High-income countries (defined by the World Bank as Gross National Income in dollars per capita per year), such as the United Kingdom and the United States of America are experiencing improved cancer outcomes. This is due to a variety of factors, such as screening and prevention measures along with evidence-based treatment strategies. Sadly not all […]
Thirty years ago, being diagnosed with breast cancer was seen by many as a death sentence. Look how far we have come since then. According to the latest figures, 78 per cent of women are predicted to survive their disease for 10 years or more. In many other areas of cancer treatment, the improvements in […]
Mammograms, or X-ray pictures of the breast, have been used for decades to detect early stage cancers. They are a useful tool but they have their drawbacks, not least that they do not work well in women who have dense breast tissue, who tend to be younger, and they only pick up masses that are […]
Science has proven that eating processed meats is ‘as bad as smoking’. Men must watch their tea consumption or increase prostate cancer’s chances, while a daily aspirin pill ‘cuts odds’ of dying from breast cancer by one-fifth. Or so the media headlines lead us to believe. The actual research article behind the aspirin claim did […]
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Many people with suspected cancer undergo biopsies to diagnose their condition; however, there are growing concerns that biopsies carry their own risks and may even seed cancer cells into surrounding tissue. A biopsy is the removal of a sample of tissue from the body for examination under a microscope to assist diagnosis. The type of […]
Professor Hutchison is consultant oral & maxillofacial surgeon at Bartholomew’s and The Royal London Hospital and is the founder of the Facial Surgery Research Foundation – Saving Faces – a charity dedicated to the reduction of facial disfigurement and disease. ‘I mainly work treating head and neck cancer and some of these patients suffer severe social […]
As part of our regular series on the risks of getting common chronic diseases, we look at the risk of getting cancer. Cancer is such a common illness now that it has been estimated that more than 1 in 3 people (33 per cent) will develop cancer at some point in their lifetime, according to MacMillan […]
Poor air quality in London affects everyone. Children and people with lung conditions are particularly at risk of suffering ill health effects. 330,000 London children go to school in areas with illegal pollution levels. Exposure to air pollution increases the risk of lung cancer, impairs child lung development and increases the risk of hospitalisation among […]
‘One of the main risk factors for bowel cancer is genetic predisposition but it has been linked to eating too much red or cured meat. No one knows why this is the case although it may be something to do with how the gut manages that volume of protein. What we do know is that […]
Colorectal cancer is a general term applied to malignant tumours occurring anywhere within the colon (large bowel or large intestine). This includes the rectum which is the last part of the colon before the anus. Colorectal cancer is the second highest cause of cancer death in the in the UK (behind lung). Most cases occur […]
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