Weight, weight, weight. Sometimes, that seems to be what everyone is talking about these days when it comes to our health.
We are getting fatter. We will be getting sicker. Some of the gains we have made in lifespan are at risk if we don’t do something about our increasing waists, and do it soon.
But did you know that overweight and obesity are tied to an increased risk of several different types of cancers, such as breast cancer in post-menopausal women, as well as cancers of the colon, endometrium (uterus), esophagus, and kidney?
So what can you do about it?
On Thursday, August 16th the American Cancer Society is launching its Great American Eat Right Challenge, to help you learn more about what you should be doing to get your diet—and your weight—under control, and reduce your risk not only of heart disease, diabetes and hypertension, but your risk of cancer as well.
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Erythropoietin has made the headlines once again.
You may recall a blog I wrote several months ago about this drug, and the controversy that erupted after clinical trial results came to light indicating that the drug—intended to boost red blood cell counts and avoid blood transfusions--may in fact be more harmful than previously thought.
In the meantime, there has been a lot of action surrounding what are now called “erythropoiesis stimulating agents” or ESAs, which are used primarily in patients with cancer and kidney failure patients on dialysis.
The latest event in this ongoing saga came last week, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule intended to control the use of ESAs in the Medicare population.
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An article released today by the British medical journal The Lancet suggests that MRI is more effective than mammograms in detecting early, non-invasive breast cancer lesions.
The implications of the article and an accompanying editorial are that we could do a much better job of finding breast cancer earlier in its course, and save more lives from breast cancer than is currently possible by relying on screening mammography alone.
This is clearly going to be a controversial issue, given our reliance on mammography as the best available breast cancer screening tool for women at average risk.
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