Not all drug development needs to start from scratch. Sometimes researchers discover that a drug developed for one disease can be used for another. Here a cancer drug may show promise for dementia.
Most people with oesophageal cancer are over the age of 60, and it is often only diagnosed in its late stages.
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It’s not unusual to be fed a whole lot of complex medical information by your doctor. Having an audio recording of the consultation that you can play later can help you take it in.
Law and science seek proof in similar ways, but at very different speeds.
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What is proof? In both law and science, it’s basically a consensus of experts – but they work at very different speeds. That means juries may reach verdicts on an issue before the science is settled.
Marijuana is known for delivering a good high. But the plant’s uses go well beyond the recreational. Marijuana contains a trove of medicinal compounds whose uses we are just now discovering.
Palliative radiation therapy is effective regardless of a patient’s original cancer site (for example breast, lung or kidney) and is usually delivered in one to 10 daily doses.
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Palliative radiation therapy can improve a cancer patient’s life, by alleviating pain and other symptoms. Unfortunately, some doctors associate the term with end-of-life care and fail to refer people.
The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto runs a Cancer Rehabilitation and Survivorship Program, which offers one-on-one consults and an eight-week group rehabilitation program for patients.
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Multidisciplinary rehabilitation teams could help cancer survivors to recover from the toxic side-effects of their treatments and return to their lives.
Access to affordable medical treatment can save lives.
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The global cancer burden especially in developing countries is exacerbated by the high cost of treatment.
A new review of 372 patient group submissions to the Canadian Agency for Drugs or Technology in Health – about whether new medicines should be covered by public plans – reveals a total of 1896 conflicts of interest.
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A new study reveals how many patient groups lobby for new drugs to be funded by public plans in Canada – all while receiving funding from the companies manufacturing the drugs in question.
Having cancer is bad enough, and dealing with the costs and confusion of billing systems makes things harder.
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A cancer diagnosis is one of the scariest of all. The pain and fear are worsened by a confusing landscape of bills, opaque billing systems and changing insurance rules, rates and reimbursements.
Illustration of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia,
showing lymphoblasts in blood.
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Cancer treatment could be revolutionised by the discovery of the origin cells which divide first.
Cancer survivors are honored at a Relay for Life Event in Twinsburg, Ohio, in June 2009. Researchers found that many survivors do not like that label.
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A recent study found that many people who have survived a cancer diagnosis do not like to be called ‘survivor.’ As World Cancer Day is observed on Feb. 4, their wishes are something to think about.
This is a model of the adenovirus type 5 which causes respiratory infections.
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When you think of viruses, you might think of the horrible illnesses they cause, like flu or Ebola. But now researchers are learning how to use the unique traits of viruses to treat disease.
The NHS’s plan to offer genome sequencing to the general public, for a fee, raises many important questions.
Evidence shows that the growth of air pollutants – as well as rising temperatures, increased rain and flooding – connect breast cancer with climate change.
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A few decades ago Boston Harbor was one of the nation’s dirtiest water bodies. Now, healthier fish in the harbor underscore that a multibillion-dollar cleanup has succeeded.
Different genes drive cancer growth in males and females.
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Male and female tumors are different. Researchers are now hoping to exploit these sex-specific differences to treat brain cancer. This might improve survival for everyone.
Are you exhausted? Your immune cells might be too.
from www.shutterstock.com
Joanna Groom, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
The cornerstone of our adaptive immune system is the ability to remember the various infections we have encountered. Quite literally, if it doesn’t kill you, it makes your immune system stronger.
You’re another year older but that doesn’t have to mean poorer health.
Lorene Farrugia
Stephanie Harrison, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Azmeraw Amare, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Jyoti Khadka, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Maria Carolina Inacio, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Sarah Bray, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute, and Tiffany Gill, University of Adelaide
As you age, your body deteriorates and your risk of disease and injury increases. Here’s a decade by decade guide to what you’re up against – and what you can do about it.