Cancer Care

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit distributed free Seeds of Hope bookmarks to area gardening centres this past weekend. The bookmarks include a special sticker with a breast cancer symbol made entirely out of seeds. When peeled off and planted, the sticker will yield a fresh bouquet perfect for the gardener in your family.
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Scientists at the University of Manchester have made a breakthrough in understanding the mechanism behind the spread of cancers in the body, which can lead to the development of new ways of fighting the disease.

They studied embryonic stem (ES) cells to discern how some tumours migrate to other parts of the body, making the treatment of cancer difficult.
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The Canadian Cancer Society, B.C. and Yukon
Division has launched a new cancer prevention awareness campaign featuring
Trevor Linden of the Vancouver Canucks.
The campaign highlights that up to 50 per cent of all cancers are due to
preventable factors. The Society is confident Linden can encourage others to
make lifestyle changes that can reduce their risk of cancer.
“Trevor is a role model for British Columbians, young and old alike,”
said Charlene Krepiakevich, vice president of marketing and communications for
the Canadian Cancer Society, B.C. and Yukon Division. (more…)

Men who pop too many vitamins may be raising their risk of the deadliest form of prostate cancer, especially men with a family history of the disease, researchers say. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute in Chicago found that men who exceeded the recommended dose - taking more than seven multivitamins a week - increased the risk of advanced cancer by about 30 per cent.
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A MOTHER who took her son to the doctor for a check-up and discovered that he had cancer is helping to raise awareness among other parents.

Amelia Tappin, 36, took Nathan, then 19 months, to see their GP because she was worried about the strange appearance of one of his eyes. Six weeks later he was diagnosed with cancer. He subsequently had to have the eye removed and underwent several months of chemotherapy.

Nathan, three, whose father Paul, 35, is an electrician at Morgan Stanley, Canary Wharf, was suffering from retinoblastoma, a little-known cancer that affects the eyes of children under five. The prognosis for sufferers in Britain is good, with 98 per cent surviving, though most will lose an eye. (more…)

Tulsan Steve Bourke says he wants to punch cancer in the nose every chance he gets.

First, he beat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. Now, as a member of the Live- strong Army, Bourke is a vocal advocate to raise money and awareness of the disease.

He aims his message at young people: Cancer should be talked about openly — no whispers.

“Cancer never leaves your life,” Bourke said. “It may leave your body, but it never leaves you.”
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When 36-year-old Susan G. Komen died of breast cancer, her sister Nancy Brinker vowed she would do whatever it took to help find a cure. Despite being diagnosed with breast cancer herself, she launched a breast cancer movement, the Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure.

That one small step taken in 1982 has grown into a global movement inspiring thousands of women to join in the fight to help raise funds and awareness for breast cancer.

Each year, women of all ages and from all walks of life participate in one of the three-day walks that are held in 12 cities across the country. In August, a team of nine Western Massachusetts women whose lives have all been touched by cancer are set to participate in the three-day walk that will be held in Boston. (more…)

Firefighters who respond to a blaze can find themselves rushing into noxious, cancer-causing smoke, soot or fumes. When they’re stricken with the disease as a result, their battle often ends up in court.

No more, advocates say.

With Gov. Jim Douglas’ signature Tuesday, Vermont firefighters will have the benefit of the doubt from state government when they file for workers’ compensation benefits after a cancer diagnosis. Unless proved otherwise, it will be presumed that the cancer was caused by their job.
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In addition, red wine appears particularly protective against advanced or aggressive cancers.

Researchers in Seattle collected information about many factors that might influence the risk of prostate cancer in men between ages 40 and 64, including alcohol consumption. At first the results for alcohol consumption seemed similar to the findings of many earlier studies: There was no relationship between overall consumption and risk. But the scientists went one step further by evaluating each type of alcoholic beverage independently. Here the news was surprising-wine drinking was linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer. And when white wine was compared with red, red had the most benefit. Even low amounts seemed to help, and for every additional glass of red wine per week, the relative risk declined by 6%. (more…)

Prostate cancer is not a uniform or homogenous disease but has a wide spectrum of biologic aggressiveness. At the lower end of the spectrum are indolent or clinically insignificant cancers which do not appear to cause a problem and, therefore, should not be diagnosed or treated as treatment is entirely unnecessary. At the upper end of the spectrum are aggressive tumours which, if untreated, will invariably result in the death of the patient given a long enough period of observation. Overall, prostate cancer is much less aggressive than lung, colon or stomach cancer, and time to death from prostate cancer when diagnosed early is approximately 10 to 15 years, if no treatment is given.
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