american-cancer – 4VF News – Daily News Channel

Why MRIs Don’t Lead to Better Cancer Survival

Women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer are faced with a tough choice — either to have parts of the affected breast removed, followed by several weeks of potentially toxic radiation therapy; or opt for mastectomy, removing the entire breast and contending with the disfigurement that entails. The decision typically rests on where and how widespread the tumors are. It’s no wonder, then, that more and more women are relying on high-tech MRI scans to help them examine their cancer and choose the right treatment

Study: Hormone therapy increases risk of ovarian cancer

Women who use hormone therapy after menopause may be at a higher risk of ovarian cancer, and the risk remains elevated for up to two years after women stop taking estrogen, a new study says. What’s more, even a relatively short duration of hormone therapy — less than four years — is associated with a 30 to 40 percent higher risk of ovarian cancer in current users, according to the study, which was published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. However, experts say this may not be as scary as it sounds

Cancer death rate dropped nearly 20 percent in 15 years

The death rate due to cancer has declined in the United States in recent years, largely due to better prevention and treatment. In fact, 650,000 lives were spared from cancer between 1990 to 2005, according to new statistics from the American Cancer Society. During the 15-year period, the cancer death rate among men dropped by 19.2 percent, mainly due to decreases in lung, prostate, and colon cancer deaths

Legal fight brews over ‘Farrah’s Story’

As Ryan O’Neal walked the red carpet at the premiere of "Farrah’s Story," he stopped every few feet to answer reporters’ questions about Farrah Fawcett’s battle with cancer. CNN’s Douglas Hyde was at the end of the line and the last to interview the actor, who was almost in tears after a string of intense explanations about his longtime companion’s condition.

FDA hazy on e-cigarettes’ safety

At first glance, it looks like the real thing. It’s white, with a brown filter. When the tip glows red, a smoke-like puff follows.

Cancer and Insurance: Who Do You Call?

For families affected by cancer, the phone number is easy to remember: 1-800-ACS-2345. The letters stand for the American Cancer Society, and dialing the number takes you to the ACS’s National Cancer Information Center in Austin, Texas. The call center fields about a million calls a year, offering answers questions both simple and complex, from “Where can I get help with transportation when I can’t drive to chemo appointments?” to “How do I find insurance if my illness forces me to quit my job?” Half the calls coming into the center deal with paying for treatment, either because lifetime limits on policies are quickly reached — cancer is one of the five most costly medical conditions in the U.S., according to the ACS — or because the patient is struggling to maintain coverage in the face of rising premiums and accumulating co-pay costs.