Page 11 - Cancer

After WHO's warning on cancer link, a look at how India consumes alcohol

According to NFHS-5, alcohol consumption is higher in rural parts of the country than the urban areas

No amount of alcohol 'safe', even low consumption hikes cancer risk: WHO

The agency has previously found that alcohol causes at least 7 types of cancer, including the most common cancer types, such as bowel cancer and female breast cancer

Researchers take closer look at DNA repair scheme for cancer therapy

Researchers from Rice University and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, have taken a closer look at one of the ways cells repair broken strands of DNA.They discovered details that could help make a particular enzyme a promising target for precision cancer therapy.Not unlike patching a tire, the job of DNA polymerase theta (aka Pol theta) is to fix double-strand breaks in DNA, bridging the hanging single-stranded ends and catalyzing DNA synthesis across the break, a process known as microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ).MMEJ is complementary to two other processes -- homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining -- that repair DNA double-strand breaks, but with lower fidelity because Pol theta is prone to mutation, insertion, and deletion errors.But therein lies the advantage: MMEJ needs Pol theta to repair a double strand.A new study by Rice and St. Jude's researchers in the journal Nucleic Acids Research reveals for the first time the ...

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova diagnosed with throat, breast cancer

Tennis great Martina Navratilova said on Monday that she has been diagnosed with throat cancer and breast cancer. In a statement released by her representative, the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion and member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame said her prognosis is good and she will start treatment this month. "This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I'm hoping for a favourable outcome," the 66-year-old Navratilova said. "It's going to stink for a while but I'll fight with all have I got." She said she noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck while attending the season-ending WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, in November, and a biopsy showed early stage throat cancer. While Navratilova was undergoing tests on her throat, she said, the unrelated breast cancer was discovered. Navratilova was diagnosed with a noninvasive form of breast cancer in 2010 and had a lumpectomy. She won 59 Grand Slam titles overall, including 31 in women's doubles and 10 in mixed dou

New metabolite that can detect liver cancer by urine test discovered

A metabolite, that has never been found in mammals before, and may allow urine tests to detect a type of liver cancer, has been discovered by scientists

Cancer cases, deaths have increased in country between 2020 and 2022: Govt

Estimated cancer cases and mortality due to it have increased in the country between 2020 and 2022, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, citing official data. The Department of Health and Family Welfare provides technical and financial support to states and Union territories under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) as part of the National Health Mission (NHM), based on the proposals received from the states and subject to the resource envelope, he said in reply to a question. According to the National Cancer Registry Programme of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), an estimated incidence of cancer cases in India by different states and Union territories in 2020 was 13,92,179 and it increased to 14,26,447 in 2021 and 14,61,427 in 2022. Estimated mortality due to cancer in India was 7,70,230 in 2020 and it increased to 7,89,202 in 2021 and 8,08,558 in 2022, ..

Experimental cancer therapy shows 73% success rate in trials: Study

Researchers found that a novel treatment that induces the immune system to eradicate bone marrow cancer cells was effective in as many as 73 per cent of patients in two clinical studies

1.39 mn cancer cases in India in 2020, expected to jump by 12.8%: Mandaviya

The estimated number of cancer cases in the country in 2020 was 13,92,179 and it is projected to increase by 12.8 per cent, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed Lok Sabha on Friday citing National Cancer Registry Programme data. Responding to a question, Mandaviya said patients with cancer are getting treatment at various health facilities, including district hospitals, medical colleges, central institutes like AIIMS and private hospitals. Relevant data related to patients registered for treatment is maintained by the institutions and hospitals concerned at their own level. Under the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN), financial assistance is provided to poor patients belonging to families living below poverty line, suffering from major life threatening diseases for medical treatment at any of the super specialty hospitals/institutes or other government hospitals, Mandaviya said. Under the Health Minister's Cancer Patient Fund (a component of RAN), Rs 216. 98 lakh was utilised

Cancer screening, treatment affected due to Covid, picking up again: Govt

Cancer screenings and treatment were affected due to Covid but the screening services have gone up post-pandemic, Union Minister of State for Health Bharti Pawar informed Lok Sabha on Friday. Replying to a supplementary question in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour, she said the government is focusing on increasing screenings and early detection of cancer. "Due to Covid, cancer screenings and treatment were affected. After Covid, screenings have increased," Pawar said. She said cancer screening services are being provided through 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres (HWC) across the country. Through these HWCs, 16 crore cases of oral cancer, eight crore cases of breast cancer and around 5.53 crore cases of cervical cancer have been detected, the minister said. "Whether it is rural or urban areas, these services need to be increased. In that view, we are going to increase our 1.5 lakh HWCs throughout the country and through that, we are providing very good screening services," she

A panoramic history of the cell

Pulitzer Prize winner Siddhartha Mukherjee's The Song of The Cell is a beautifully crafted exposition of the author's own lifelong fascination with the subject

A pioneer who danced to her own tune

V R Devika's biography of Muthulakshmi Reddy brings to life not just the story of India's first female student in a medical college. She was a trailblazer in many other ways

India's cancer treatment infra in rapid expansion mode as cases soar

Capacity build-up via hub-and-spoke route; experts say country would need 10,000-15,000 more day-care beds and 25,000 surgical beds if all reported patients are to avail treatment

Adult cancer survivors at higher risk of bone fractures, say researchers

Among cancer survivors 5 or more years after diagnosis, physical exercise may be related to a lower risk of fracture and that continued smoking was associated with a greater risk

Dove dry shampoo recall in US: Mkt too small, no impact likely in India

Nykaa had listed the US as the country of origin for the Dove and Tresemme dry shampoo products sold on its platform

Dove, other Unilever aerosol dry shampoos recalled over cancer risk

Unilever Plc recalled popular brands of aerosol dry shampoo, including Dove, after discovering they were contaminated with a chemical called benzene that can cause cancer

Apple watch detects rare cancer in a 12-year-old with heart rate feature

An Apple Watch has reportedly been credited with spotting a 12-year-old girl's rare cancer before she was even aware of it, with the help of its heart rate notifications feature

Bezos family donates USD 710 million to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre

The Seattle-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre announced a USD 710 million gift from the Bezos family, the largest gift the centre has ever received and one of the largest to go to any single cancer research organisation in recent years. The donation will fund 36 new research labs, the building of a large research facility, investments in clinical trial infrastructure and immunotherapy research over ten years, the centre said on Wednesday. Thomas Lynch, president and director of the centre, rebranded this month as Fred Hutch, but widely known as The Hutch, said he worked with Mike and Jackie Bezos, who made the gift, to understand what motivated their giving. Jackie Bezos is the mother of Amazon found Jeff Bezos, while her husband, Mike, is Jeff Bezos' stepfather. Jeff Bezos, the world's second wealthiest person, stepped down from his role as CEO of Amazon in July 2021. Lynch learned the Bezos family deeply valued collaboration in research and treatment. But don't underestimate t

Real cancer cases up to 3 times higher than reported in India: Report

Real cancer incidence level in India is estimated to be 1.5 to three times higher than reported incidence as 51 per cent patients take more than a week to conclude diagnosis, a report showed

Vedanta's medical arm ties up with Anuva for cancer research in India

Vedanta's BALCO Medical Centre (BMC), one of India's leading cancer hospitals, and Anuva, a genomics biotech company with a centre in India and backed by a UK-based hub, on Thursday jointly announced a strategic collaboration to build a Cancer Genomics Biobank for cancer research in India. Anuva and BMC aim to use this cancer bio/data bank for clinical research to identify relevant insights for precision medicine application for cancer in India. The companies said the collaboration leverages the strengths of both organisations the clinical expertise of BALCO Medical Centre and Anuva's biobanking and genomic expertise. "This is another milestone in the journey of BALCO Medical Centre towards becoming India's cancer care destination, said Jyoti Agarwal, Chairperson of BALCO Medical Centre. "Our collaboration with Anuva will bring together the best of knowledge, technology and research to serve the people of India better, through precision medicine and targeted treatment, she said.

Rakuten Medical trying to commercialise novel cancer therapy in India

India accounts for around 26 percent of all head and neck cancer cases globally