of...
Men with localized prostate cancer who walked or cycled for 20 minutes or more a day had a 30% decreased overall mortality and a 39% decreased prostate cancer–specific mortality compared with men who spent less time engaging in those activities, a large Swedish study has found. The study...
In a population-based study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Arnold et al estimated that 3.6% of all new cancers worldwide in 2012 were attributable to high body mass index (BMI). The proportions of such cases were greater in women than in men and in highly developed vs less-developed countries....
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Sprague et al found that more than 40% of U.S. women have mammographically dense breasts, with the prevalence being inversely proportional to age and body mass index (BMI). As noted by the authors: “National legislation is...
In a retrospective single-institution study reported in JAMA Surgery, Gangi et al found a low risk of breast cancer after diagnosis of ovarian cancer in women harboring BRCA mutations. The study involved 364 women who had BRCA mutation testing for stage I to IV epithelial ovarian...
Biopsies were found to be the most costly tool prescribed in lung cancer diagnosis, according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology (Abstract 103). The study examined the utilization rates and estimated the Medicare costs of the lung...
Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk of primary colorectal cancer, as well as increased risk of breast, endometrial, esophageal, pancreatic, and kidney cancers. In a pooled analysis of prospective cohort studies reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Gibson et al found...
Men with higher estradiol-to-testosterone ratios had a substantially reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer, whereas men with higher ratios of 2-hydroxyestrone to 16α-hydroxyestrone had an increased risk of such cancer, according to the study findings presented by Black et al in Cancer...
For the first time, studies show that a drug is effective in treating cancer-related cachexia. Oral anamorelin hydrochloride increased lean body mass, achieved weight gain, and improved quality of life in patients with cancer-related cachexia in two pivotal phase III studies presented at the ESMO...
In a recent study reported in Nature Medicine, scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Harvard School of Public Health, among other institutions, investigated whether pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma produces metabolic changes that can be...
In a prospective cohort study in the population of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, Zhou et al found that frontal plus moderate vertex baldness at age 45 is associated with increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer. The findings were reported in the...
Recurrence-free survival rates were similar for patients with cT1 renal masses who underwent partial nephrectomy or percutaneous cryoablation, according to the results of a retrospective trial reported by Thompson et al in European Urology. However, metastases-free survival was superior for...
Despite conjecture in the lay media that wearing a bra may be a risk factor for breast cancer based on the potential for bras to interfere with lymph circulation and drainage, hampering the removal of waste and toxins, there were few scientific studies investigating the issue. Now, a new study by...
In a study reported in JAMA Surgery, Abt et al found that neoadjuvant chemotherapy is safe in women with breast cancer undergoing mastectomy with or without immediate breast reconstruction. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was an independent predictor of reduced 30-day postoperative morbidity in women...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Internal Medicine, Tran et al found a low rate of colorectal cancer and a relatively high rate of postprocedure hospitalization in elderly patients undergoing surveillance colonoscopy. Study Details The study involved patients aged ≥ 50 years...