ReportWire

Tag: radiation

  • HHS Announces New Study of Cellphone Radiation and Health

    TUESDAY, Jan. 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) — U.S. health officials plan a new study investigating whether radiation from cellphones may affect human health.

    A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the research will examine electromagnetic radiation and possible gaps in current science. 

    The initiative stems from numerous concerns raised by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has linked cellphone use to neurological damage and cancer.

    “The [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] removed webpages with old conclusions about cell phone radiation while HHS undertakes a study on electromagnetic radiation and health research to identify gaps in knowledge, including on new technologies, to ensure safety and efficacy,” HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said.

    He added that the study was directed in a strategy report from the president’s Make America Healthy Again Commission.

    Many states already have partial or complete bans on wireless communication devices, including cellphones and tablets, during the school day — a move aimed at improving kids’ mental and physical health.

    At the same time, health officials say existing evidence has not changed. 

    The National Cancer Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, says that “evidence to date suggests that cellphone use does not cause brain or other kinds of cancer in humans.”

    SOURCE: NBC News, Jan. 16, 2026

    Copyright © 2026 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

    HealthDay

    Source link

  • Prostate Cancer and Mushrooms | NutritionFacts.org

    What can reishi mushrooms, shiitake mushroom extracts, and whole, powdered white mushrooms do for cancer patients?

    “A regular intake of mushrooms can make us healthier, fitter, and happier, and help us live longer,” but what is the evidence for all that? “Mushrooms are widely cited for their medicinal qualities, yet very few human intervention studies have been done using contemporary guidelines.”

    There is a compound called lentinan, extracted from shiitake mushrooms. To get about an ounce, you have to distill around 400 pounds of shiitakes, about 2,000 cups of mushrooms. Researchers injected the compound into cancer patients to see what happens. The pooled response from a dozen small clinical trials found that the objective response rate was significantly improved when lentinan was added to chemotherapy regimens for lung cancer. “Objective response rate” means, for example, tumor shrinkage, but what we really care about is survival and quality of life. Does it actually make cancer patients live any longer or any better? Well, those in the lentinan group suffered less chemo-related toxicity to their gut and bone marrow, so that alone might be reason enough to use it. But what about improving survival?

    I was excited to see that lentinan may significantly improve survival rates for a type of leukemia. Indeed, researchers found that adding lentinan to the standards of care increased average survival, reduced cachexia (cancer-associated muscle wasting), and improved cage-side health. Wait, what? This was improved survival for brown Norwegian rats, so that the so-called clinical benefit only applies if you’re a rat or a veterinarian.

    A compilation of 17 actual human clinical studies did find improvements in one-year survival in advanced cancer patients but no significant difference in the likelihood of living out to two years. Even the compilations of studies that purport that lentinan offers a significant advantage in terms of survival are just talking about statistical significance. As you can see below and at 2:15 in my video White Button Mushrooms for Prostate Cancer, it’s hard to even tell these survival curves apart.

    Lentinan improved survival by an average of 25 days. Now, 25 days is 25 days, but we “should evaluate assertions made by companies about the miraculous properties of medicinal mushrooms very critically.”

    Lentinan has to be injected intravenously. What about mushroom extract supplements you can just take yourself? Researchers have noted that shiitake mushroom extract is available online for the treatment of prostate cancer for approximately $300 a month, so it’s got to be good, right? Men who regularly eat mushrooms do seem to be at lower risk for getting prostate cancer—and apparently not just because they eat less meat or consume more fruits and vegetables in general. So, why not give a shiitake mushroom extract a try? Because it doesn’t work. On its own, it is “ineffective in the treatment of clinical prostate cancer.” Researchers wrote that “the results demonstrate that claims for CAM [complementary and alternative medicine], particularly for herbal and food supplement remedies, can be easily and quickly tested.” Put something to the test? What a concept! Maybe it should be required before individuals spend large amounts of money on unproven treatments, or, in this case, a disproven treatment.

    What about God’s mushroom (also known as the mushroom of life) or reishi mushrooms? “Conclusions: No significant anticancer effects were observed”—not even a single partial response. Are we overthinking it? Plain white button mushroom extracts can kill off prostate cancer cells, at least in a petri dish, but so could the fancy God’s mushroom, but that didn’t end up working in people. You don’t know if plain white button mushrooms work on real people until you put them to the test.

    What I like about this study is that the researchers didn’t use a proprietary extract. They just used regular whole mushrooms, dried and powdered, the equivalent of a half cup to a cup and a half of fresh white button mushrooms a day, in other words, a totally doable amount. The researchers gave them to men with “biochemically recurrent prostate cancer”—the men had already gotten a prostatectomy or radiation in an attempt to cut or burn out all the cancer, but it returned and started growing, as evidenced by a rise in PSA levels, an indicator of prostate cancer progression.

    Of the 26 patients who had gotten the button mushroom powder, 4 appeared to respond, meaning they got a drop in PSA levels by more than 50% after starting the mushrooms, as you can see here and at 4:31 in my video.

    In the next graphic, below and at 4:22, you can see where the four men who responded started out in the months leading up to starting the mushrooms. Patient 2 (“Pt 2”) was my favorite. He had an exponential increase in PSA levels for a year, then he started some plain white mushrooms, and boom! His PSA level dropped to zero and stayed down. A similar response was seen with Patient 1. Patient 4 had a partial response, before his cancer took off again, and Patient 3 appeared to have a delayed partial response.

    Now, in the majority of cases, PSA levels continued to rise, not dipping at all. But even if there is only a 1-in-18 chance you’ll be like Patients 1 and 2, seen below and at 5:12, you may get a prolonged, complete response that continues.

    We aren’t talking about weighing the risks of some toxic chemotherapy for the small chance of benefit, but just eating some inexpensive, easy, tasty plain white mushrooms every day. Yes, the study didn’t have a control group, so it may have just been a coincidence, but rising PSAs in post-prostatectomy patients are almost always indicators of cancer progression. And, what’s the downside of adding white button mushrooms to your diet?

    In these two patients, their PSA levels became undetectable, suggesting that the cancer disappeared altogether. They had already gone through surgery, had gotten their primary tumor removed, along with their entire prostate, and had already gone through radiation to try to clean up any cancer that remained, and yet the cancer appeared to be surging back—until, that is, they started a little plain mushroom powder.

    Doctor’s Note

    If you missed the previous blog, check out Medicinal Mushrooms for Cancer Survival.

    Also check out Friday Favorites: Mushrooms for Prostate Cancer and Cancer Survival.

    For more on mushrooms, see Breast Cancer vs. Mushrooms and Is It Safe to Eat Raw Mushrooms?.

    For more videos on prostate cancer, check the related posts below. 

    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

    Source link

  • Cancer Survival and Medicinal Mushrooms | NutritionFacts.org

    Did the five randomized controlled trials of reishi mushrooms in cancer patients show benefits in terms of tumor response rate, survival time, or quality of life?

    Can mushrooms be medicinal? Mushroom-based products make up a sizable chunk of the $50 billion supplement market. “This profitable trade provides a powerful incentive for companies to test the credulity of their customers and unsupported assertions have come to define the medical mushroom business.” For example, companies marketing herbal medicines “exploit references to studies on mice in their promotion of mushroom capsules and throat sprays for treating all kinds of ailments”—but we aren’t mice.

    It wouldn’t be surprising if mushrooms had some potent properties. After all, fungi are where we’ve gotten a number of drugs, not the least of which is penicillin, as well as the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin and the powerful immunosuppressant drug cyclosporin. Still don’t think a little mushroom can have pharmacological effects? Don’t forget they can produce some of our most powerful poisons, too, like the toxic Carolina false morel that looks rather toadstooly, while others, as you can see here and at 1:15 in my video Medicinal Mushrooms for Cancer Survival, have a more angelic look like the destroying angel—that is its actual name—and as little as a single teaspoon can cause a lingering, painful death.

    We should have respect for the pharmacological potential of mushrooms, but what can they do that’s good for us? Well, consuming shiitake mushrooms each day improves human immunity. Giving people just one or two dried shiitake mushrooms a day (about the weight-equivalent of five to ten fresh ones) for four weeks resulted in an increase in proliferation of gamma-delta T lymphocytes and doubled the proliferation of natural killer cells. Gamma-delta T cells act as a first line of immunological defense, and, even better, natural killer cells kill cancer. Shiitake mushrooms did all this while lowering markers of systemic inflammation.

    Oyster mushroom extracts don’t seem to work as well, but what we care about is whether mushrooms can actually affect cancer outcomes. Shiitakes have yet to show a cancer survival benefit, but what about reishi mushrooms, which have been used as a cancer treatment throughout Asia for centuries?

    What does the science say about reishi mushrooms for cancer treatment? A meta-analysis of five randomized controlled trials showed that patients who had been given reishi mushroom supplements along with chemotherapy and radiation were more likely to respond favorably,  compared to chemotherapy/radiotherapy on its own. Although adding a reishi mushroom extract improved tumor response rates, “the data failed to demonstrate a significant effect on tumour shrinkage when it was used alone,” without chemo and radiation. So, they aren’t recommended as a single treatment, but rather an adjunct treatment for patients with advanced cancer.

    “Response rate” just means the tumor shrinks. Do reishi mushrooms actually improve survival or quality of life? We don’t have convincing data suggesting reishi mushroom products improve survival, but those randomized to reishi were found to have “a relatively better quality of life after treatment than those in the control group.” That’s a win as far as I’m concerned.

    What about other mushrooms? Although whole shiitake mushrooms haven’t been put to the test for cancer yet, researchers have said that lentinan, a compound extracted from shiitakes, “completely inhibits” the growth of a certain kind of sarcoma in mice. But, in actuality, it only worked in one strain of mice and failed in nine others. So, are we more like the 90% of mouse strains in which it didn’t work? We need human trials—and we finally got them. There are data on nearly 10,000 cancer patients who have been treated with the shiitake mushroom extract injected right into their veins. What did the researchers find? We’ll find out next.

    Doctor’s Note

    Stay tuned for White Button Mushrooms for Prostate Cancer.

    Also check out Friday Favorites: Mushrooms for Prostate Cancer and Cancer Survival.

    For more on mushrooms, see Breast Cancer vs. Mushrooms and Is It Safe to Eat Raw Mushrooms?.

    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

    Source link

  • Dietary Components That May Cause Cancer to Metastasize  | NutritionFacts.org

    Palmitic acid, a saturated fat concentrated in meat and dairy, can boost the metastatic potential of cancer cells through the fat receptor CD36.

    The leading cause of death in cancer patients is metastasis formation. That’s how most people die of cancer—not from the primary tumor, but the cancer spreading through the body. “It is estimated that metastasis is responsible for ~90% of cancer deaths,” and little progress has been made in stopping the spread, despite our modern medical armamentarium. In fact, we can sometimes make matters worse. In an editorial entitled “Therapy-Induced Metastasis,” its authors “provide evidence that all the common therapies, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, fine needle biopsies, surgical procedures and anaesthesia, have the potential to contribute to tumour progression.” You can imagine how cutting around a tumor and severing blood vessels might lead to the “migration of residual tumour cells,” but why chemotherapy? How might chemo exacerbate metastases? “Despite reducing the size of primary tumors, chemotherapy changes the tumor microenvironment”—its surrounding tissues—“resulting in an increased escape of cancer cells into the blood stream.” Sometimes, chemo, surgery, and radiation are entirely justified, but, again, other times, these treatments can make matters worse. If only we had a way to treat the cause of the cancer’s spreading.

    The development of antimetastatic therapies has been hampered by the fact that the cells that initiate metastasis remain unidentified. Then, a landmark study was published: “Targeting Metastasis-Initiating Cells Through the Fatty Acid Receptor CD36.” Researchers found a subpopulation of human cancer cells “unique in their ability to initiate metastasis”; they all express high levels of a fat receptor known as CD36, dubbed “the fat controller.” It turns out that palmitic acid or a high-fat diet specifically boosts the metastatic potential of these cancer cells. Where is palmitic acid found? Although it was originally discovered in palm oil, palmitic acid is most concentrated in meat and dairy. “Emerging evidence shows that palmitic acid (PA), a common fatty acid in the human diet, serves as a signaling molecule regulating the progression and development of many diseases at the molecular level.” It is the saturated fat that is recognized by CD36 receptors on cancer cells, and we know it is to blame, because if the CD36 receptor is blocked, so are metastases.

    The study was of a human cancer, but it was a human cancer implanted into mice. However, clinically (meaning in cancer patients themselves), the presence of these CD36-studded metastasis-initiating cells does indeed correlate with a poor prognosis. CD36 appears to drive the progression of brain tumors, for example. As seen in the survival curves shown below and at 3:21 in my video What Causes Cancer to Metastasize?, those with tumors with less CD36 expression lived significantly longer. It is the same with breast cancer mortality: “In this study, we correlated the mortality of breast cancer patients to tumor CD36 expression levels.” That isn’t a surprise, since “CD36 plays a critical role in proliferation, migration and…growth of…breast cancer cells.” If we inhibit CD36, we can inhibit “the migration and invasion of the breast cancer cells.” 

    Below and at 3:46 in my video, you can see breast cancer cell migration and invasion, before and after CD36 inhibition. (The top lines with circles are before CD36 inhibition, and the bottom lines with squares are after.)

    This isn’t only in “human melanoma- and breast cancer–derived tumours” either. Now we suspect that “CD36 expression drives ovarian cancer progression and metastasis,” too, since we can inhibit ovarian cancer cell invasion and migration, as well as block both lymph node and blood-borne metastasis, by blocking CD36. We also see the same kind of effect with prostate cancer; suppress the uptake of fat by prostate cancer cells and suppress the tumor. This was all studied with receptor-blocking drugs and antibodies in a laboratory setting, though. If these “metastasis-initiating cancer cells particularly rely on dietary lipids [fat] to promote metastasis,” the spread of cancer, why not just block the dietary fat in the first place?

    “Lipid metabolism fuels cancer’s spread.” Cancer cells love fat and cholesterol. The reason is that so much energy is stored in fat. “Hence, CD36+ metastatic cells might take advantage of this feature to obtain the high amount of energy that is likely to be required for them to anchor and survive at sites distant from the primary tumour”—to set up shop throughout the body.

    “The time when glucose [sugar] was considered as the major, if not only, fuel to support cancer cell proliferation is over.” There appears to be “a fatter way to metastasize.” No wonder high-fat diets (HFD) may “play a crucial role in increasing the risk of different cancer types, and a number of clinical studies have linked HFD with several advanced cancers.”

    If dietary fat may be “greasing the wheels of the cancer machine,” might there be “specific dietary regimens” we could use to starve cancers of dietary fat? You don’t know until you put it to the test, which we’ll look at next.

    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

    Source link

  • Keto Diet to Effectively Fight Cancer?  | NutritionFacts.org

    Keto Diet to Effectively Fight Cancer?  | NutritionFacts.org

    What does the science say about the clinical use of ketogenic diets for epilepsy and cancer? 

    Blood sugar, also known as blood glucose, is the universal go-to fuel for the cells throughout our bodies. Our brain burns through a quarter pound of sugar a day because “glucose is the preferred metabolic fuel.” We can break down proteins and make glucose from scratch, but most comes from our diet in the form of sugars and starches. If we stop eating carbohydrates (or stop eating altogether), most of our cells switch over to burning fat. Fat has difficulty getting through the blood-brain barrier, though, and our brain has a constant, massive need for fuel. Just that one organ accounts for up to half of our energy needs. Without it, the lights go out…permanently. 

    To make that much sugar from scratch, our body would need to break down about half a pound of protein a day. That means we’d cannibalize ourselves to death within two weeks, but people can fast for months. What’s going on? The answer to the puzzle was discovered in 1967. Harvard researchers famously stuck catheters into the brains of obese subjects who had been fasting for more than a month and discovered that ketones had replaced glucose as the preferred fuel for the brain. Our liver can turn fat into ketones, which can then breach the blood-brain barrier and sustain our brain if we aren’t getting enough carbohydrates. Switching fuels has such an effect on brain activity that it has been used to treat epilepsy since antiquity. 

    In fact, the prescription of fasting for the treatment of epileptic seizures dates back to Hippocrates. In the Bible, even Jesus seems to have concurred. To this day, it’s unclear why switching from blood sugar to ketones as a primary fuel source has such a dampening effect on brain overactivity. How long can one fast? To prolong the fasting therapy, in 1921, a distinguished physician scientist at the Mayo Clinic suggested trying what he called “ketogenic diets,” high-fat diets designed to be so deficient in carbohydrates that they could effectively mimic the fasting state. “Remarkable improvement” was noted the first time it was put to the test, efficacy that was later confirmed in randomized, controlled trials. Ketogenic diets started to fall out of favor in 1938 with the discovery of the anti-seizure drug that would become known as Dilantin, but they’re still being used today as a third- or fourth-line treatment for drug-refractory epilepsy in children. 

    Oddly, the success of ketogenic diets against pediatric epilepsy seems to get conflated by “keto diet” proponents into suggesting a ketogenic diet is beneficial for everyone. Know what else sometimes works for intractable epilepsy? Brain surgery, but I don’t hear people clamoring to get their skulls sawed open. Since when do medical therapies translate into healthy lifestyle choices? Scrambling brain activity with electroshock therapy can be helpful in some cases of major depression, so should we get out the electrodes? Ketogenic diets are also being tested to see if they can slow the growth of certain brain tumors. Even if they work, you know what else can help slow cancer growth? Chemotherapy. So why go keto when you can just go chemo? 

    Promoters of ketogenic diets for cancer are paid by so-called ketone technology companies that offer to send you salted caramel bone broth powder for a hundred bucks a pound or companies that market ketogenic meals and report “extraordinary” anecdotal responses in some cancer patients. But more concrete evidence is simply lacking, and even the theoretical underpinnings may be questionable. A common refrain is that “cancer feeds on sugar.” But all cells feed on sugar. Advocating ketogenic diets for cancer is like saying Hitler breathed air so we should boycott oxygen. 

    Cancer can feed on ketones, too. Ketones have been found to fuel human breast cancer growth and drive metastases in an experimental model, more than doubling tumor growth. Some have even speculated that this may be why breast cancer often metastasizes to the liver, the main site of ketone production. As you can see below and at 4:59 in my video Is Keto an Effective Cancer-Fighting Diet?, if you drip ketones directly onto breast cancer cells in a petri dish, the genes that get turned on and off make for much more aggressive cancer, associated with significantly lower five-year survival in breast cancer patients, as you can see in the following graph and at 5:05 in my video. Researchers are even considering designing ketone-blocking drugs to prevent further cancer growth by halting ketone production.  

    Let’s also think about what eating a ketogenic diet might entail. High animal fat intake may increase the mortality risk among breast cancer survivors and potentially play a role in the development of breast cancer in the first place through oxidative stress, hormone disruption, or inflammation. This applies to men, too. “A strong association” has been found “between saturated fat intake and prostate cancer progression and survival.” Those in the top third of consumption of these kinds of fat-rich animal foods appeared to triple their risk of dying from prostate cancer. This isn’t necessarily fat in general either. No difference has been found in breast cancer death rates based on total fat intake. However saturated fat intake specifically may negatively impact breast cancer survival, increasing the risk of dying from it by 50 percent. There’s a reason the official American Cancer Society and American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Survivorship Care Guideline recommend a dietary pattern for breast cancer patients that’s essentially the opposite of a ketogenic diet. It calls for a diet that’s “high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes [beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils]; low in saturated fats; and limited in alcohol consumption.” 

    “To date, not a single clinical study has shown a measurable benefit from a ketogenic diet in any human cancer.” There are currently at least a dozen trials underway, however, and the hope is that at least some cancer types will respond. Still, even then, that wouldn’t serve as a basis for recommending ketogenic diets for the general population any more than recommending everyone get radiation, surgery, and chemo just for kicks. 

    “Keto” has been the most-searched keyword on NutritionFacts.org for months, and I didn’t have much specific to offer…until now. Check out my other videos on the topic in related videos below. 

     For an overview of my cancer work, watch How Not to Die from Cancer. 

    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

    Source link

  • Moscow says NATO leaders should discuss Ukraine nuclear power plant

    Moscow says NATO leaders should discuss Ukraine nuclear power plant

    Russia said on Sunday that NATO leaders should discuss conditions at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant at their summit this week, as an accident at the facility could affect the territories of alliance members.

    Ukraine warned last week that Moscow could be preparing to blow up the nuclear power station, which could lead to a radioactive disaster, after Russian workers were told to leave the facility.

    Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday accused Kyiv of “systematic infliction of damage” to the Zaporizhzhia plant and warned of the possible fallout from a catastrophe there.

    “Key attention should be devoted” to the Zaporizhzhia facility at the NATO meeting starting Tuesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a Telegram post. “After all, the vast majority of the alliance members will be in the direct impact zone” of any potential accident, she said.

    Leaders of the NATO alliance will meet on July 11-12 in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, about 1,200 kilometers away from the Zaporizhzhia plant. The summit will discuss crucial issues including the supply of weapons to Kyiv and the accession of Sweden and Ukraine.

    According to International Atomic Energy Agency experts, there are not “any visible indications of mines or explosives” at the Zakharova plant, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said on July 7.

    Giovanna Faggionato

    Source link

  • Ukraine warns of nuclear disaster as Russia orders staff to leave power plant

    Ukraine warns of nuclear disaster as Russia orders staff to leave power plant

    KYIV – Ukrainian officials and intelligence officers warned Russia could be preparing to blow up a nuclear power station, leading to a radioactive environmental disaster. 

    After the Kakhovka dam destruction last month, Kyiv fears the Kremlin plans to organize an explosion at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — the largest in Europe — located in the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar.

    According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russian workers have been told to leave the power station by July 5. 

    “There is a serious threat. Russia is technically ready to provoke a local explosion at the plant, which could lead to the release of dangerous substances into the air,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said to Spanish journalists in Kyiv over the weekend. “We are discussing all this with our partners so that everyone understands why Russia is doing this and put pressure on the Russian Federation politically so that they don’t even think about such a thing.” 

    Last week as the State Emergency Service of Ukraine conducted radioactive safety drills in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian Military Intelligence reported that a Russian military contingent, as well as Russian-backed nuclear power plant workers, were gradually leaving the plant. 

    “Among the first to leave the station were three Rosatom employees, who managed the actions of the Russians,” Ukrainian military intelligence said in a statement. They were advised to leave by July 5. “The personnel remaining at the station were instructed to blame Ukraine in case of any emergencies.”

    Maria Zakharova, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement the fact that Ukrainian officials conducted radioactive safety drills and set additional radiation measurement devices in several cities means “Kyiv is preparing a false flag” operation. However Zakharova provided no evidence for her claim. The plant is currently Russian controlled.

    Earlier last month Ukrainian spy chief Kyrylo Budanov said Russia was ready to orchestrate a technological disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The part most likely to be blown up would be the artificial pond needed for cooling the power station, Budanov said. 

    The International Atomic Energy Agency has not confirmed Ukraine’s information that the cooling pond has been mined, although it also said it has not had full access to all sites at the plant. 

    According to the IAEA, its experts were able to inspect parts of the plant’s cooling system, including some sections of the perimeter of the large cooling pond, which still has a stable level of water needed to cool down the reactors. The IAEA experts have also been conducting regular walk-downs across reactor units and other areas around the site. The IAEA said it still expected to gain access to other parts of the site including the cooling system. 

    In an earlier update on June 21, the IAEA said that while they did not see any visible mines around the cooling pond, experts were aware of previous placements of mines outside the plant perimeter and also at particular places inside, which Russian security personnel on site explained were for defensive purposes.

    Zelenskyy has not backed down on his claims, saying Russians might blow up the power station at some point in future, even when it comes back under Ukrainian control, using mines that can be activated from a distance. “There can be remote mines — then to say that everything was fine under the control of the occupiers, but blew up as soon as it went back to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. 

    Veronika Melkozerova

    Source link

  • Unbelievable facts

    Unbelievable facts

    Source link

  • Care and Comfort During Stage III or IV Breast Cancer Treatment

    Care and Comfort During Stage III or IV Breast Cancer Treatment

    “Advanced breast cancer doesn’t have to be a journey taken alone,” says Sony Sherpa, MD, a holistic doctor in Sacramento, CA. “Thankfully, you have vast support options and resources available to you.”

    Your Doctor and Medical Team

    Many cancer centers have a system of support in place that includes your doctor and other health care professionals. Keep in mind that they can’t help if you don’t share what’s going on. To get the support you need, be open with your questions and concerns.

    “Sometimes patients don’t ask questions because they don’t want to bother their doctor or nurse, or they don’t think their questions are that important,”says Rebecca Crane-Okada, PhD, director of Cancer Navigation & Willow Sage Wellness Programs at the Margie Petersen Breast Center at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. “But your doctor is really the first place to start.” 

    If your doctor or medical team doesn’t seem to listen to you or respect your questions, or you’re not confident they have enough experience with advanced breast cancer, look for a new team.

    Social Workers and Counselors

    “Social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, or licensed professional counselors help with grief and loss, coping and adjustment, and family communication,” says Crane-Okada. They may also have techniques to help you with symptoms like insomnia.

    They may also help with practical things like housing, transportation, insurance, and financial aid questions. They may connect you with other resources and services, such as:

    • Financial help
    • Where and how to get a wig if you’d like one
    • Help with problems that come up at work
    • Insurance issues
    • Transportation to medical appointments

    Ask your doctor or cancer center for a referral. “Many cancer centers and hospitals now provide oncology social workers and counselors who can help you cope with the psychological, physical, and emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis,” Sherpa says.

    Spiritual Support

    Spiritual leaders and faith-based communities can offer comfort and support. They may help with practical things to make your daily life easier, like chores, meals, and transportation. They may also make you feel less alone and more supported. “A chaplain may be available to help with spiritual or religious concerns or questions,” says Crane-Okada.

    Friends and Family

    Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. Friends and family often want to help, but they’re not always sure what you need or what to offer. Try to be specific about what things they can do that will make your life easier and better.

    For example, ask family and friends if they can drive you to appointments, watch your kids, help with groceries, or to simply be a shoulder to lean on.

    Support Groups and Communities

    Consider joining a support group, which may be led by an oncology social worker. They’re a great way to connect with other people going through a similar experience. They can also help you feel less alone, find valuable information, and learn new ways to cope. You can find support groups in local hospitals, cancer centers, community organizations, and online. Try the Komen Metastatic Breast Cancer group or search Facebook for metastatic breast cancer groups.

    Online Resources

    The amount and types of support you can get from nonprofit organizations and online resources is vast, Crane-Okada says. It ranges from toll-free helplines to information about your diagnosis and treatment to one-on-one counseling services you can get through teletherapy.

    Try these online resources:

    • American Cancer Society
    • National Cancer Institute
    • Patient Advocate Foundation
    • National Coalition of Cancer Survivorship
    • Cancer Support Community
    • Cancer Care
    • Cancer Net

    Palliative Care

    You can have palliative care no matter your age, type, or stage of cancer. It’s for anyone who wants to feel better, manage symptoms, and get support with non-medical needs. 

    Talk to your doctor about your palliative care options before you start treatment. Palliative care often works best when you start it right after you’re diagnosed and before treatment. If you have palliative care during treatment, you may have less severe symptoms and a better quality of life.

    Self-Care

    There’s a lot you can do to support yourself as you manage advanced breast cancer.

    Stay healthy. Eat well. Limit how much alcohol you drink. Avoid smoking. Manage stress the best you can. Stay on top of your medical checkups and tests.

    Exercise regularly. Being physically active can help you feel stronger, boost your energy, and lower stress. It may also give you a sense of accomplishment and control. Talk to your health care team to create an exercise plan that works you.

    Follow through with rehabilitation. If your doctor recommends cancer rehabilitation, you may have physical therapy, occupational therapy, pain management, nutritional planning, career counseling, or emotional counseling. These are helpful resources that can help you get more control of your life and stay independent.

    Take care of what’s on your mind. If there’s something that feels unresolved in your life, taking care of it now can give you peace of mind. Consider facing whatever it is that’s making you feel bad. Maybe you want to fix a broken relationship with a family member or friend. Maybe you’re worried about getting your will and advance directive in place. These things can weigh on your mind, so it’s helpful to take care of them if you feel up to it.

    Source link

  • Unbelievable facts

    Unbelievable facts

    Source link

  • Treating Inoperable Lung Cancer: A Nurse’s Perspective

    Treating Inoperable Lung Cancer: A Nurse’s Perspective

    By Alison Massey, as told to Susan Bernstein

    There is a perception that chemotherapy is like treatments from 20 or 30 years ago. They think it will have side effects that are not tolerable, but we have made significant advances in managing the toxicities that come with these cancer medications. People think chemo will make them sick, but that’s not the case. Each individual treatment regimen has its own side effect profile. If you look at the list of possible side effects, people can be overwhelmed. Most people will experience a side effect, but no one gets every possible side effect.

    Generally, people will be a little tired or have a dip in energy level for a few days. But between your treatments, we hope that you’ll be able to live your normal life. We have many people who continue to work between their treatments.

    Nausea is another common side effect, but we’ve made advances in how to manage nausea you may experience around your treatments as well. We can offer patients a range of anti-nausea medications. Some treatments do cause hair loss, and if that’s the case, we let you know that up front. It’s important to note that the vast majority do not cause hair loss, although some may cause hair thinning. We definitely have ways to help you manage these issues, including offering a prescription for wigs or other resources. With hair thinning, we can also check certain labs or get our dermatology colleagues involved to help you.

    Fatigue is the main thing you may experience with radiation. Radiation can cause inflammation in your body as it kills the cancer. It’s the inflammation that causes the side effects. Depending on what is being radiated, you may have pain. For example, if you are receiving lung radiation, your esophagus can be involved because the radiation may be close to that area of your body. If so, you may have pain with swallowing or difficulty swallowing. You may even feel like food gets stuck after you swallow it. People who are having radiation may not realize that it could affect swallowing food.

    Sometimes people will need radiation to a painful lesion. While receiving radiation at a particular spot for people with advanced lung cancer, you may have a flare-up of that pain. Ultimately, the hope is that pain will disappear. During this time, we can also treat you with pain medications or steroids like dexamethasone to minimize the inflammation that causes pain.

    Checkpoint inhibitors [immunotherapy medications for lung cancer] can have side effects, but they are different than chemo because they act on your immune system. These medications can overactivate your immune system, which leads to the side effects. Sometimes, we see patients develop dermatitis, which appears as a rash, or experience colitis that causes diarrhea, or pneumonitis of your lungs, which may cause shortness of breath or a cough. Checkpoint inhibitors may also cause arthritis or myositis, which is inflammation of your muscles. Sometimes, we can even see swelling of your joints. It’s important that if patients notice any new symptoms while taking a checkpoint inhibitor, they let us know about it so we can initiate treatment. The quicker you tell us about these side effects, the sooner we can treat and reverse them.

    Anxiety and depression are two things we deal with very often during cancer treatment. In my experience, people may feel lost when they are first diagnosed. But once you have found your oncologist and your whole cancer support team, and you know you have a plan of attack to treat your cancer, most people feel better. Many have a fear of cancer treatments and the potential impact of treatment on your quality of life. We let people know that they can still live their life and they should continue to do the things that they enjoy.

    Your mood and outlook may depend on where you are in your cancer treatment course or disease progression. Early on, most people are more functional and have less fatigue. Some people may still be able to work. Others may need to hang out at home for a few days after each treatment. Our goal is that you don’t stay in bed the whole time you’re being treated for cancer. Keep an active schedule as much as you can. Realize that you will be tired after your treatment and plan for those days. And don’t forget to ask for help if you need it!

    Sleeping well can also affect your mood and quality of life. A lot of our patients have insomnia. Often anxiety may be causing that insomnia. Your mind is racing, so you can’t sleep. Also, some of the meds you take for nausea or steroids for inflammation can rev you up and cause insomnia. And sometimes an annoying cough can disrupt your sleep.

    Some people with lung cancer may need to use supplemental oxygen. In my experience, people struggle with the idea of wearing oxygen because, like the association with hair loss, now people on the outside are able to see that they are sick. But from a medical perspective, it’s important to wear it if you need it.

    Loss of sexual function is something we can see in both men and women. In my experience, men are more vocal about this, so speak up, ladies, if you have any concerns! Erectile dysfunction can affect men during cancer treatment. Women may experience vaginal dryness or pain during intercourse. If that happens and you let us know, we can refer you to a sexual health doctor. Treatments can also affect women’s menstrual cycles. If you’re someone who could get pregnant, you should be careful to use contraception while you’re being treated for cancer.

    Source link

  • Inoperable Lung Cancer: Innovations That Are Changing the Outlook

    Inoperable Lung Cancer: Innovations That Are Changing the Outlook

    By David Tom Cooke, MD, as told to Susan Bernstein

    The term is “inoperable lung cancer.” It means that the risk of surgery to remove the lung cancer exceeds the benefits of the surgery for a patient. However, it is hard to tell if someone is “inoperable.”

    Age is one factor that can slightly increase your risk, but it’s not necessarily prohibitive. I’ve operated on 90-year-olds. Other health problems you have can be a factor, such as impaired lung function. If we remove a lung tumor in a person who already has minimal lung function due to severe COPD or emphysema, that can make surgery risky, for example. There is a growing population of people who fit that description. To be determined that your lung cancer is “inoperable,” you really need to be seen by a thoracic surgeon.

    The gold standard for treatment of early-stage, inoperable lung cancer is something we call SBRT, or stereotactic body radiation therapy. It’s high-dose, focused radiation. SBRT is used to try to destroy the tumor. It’s very targeted, and we use special imaging to be very precise with this treatment, typically CT scans. It’s different from traditional, high-dose radiation therapy to shrink or kill tumors. SBRT has potential to cure lung cancer, but it’s not known if it has the same cure rate for patients as surgery. We usually perform one or two SBRT treatments, and then you have routine follow-up for 5 years.

    There are some newer experiments going on in this area. It’s thought that radiation can cause the release of antigens, small proteins that activate your immune system. There are studies to see if the combination of SBRT with immunotherapy drugs called checkpoint inhibitors can increase the likelihood of killing and eliminating lung tumors. Checkpoint inhibitors activate one’s own immune system — to remove the “checkpoints” that slow down the immune system — to fight cancer.

    Researchers are studying not only the effects of this combination therapy, but how long patients would have to take these drugs. Right now, there have been phase I studies to look at the safety of this SBRT/checkpoint inhibitor combination, as well as clinical trials underway to look at the results of the combination therapy.

    Another treatment used in early stages is the use of [local scopes to treat the tumor], such as navigational bronchoscopy. For this treatment, we take a camera attached to the end of a catheter and insert it into the patient’s trachea, or windpipe. Then, either using high-tech guidance tools or combined with a CT scan, we aim the catheter toward the tumor. This is also being done with robotic technology combined with a CT scan to guide the catheter to the tumor, followed by microwaves to kill the tumor, or to locally inject chemotherapy directly into the tumor. There are animal studies being done now to test this type of technique.

    There have been recent advances in surgery, so people whose lung cancer was once considered inoperable may become operable. One key factor here is robotic surgery. We can make smaller incisions for less stress on the body. Robotic surgery also allows us to take less lung tissue out to remove your tumor.

    There are other new technologies on the horizon for lung cancer treatment. One may be a combination of robotic surgical technology with 3D imaging and heads-up displays in the operating room to carefully guide the surgery. I always use this comparison: If your child is going to the prom, do you want them going in a 1992 Ford Taurus or a 2022 Toyota Camry with all the latest safety innovations, such as blind spot assist, airbags on all sides, and a backup camera? We can use these technologies to greatly increase safety during surgery.

    There is another point that is important for the big picture of lung cancer treatment. According to the American Lung Association’s 2021 “State of Lung Cancer” report, over 20% of patients diagnosed with lung cancer did not receive any treatment whatsoever. In addition, Black patients with lung cancer are 23% less likely to receive surgical treatment and 9% less likely to receive any treatment compared with white patients.

    Before you have any treatment for lung cancer, it is best to discuss it with a team of doctors, including a thoracic surgeon, because we have so many different options to fight your disease.

    Source link