Do moisturisers cause skin cancer?

Posted on by

Do moisturisers cause skin cancer?

Could the cosmetic products we use be harming our health in any way? A while back, Henry neatly debunked the persistent myth that deodorants are linked to breast cancer. Today, another study comes out that turns the spotlight on another group of products – moisturising creams.

The study found that common moisturising creams can increase the risk of skin cancer in mice that had already experienced high doses of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, mimicking the effect of heavy sun exposure. Let’s take a closer look at the results.

Continue reading →

Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres – hunting future cancer treatments

Posted on by

Experimental medicine: Investigation undertaken in human beings to identify mechanisms of disease and to test the validity and importance of new discoveries or treatments.

A microscope

Experimental medicine, also known as translational research, is a hot topic in the world of cancer science. Put simply, it’s all about taking discoveries made in the lab and turning them into effective new treatments and diagnostic tools for cancer.

It can be a long and sometimes tortuous process, involving experts from many scientific and medical disciplines working together to develop and test new ideas.

To speed up the process – and bring benefits to patients faster – Cancer Research UK and the Departments of Health in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have clubbed together to provide £35 million over the next five years to fund a network of Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMCs) across the UK.

There’s a nice story about ECMCs in this weekend’s Observer (with a shorter article here), as well as interviews with three cancer patients who’ve taken part in clinical trials of new drugs through ECMCs.
But what’s the ECMC initiative all about?
Continue reading →

NICE decision on kidney cancer drugs – have your say

Posted on by

This morning, the UK’s drug guidance body, NICE, announced its preliminary decision on whether the NHS should use four new cancer drugs – bevacizumab, sorafenib, sunitinib and temsirolimus – to treat people with kidney cancer that has spread (‘metastatic renal cell carcinoma’).

Despite clinical evidence that these drugs can actually help, NICE has decided that they’re too expensive. In essence, NICE doesn’t think that these four drugs are value-for-money for the NHS.

We’re very disappointed with this decision, and we feel it raises fundamental questions about how NICE evaluates cancer drugs, particularly for cancers that only affect a relatively small number of people.

NICE have stressed that this is a preliminary decision, and are undergoing a public consultation. Cancer Research UK will be making representations to NICE on the matter.

That’s why we’d like to hear what you have to say – if you have a strong opinion on this, please leave your comments below. Continue reading →

Listen to the new Cancer Research UK podcast

Posted on by

It’s a packed month on the podcast, perfect for whiling away a quiet summer moment or two. In the news, we find out about the challenges of raising awareness about cancer in black and minority ethnic communities, as well as hearing from the winners of our SciencePod podcasting competition.

On a science tip, we hear from Cancer Research UK Senior Clinical Research Fellow Christian Ottensmeier, who’s using the very latest DNA technology to develop treatments to ‘trick’ a patient’s immune system into destroying cancer cells. Plus our roving reporter Anna Lacey investigates a hot topic in science, uncovering the mystery of cancer stem cells.

Finally, CancerCampaigns Officer Elaine Londesborough reveals our new political campaign, aiming to keep tobacco “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”. And we celebrate twenty years of working in partnership with HBOS, one of the UK’s biggest banks.

So go to the podcast homepage, where you can listen to the show directly through our Flash player, or click on the player below.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click here to download the August podcast (23Mb) straight to your computer.

If you’re using iTunes, this is the direct iTunes link.

And there’s also a full transcript of the podcast.

Hope you enjoy it – please let us know what you think by responding here in the comments!

Kat

Can regularly checking your breasts save your life?

Posted on by

A study reported in the news this month had the potential to confuse many women about the benefits of checking their breasts for unusual changes.

Researchers from Denmark reported in a Cochrane Library Review that there is no evidence that breast cancer death rates are lower amongst women who regularly check their breasts.

But we know from several studies that it is mostly women themselves who first report symptoms that may later be diagnosed as breast cancer.

Although this may seem contradictory, it isn’t.  The review doesn’t actually tell us anything new – the UK stopped advising a strict routine of breast self-examination back in 1991, and there’s lots of evidence supporting this decision.

Continue reading →

Viruses in disguise could be key to ovarian cancer treatment

Posted on by

Virus in Disguise

Ovarian cancer affects over 6,600 women in the UK, and 190,000 worldwide, every year. What’s more, treating it successfully can be difficult. Women are often diagnosed after the cancer has started to spread, and ovarian tumours can be notoriously ‘drug resistant’ – chemotherapy works for a short time but then the cancer starts growing again.

So a new approach is urgently needed.

One strategy under investigation by many of the world’s cancer researchers – including teams funded by Cancer Research UK – is to develop genetically engineered viruses that only multiply inside cancer cells and kill them. Much of this research is based around tweaking a harmless cold virus called adenovirus, turning it into a cancer killer.

Disappointingly, most of the clinical trials of these viruses so far have had poor results. But there’s hope on the horizon. A new approach from Professor Len Seymour and his team, funded by Cancer Research UK, could revive the flagging hopes for virus therapy for ovarian cancer.
Continue reading →

Page 120 of 131« First...117118119120121122123124...Last »