Cancer

Statement of American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Washington, D.C. (March 3, 2009)— Our public health organizations strongly support the bipartisan legislation introduced today to provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with effective authority to regulate tobacco products.

There are few steps Congress can take that will make a bigger difference for America’s health than to finally regulate tobacco products, the number one cause of preventable death and disease in the United States.    » read more »

Statement of American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Washington, D.C. (March 2, 2009)— Our public health organizations strongly support the bipartisan legislation introduced today to provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with effective authority to regulate tobacco products. There are few steps Congress can take that will make a bigger difference for America’s health than to finally regulate tobacco products, the number one cause of preventable death and disease in the United States.    » read more »

LA JOLLA, CA, March 2, 2009—A team of scientists at the Scripps Research Institute has found a way to use specially programmed chemicals to elicit an immediate immune response in laboratory animals against two types of cancer. The experiments, thus far performed only in mice, appear to overcome a major drawback of vaccinations—the lag time of days, or even weeks, that it normally takes for immunity to build against a pathogen. This new method of vaccination could potentially be used to provide instantaneous protection against diseases caused by viruses and bacteria, cancers, and even virulent toxins.

The work is being published in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) the week of March 2, 2009.    » read more »

Edgy youth tobacco prevention campaign will be hard for teens to ignore

PHOENIX (Feb. 16, 2009) – Arizona seeks to set precedence with its new tobacco prevention and education campaign — “Brought to you by addiction.” — a mass media and grassroots campaign that harnesses the realities of tobacco addiction for an audience age 12 to 17. Its launch, today, marks a new frontier in teen focused anti-smoking campaigns in Arizona that until now focused on the health impacts of smoking.    » read more »

Lawsuit Against PPG Follows Successful $400 Million Case Against Honeywell

NEWARK (February 3, 2009) – After 25 years of negligence, the largest remaining Jersey City site riddled with cancer-causing hexavalent chromium is the focus of a citizen’s lawsuit filed today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Interfaith Community Organization (ICO). The suit calls for PPG Industries, a Pittsburgh-based corporation responsible for the toxic contamination, to clean up the 16.6-acre site and surrounding contaminated areas located in a densely populated area along Garfield Avenue.    » read more »

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

August 26, 2008 -- During National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, we remember those whose lives have been affected by this deadly disease, and we underscore our commitment to battling ovarian cancer for the sake of women around the world.    » read more »

New CDC Study Shows Dangers of Exposure to Secondhand Smoke

August 13, 2008 -- Burlington, VT – During August and September, the Vermont Department of Health wants to help Vermonters create smoke-free zones to protect both children and adults from being exposed to the dangers of secondhand smoke.    » read more »

Innovative Computer Scientist at Carnegie Mellon, Launched Education Initiatives, Gained Worldwide Acclaim for Last Lecture

PITTSBURGH, July 25, 2008 — Randy Pausch, renowned computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, died July 25 of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 47.

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Senate to take up Supplemental Funding Bill next week that includes vital cancer research funds

June 20, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Continuing his intensive work to provide funds for life-saving biomedical research, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds health and education initiatives, today praised the House of Representatives for approving $150 million in additional funds for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and pledged to include and approve the funds on the Senate side.

The House passed the Supplemental Funding Bill late last night that includes the NIH funding; the Senate intends to consider the legislation next week.    » read more »

June 17, 2008 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. — As Americans' collective waistline has continued to expand, so has the prevalence of obesity-related cancer. According to the June issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter, an estimated 14 percent of cancer deaths in older men and 20 percent in older women can be attributed to excess body fat.

Obese women: Photo by Malingering (CC)

It's not fully understood why excess body fat increases the risk of cancer.

Theories include:    » read more »

May 26, 2008 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers have found that carrying a common genetic disorder doubles the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers and nonsmokers.

The study is published in the May 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal published by the American Medical Association.

Cigarette butts: Photo by Matt Fetterley    » read more »

5/8/2008 -- Demonstrating Hillary’s strong commitment to breast cancer awareness, the Clinton campaign today unveiled its ‘Hats off for Hillary’ drive in Kentucky. The drive, which will take place until May 20, will encourage women across the state to donate their Kentucky Derby hats to charity.

Derby hats: Photo by Steve Ryan (CC)    » read more »

Urges Passage of Legislation to Spur Life-Saving Research

April 21, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Clinton today condemned Republican efforts to block debate and passage of the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act, of which Senator Clinton is an original co-sponsor. She urged her colleagues to join her in supporting this important legislation.

Senator Hillary Clinton: Photo by Marc Nozell (CC)    » read more »

Washington, D.C. -- April 15, 2008 -- Senator Arlen Specter today announced that he has been diagnosed with an early recurrence of Hodgkin’s disease. Hodgkin’s disease is a cancer of the lymph system.

Senator Specter’s recurrence was diagnosed based on a routine follow-up PET scan (Positron Emission Tomography) which showed small lymph nodes in his chest and abdomen.

Senator Arlen Specter: Photo by musicFIRSTcoalition (CC)

A follow-up biopsy of one of the chest lymph nodes was positive for recurrence. A bone marrow biopsy was negative.    » read more »

April 13, 2008 -- SAN DIEGO — Smoking puts older women at significant risk for loss of DNA repair proteins that are critical for defending against development of some colorectal cancers, according to research from a team led by Mayo Clinic scientists.

In a study being presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the researchers found that women who smoked were at increased risk for developing colorectal tumors that lacked some or all of four proteins, known as DNA mismatch repair (MMR) proteins.

Smoking: Photo by JonF119 (CC)    » read more »