Hospital to spend $3 billion to take on 8 cancers
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
(AP) The nation's largest cancer hospital, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, is launching a massive "moonshot" effort against eight specific types of the disease, similar to the all-out push for space exploration 50 years ago.
The center expects to spend as much as $3 billion on the project over the next 10 years and already has "tens of millions" of dollars in gifts to jump start it now, said its president, Dr. Ronald DePinho.
Cancer surpasses heart disease as Hispanics' leading cause of death
Pancreatic cancer expected to become bigger killer
Pictures: Is it skin cancer?
One of the cancers is myelodysplastic syndrome. "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts has that kind and had a bone marrow transplant to treat it on Thursday. The others are especially deadly forms of breast and ovarian cancer, along with lung, prostate, melanoma and two types of leukemia.
Cancer becomes No.1 killer in Hispanic community
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(AP) NEW YORK - Cancer has overtaken heart disease as the No. 1 killer among Hispanics in the U.S., and the rest of the country may be only a few years behind.
Pancreatic cancer expected to become bigger killer
U.S. advisors: Ovarian cancer screening for healthy women not beneficial
Obesity linked to recurrence of breast cancer
The change is not exactly cause for alarm. Death rates for both cancer and heart disease have been dropping for Hispanics and everyone else. It's just that heart disease deaths have fallen faster, largely because of improved treatment and prevention, including the development of cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Overall, cancer will probably replace heart disease as the nation's top cause of death in the next 10 years, said Rebecca Siegel of the American Cancer Society, lead author of a study reporting the new findings. Government health statisticians think the crossover point could be reached as early as this year, or at least in the next two or three years.
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8-year-old Fla. orangutan undergoes chemotherapy
In this Sept. 5, 2012 photo, Jungle Island volunteer Linda Jacobs comforts Peanut, one of the orangutans from a private zoo, as a group of medical professionals gather over the medical table for R-CHOP therapy in Miami.
/ AP Photo/J Pat CarterPeanut, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is not the first great ape to be treated for cancer like a human. An orangutan with advanced stage cancer at the National Zoo in Washington had surgery to remove a cancerous intestinal tumor in 2000. In 2009, two female gorillas at the North Carolina Zoo underwent radiation therapy. All three cases involved much older apes, in their 30s or 40s, and all had to be euthanized.
But while other animals are treated with chemotherapy, it's not common among orangutans.
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Funding concerns arise over 9/11 cancer coverage
People walk through dust and debris from collapse of World Trade Center towers after terrorist attack, New York City, on Sept. 11, 2011.
/ AP PhotoGovernment to cover cancer health care costs for 9/11 responders and victims
Government will fund care for 50 types of cancers linked to 9/11 under Zadroga Act
60 Minutes: The Dust At Ground Zero
On the eve of the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the National Institute for Occupational Safety (NIOSH) announced it would cover the cancer care for responders and other victims exposed to the toxic dust at ground zero who developed cancers including lung, breast colon, and leukemia and lymphoma. The program had previously only covered lung diseases, asthma and chronic cough along with mental health illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.
"The publication of this final rule marks an important step in the effort to provide needed treatment and care to 9/11 responders and survivors through the WTC Health Program," NIOSH director Dr. John Howard said in a statement to the Associated Press.
US panel recommends against ovarian cancer tests
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The statement, published on Sept. 11 in Annals of Internal Medicine, reaffirms the panel's 2004 recommendation against ovarian cancer screening.
Study: Taller women may be at higher risk for ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer symptoms hard to detect: What every woman should know
Ovarian cancer is the fifth-most common cancer among women and causes more deaths than any other type of female reproductive cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health. Older women are at highest risk for developing the disease, with most deaths from ovarian cancer occurring in women 55 and older.
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Acupuncture: An effective treatment for pain?
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Some believe its only powers are a psychological, placebo effect. But some doctors believe even if that's the explanation for acupuncture's effectiveness, there's no reason not to offer it if it makes people feel better.
One of the oldest healing practices in the world, acupuncture aims to stimulate specific points on the body to restore and maintain health or control pain or stress. The technique most often studied involves penetatring the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are stimulated electrically or by the hands, and it is a key component in traditional Chinese medicine.
Pictures: World's oddest treatments: "Witch Doctor" gives them a go
Swiss "healer" accused of intentionally infecting 16 people with HIV using acupuncture needles
Several weekly sessions are usually involved, typically costing about $60 to $100 per session.
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Feds to fund cancer care for 9/11 responders
In this Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001 file photo, pedestrians flee the dust-filled area surrounding the World Trade Center following a terrorist attack on the New York landmark.
/ Amy SancettaDemocratic New York Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer issued a statement with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) on the change Monday.
Federal health officials propose free cancer care for 9/11 first responders
Watch: Study shows rise of cancer in 9/11 firefighters
"It took too long, but the right thing is finally being done for 9/11 heroes,"Sen. Charles Schumer said in a statement to CBS New York station WCBS.
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Johns Hopkins patients show they're "beautiful"
(CBS News) The staff and patients at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center's Division of Pediatric Oncology want you to remember that you're beautiful - even if you're dealing with cancer.
Watch in the video above as the courageous patients and selfless staff at the hospital dance and lip sync to "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction.
Continue »Radiation may up breast cancer risk in some women
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Author Judy Blume reveals she had a mastectomy
Study: Breast cancer more likely to recur, cause death in obese
Mammogram study: Dense breasts won't raise cancer death risk in women
The study can't prove a link between the radiation and breast cancer, but it is one of the biggest ever to look at the issue. The research was published Sept. 6 in BMJ.
"This will raise questions and caution flags about how we treat women with (gene) mutations," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. He and the society had no role in the research.
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Author Judy Blume reveals she has breast cancer
Judy Blume and Judy Gold attend the 3rd Annual New Jersey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on May 2, 2010, in Newark, N.J.
/ Bobby Bank/Getty ImagesBlume shared her story in a post titled "!@#$% Happens" on Wednesday, one month after she underwent surgery for the disease.
The author explained that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer on June 12 after a routine ultrasound of her dense breast tissue suggested the need for a core biopsy. She admitted initially that she was planning on putting off the biopsy because she was supposed to go on a 5-week vacation in Italy, but the doctor convinced her that she should have the procedure done. A few days later, the biopsy report came back.
"It was good that I wasn't alone and that she, who has been my doctor for seventeen years, could explain it to me," Blume wrote. "Very early. Very small. Well differentiated. All good news. But it was invasive ductal carcinoma."
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Obesity may make breast cancer more dangerous
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The study, published online Aug. 27 in the American Cancer Society's journal, Cancer, suggests that excess body fat may cause hormonal changes in the body that fuel cancer to spread and recur.
U.S. cancer rates fall but cases caused by obesity and tanning rise
Mammogram study: Dense breasts won't raise cancer death risk in women
Lifestyle changes can prevent 40% of cancers: Study
"We found that obesity at diagnosis of breast cancer is associated with about a 30 percent higher risk of recurrence and a nearly 50 percent higher risk of death despite optimal treatment," study author Dr. Joseph Sparano, a professor of women's health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, said in a press release.
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Mammograms and breast density: Questions remain
This image compares mammograms of an extremely dense breast (L) and an extremely fatty breast (R). According to the American College of Radiology, most women fall somewhere in between.
/ AP(AP) More women are getting the word that they may have breasts too dense for mammograms to give a good picture. What's not so clear is what to make of that information.
Busted! 8 mammogram truths every woman must know
This summer, New York became the fourth state to require that women be told if they have dense breasts when they get the results of a mammogram. That's because women whose breast tissue is very dense have a greater risk of developing breast cancer than women whose breasts contain more fatty tissue. Plus, it can be harder for mammograms to spot a possible tumor.
Monday, scientists reported a bit of good news about yet another question: Do denser breasts also signal a worse chance of survival? A National Cancer Institute study tracked more than 9,000 breast cancer patients and concluded those with very dense breasts were no more likely to die than similar patients whose breasts weren't as dense.
"It's definitely reassuring," said NCI lead researcher Dr. Gretchen Gierach, an epidemiologist who reported the results in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Young makeup guru with cancer faces difficult choice
YouTube make-up guru Talia Joy Castellano, 12, shared her personal challenges.
/ YouTube/taliajoy18(CBS News) On Aug. 7, YouTube makeup guru Talia Joy Castellano, a 12-year-old with a neuroblastoma cancer, shared with her viewers terrible news: She had developed a serious blood disorder that may lead to leukemia, and she was deciding between continuing treatment or living out the rest of her days.
"Everyone asks me if I'm scared. I'm definitely scared," she admitted in her video.
The pre-teen, who proudly says she'll be 13 soon, has posted 150 videos of herself giving makeup tutorials to show that people with cancer can still be beautiful. Claiming that makeup is just like a "wig" for her to feel comfortable, her videos have done more than show how to apply rouge and primer. They have inspired many, showing that bravery through illness can be the most courageous and beautiful thing to do.
Continue »Study: Grapefruit juice may boost anti-cancer drug
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(CBS News) New research finds a simple modification may make a cancer drug three times more powerful without the side effects a higher dose would likely cause. All it takes is a glass of grapefruit juice.
In the preliminary study published in the August issue of Clinical Cancer Research, scientists at the University of Chicago set out to analyze how certain foods would affect metabolism of the anti-cancer drug called sirolimus, which is an FDA-approved drug to prevent rejection of a kidney transplant and has been seen to help some people with cancer.
The problem with sirolimus, however, is that the drug is easily metabolized and leaves the blood stream before it can show benefits. The optimal dose needed to show anti-tumor benefits also brings with it significant gastrointestinal problems.
Continue »Chemotherapy resistance fueled by nearby cells?
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(CBS News) Treating cancer patients with chemotherapy may eventually lead to worse cancers coming back once people become resistant to treatment, and scientists now think they've discovered why.
Almost all patients develop resistance to chemotherapy, according to the authors behind the new research, and it's ultimately a deadly consequence for people with cancer that has spread, including those with metastatic breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers.
Stem cells may fuel cancerous tumor regrowth
Scientists reveal key childhood cancer data
Genetic differences making cancer treatments tough
Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle set out to discover mechanism of how resistance to chemotherapy occurs, in the hopes that discovering it could open opportunities for more effective treatments.
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