When a cancer patient is told that their cancer might be a “side effect” or “complication” from a treatment they received years ago for another disease, it is very upsetting. How much better to avoid medications that we already know can increase your chances of developing cancer! These articles also provide important information for family members who may have similar genetic vulnerabilities to cancer.
Compounded Bioidentical Hormone Therapy – Keris KrennHrubec, Meg Seymour, & Diana Zuckerman, PhD To avoid the risks of conventional hormone therapy, more and more women are seeking alternatives. But how safe are compounded bioidentical hormones? When women enter menopause, their bodies produce less estrogen and progesterone. This can cause hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and other symptoms. Hormone therapy can … Continue reading Compounded Bioidentical Hormone Therapy
Allergan Recalls Textured Breast Implants Globally Due to Cancer Links – Sasha Chavkin, IJIC: July 24, 2019. Allergan will recall its Biocell textured breast implants worldwide after United States health authorities requested that it remove them from the market due to their association with a rare cancer of the immune system. The announcement, which reflects the most sweeping recognition to date of the serious health risks associated with … Continue reading Allergan Recalls Textured Breast Implants Globally Due to Cancer Links
Allergan Recalls Textured Breast Implants Linked to Rare Cancer – Laurie McGinley, Washington Post: July 24, 2019. Allergan announced a worldwide recall of textured breast implants Wednesday after the Food and Drug Administration found a sharp increase in a rare cancer and deaths linked to the products and asked the company to pull them off the U.S. market. The Dublin-based company said it is recalling Biocell textured … Continue reading Allergan Recalls Textured Breast Implants Linked to Rare Cancer
Allergan Recalls Textured Breast Implant Tied to Rare Cancer – Matthew Perrone, AP for ABC Action News; July 24, 2019 WASHINGTON (AP) — Breast implant maker Allergan Inc. issued a worldwide recall Wednesday for textured models because of a link to a rare form of cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it called for the removal after new information showed Allergan’s Biocell breast … Continue reading Allergan Recalls Textured Breast Implant Tied to Rare Cancer
Radiation Therapy for Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) – Radiation and hormone therapy both have benefits for most women who undergo lumpectomy, because they decrease the chances of DCIS returning after surgery.
Hormone Therapy and Menopause – The experts at the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued a clear recommendation: post-menopausal women should NOT take hormones to prevent chronic health conditions, such as increasing bone strength to avoid fractures. The reason is that the risks of these hormones outweigh the benefits. In addition, hormone therapy for menopause increases the risk of breast cancer and the recurrence of breast cancer.
A Shocking Diagnosis: Breast Implants “Gave Me Cancer” – New York Times, May 14, 2017. Breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma is a mysterious cancer that has affected a tiny proportion of the more than 10 million women worldwide who have received implants. Nearly all the cases have been linked to implants with a textured or slightly roughened surface, rather than a smooth covering. Texturing may cause inflammation that leads to cancer. If detected early, the lymphoma is often curable.
Hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer – Hormone “Replacement” Therapy may help reduce the symptoms of menopause, but research has found that it increases the risk of breast cancer and other serious health problems.
Morcellation devices: a surgical tool that can spread cancer? What you need to know – By Anna E. Mazzucco, Ph.D. 2014 If you have uterine fibroids and are considering treatment or if you’ve heard about uterine morcellation in the news, this article will help you understand the issue. What are power morcellation devices? A power morcellation device is a small surgical tool which cut tissue into smaller pieces. This allows … Continue reading Morcellation devices: a surgical tool that can spread cancer? What you need to know
Everything you ever wanted to know about radiation and cancer, but were afraid to ask – Do you know how much radiation you are exposed to? Learn more about the risk of developing cancer from various sources of radiation.
Choosing wisely: tests and treatments cancer patients usually DON’T need – The ABIM Foundation and Consumer Reports collaborated with specialty medical societies to create lists of “5 Things Physicians and Patients Should Question” as part of a national effort called Choosing Wisely (www.choosingwisely.org). The lists contain evidence-based recommendations made by experts. Here is the list of their recommendations on cancer.
Radiation and Thyroid Cancer – Recent media reports have raised fears that radiation from dental x-rays and mammograms increase the risk of thyroid cancer. Is it true that dental x-rays and mammograms are to blame for the increase in thyroid cancer? Can a simple thyroid shield (an optional extension of the lead apron that blocks x-rays from reaching the neck) reduce the risk and put fears to rest?
Can Sleeping Pills Cause Cancer? – Findings from a 2012 study suggest that people who take hypnotic sleep medications are more likely to get cancer or die than people who do not take these medications.
Procrit, Aranesp, and Epogen-all risk and no benefit of Erythopoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs) for patients with anemia due to chemotherapy? – Anemia drugs are widely used by patients undergoing chemotherapy and patients with chronic kidney disease, but there is growing evidence that the misuse of these drugs is harming many patients. The latest FDA “communication” again raises concerns about the safety of these drugs for any use, including patients with anemia due to chemotherapy. Studies show that cancer patients who receive ESAs have worse outcomes than patients who do not, because of higher mortality rates as well as faster cancer progression.
Danger at the Dentist’s (and Orthodontist’s) Office: Children Exposed to Radiation – Has your child been to the orthodontist this year? Was he or she exposed to dangerous levels of radiation? More and more dentists and orthodontists are using an imaging device that delivers significantly higher doses of radiation than regular X-rays. While the machine’s promoters claim that this technology is a safe way to obtain highly detailed images of a patient’s mouth and skull, other health experts are concerned about the cumulative effects of radiation from these scans, and think they shouldn’t be used routinely.
Doctors were Paid to Praise Hormone Replacement Therapy – September, 2010. How a drug company convinced the medical community that hormone replacement therapy works and is safe: Wyeth paid highly respected physicians to allow their names to be listed as authors of research studies, reviews, commentaries, and letters to the editor, although they had not actually conducted or analyzed the research nor written the articles.
Lung Cancer and Hormone Therapy: Bad News for Former and Current Smokers – Hormone therapy is frequently taken by women suffering from symptoms of menopause, but new research shows that hormone therapy can increase a woman’s chance of dying from lung cancer, especially if she is a current or former smoker.
Heart CT Scans: New Heart Disease Test May Cause Cancer – Heart disease is the leading cause of death among adults in the U.S., so some doctors have recently started using Computed Tomography (CT scanning, or “CAT scan”) to detect blockages in the heart’s arteries that can cause heart attacks. Researchers warn that if this test is widely used, we could see many new cases of cancer from increased exposure to radiation.