Colorectal Cancer Archive

Death risk from breast cancer that's treated early appears to be falling, according to a large 2023 study. The risk of dying from the cancer within five years dropped from about 14% for women diagnosed in the 1990s to about 5% for women diagnosed between 2010 and 2015.

Melanoma kills about 8,000 Americans each year. Most people are at low risk of melanoma and don't need annual skin cancer screenings. People should be screened each year if they have risk factors such as dozens of atypical moles, a family history of melanoma or atypical moles, an earlier skin cancer, certain genetic mutations or predisposition, immune-suppressing therapy after organ transplantation or for inflammatory bowel disease, a history of blistering sunburns, or substantial tanning bed use.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released updated draft guidelines in May 2023 proposing that women at average risk of breast cancer be screened every other year starting at age 40.

A 2023 study indicates that women 65 and older are diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer more often than younger women, and they have a worse prognosis.

Survivor's guilt includes strong, persistent feelings of sadness and remorse. Advances in cancer treatment have led to an unprecedented 18 million Americans who are cancer survivors, making survivor's guilt a possible psychological outcome for greater numbers. Survivor's guilt may be more common among people who have survived cancers with high death rates. Strategies to cope include taking time to grieve, seeking support from fellow survivors, and getting counseling to explore underlying contributors to feelings of guilt.

Ovarian cancer, which claims about 13,000 lives each year, is hard to detect in early stages. Recent guidance from professional groups recommends removing fallopian tubes to help prevent ovarian cancer if women are undergoing gynecologic surgery and are finished with childbearing.

The FDA authorized a brand of smokeless tobacco to use language in its advertising claiming that using snuff reduces risk of lung cancer compared to smoking cigarettes. Technically this is true, but it's not the health advantage the product's maker would like consumers to think it is.

Certain fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds have been labeled "superfoods" because, compared with other foods, they have higher amounts of certain vitamins and minerals and powerful antioxidants. They often are associated with combating high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers. But instead of focusing on eating more of individual foods, experts suggest building "superplates" that include a variety of superfoods.

A recent review found not only that coffee won't harm cardiovascular health or raise the risk of cancer, but it may actually have some health benefits. These include a lower risk of diabetes, and certain cancers, such as liver, and endometrial cancer. Many of these benefits may come from plant chemicals found in coffee.

A study published by JAMA Network Open found that people taking vitamin D supplements were less likely to have a cancer that spread from the original tumor site to another part of their body or one that proved fatal. However, this risk reduction was only seen in people who were at a normal weight, not those who were overweight or obese. The study did not find that people who took vitamin D were less likely to develop cancer over all compared with those who did not.