Oncology news

Breastfeeding not only has multiple health benefits for children and mothers, but it also has dramatic effects on life expectancy. The results were published in The Lancet in January this year [1].

There's yet another reason to maintain a healthy weight as we age. An international team of researchers has identified eight additional types of cancer linked to excess weight and obesity: stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, ovary, meningioma (a type of brain tumour), thyroid cancer and the blood cancer multiple myeloma.

University of Otago researcher Professor Jennie Connor’s new review of epidemiological evidence supports a causal association between alcohol consumption and cancers at seven sites in the body: oropharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colon, rectum and female breast.

A landmark study has given the most detailed picture yet of the genetics of bowel cancer.

Leisure-time physical activity has many health benefits. In addition to a reduced risk for heart disease, increased physical activity has been associated with a lower risk for colon, breast, and endometrial cancers.

A new study provides a major link between low levels of vitamin D and aggressive prostate cancer. Northwestern Medicine research showed deficient vitamin D blood levels in men can predict aggressive prostate cancer identified at the time of surgery [1].

Overexpression of pro-neuropeptide Y (pro-NPY) has been identified as a prognostic biomarker for aggressive prostate cancer, according to a study published in European Urology [1].

Documenting that it’s never too late to quit smoking, a large study of breast cancer survivors has found that those who quit smoking after their diagnosis had a 33 percent lower risk of death as a result of breast cancer than those who continued to smoke.

The faecal immunochemical test (FIT) is highly effective for annual colorectal cancer screening programs for average-risk patients, according to results of a study published online January 26 in the Annals of Internal Medicine [1].