Cancer Studies

Question: Have their been any cancer studies done on this? Has there been any studies done on a possible correlation between living in a southern state that is warm year round and increased cancer rates? I was just kinda thinking about this. I live up north so i don't go outside a lot in the winter except to do what i have to do. If i lived in the south i imagine i would be outside year round exposed to the sun so it just made sense to me that maybe people in the south are more prone to cancer? Or would their skin adjust to the year round sun and darken? thanks obviously sara. That's not what i am even asking, but thanks for trying. My bad, i wasn't even thinking when i wrote this. I meant to specify that i meant skin cancer. Not all cancers.

Answer: There are over 200 different types of cancer and just as many subtypes. Cancer occurs all over the world, in all geographic locations, all socio-economic groups, crosses borders, affects all races, both sexes, and all age groups. It may surprise you to learn that cancer is an ancient disease that has been found in the fossilized remains of humans. It is not a new disease at all. Despite improvement in treatment for some types of cancer doctors and scientists still do not know what causes the majority of cancers to occur. We live in the north too and my teenage son died last year from advanced abdominal sarcoma . . doctors do not have a clue why a healthy teenage boy would suddenly develop cancer and die. Adding to the mystery is that his type of cancer predominately strikes young males almost 4:1 . . but no one knows why. We have kept statistics on his type of cancer and there is nothing that any of these young people have in common other than being young and mostly male (females can have it too) but geography has nothing to do with this type of cancer. So it is good that you are thinking . . there have been studies done to try and determine what 'causes' cancer including studies of the sun . . but again . . no conclusive evidence exists that people in the south have more or less cancer than people who live in the north (types of cancer may or not vary) ACS: Cancer Statistics for 2008 http://www.cancer.org/docroot/STT/STT_0.asp

Question: How do studies test for Cancer? I would really like to know how they test cancer, do they study the cells.. or do they do something with the mice, and then find ways to cure it? If so, how do they do that? Serious answers please. Thanks.

Answer: This is a huge topic and there are thousands of methods to research and test for cancer, and there is a big difference between treating cancer and performing research on cancer treatment. To diagnose and treat cancer in a person, the docs usually consider the patient's symptoms, and then look for the presence of tumors or maybe certain chemicals that indicate cancer. If a tumor is found, the docs consider the appearance and location of the growth, and examine the cell types with a microscope and compare them to known examples of cancerous cells. This is usually the first step and its more of an art than science. After this initial screening, there are all sorts of tests available. Some of the more common approaches include tests to detect more specific cancer markers (but you need to know what type of cancer to test for ahead of time), and chemicals that are injected that "light up" cancer cells on an x-ray. Mice are used for research. Cancer cells are intentionally injected into a mouse to cause cancer. Cancer cell lines are maintained by continually breeding mice or rats and injecting them with cancer cells. The animals are then used for experiments. There's a partial list of tests at this link:

Question: Anyone have information concerning cancer studies relating to Triphenyl Phosphate? I am referring to exposure to the chemical.

Answer: Inhalation cancer risk value (potency)Not a recognized or suspect carcinogen Ingestion cancer risk value (potency)Not a recognized or suspect carcinogen http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/edf-risk-characterization.tcl?edf_substance_id=115-86-6

Question: Are there any studies that show that drinking water prevents cancer? My doctor told me I wasn't drinking enough water. She said by drinking 3 liters of water a day, I can rid my body of free radicals which would reduce my risk of cancer. This seems like a lot of water to drink and has an unpleasant side effect. I want to know whether the benefits of high water consumption are assumed or have they instead been demonstrated in controlled studies.

Answer: i dont know if it has really been studied, but if i had to guess i would doubt it prevents cancer. free radicals are highly reactive and would probably react with something before they are flushed out. thats why antioxidants are great in test tubes, but there really isnt any good evidence an antioxidant rich diet/supplements do anything for you; the free radicals mess with stuff in the cell before the antioxidants can neutralize them. but like i said thats just a guess i might be wrong. drinking water is good for you though in other ways, and 3L isnt that much once you get used to it. helps prevent kidney stones, electrolyte imbalances, and dehydration. id suggest doing it if the doc told you to.

Question: Medical studies supporting argument that smoking causes lung cancer? Does anyone know the official title of any medical studies or trials that support the argument that smoking causes lung cancer? Also, if anyone knows of an article or example of why animal trials and human trials can have different results, that would be great. I have to research both sides of the debate about smoking and lung cancer.

Answer: You start the research on PubMed which is the online access to the US National Library of Medicine. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/

Question: Is there a specific name for one who studies cancer? Like someone who diagnoses, treats, and looks for cures?

Answer: An oncologist specifically studies cancer, but cancer is also studied by Cell biologists (cytologist) and molecular biologists. Doctors who diagnose, treat and study specific cancers of the body: for example skin cancer is dealt with by a dermatologist, leukemia= hematologist. Brain tumor= neurologist Therapeutic radiographers are specialists who use radiation to attack and treat cancer.

Question: What are the recent studies and researches for cancer prevention? I have to write a research paper about cancer and I need a lot of help.

Answer: Remember that cancer is not just one disease, but over 200, not all of them have preventive actions, but some do. Gardasil/Cervarix is a major outbreak, it should prevent about 90% of all cervical cancer cases, which is now the third most frequent cancer in woman, after lung and breast. Some genetic testing are also available, in high risk patients they can get tested to asses their likelihood to have certain cancer, depending on the results, they can have surgery (remove both breasts and put an implant in very high-risk patients), or frequent testing (colonoscopy every 6 months in colon cancer). Examples of this are: thyroid cancer, breast ca, ovarian cancer and colon cancer. However, genetic-caused cancer is not common, for example less than 5% of all breast cancer cases are directly caused genetics. More than preventive, most measures are aimed to do an early diagnose: mammogram, SPA, stool blood, pap smear. cdc.gov cancer.org cancer.gov who.org Are good sources good luck!

Question: What is the proper term for a doctor who studies bow cancer?

Answer: i think your refering to a gastrooncologyst and they deal with the stomach bowels and colon i have one for gist cancer

Question: Are there any credible studies that prove a link between cancer and chemical plants? In other words are there any credible professionals who have publicly proclaimed a correlation between residing in close proximity to chemically active facilities (e,g. chemical, sewage treatment plants, mines etc.) and an increased risk of certain diseases (e,g. cancer, asthma)? If so, please give me a link, author name, artcle etc.. Thank you so much.

Answer: There are lots, go to your local library and look at all the books on the topic.

Question: Why are there no studies for female brain cancer patients aged 20 to 50? Every study I've looked at refers to males over 70. Once in a while I'll find a study with males and females over 70, but no young females.

Answer: Well Sam, I guess we got the men's tumors!! They should gather us all up and find a cure, in some new, cutting edge clinicals. We don't need stats, we need studied and researched.

Question: What is a doctor that studies cancer called?

Answer: An Oncologist. There are several subspecialties within oncology. Moreover, oncologists often develop an interest and expertise in the management of particular types of cancer. Oncologists may be divided on the basis of the type of treatment provided. Radiation oncology: treatment primarily with radiation, a process called radiotherapy. Surgical oncology: surgeons who specialize in tumor removal. In the United Kingdom and several other countries, oncologists may be either clinical or medical oncologists. The main difference is that clinical oncologists deliver radiotherapy, while medical oncologists do not. (This difference does not apply in North America: the terms, clinical oncologist and medical oncologist are used interchangeably.) Gynecologic oncology focuses on cancers of the female reproductive system. In veterinary medicine, veterinary oncology is the subspecialty that deals with cancer diagnosis and treatment in animals.

Question: Can using a Microwave actually cause cancer or is that just a myth?, any studies on the matter? =S? Ive heard so many people telling me not to put my hotdogs in the microwave because it causes cancer, ive heard other people say standing near it while it is on can also cause cancer, anyone know of any studies on this because i dont know who to believe <.<

Answer: Anytime anyone tells you that normal behavior causes cancer, simply smile and nod, and then don't talk to that person anymore. Microwaving a hotdog will not CAUSE cancer, eating a hotdog will NOT CAUSE cancer, (regardless of what the PETA propaganda will tell you) and any studies on the matter are probably retarded. Focus on common sense, and do a little research on what cancer actually is. Microwave away.

Question: What studies have been done which have confirmed a breast cancer and abortion link? No offense intended, but I am only interested in studies - not opinions or debates. I am specifically interested in studies which regard the link as existent, as I have already found articles disproving the link.

Answer: The largest, and probably the most reliable study on this topic was done during the 1990s in Denmark, a country with very detailed medical records on all its citizens. In that study, all Danish women born between 1935 and 1978 (a total of 1.5 million women) were linked with the National Registry of Induced Abortions and with the Danish Cancer Registry. So all information about their abortions and their breast cancer came from registries, was very complete, and was not influenced by recall bias. After adjusting for known breast cancer risk factors, the researchers found that induced abortion(s) had no overall effect on the risk of breast cancer. The size of this study and the manner in which it was done provides good evidence that induced abortion does not affect a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. Another large, prospective study was reported on by Harvard researchers in 2007. This study included more than 100,000 women who were between the ages of 29 and 46 at the start of the study in 1993. These women were followed until 2003. Again, because they were asked about childbirths and abortions at the start of the study, recall bias was unlikely to be a problem. After adjusting for known breast cancer risk factors, the researchers found no link between either spontaneous or induced abortions and breast cancer. The California Teachers Study also reported on more than 100,000 women in 2008. Researchers asked the women in 1995 about past induced and spontaneous abortions. While the women were being followed in the study, more than 3,300 developed invasive breast cancer. There was no difference in breast cancer risk between the group who had either spontaneous or induced abortions and those who had not had an abortion. In February 2003, the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) held a workshop of more than 100 of the world's leading experts who study pregnancy and breast cancer risk. The experts reviewed human and animal studies that looked at the link between pregnancy and breast cancer risk, including studies of induced and spontaneous abortions. Some of their findings were: •Breast cancer risk is increased for a short time after a full-term pregnancy (that is, a pregnancy that results in the birth of a living child). •Induced abortion is not linked to an increase in breast cancer risk. •Spontaneous abortion is not linked to an increase in breast cancer risk. The level of scientific evidence for these findings was considered to be "well established" (the highest level). Sorry, we here on the cancer board aren't big into spreading falsehoods and nonsense, especially if we've had cancer ourselves.

Question: Recent Cancer Studies? My mom works at an outpatient chemotheraphy clinic. Some of her patients have reached the end of their treatment ropes and have little hope left. Some of the patients though, take their treatment into their own hands and find newer research and present it to their doctors. Unfortunately, the clinic she works at only gets updated information through word of mouth. In other words, they're usually the last to know. I've taken it upon myself to find recent case studies that highlight newer treatment options that can be presented to the patient and in turn presented to their doctor. The only problem is I don't even know where to start. I've tried places like the Cancer Research Foundation but can't seem to find anything worthwhile. Bottom line I need a website that will give me updated information regarding treatment and also explain it in words that the patient will be able to understand. If ANYONE can help me with this, I would appreciate it so so much. Thanks for your time and your help. Actually they are NOT all up to date. Someone at the Mayo clinic would have more information that someone at Minnesota Oncology because the Mayo has the research right at their fingertips. If you would like to be rude and offer no help, then please, refrain from answering my question. Thank you.

Answer: There is no reason a patient needs to instruct their oncologist on what chemo they should be taking. Every oncologist in the country has the same information.

Question: Can smoking cause cats/dog to get cancer? Can you show me some studies? I don't smoke around my animals it's just something I've always wondered. I've looked and can't find any studies on it. I assume they would but have never seen any studies. Anyone have any?

Answer: Secondhand smoke isn't just a health threat to people. It can also hurt dogs and cats, veterinarians say. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 126 million Americans who don't smoke are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes, vehicles, workplaces, and public places. This exposure causes thousands of lung cancer and heart disease deaths among nonsmokers every year, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency. Making the leap from the effects of secondhand smoke on humans to their effects on pets isn't a big one, says veterinarian Carolynn MacAllister of Oklahoma State University. "There have been a number of scientific papers recently that have reported the significant health threat secondhand smoke poses to pets," MacAllister said. "Secondhand smoke has been associated with oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, lung and nasal cancer in dogs, as well as lung cancer in birds." Mouth cancer in cats MacAllister cited a study done by the Tufts College of Veterinary Medicine that showed that the number of cats living with mouth cancer (also known as squamous cell carcinoma) was higher for those living in homes with smokers than those who lived in smoke-free environments. "One reason cats are so susceptible to secondhand smoke is because of their grooming habits," MacAllister said. "Cats constantly lick themselves while grooming, therefore they lick up the cancer-causing carcinogens that accumulate on their fur. This grooming behavior exposes the mucous membranes of their mouth to the cancer-causing carcinogens." Cats living with smokers are also twice as likely to develop malignant lymphoma, a cancer that occurs in the lymph nodes and that is fatal to three out of four cats within 12 months of developing it. Lung and nose cancer in dogs Studies have also shown that dogs living in a smoking household are susceptible to cancers of the nose and sinus area, particularly if they are a long-nosed breed, because their noses have a greater surface area that is exposed to carcinogens and a greater area for them to accumulate. Dogs affected with nasal cancer normally don't survive for more than one year. Short and medium-nosed dogs are more susceptible to lung cancer, "because their shorter nasal passage aren't as effective at accumulating the inhaled secondhand smoke carcinogens," MacAllister said. "This results in more carcinogens reaching the lungs." Birds are also at risk for lung cancer, as well as pneumonia, because their respiratory systems are hypersensitive to any type of air pollutant. To help prevent animals from being adversely affected by smoking, pet owners who smoke should have a designated smoking area that is separated from the home or stop smoking altogether, MacAllister said. - Also..While much is often said about the dangers of direct smoking and the harmful effects of secondhand smoke exposure to humans, there is also evidence that dogs, cats, and other pets are also adversely affected. How: By ingestion of cigarette or cigar butts which contain toxins By drinking water that contains cigar or cigarette butts (which can have high concentrations of nicotine). By breathing secondhand smoke By ingestion of nicotine replacement gum and patches. Health Effects: Breathing problems in dogs and asthmatic-like symptoms in cats Salivation Diarrhea Vomiting Cardiac abnormalities Respiratory difficulties and respiratory paralysis Feline lymphoma in cats Lung cancer in dogs Nasal cancer in dogs Death- From 1-5 cigarettes and from 1/3-1 cigar can be fatal if ingested. Prevention: As in the case of children and others in the home, don’t smoke. If you must smoke take it outside- Don’t expose others to your smoke Don’t allow others to smoke around your pets. Keep ashtrays clean- Don’t leave butts in them for pets to find. Dispose of nicotine gum and patches in receptacles that can’t be accessed by pets. Consider quitting- The health effects of your smoking on pets is just one more good reason to quit. Copied and pasted from these sites.

Question: which research area in cancer studies is currently leading? scope of cancer studies in europe

Answer: Dana Farber institute in harvrad uneversity