2018

Double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer reduces risk of dying from the disease in BRCA1 mutation carriers – but does not reduce further the already low risk in BRCA2 carriers

Barcelona, Spain: Healthy women who carry a breast cancer-causing mutation in the BRCA1 gene, not only reduce their risk of developing the disease but also their chances of dying from it if they have both breasts removed, according to new research presented at the 11th European Breast Cancer Conference. However, the study also found that […]

Women with DCIS at lowest risk of recurrence if they are post-menopausal or have oestrogen receptor positive cancer

Barcelona, Spain: Patients with an early form of breast cancer are less likely to suffer a recurrence if they are post-menopausal or if their tumour is oestrogen receptor positive, according to research presented at the 11th European Breast Cancer Conference. Although ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a non-invasive form of breast cancer, it can […]

Risk of a second breast cancer can be better quantified in women carrying a BRCA mutation

Barcelona, Spain: The risk of a second breast cancer in patients with high-risk BRCA gene mutations can be more precisely predicted by testing for several other genetic variants, each of which are known to have a small impact on breast cancer risk. Breast cancer patients who are diagnosed at a very young age, or who […]

Decline in colorectal cancer deaths is a “major success” story; seven per cent fall in death rates since 2012

The decline in cancer of the intestines – colorectal cancer – is one of the major success stories of the past 30 years in Europe say researchers, as they predict that in 2018 death rates from the disease will continue to fall by around seven per cent compared to 2012. In a study published in […]

Study of nearly 300,000 people challenges the ‘obesity paradox’

The idea that it might be possible to be overweight or obese but not at increased risk of heart disease, otherwise known as the “obesity paradox”, has been challenged by a study of nearly 300,000 people published in in the European Heart Journal [1]. This latest research shows that the risk of heart and blood […]

Survivors of childhood cancer are at great risk of heart problems in adulthood

Survivors of childhood cancer are at increased risk of suffering prematurely from cardiovascular disease in adulthood, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal [1]. In the first study to investigate the long-term health of childhood cancer survivors by means of systematic and comprehensive clinical evaluation of their health in comparison to the […]

Asthma linked to infertility but not among women taking regular asthma preventers

Women with asthma who only use short-acting asthma relievers take longer to become pregnant than other women, according to research published in the European Respiratory Journal. However, the study of more than 5,000 women in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland also shows that women with asthma who use long-acting asthma preventers conceive […]

Shorter time between first medical contact to restoring blood flow in heart attack patients is linked to saving more lives: experts call for immediate action

Heart experts are calling for immediate action following new research that shows every minute counts for patients who suffer the most severe type of heart attack. The study shows numbers of deaths rise steadily and rapidly the longer the time between patients’ first contact with a medical professional and when they are treated in hospital […]

Research suggests vapers are vulnerable to pneumonia

The vapour from e-cigarettes seems to help pneumonia-causing bacteria stick to the cells that line the airways, according to research published in the European Respiratory Journal [1]. The study included experiments with cells, mice and humans. It showed that e-cigarette vapour had an effect similar to the reported effects of traditional cigarette smoke or particulate […]

Ibuprofen taken in the first three months of pregnancy may harm the future fertility of baby girls

Pregnant women who take the pain killer ibuprofen in the first 24 weeks of their pregnancy may be reducing the store of eggs in the ovaries of their daughters. Researchers have found the first evidence in human ovarian tissue that exposure to ibuprofen during the crucial first three months of foetal development results in a […]