When a parent develops cancer, children and adolescents are more likely to miss school, visit emergency departments, and experience negative mental health consequences, a new study shows. "Everyone who has ever been touched by cancer knows the havoc it can wreak on individuals and families," lead author Zhiyuan Zheng, PhD, senior principal scientist and health economist at the American Cancer Society (ACS), said in a news release. "Our study clearly shows the devastating effec...

A healthy diet, physical activity, and cognitive training help extend life expectancy — and those extra years are more likely to be dementia-free — new research suggests. An analysis of nearly 2500 participants in the Chicago Health and Ageing Project (CHAP) showed those who had a healthy diet, got plenty of physical activity, and took part in cognitive exercises lived longer than those following a less healthy lifestyle. In addition, the number of years living with dementi...

Nylon cooking bags and plastic-lined cardboard cups are conveniences many people rely on, but a new study in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology suggests that they are an underappreciated source of nanoparticles. They report that the plastic in these products release trillions of particles into each litre of water that they come in contact with. That sounds like a lot, but the team notes that these levels are under the regulatory limits for consumption. Food-g...

Bacteria promote cancer metastasis by bolstering the strength of host cells against mechanical stress in the bloodstream, promoting cell survival during tumour progression, researchers report April 7th in the journal Cell. "Our study reveals that the cancer cell's behaviour is also controlled by the microbes hiding inside tumours, most which were originally thought to be sterile," says senior author Shang Cai of the Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine. "Th...

Fatigue is a common symptom of breast cancer and one of the most common side effects of breast cancer treatment. In fact, some studies suggest that between 62 and 85 percent of people undergoing cancer treatment report having cancer-related fatigue. Breast cancer and breast cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and hormonal therapies, can affect hormone levels. This can lead to inflammation throughout the body and other side effects, all of which can contribute to fatigue. Studies sh...

Colon cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. Particularly in advanced stages of disease, the treatment still largely relies on traditional chemotherapy. The new generation of cancer treatments, so-called immunotherapies, has only been effective in a small subgroup of colon cancers. TU Dresden scientists led by Prof. Sebastian Zeissig have now identified proteins that are promising targets for new immunotherapies against colon cancer. Their results also underline the central role of...