Cancer Archives - Page 2 of 6 - Today's Practitioner

One Third of Cancer Patients Use Complementary Medicine, But Many Don’t Tell Their Doctors

With a cancer diagnosis, many people begin to seek complimentary forms of medicine to go with conventional treatments. A new study shows that one-third of people with a cancer diagnosis use complementary care options, such as meditation, yoga, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and supplements. The problem is that of these oneRead …

Are Headlines of Medical Breakthroughs Overstating Actual Science and Research?

Patients should have as much access to information as possible. The more they know, the more informed decision about their health and life that can be made. However, faulty headlines about new therapies are infiltrating news outlets left and right recently. Many times, this information can be misleading, and itRead …

Gut Microbiome Connected to Effectiveness of Immunotherapies for Cancer

A growing amount of research shows that the gut microbiome has a dramatic affect on anti-tumor immunity. Just how the intestinal microbiota limits tumor expansion has remained somewhat elusive. This new study, published in Nature Commutations, shows why certain immune checkpoint inhibitors, used in cancer treatment, don’t always work. It’sRead …

Acupressure for Co-Occurring Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients

A new study finds acupressure could be a low-cost, at-home solution to a suite of persistent side effects that linger after breast cancer treatment ends. Researchers from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center reported in 2016 that acupressure helped reduce fatigue in breast cancer survivors. In the new study,Read …

Integrative Oncology: Making Appropriate Choices While Changing the Culture

By Santosh Rao, MD / I find it difficult to truly define integrative oncology. Statements about how we look after the “whole person”, pay attention to lifestyle and stress or even spirituality seem ambiguous and incomplete. All caregivers pay attention to these things, perhaps some more than others, but isRead …

Aspirin and EPA Show Promise for Reducing the Numbers of Precancerous Colon Polyps

Both aspirin and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), reduced the number of precancerous colon polyps in patients found to be at high risk of developing bowel cancer, according to new research published in the journal Lancet. This study, called the seAFOod Trial, is the result of a multidisciplinaryRead …

Does Eating Organic Food Reduce Cancer Risk? New French Study Says Yes

Is eating organic healthier? Does eating organic food reduce cancer risk? These are questions that constantly come to mind when your patients shop for produce in the grocery story or farmer’s market. While it seems intuitive to want to eat fewer pesticides, are there health advantages, such as reducing one’sRead …

New Support Tool Improves Genetic Testing Knowledge in Breast Cancer Patients

Awareness of genetic testing among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients is low, a new study finds. In this new study, published in the journal Cancer, as few as 30% of new diagnosed, early-stage breast cancer patients know about genetic screening. Even more troublesome is that the study found that fewerRead …

Open Access until Oct. 24th: Special Issue on Integrative Oncology from JACM

A recent special focus issue on integrative oncology deserves a solid read. In light of the recent controversial article in JAMA on complementary and alternative cancer therapies, this special issue by JACM, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, puts a lensRead …

Gut Microbiota Feeds Colon Cancer Cells

It’s generally understood that it can take as long as ten years for a colon cancer polyp to develop. But why that polyp develops and becomes a tumor has been widely speculated. Intestinal inflammation was the suspected cause, however, scientists at the Technical University in Munich (TUM) recently made an