Today I want to share information on cancer concern and developments in the hope the news stories can be of benefit to the MHMS and local Oncologists
Here are the pieces quoted
Overweight people ‘should have lower drinking limits’ to cut cancer risk
BY Laura Donnelly
Overweight people should be given lower drinking limits, scientists have said, after research found alcohol does them more harm.
Current government advice says men and women should not drink more than 14 units a week, the equivalent of about six pints of beer or standard glasses of wine.
But researchers said the findings, from a study of 400,000 adults in Britain, should be used to cut limits for the two in three adults who are overweight or obese.
The study, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Maastricht, found that excess weight increases the chances of developing alcohol-related cancer.
Despite staying within the recommendations, those who are overweight or obese were three times as likely to develop such cancers as slimmer drinkers.
Dr Elif Inan-Eroglu, who conducted both studies when at the University of Sydney, said: "Alcohol drinking guidelines should also consider the obesity levels of people. People with obesity, especially those with excess body fat, need to be more aware of the risks around alcohol consumption."
The UK's chief medical officers say it is safest for both men and women not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, spread over three or more days.
Dr Inan-Eroglu said those guidelines were too general, adding: "If you have normal weight or if you have obesity, it doesn't differ – but it should." She suggested higher drinking allowances for people of a healthy weight could even act as "motivation" that "if I eat less, I can drink more".
The research used data on nearly 400,000 adults aged between 40 and 69 from the UK Biobank, looking at how many developed cancer during a 12-year period.
They divided those people into three groups, according to their body fat percentages. When it came to alcohol-related cancers, they found that higher levels of fat appeared to "amplify" the harmful effects of alcohol consumption.
When the most overweight drinkers were compared with slim non-drinkers, those drinking alcohol within UK limits were 53 per cent more likely to develop alcohol-related cancers. When those drinking more than 14 units a week were compared, fatter drinkers were at 61 per cent greater risk than slim teetotallers.
The study found it was not just the alcohol or just the excess weight but the combination that proved particularly deadly.
For those drinking within guidelines, the group with the highest body fat were 53 per cent more likely to develop alcohol-related cancers than slim non-drinkers. Slim drinkers were at only 19 per cent higher risk than non-drinkers.
For those drinking more than 14 units per week, the group with the highest body fat were 61 per cent more likely to develop alcohol-related cancers than slim non-drinkers. Slim drinkers were at 37 per cent higher risk.
The eight alcohol-related cancers considered in the study were oral, throat, larynx, oesophagus, liver, bowel, stomach and female breast cancers.
An earlier study, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that people who were overweight or obese had more than 50 per cent greater risk of developing liver disease compared to those of normal weight consuming the same level of alcohol.
"People overweight and with obesity should consume alcohol cautiously," said Dr Inan-Eroglu. "From a cancer prevention standpoint, the safest level of alcohol consumption is total avoidance."
The researchers adjusted their results to take into account other factors that might affect the findings, including age, sex, diet, education level, physical activity, smoking status, sleep duration, socioeconomic status and existing heart disease or type 2 diabetes.
Tam Fry, the chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said: "This research will be bad news if you're fat and have a hangover this morning – but it should teach you a lesson.
"Since, mistakenly, manufacturers are not required to put calorie counts on the bottle of your favourite tipples, many people are oblivious to the quantity of calories they are consuming and leading to cancer. Put simply, avoid binge drinking like the plague. You'll be much healthier for it."
The researchers also found that, regardless of alcohol intake, people's chances of developing obesity-related cancer as their waist size increased.
Those with the largest waistlines who drank above guidelines had a 17 per cent chance of developing those cancers than people with healthy waistlines who never drank. Those with the largest waistlines who drank above guidelines had a 28 per cent higher risk.
Prof Sir Ian Gilmore, the chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said: "Alcohol is responsible for 46 new cancer cases every day in the UK. This latest research is yet another reminder of the damage that alcohol can do to our health, and particularly underlines the combined cancer risk of obesity and calorie-rich alcohol."
Dr Alison Giles, the chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, welcomed research into combined risk factors, saying: "What is crucial is that people who drink alcohol understand these risks, and better product labelling and public health campaigns can raise awareness of this.
"The alcohol industry will undoubtedly say this is scaremongering when it's simply a case of people having the right to know the health risks of alcohol in order to make informed decisions about what they consume."
Critics claimed such changes would be "confusing". Matt Lambert, the chief executive of the Portman Group, a drinks industry-funded body that promotes responsible drinking, said: "We believe in having clear information on pack that aids rather than alienates consumers.
"It is likely that having varied guidance for people would be confusing, counterproductive and also potentially patronising."
What are the symptoms of ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer symptoms can be vague, which means they can often be mistaken for less severe illnesses.
Dr. Rebecca Stone, an associate professor of gynecologic oncology at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md., tells Yahoo Canada that by the time people are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, their disease have likely advanced to stage three or stage four.
In Stone's estimation, approximately 85 per cent of the cases diagnosed are stage three or four cancer, meaning the cancer has spread beyond the pelvis to other parts of the body, like the abdomen, liver, and surrounding lymph nodes.
Some of the common symptoms include:
· Bloating
· Decreased appetite
· Back pain
· Discomfort in the pelvic area
· Urinary frequency
· Constipation
Who is at risk of ovarian cancer?
There are several factors that increase a woman’s chance of developing epithelial ovarian cancer, which is the most common type of ovarian cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer is rare in women younger than 40 and typically develops after menopause.
Giving birth for the first time after 35 years of age and never having a full-term pregnancy can also contribute to developing ovarian cancer.
These risk factors do not apply to less common types of ovarian cancer, including germ cell tumours and stromal tumours.
Having a family history of ovarian cancer as well as breast cancer and colorectal cancer increases a woman’s risk of getting ovarian getting ovarian cancer.
How is ovarian cancer diagnosed?
Stone says many women may have a misperception that because they go for a pelvic exam once a year or have a pap smear that they are also being screened for ovarian cancer, but that’s not the case. There is no early detection screening for ovarian cancer.
If there is a family history of ovarian cancer or breast cancer at a young age, or multiple generations of colon, pancreatic or prostate cancer, Stone says you should talk to your doctor about your eligibility for genetic counselling and testing.
“It is effectively the only type of ‘screening test’ we have available is to screen for women who may have an increased genetic risk of ovarian cancer,” says Stone.
While only about 20 per cent of ovarian cancer is hereditary, Stone says knowing your family history is a good way to identify any risks early on and get started with “risk reduction strategies.”
“One of those is surgery, removal of tubes and ovaries when women are done having kids, maybe one day just the tubes if we’re right about our theory that most of this [ovarian cancer] is coming from the tubes and not the ovary and those studies are underway,” she explains.
Aside from genetic testing, a transvaginal ultrasound and biopsy can also help in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
Does the HPV vaccine have any effectiveness with ovarian cancer?
Studies have confirmed that the HPV vaccine can help prevent cervical cancer, but Stone says it does not protect you against ovarian cancer.
“Ovarian cancer to our knowledge is not HPV driven like cervical cancer,” she adds.
How can you reduce your risk of ovarian cancer?
You can’t prevent ovarian cancer, but there are ways to reduce your risk of being diagnosed. You can have a lower chance of developing ovarian cancer if you have used birth control for five years or longer, had your tubes tied, had your ovaries removed or had a hysterectomy and if you've given birth or breastfed.
If you’re looking at how to reduce your risk of ovarian cancer it’s recommended you speak to your doctor first.
How is ovarian cancer treated?
The earlier it is detected the more likely that treatment for ovarian cancer will be successful.
Once there is a diagnosis, a doctor can put together a treatment plan dependent on a number of things, including the stage of cancer, the type of tumour it is and whether the patient wants to get pregnant in the future.
The most common types of treatment for ovarian cancer include a combination of surgery and chemotherapy.
New research shows promising prevention in ovarian cancer
Stone tells Yahoo Canada that ovarian cancer research is ongoing and science is changing. There has been a lot of accumulating data over the last 10-20 years when it comes to ovarian cancer prevention.
Previously, doctors believed removal of the ovaries was one of the best ways to prevent ovarian cancer, but Stone says new research shows that removing the fallopian tubes may be more beneficial.
In February 2022, scientists from British Columbia published new data about a procedure called opportunistic salpingectomy (OS). This procedure includes the removal of the fallopian tubes when a person is already undergoing a routine gynecologic surgery like a hysterectomy or having their tubes tied and the ovaries are left in intact.
“That’s incredibly impactful because now we have the first signal that we might actually be able to do something that doesn’t really affect the function of the ovaries or how someone looks or quality of life,” Stone says. “We actually could potentially seriously decrease the numbers of those cases of lethal cancer by doing something very simple.”
End of second quote.
Sources – YAHOO News
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
