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.

When a Scientist Used Lab-Grown Viruses to Treat Her Own Cancer—and Succeeded
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When a Scientist Used Lab-Grown Viruses to Treat Her Own Cancer—and Succeeded

In 2020, Croatian virologist Dr. Beata Halassy faced a grim reality: her breast cancer had returned for the third time. Traditional treatments had failed her, leaving few options. But rather than surrender, she took an extraordinary step that would blur the lines between science and self-experimentation. Using her expertise in virology, Halassy turned to an…

When Gene Therapy Opens New Doors for Patients Once Out of Options
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When Gene Therapy Opens New Doors for Patients Once Out of Options

For decades, some cancer diagnoses came with a hard truth. Even with chemotherapy, radiation, and transplants, the disease continued to return. Families were told there was little more medicine could offer. That reality is now beginning to shift. A new form of gene based immunotherapy is offering remission to patients who previously had none, and…

New Organ Discovery Behind Your Nose Could Change Cancer Treatment Forever
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New Organ Discovery Behind Your Nose Could Change Cancer Treatment Forever

Doctors scanning cancer patients stumbled onto something nobody expected to find in 2020. Advanced imaging technology revealed structures that appeared on every single scan, glowing like beacons in a location where anatomy textbooks showed nothing macroscopic existed. Medical professionals had looked at this area behind the nose for centuries during examinations, surgeries, and dissections without…

Nail Clubbing Explained: When Finger Changes Signal Deadly Disease
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Nail Clubbing Explained: When Finger Changes Signal Deadly Disease

Your fingernails might be trying to tell you something urgent. Nail clubbing changes how your fingers look and feel, making nails appear wider, swollen, or shaped like upside-down spoons. Most people brush off small changes in their bodies, assuming headaches will pass and odd symptoms will fade. But clubbing deserves immediate attention from a medical…

COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Boost Cancer Patient Survival 5-Fold
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COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Boost Cancer Patient Survival 5-Fold

Scientists just discovered something extraordinary about COVID-19 vaccines and cancer survival rates. Researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center found that cancer patients who received Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines within 100 days of starting immunotherapy lived substantially longer than unvaccinated patients. Lung cancer patients saw their three-year survival rates nearly double, while melanoma patients experienced…

A New Breakthrough: Photodynamic Therapy Offers Hope Against HPV
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A New Breakthrough: Photodynamic Therapy Offers Hope Against HPV

For millions of women worldwide, a diagnosis of human papillomavirus (HPV) can be frightening. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection and a leading cause of cervical cancer, which remains one of the deadliest cancers among women. While vaccines and routine screenings have made enormous strides in prevention, researchers are working tirelessly to discover…

Can Polyphenols Help Protect You Against Cancer?
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Can Polyphenols Help Protect You Against Cancer?

When we think about cancer prevention, most of us consider lifestyle choices like exercise, diet, and regular screenings. But science suggests that certain plant-based compounds called polyphenols may provide another layer of defense. Found abundantly in fruits like plums, polyphenols are being studied for their ability to slow cancer cell growth, trigger programmed cell death,…

Hair Dye Linked to 60% Higher Breast Cancer Risk
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Hair Dye Linked to 60% Higher Breast Cancer Risk

Millions of women may be unknowingly increasing their breast cancer risk through regular hair dye use. Groundbreaking research from the Sister Study, involving 46,709 women followed for over eight years, reveals that permanent hair dye raises breast cancer risk by 45% in Black women and 7% in white women. Most alarming, Black women using permanent…

Could a Personalized mRNA Vaccine Change the Outlook for Brain Cancer?
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Could a Personalized mRNA Vaccine Change the Outlook for Brain Cancer?

Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive and devastating brain cancers, often leaving patients and families with few options. Traditional treatments—surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation—can slow the disease, but survival rates remain low. Now, researchers at the University of Florida are testing a new approach: a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine designed to reprogram the immune system…