If you have a family history of ovarian or breast cancer, you should speak to your health-care provider as soon as possible to get genetic testing started, experts say. Photo: Pexels (Stephanie Dubois/ CBC News) — Ovarian cancer is considered to be the most serious of women’s cancers. Experts say that’s because symptoms are generic, there isn’t a specific test for it — like mammograms for breast cancer — and when detected, the cancer is usually in a later stage.  “It’s definitely something I don’t think that a lot of women really necessarily know about,” Paige Gibbings, a r ..read more

 Inflammatory breast cancer often causes pain but it’s rare, accounting for 1% to 5% of breast cancer cases in the United States. Photo: Pexels (Pamela Ann Wright/ John Hopkins Medicine) –– Most women experience some form of breast pain at one time or another. Breast pain is typically easy to treat, but on rarer occasions it can be a sign of something more serious. Medical director of the Suburban Hospital Breast Center Pamela Wright, M.D., discusses the most common causes of breast pain (mastalgia), their treatments and when to see a doctor: Hormonal fluctuations ..read more

If you worked out regularly before your treatment, you may need to lower the intensity a bit. But you don’t need to drastically change the amount of time you exercise. Photo: Pexels (Alexandra Benisek/ Web MD) –– Doctors used to tell people with cancer not to do much physical activity during treatment. While it’s important to avoid movements that cause pain or other issues, more recent research suggests that exercise is not only safe, but helpful during your cancer treatment. In fact, too much rest can cause you to lose muscle strength, body function, and range of motion. The ri ..read more

The doctor or nurse practitioner will ask the person if they have any questions or concerns. It is important to be honest about topics relating to sexual health. Photo: Pexels (Lana Barhum/ Medical News Today) — A pelvic exam involves physically and visually examining the female reproductive and sexual organs. It allows a doctor to look for signs of infection and illness. Doctors often perform pelvic exams to check for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), yeast infections, and bacterial vaginosis. A pelvic exam is often performed on the same day as other preventive screenings ..read more

Breast cancer mortality rates in younger women with T2D are rising – authors suggest breast cancer screening could be extended to younger women with T2D. Photo: Pexels (EurekAlert) — New research, funded by Hope Against Cancer and published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]) shows that cancer mortality in people with type 2 diabetes substantially higher than the general population, by 18% for all cancers combined, 9% for breast cancer and 2.4 times for colorectal cancer. Cancer mortality in people with diabetes was also around d ..read more

In some cases, those who are done with childbearing may be advised to have tubes removed if they are having another gynecological surgery anyway. Photo: Pexels (Teddy Amenabar/ The Washington Post) — To prevent more cases of ovarian cancer, a major research and advocacy group is suggesting an aggressive prevention strategy: remove a woman’s fallopian tubes if she is undergoing pelvic surgery for another reason. The practice would apply to women, trans men or nonbinary people at average risk who don’t plan to have any or additional children. The fallopian tubes are hollow structures that allow ..read more

 Diet is a controllable risk factor. You can’t control the physiology of how your body responds to food, but you can control what food you put into your body. Photo: Pexels (Corrie Pelc/ Medical News Today) — Doctors have known for some time now that what we eat has a direct effect on our overall health. The body requires specific nutrients to perform its routine tasks. And a healthy diet is linked to lowering a person’s risk for certain diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, as well as promoting better mental healt ..read more

Drinking about 3.5 drinks a day increases your risk of developing breast cancer by 1.5 times. That’s not negligible! Photo: Pexels (Tina Dawn/ VM-Med) –– With World Cancer Day commemorated only a few days ago, on February 4, it’s important to use the annual event to raise awareness about the disease and how far and wide it impacts people. Adopted in 2000 at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium in Paris, World Cancer Day aims to promote research, prevent cancer, improve patient services, and a global understanding of the fight against cancer. World Cancer Day is a good opportu ..read more

A mammogram can detect otherwise invisible signs or symptoms of breast cancer that cannot be felt. Photo:: Pixabay (Meredith Clarke/ Independent UK) — Dense breast tissue poses up to four times higher risk of developing breast cancer. However, a new study has shown that many women are unaware of the risks of breast density. Dense breasts refers to breasts that are composed of more fibrous and glandular tissue compared to fatty tissue, and can be detected while undergoing a mammogram. The study, which was published in Jama Network Open on 23 January, surveyed 1,858 ..read more

Relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and guided imagery help cancer survivors take control of persistent FCR. Photo: Pexels (Daniel L. Hall/ Harvard Health) — Every year, there are more adults who have been diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. All of them face the uncertainty and fear that follow cancer treatments. Research shows that fear of cancer recurrence interferes with emotional and physical well-being. And it also suggests that mind-body tools can help people who have been treated for cancer regain control. Over the past 50 years, the number of adults who have c ..read more