Category Archives: Prevention

Losing 10 pounds or more confers lower risk of endometrial cancer

The link between endometrial cancer and obesity is the strongest of all cancers studied; obesity is also strongly linked to breast and colon cancer. In the Iowa Women’s Health Study,  patients who intentionally lost at least 20 pounds demonstrated a risk of endometrial cancer equivalent to non-obese patients. A supplemental analysis suggested that intentional loss of 10 pounds also reduced risk. Continue reading

Obesity soon to replace tobacco as the number one preventable / treatable cause of cancer

“Obesity is on its way to replacing tobacco as the number one preventable / modifiable cause of cancer,” says Clifford Hudis, MD, the 2013-2014 President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Indeed, obese post-menopausal women have up to twice the risk of developing breast cancer as do their normal weight counterparts. Continue reading

HPV DNA Test and Experimental DNA Vaccine

The National Cancer Institute states that “virtually all” cervical cancers are caused by HPV infection.  The association is so strong that the FDA recently approved a DNA test for HPV that many believe could supplant PAP smear.  This is great news for patients who do not have cervical cancer, yet.  But what if you do?… Continue reading

Genomic and Exomic Diagnostic Testing – ready for the doctor’s office?

This is an article from the National Institutes of Health that discusses the opportunities and challenges for making genomic (sequencing all 3 billion base pairs) or exomic (sequencing the 1-2% of the genome that contains the 20,000 genes that encode proteins) a routine test in the doctor’s office.  The study was conducted by the National Human Genomic Research Institute – see report. Continue reading