Cancer – Dr. Walt Larimore

16May 2012 by Walt Larimore

FDA: Sunscreen must be labeled for protection from both UVA and UVB

Cancer, Children's Health, Parenting, Skin Health

The Denver Post reports that the Food and Drug Administration has announced new rules specifying that sunscreen manufacturers must label their products as having passed tests examining the sunscreen's ability to protect people from ultraviolet rays, both UVB and UVA rays. (more…)

15May 2012 by Walt Larimore

Daily aspirin reduces cancer risk

Cancer

Research on aspirin's potential impact on cancer prevention received significant coverage online and on network news broadcasts, where it received more than six minutes of coverage. However, the story was not widely covered by print media. (more…)

11May 2012 by Walt Larimore

Blueberries, apples linked to reduced risk of diabetes

Cancer, Heart Health, Nutritional Health

Fox News reports that, according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, increased intake of blueberries, apples and pears may be associated with a reduced risk of diabetes. (more…)

10May 2012 by Walt Larimore

Growing number of experts backing colonoscopy alternatives

Cancer

The San Francisco (CA) Chronicle reported that even though a colonoscopy "is the best, one-shot way to screen and detect colon cancer for now, most health professionals agree," a growing "number of experts are beginning to voice support for alternative methods, which they say could be used more widely to prevent colorectal cancer." (more…)

09May 2012 by Walt Larimore

Breast cancer risk declines in older women who take estrogen-only HRT

Cancer, Woman's Health

The Los Angeles Times "Booster Shots" blog reports, "Breast cancer risk may decline in postmenopausal women who take estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy," according to research published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute. (more…)

03May 2012 by Walt Larimore

Research offers mixed results on benefits of PSA testing

Cancer, Men's Health

The AP reports that new research published in the New England Journal of Medicine "gives mixed results about prostate cancer screening that may do little to change minds about its value." (more…)

02May 2012 by Walt Larimore

New HPV, pap smear guidelines released

Cancer, Woman's Health

The CBS Evening News reported, "The government put out new guidelines today for screening for cervical cancer. ... For decades, women have been told to get a pap smear as often as once a year." Now, "the new recommendation calls for a test every three years for women 21 to 65" and women "ages 30 to 65 are being told they can wait five years if they get an additional test for human papilloma virus, or HPV." (more…)

01May 2012 by Walt Larimore

Circumcision reduces prostate cancer risk

Cancer, Children's Health, Parenting

Reuters reports that according to a new study published in the journal Cancer, men who are circumcised may have a lowered risk of developing prostate cancer. Researchers compared two groups of over 1,600 men, half of whom had prostate cancer. (more…)

30Apr 2012 by Walt Larimore

Eighteen states now considering indoor tanning bans for teens

Cancer, Children's Health, Parenting, Skin Health

USA Today reports, "Eighteen states are considering measures banning the use of indoor tanning devices for those under 18, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures," while "five more are weighing increased regulation, such as requiring parental consent. (more…)

30Apr 2012 by Walt Larimore

Tanning-salon use contributes to high rate of melanoma deaths

Cancer, Children's Health, Parenting, Skin Health

The New York Times reports that in Idaho, "lawmakers and public health experts...are confronting a problem that they say has developed in one of its newer panoramas: suburban strip malls dotted with salons like Beach Club, Jamaca Me Tan, Planet Beach and Tan du Soleil.” (more…)

27Apr 2012 by Walt Larimore

Estrogen supplements may actually be linked to reduced breast cancer risk

Cancer, Woman's Health

USA Today reports, "For certain women, taking estrogen supplements for a few years close to menopause appears safe, and may reduce their risk of breast cancer, says a new study" published online in The Lancet Oncology. (more…)

25Apr 2012 by Walt Larimore

Coke, Pepsi change their practices in response to California law on caramel coloring

Cancer, Nutritional Health

The AP reports that "Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. are changing the way they make the caramel coloring used in their sodas as a result of a California law that mandates drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens come with a cancer warning label." (more…)

21Apr 2012 by Walt Larimore

CSPI urges ban on caramel coloring in soft drinks due to alleged cancer risk

Cancer, Children's Health, Nutritional Health, Parenting

The Los Angeles Times "Booster Shots" blog reports, "In a letter to the US Food and Drug Administration, the consumer watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest [CSPI] called on officials to ban the use of caramel coloring in popular soft drinks, citing a possible cancer risk." (more…)

19Apr 2012 by Walt Larimore

Update on Vitamin D and calcium supplements for fracture and cancer prevention

Bone Health, Cancer, Nutritional Health

Vitamin D and calcium supplementation may lower fracture risk and improve bone health in many individuals, but data regarding its effects on cancer are far from conclusive. (more…)

16Apr 2012 by Walt Larimore

Airport scanning machines said to be safe

Cancer, Health Headlines

A report released by the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general says the full-body scanners used by the TSA at airport security checkpoints emit an "extremely low dose" of radiation that is not harmful to passengers. (more…)

12Apr 2012 by Walt Larimore

UV lamps used to dry gel manicures raise skin cancer risk

Cancer, Skin Health, Woman's Health

The Washington Post reviews the safety of ultraviolet lamps in gel manicures, citing a 2009 Archives of Dermatology article about two women who developed non-melanoma skin cancer on their hands after such exposure to UV lamps. (more…)

10Apr 2012 by Walt Larimore

Virtual colonoscopy similar to standard colonoscopy in detecting cancer, polyps

Cancer, General Health

Readers of this blog know that I'm a big fan of colonoscopy for colon cancer screening. Now I'm becoming a fan of a newer and easier form of colon cancer screening called "virtual colonoscopy." (more…)

31Mar 2012 by Walt Larimore

Colonoscopies better than blood stool test for finding advanced polyps

Cancer

The AP reports that a separate study published in the NEJM "found that colonoscopies did a better job of finding polyps than another common screening tool – tests that look for blood in stool." (more…)

31Mar 2012 by Walt Larimore

Colonoscopies reduce deaths from colon cancer

Cancer

No surprise here, but a new study touting the benefits of colonoscopy received significant coverage, with the findings discussed on two national television news broadcasts, and in several online and print sources. (more…)

15Mar 2012 by Walt Larimore

Lawmakers call on FDA to set standards for arsenic, lead levels in fruit juices

Cancer, Children's Health, Nutritional Health, Parenting

CQ reports that Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) "say they are alarmed by a respected consumer group's findings of high arsenic and lead levels in fruit juices and worried that the Food and Drug Administration will not set federal limits for the toxic metals if left on its own." (more…)

15Mar 2012 by Walt Larimore

Study finds high levels of arsenic in some baby formulas, cereal bars

Cancer, Children's Health, Nutritional Health, Parenting

ABC News reported, "And now, we wanted to go in depth tonight on that headline about surprisingly high levels of arsenic hiding in food, including brown rice, organic formula for toddlers.” (more…)

08Mar 2012 by Walt Larimore

Physician says breast cancer screening offers limited benefits

Cancer, Woman's Health

In an essay in the New York Times, Dr. Susan Love, president of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, writes that "in reality, we still do not know what causes breast cancer, which means we really do not know how to prevent it, either," which means that physicians must look "for cancers that are already there." (more…)

29Feb 2012 by Walt Larimore

Investigative report: Tanning-salon business built on deception

Cancer, Children's Health, Parenting, Skin Health

ABC World News reported, "Here's a surprising fact we learned. There are more tanning salons in America than there are Starbucks. It is a huge, booming business. But some members of Congress warned today that it is also built on massive deception." (more…)

15Feb 2012 by Walt Larimore

Only 25% of kids use sunscreen regularly

Cancer, Children's Health, Parenting, Skin Health

The Los Angeles Times "Booster Shots" blog reports that "kids are really bad about using sunscreen consistently," according to a study published in Pediatrics. (more…)

06Feb 2012 by Walt Larimore

For women who imbibe, red wine may be healthier option

Cancer, Heart Health, Nutritional Health, Woman's Health

When it comes to the consumption of alcohol, the message has been decidedly mixed. Some studies show that moderate consumption might offer some health benefits, especially for the heart; other studies show an increased risk for certain cancers, especially breast cancer, with even the consumption of a very small amount of alcohol. What's a woman to do? (more…)

03Feb 2012 by Walt Larimore

Occasional marijuana use may not damage lungs

Bioethics, Cancer, General Health, Mental Health

The Washington Post "The Checkup" blog reports, "Smoking marijuana doesn't appear to do the kind of damage to people's lungs as smoking tobacco does," according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "But that may have to do more with the way marijuana is typically smoked than with anything inherent in the substance itself." (more…)

29Jan 2012 by Walt Larimore

Robot prostatectomy no better than traditional surgery

Cancer, Men's Health

Reuters reports that a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology surveyed over 600 prostate cancer patients and found that robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy, compared with traditional open surgery, showed no difference in problems, such as urinary incontinence and sexual problems, after the surgery. (more…)

28Jan 2012 by Walt Larimore

PSA test does not reduce risk of death from prostate cancer

Cancer, Men's Health

USA Today reported, "Screening men with the PSA test increases their chances of being diagnosed with prostate cancer but doesn't reduce their overall risk of death, according to a large, long-running government study" published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. (more…)

22Jan 2012 by Walt Larimore

Should early “prostate cancer” NOT be called “cancer”?

Cancer, Men's Health

The AP reports that a team of "specialists convened recently by the National Institutes of Health say it's time to strip the name 'cancer'" from low-risk prostate cancer." (more…)

17Jan 2012 by Walt Larimore

Three years later, quitters report less stress, better mood compared to smokers

Cancer, General Health

Not only does the health of former smokers DRAMATICALLY improve after quitting, but people who stop smoking get a boost in their quality of life, new research finds. (more…)