Light smokers likely just as addicted as heavy smokers

Photo courtesy of Penn State News

CANCER DIGEST – Jan. 2, 2021 –People who smoke as few as one to four cigarettes a day are addicted to nicotine and find quitting altogether to be very difficult without assistance, a new study shows. The findings appear in the Dec. 22, 2020 American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Such smokers considered "light smokers" have correctly perceived that their habit is less harmful than heavy smoking, but it still carries significant medical health risks. Medical providers have tended to consider "light smokers" as not addicted and, therefor not in need of treatment, however this study suggests many of these patients are addicted and will not successfully quit without treatment.

Artificial Intelligence analysis of mammograms may predict breast cancer risk

CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 27, 2020 – A group of Australian researchers have developed a method for predicting breast cancer risk from mammograms. If the system is confirmed by other researchers it could be a game changer for breast cancer screening.

If successfully adopted, the researchers say their new measures could substantially improve screening, reduce mortality and reduce anxiety around screening. The study was published in the International Journal of Cancer.

Oral contraceptives protect women from ovarian and endometrial cancer

Courtesy Uppsala University photo credit Matton

CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 19, 2020  – Women who had taken oral contraceptives had a 50 percent lower risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer 15 years after discontinuing the drugs, a new Swedish study has found. At the same time the women in the study had only a small increased risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer survivors can have healthy babies and good long-term health

CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 12, 2021 – Women of childbearing age who have survived breast cancer are less likely to get pregnant than non-cancer women, but when they do, they are just as likely to have healthy babies, according to a study presented at the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

The study was a meta-analysis that combined data from 39 studies that involved 114,573 breast cancer patients. It was presented at this year’s conference by Matteo Lambertini MD, PhD, adjunct professor in medical oncology at the University of Genova, Italy.

Cancer survivors more likely to be hospitalized or die of seasonal flu

Illustration credit – London School of Hygiene

CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 4, 2020 – Cancer survivors have a higher risk of being hospitalized or of dying from seasonal flu according to a new study. The findings also found these patients were more vulnerable to COVID-19 and ought be prioritized for vaccination.