Cancer hot topics archive
Dietary carbohydrate, glycaemic index, glycaemic load and colorectal cancer risk: No evidence of a link
Results from a paper published in Cancer Causes and Control do not support the hypothesis that dietary carbohydrate, glycaemic index (GI) or glycaemic load (GL) are associated with colorectal cancer risk.
Is physical activity beneficial for cancer survivors?
After treatment, cancer survivors may experience an increase in fatigue and a decrease in physical activity and quality of life. Whether physical activity interventions can improve the fitness and quality of life of cancer survivors, or possibly even reduce their risk of cancer recurrence, has been the subject of an increasing number of studies and a handful of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Do we need a minimum price for alcohol?
Over the past 50 years the real price of alcohol has fallen in Europe, and in some places more liberal licensing legislation has led to alcohol being sold more widely and for longer periods of time.
New evidence confirms that foods containing fibre reduce the risk of colorectal cancer
New evidence published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has shown that a diet high in fibre, particularly from cereal and whole grains, is associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer.
World cancer leaders pledge support for measureable action to tackle cancer
On 18 November 2011, 240 representatives from governments, the World Health Organization (WHO), civil society organisations, the private sector and the World Economic Forum pledged to support action to halt the spiralling global cancer epidemic.
Fat Taxes - the answer to obesity?
Evidence shows that our food choices and general patterns of diet are at least partly shaped by the price and availability of products.
Priority actions for the non-communicable disease crisis identified
A recent article published in the Lancet (1) highlights five overarching priority actions for the response to the non-communicable disease (NCD) crisis.
Global increases in body mass index since 1980
A recent study published in the Lancet (1) has shown that globally, mean body-mass index (BMI) has increased since 1980 (0.4 kg/m2 per decade for men and 0.5 kg/m2 per decade for women).
Current Nutrition Guidelines for Cancer Survivors – where are the gaps?
A recent commentary published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (1) looked at the current nutrition guidelines for cancer survivors and found that the ability to develop evidence-based guidelines is limited by the lack of research in this area.
How good are the data on folate in food composition databases?
The WCRF/AICR Second Expert Report Panel concluded that foods containing folate probably decrease risk of pancreatic cancer, and there was limited evidence suggesting they also decrease risk of bowel and oesophageal cancers.
Physical activity improves breast cancer survival
Women’s Healthy Eating Living (WHEL) Study (1) has found that higher baseline physical activity in post-treatment breast cancer survivors improved survival.
Alcohol intake linked to risk of oesophageal cancer
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Cancer (1) found that light as well as moderate and high alcohol drinking was associated with an increased risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
Launch of First Global Economic Cost of Cancer Report
The American Cancer Society and LIVESTRONG launched a new study in August on the economic cost of all causes of death globally, including cancer and other diseases.
Quality of life among long-term colorectal cancer survivors – systematic review
Survival rates are improving for colorectal cancer. This study addresses the important issue of investigating health related quality of life in colorectal cancer patients surviving for at least 5 years since diagnosis.
Disparities in breast cancer mortality trends in Europe
Breast cancer survival has improved in Europe. This study examined the trends in mortality from breast cancer in women living in 30 European countries. This study used the breast cancer deaths registers in the World Health Organization mortality database as well as other mortality statistics.
Brazilian and Latin American versions of Policy Report Executive Summaries
The Second Expert Report is the most authoritative and comprehensive report ever published on diet and cancer. It lays out personal recommendations for people as well as goals for the population as a whole. However, setting these targets is just one step. Equally important is understanding how to achieve them successfully.
Vitamin D and cancer: results from a pooling project
Adequate vitamin D is required for good bone health. In addition, there has been interest in vitamin D as a cancer preventive agent. The prevalence of low levels of vitamin D at a population level has promoted interest in determining the amount of vitamin D required for optimal health.
GLOBOCAN 2008 launched
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) launched GLOBOCAN 2008 in June. This is an online resource for cancer researchers and policy makers, it replaces the previous database GLOBOCAN 2002. The database provides worldwide, region and country specific estimates of the numbers of new cases of, and deaths from, cancer in 2008.
