Cancer

Can Cancer Really Disappear?

According to an article just published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, yes, it is possible for cancers to disappear on their own. The long held belief in cancer, was that a cell acquired a mutation, and little by little it acquired more and more mutations, and grew or progressed in a “straight arrow” fashion. But now it appears to be a more dynamic process; meaning it takes more than a mutation to cause the cancer to grow. And sometimes, the tumor can even reverse course. So, the hypothesis is that many early cancers may go nowhere. Knowing more about how tumors develop and sometimes reverse course might help doctors decide which tumors can be left alone and which need to be treated, something that is now not known in most cases.

Click here to read the full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27canc.html

Obesity

Hormones and Obesity

Obesity continues to be on the rise, which means a greater need for new and effective treatment options. An important target for research is appetite. A new study in Nutrition and Metabolism has found that hormone levels associated with appetite (leptin [promotes a feeling of fullness], ghrelin [stimulates hunger], and adiponectin [affects insulin response]) differ between normal weight and severely obese women after eating. Since appetite is a key factor related to body composition, the hormonal differences following a meal may be partially responsible for weight maintenance, weight gain, or resistance to weight loss. Further understanding of the reason for this difference between people with different body sizes and weights should help to develop more effective therapies to prevent and treat obesity.

Click here to read more: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/709892

Depression

Depressed With Diabetes?

Diabetes coupled with major depression has been shown to increase the risk of death in a recent study in the Annals of Family Medicine, which may be due in part to the behavioral effects of depression. The study found that obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity were more common among patients with diabetes and depression compared with diabetes patients who did not have depression. Poor adherence to medications among depressed patients also represented another reason for higher mortality across illnesses. To lower this risk, researchers suggest that studies examine interventions aimed at improving health behavior, medication adherence, and better control of medical comorbidities (additional conditions), in addition to treating the depression.

Click here to read more: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/710059

Diabetes

Help Prevent Diabetes Later in Life Through a Healthy Lifestyle

A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine has determined that combined lifestyle factors are associated with a markedly lower incidence of new-onset diabetes mellitus.

Study participants whose physical activity level and dietary, smoking, and alcohol habits were all in the low-risk group had an 82% lower incidence of diabetes compared with all other participants. And those participants in the low-risk group who were also normal weight had an 89% lower incidence of diabetes. Overall, 9 of 10 new cases of diabetes appeared to be attributable to these 5 lifestyle factors. This serves as yet another reason to continue healthful habits as you age.

Click here to read more: http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/19398692

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

People With IBD at Higher Risk for Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

New research has shown that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are more than 60% more likely to develop nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) than those without IBD. In addition, the persistent use of immunosuppressant medications in treating IBD, was found to be strongly associated with an increased risk for NMSC. But researchers allowed that changes to the immune system itself, as a result of IBD, may contribute to this risk. Restricting the patient’s medications is not suggested. Instead, careful surveillance for the development of skin cancer and picking up early signs in these patients, particularly for those on immunomodulators, is encouraged.

Click here to read more: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/711473

Click here to read more about IBD: http://www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/default.htm

Cancer

Are the Benefits of Early Screening Overstated?

It’s complicated. Some studies have suggested that there are patients undergoing aggressive treatments for cancers that could have gone undetected for a lifetime without causing harm. At the same time, some cancers found through screening and treated early still end up being deadly. A major concern is overdiagnosis and overtreatment as a result of cancer screening. However, it is not suggested that women stop getting mammograms or that men stop getting screened for prostate cancer. Instead, the goal is to better inform people of the benefits, risks, and limits of various forms of cancer screening.

Click here for the full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/health/22screen.html?_r=3