Category Archives: Cancer

Survival rates in UK for two lethal cancers lower than in comparable countries, research shows

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Experts say UK ‘lags behind’ as OECD finds poor outcomes for many diagnosed with colon and lung cancers

People in the UK who are diagnosed with the two most lethal forms of cancer die sooner than those in many other comparable countries, a new study has found.

Research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) showed the UK ranked a lowly 31st out of 43 countries for how many people survive at least five years after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

UK spending on cancer will rise from £14.4bn to more than £23bn by 2050 because the ageing population will lead to more people being diagnosed.

Cancer will cause one in four deaths of people under the age of 75 between now and 2050.

170,000 people at any one time cannot work because they have cancer.

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Queensland fails to crack down on ‘rebranded sunbed’ that claims to stimulate collagen but accelerates ageing

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Collariums, which emit UVA radiation, are often advertised on private social media accounts, thwarting search warrant efforts

Queensland Department of Health investigators are struggling to prosecute sunbed operators claiming the devices are “safe” because inspectors do not have the necessary UV detection equipment, and because services are being advertised on private social media accounts.

Guardian Australia called and messaged several wellness clinics and individuals operating out of their homes throughout New South Wales and Queensland, confirming that businesses are offering “collarium” treatments with rates starting at $25 for 20 minutes of use. Some of these businesses did not explicitly advertise collariums on their social media pages or websites but did offer collarium bookings over the phone.

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UK trial to assess if red grape chemical can prevent bowel cancer

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Resveratrol, which is also found in blueberries and peanuts, has been found to slow tumour growth in mice

Red wine was once heralded as a boon for health that could protect the heart and even extend life expectancy. But while scientists have debunked this claim, they believe that at least one red wine ingredient – a compound called resveratrol – may hold genuine health benefits.

A trial launched this week will assess whether a low dose of the chemical, also found in red grapes, blueberries and peanuts, could help keep bowel cancer at bay. The study, one of the largest to date testing drugs for cancer prevention, will recruit patients who are at risk of the disease.

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Prince William describes ‘brutal’ impact of wife’s and father’s cancer diagnoses

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Royal says ‘it’s probably been the hardest year in my life’ as Catherine and King Charles underwent cancer treatment

Prince William has described the past year as “brutal” and “probably the hardest year in my life” as he dealt with his wife and father having cancer.

In a video interview to mark the end of his week-long visit of Cape Town in South Africa for the Earthshot prize awards ceremony, William was asked about his year. “Honestly, it’s been dreadful,” he said. “It’s probably been the hardest year in my life. Trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.

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Researchers study treatment for chronic pain in childhood cancer survivors

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Team at Nottingham Trent University is investigating how chemotherapy in early life could damage nerve cells

Treatments that could help alleviate the chronic pain experienced by thousands of childhood cancer survivors are being investigated by scientists and researchers in the UK.

About eight out of 10 children survive their cancer for 10 years or more but more than half of them report delayed and ongoing pain in adulthood.

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King Charles to resume regular overseas trips in 2025 after cancer hiatus

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Royal visits to resume in spring subject to doctors’ approval, official says as trip to Australia and Samoa concludes

King Charles will return to regular overseas trips next year after the hiatus from official foreign duties he has taken since his cancer diagnosis, a palace official said.

Charles will fly abroad during the spring and autumn, the traditional periods for official overseas royal visits, provided that doctors approve the travel.

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Ian Paterson pitched cleavage-sparing mastectomy ‘like sales job’, inquest told

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Procedures performed by convicted breast surgeon were not a recognised or authorised type of operation

The convicted breast surgeon Ian Paterson pitched one of his patients an unauthorised cleavage-sparing mastectomy “almost like a sales job”, an inquest has heard.

Chloe Nikitas, an environmental consultant from Tamworth, died in 2008 at the age of 43 from breast cancer that returned three years after having a mastectomy she believed had removed all of her breast tissue.

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Tributes pour in for Chris Hoy after terminal cancer diagnosis

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Olympic cycling champion says doctors have told him he has two to four years to live

Tributes have poured in for the Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy after he revealed he had received a terminal cancer diagnosis.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Hoy, who won six golds and one silver medal for Team GB, said doctors had told him he had between two and four years to live.

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Utah woman raised $1.2m for her kids before her death from cancer

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Donations poured in for Erika Diarte-Carr, a single mother, after a post announcing her death went viral

A single mother from Utah, who was confronted with a terminal cancer diagnosis in 2022, managed to raise more than $1m in donations meant to help secure her children’s future before she died over the weekend, according to her family.

The story of Erika Diarte-Carr, 30, broke hearts across the US’s digital landscape particularly after relatives announced her death Saturday in a social media post that went viral.

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New cervical cancer treatment regime ‘cuts risk of dying from disease by 40%’

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Process tested in patients over 10-year period involves short course of chemotherapy before chemoradiation

Doctors are hailing a “remarkable” new treatment regime for cervical cancer that reduces the risk of dying by 40%, in the biggest advance against the disease in 25 years.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally, with about 660,000 new cases and 350,000 deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization. In the UK, there are about 3,200 cases and 800 deaths each year.

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GSK strikes $2.2bn deal to resolve legal cases in US over heartburn treatment Zantac

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British drugmaker agrees payment to resolve 80,000 cases alleging cancers were linked to drug known generically as ranitidine

The British drugmaker GSK has struck an agreement to make a payment of up to $2.2bn (£1.7bn) to resolve litigation brought in the US over its heartburn treatment Zantac.

The company said it had struck agreements with 10 plaintiff law firms who represent about 93%, roughly 80,000, of the US state court product liability cases pending against it.

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Study of new personalised cancer therapies could ‘transform’ how the disease is treated

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Large-scale clinical project could give real-time view of how well treatments are working and lead to earlier diagnoses

Scientists are embarking on a large-scale clinical study of new personalised cancer therapies which could give clinicians are real-time view of how well treatments are working.

The £9m partnership between the Francis Crick Institute, five NHS trusts, charities and bioscience companies will spend four years examining the effectiveness of new immunotherapy treatments and exploring new ways to detect cancer.

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Streeting considers reviving dedicated cancer strategy after Tories axed it

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Health secretary is examining case for a comprehensive plan for England to tackle UK’s second-biggest killer

Wes Streeting may revive the use of a dedicated cancer strategy to tackle the UK’s second biggest killer after experts warned the Conservatives’ scrapping of it was “a disaster” for patients.

The health secretary is considering publishing a new comprehensive plan for England, amid record numbers of people being diagnosed with the disease and NHS cancer services struggling to meet demand.

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EPA will withdraw approval of Chevron plastic-based fuels likely to cause cancer

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The decision comes after a ProPublica and Guardian investigation revealed that the EPA had found that one of the fuels had a huge cancer risk

The US Environmental Protection Agency is planning to withdraw and reconsider its approval for Chevron to produce 18 plastic-based fuels, including some that an internal agency assessment found are highly likely to cause cancer.

In a recent court filing, the federal agency said it “has substantial concerns” that the approval order “may have been made in error”. The EPA gave a Chevron refinery in Mississippi the green light to make the chemicals in 2022 under a “climate-friendly” initiative intended to boost alternatives to petroleum, as ProPublica and the Guardian reported last year.

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Comedian Janey Godley receiving end-of-life care for cancer

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Scottish standup posts video saying she is getting palliative care and will be going into a hospice

The comedian Janey Godley has revealed she is receiving end-of-life care after her terminal cancer spread.

The 63-year-old announced she would be getting palliative care and going into a hospice in a video shared on social media on Wednesday.

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‘Astounding’ lack of menopause education for Australia’s medical students must be remedied, Mark Butler says

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Federal health minister also calls for prosecution of shopkeepers caught illegally selling vapes

The federal health minister, Mark Butler, says he is “astounded” that medical students can spend as little as one hour learning about menopause and has signalled that the government is likely to take action after a damning parliamentary inquiry.

On Sunday Butler told the ABC’s Insiders that several inquiries had told a “shameful story” about women’s treatment in Australia’s health system, saying there was more to do after Labor’s “modest investments” in women’s health.

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Mental health overtakes cancer and obesity as Britons’ biggest health worry

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Ipsos survey asked people in 31 countries what they thought of their health and healthcare

Mental health has overtaken cancer and obesity as the health problem most Britons worry about, a global survey has revealed.

Experts said the shift in the public’s perception reflected the sharp rise in recent years in mental ill-health caused by the Covid pandemic, the cost of living crisis and male violence against women.

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Elle Macpherson refused chemotherapy after secret breast cancer diagnosis

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Supermodel says she is in remission after being diagnosed seven years ago and rejecting traditional medicine

Elle Macpherson has said she was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago but is now in remission despite refusing chemotherapy.

The Australian supermodel and actor, who rose to fame in the 1980s, is publishing a memoir – Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself – in which she says she took a holistic approach to the illness, going against the advice of 32 doctors.

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Will Labour resist the ‘killer tactics’ of industry’s enemies of public health?

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A new report lays down a challenge to Keir Starmer to take on vested interests of food, drink and tobacco companies

Illness, disease and death can be the result of bad luck, genetic factors or people’s lifestyles – whether someone smokes, drinks a lot or consumes a lot of junk food, for example.

The role of lifestyle in explaining why the UK is an increasingly sick country, and the growing pressures on the NHS, is often underappreciated. Experts tend to cite the growing and, especially, ageing population, which are both key factors.

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