Childhood Cancer Is No Longer A Death Sentence, But Long-Term Health Effects Linger Into Adulthood
A new study suggests that scientists need to get a better handle on the ways battling cancer can affect the health of a patient throughout their lives. For example, chemotherapy can weaken the heart and lead to long-term cardiovascular problems. Other oncology news focuses on melanoma as well as radioactive products.
Reuters:
Young Cancer Survivors Have Higher Risk Of Severe Health Problems Later
People who survive cancer during childhood and early adulthood are more likely to experience severe, life-threatening health problems and die prematurely, a recent study suggests. Researchers followed almost 12,000 young cancer survivors and roughly 5,000 of their healthy siblings for around two decades, until many of them were in their 40s. Even though all of the cancer survivors were tumor free for at least five years at the start of the study, they were still roughly six times more likely to die during follow-up than their siblings. (2/17)
CNN:
Cancer: States With The Highest Risk For Melanoma Linked To UV Rays
States with the highest rates of melanoma cases linked to ultraviolet radiation are spread across the United States on the East and West coasts, in Hawaii and in landlocked states, according to a study published Monday in the International Journal of Cancer. Melanoma is one of the most rapidly increasing cancers in the United States, jumping 2% per year between 2005 and 2015 in both men and women, the study found, with an estimated 151,000 cases a year by 2030 up from just over 96,000 in 2019, if current trends continue. (Erdman, 2/17)
Today:
What Causes Melanoma? Study Ranks States By Melanoma Rates Caused By UV Exposure
As often as we’re told to avoid the sun to prevent melanoma, it’s still startling to see just how much sunlight is to blame for the deadliest form of skin cancer. About 91% of melanoma cases diagnosed in the U.S. between 2011 and 2015 can be attributed to ultraviolet radiation exposure, with that number rising to 94% when it comes to non-Hispanic whites, according to a study published Monday in International Journal of Cancer. The paper identified several states with the highest rates of melanoma, including Hawaii and Utah, where the strength the sun’s rays combined with an inviting environment for outdoor activities created a particularly high skin cancer risk. (Pawlowski, 2/17)
The Washington Post:
Radioactive Products Were Popular In The Early 20th Century And Still Set Off Geiger Counters
Not long ago, curator Natalie Luvera began to worry about the strangest item in the National Atomic Testing Museum's collection of artifacts — a tiny 1920s device designed to restore lost manhood by irradiating the manliest of human body parts. Was the gold-plated “scrotal radiendocrinator” still dangerous after nearly a century? Luvera tested it with a Geiger counter, got a worrisome reading and called in a radioactivity response team to double-check. “They came down and said, ‘Nope, you shouldn’t have that here.’ ” (Dotinga, 2/15)
