2017

Cancer drug leads to ‘drastic decrease’ in HIV infection in lung cancer patient

Doctors in France have found the first evidence that a cancer drug may be able to eradicate HIV-infected cells in humans. In a letter published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1], researchers led by Professor Jean-Philippe Spano, head of the medical oncology department at Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital AP-HP in Paris, France, report that […]

Four simple tests could help GPs spot pneumonia and reduce unnecessary antibiotics

Testing for fever, high pulse rate, crackly breath sounds, and low oxygen levels could be key to helping GPs distinguish pneumonia from less serious infections, according to a large study published in the European Respiratory Journal. Pneumonia is a severe lung infection that can be life-threatening and often requires treatment with antibiotics. However, it is […]

Vitamin D linked with better live birth rates in women undergoing assisted reproduction treatment: researchers call for a randomised controlled trial to investigate

Researchers are calling for a randomised clinical trial to be carried out to investigate the potential role of vitamin D supplementation in improving live birth rates following assisted reproduction treatment (ART). This follows a review and meta-analysis published today (Wednesday) in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals, that shows a […]

Younger women with advanced breast cancer needlessly excluded from treatment trials

Lisbon, Portugal: Pre-menopausal women with the most common type of advanced breast cancer are usually excluded from medical research unnecessarily, according to an expert panel who met at the Advanced Breast Cancer Fourth International Consensus Conference (ABC 4). In new guidelines for treating advanced breast cancer, the panel said that the majority of clinical trials […]

Combined therapies increase adverse side effects for patients with advanced hormone receptor-positive breast cancer

Lisbon, Portugal: Patients with advanced breast cancer who are treated with a combination of drugs that target specific molecules important for cancer development and also the hormones that are driving it are at increased risk of suffering adverse side effects. In new research presented at the Advanced Breast Cancer Fourth International Consensus Conference (ABC 4), […]

Exercise can counteract treatment side-effects and improve cardiovascular fitness in women with advanced breast cancer

Lisbon, Portugal: Taking part in regular exercise can reduce fatigue and pain, and improve cardiovascular health and quality of life in women being treated for advanced breast cancer, according to new research presented at the Advanced Breast Cancer Fourth International Consensus Conference (ABC 4). Hundreds of thousands of women around the world are being treated […]

Deterioration of patients’ quality of life is delayed if progression of advanced or metastatic breast cancer is delayed

Lisbon, Portugal: Patients with advanced breast cancer have a better quality of life for longer if the progression of their disease can be delayed, according to new results presented at the Advanced Breast Cancer Fourth International Consensus Conference (ABC 4) in Lisbon. Professor Nadia Harbeck, head of the Breast Cancer Centre at the University of […]

Underweight women are at greater risk of early menopause

Underweight women and women who were underweight as teenagers or in their mid-30s are at greater risk of experiencing an early menopause compared to lean or normal weight women, according to a study of nearly 80,000 women. In addition, underweight women who lost 20 pounds or more at least three times between the ages of […]

Blood-thinning drugs appear to protect against dementia as well as stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation

Blood-thinning drugs not only reduce the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) but are also associated with a significant reduction in the risk of dementia, according to new research published in the European Heart Journal [1]. Among 444,106 patients with atrial fibrillation (an abnormal heart rhythm), those who were taking anticoagulant drugs […]

Oral sex and smoking increase men’s risk of head and neck cancer. But the risk is still low, making screening for the disease a challenge

Men who smoke and have five or more partners with whom they perform oral sex have the highest risk of developing a type of head and neck cancer that is triggered by exposure to the human papilloma virus – known as HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer – according to research published in the leading cancer journal Annals […]