Cancer

Cancer is defined as a group of diseases that happen when cells grow out of control. These abnormal cells can form tumors and spread to other areas of the body. The risk of developing cancer increases as you age due to the natural process of cell turnover. This process happens more rapidly in youth, which is one reason that most cancers are diagnosed in adults. Most of the time, the cause of cell turnover is random DNA errors that happen during replication. These errors can be prevented by a healthy diet, physical exercise, and stress reduction. Not all cell turnover is bad; in fact, most of the cells in your body are replaced every 14 days. The rate of cell turnover decreases with age, which is why most cancers are diagnosed in adults. Unfortunately, there is no way to stop this process entirely, though you can reduce your risk by avoiding things that cause DNA damage.

New Targeted Drug Nearly Doubles Survival Time For Pancreatic Cancer Patients In Major Trial

New Targeted Drug Nearly Doubles Survival Time For Pancreatic Cancer Patients In Major Trial

When patients sit in my office to discuss a metastatic pancreatic cancer diagnosis, their first question is almost always about their true life expectancy. For a long time, the survival statistics have been difficult to discuss. Our primary tool has been intravenous chemotherapy. It offers limited success and brings heavy toxicity. That is why the…

FDA Approves Sound Wave Treatment for Cancer Without Surgery, Chemotherapy, or Radiation

FDA Approves Sound Wave Treatment for Cancer Without Surgery, Chemotherapy, or Radiation

When you hear a cancer diagnosis, your immediate thought probably goes to invasive surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. Over my years in practice, I have seen how the physical demands of these standard treatments affect patients almost as much as the disease itself. That is why I want to talk to you about a newly FDA-approved…

A New Gold-Based Cancer Treatment Could Change How We Fight Tumors

A New Gold-Based Cancer Treatment Could Change How We Fight Tumors

Cancer treatment has come a long way over the past several decades, but one challenge remains stubbornly difficult: destroying cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation can save lives, yet they often come with significant side effects because healthy cells frequently get caught in the crossfire. Now, researchers at Duke University have…

A Wearable Patch May Replace Surgery for Some Skin Cancers

A Wearable Patch May Replace Surgery for Some Skin Cancers

Surgery has been the primary treatment for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. While surgical removal can be highly effective, it often comes with challenges, including scarring, recovery time, and the possibility of complications. Now, researchers have developed a wearable patch that may offer a different approach—one that destroys cancer cells without a scalpel….

Australia’s Tumor Freezing Technology Could Revolutionize Cancer Treatment

Australia’s Tumor Freezing Technology Could Revolutionize Cancer Treatment

Cancer treatment has come a long way from the days when surgery was often the only option. While surgical removal remains an important tool, advances in imaging and precision medicine are creating new ways to target tumors with less disruption to the body. One of the latest developments comes from Australia, where clinicians are using…

Personalized mRNA Vaccine Shows 87% Survival Rate in Pancreatic Cancer Patients Six Years Later
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Personalized mRNA Vaccine Shows 87% Survival Rate in Pancreatic Cancer Patients Six Years Later

Pancreatic cancer is one of the few diseases where even a diagnosis caught early enough for surgery still carries an 80 percent chance of the cancer coming back. Its five-year survival rate sits at around 13 percent. Decades of research have barely moved that number. Now, a personalized mRNA vaccine tested at Memorial Sloan Kettering…

Do Tattoos Increase Your Risk of Melanoma? Large Studies Find a Surprising Link
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Do Tattoos Increase Your Risk of Melanoma? Large Studies Find a Surprising Link

Tattoos have moved far beyond subculture. Roughly one in five people in Sweden now has at least one tattoo, and among women under 40, that figure exceeds 40 percent. Globally, tattooing has grown into one of the most common forms of body modification, with most people getting their first tattoo between the ages of 18…

Scientists Engineered Bacteria to Invade and Destroy Cancer Tumors From the Inside Out
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Scientists Engineered Bacteria to Invade and Destroy Cancer Tumors From the Inside Out

Cancer research has produced some extraordinary breakthroughs over the past decade, but few approaches are as audacious as what a team at the University of Waterloo is now building. Researchers have engineered bacteria to invade solid tumors, colonize their oxygen-free cores, and consume cancer tissue from within. What sounds like science fiction is backed by…

Surviving Cancer Young May Accelerate Aging in the Body and Brain
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Surviving Cancer Young May Accelerate Aging in the Body and Brain

Surviving cancer at a young age is often seen as a victory—and it absolutely is. Advances in treatment have allowed more children, teens, and young adults to overcome cancer than ever before. But what happens after remission is becoming an area of growing concern in medicine. Emerging research suggests that surviving cancer early in life…