Articles
Cancer and fertility preservation: it can be done… Can’t it?
“I was 26 when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2015. I knew before starting cancer treatment that it is possible to preserve fertility. But having been knocked flat by months of illness and still dazed by the diagnosis,…
Cancer-related fatigue: Might research into long-Covid help find causes and cures?
Long-term emotionally and physically debilitating fatigue is a fact of daily life for many who have had cancer. Awareness is low, causes mysterious, and physicians are often sceptical or plead powerlessness – even though a growing body of research attests…
From sea bed to bedside: Tapping the cancer pharmacy beneath the waves
Around 80% of life on our planet is found in ecosystems located within the almost 300 million cubic miles of ocean that cover the earth. Among its many wonders, the ocean is a treasure trove for medical sciences, providing knowledge…
Does the ketogenic diet have a role in treating cancer?
The high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet known as the ketogenic diet has become an established treatment for intractable epilepsy over the last decade, but it has also gained widespread popular attention as a regimen for weight loss. Attention has now moved to…
Preventing alcohol-related cancers in Europe: lessons from three countries
Alcohol can be bad for your health. Most people know that. But what many people have yet to grasp is that ‒ like smoking tobacco ‒ drinking alcohol can significantly raise their risk of developing and dying from a wide…
How race to track mystery gene with links to three cancers saved millions
Ten years ago, Tony Herbert developed a lump on the right side of his chest. The clump of tissue grew and became painful and he was tested for breast cancer. The result was positive. “I had surgery and chemotherapy and…
Decolonising cancer research: why it matters, what can be done
When cancer epidemiologist and medical doctor Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy returned to Malaysia in 2011 after completing her PhD in cancer epidemiology in the Netherlands, she hadn’t expected the move to negatively affect her research prospects. As it turns out, she was…
Tailored exercise: a key element in personalised treatments and prevention
The expression ‘couch potato’ conjures up images of a worldly-wise, self-mocking type who leaves the rat-race to others, while happily cuddling up in front of the TV with snacks and drinks. Yet the consequences of such a lifestyle are dire.…
Lung cancer screening: time to act on the evidence
“It’s extraordinary that screening for the biggest cancer killer is not available in most of Europe," says Anne Marie Baird, President of Lung Cancer Europe (LuCE). “Lung cancer causes more deaths in Europe than breast, colorectal and cervical cancers combined,…
Innovations in supportive care: cancer treatment side effects
The association between cancer treatments and dramatic side effects such as uncontrolled nausea and vomiting retains a powerful hold over public perceptions and parts of the media. Recent decades have seen a big improvement in many of these, partly due…