SAN DIEGO (AP) — Dennis Lyon was a genetic train wreck. Cancer was ravaging his liver, lungs, bones and brain, and tests showed so many tumor mutations that drugs targeting one or two wouldn’t do much good. It seemed like very bad news, yet his doctors were encouraged. The reason: People with the most messed-up … Continue reading
SEATTLE (AP) — Ken Shefveland’s body was swollen with cancer, treatment after treatment failing until doctors gambled on a radical approach: They removed some of his immune cells, engineered them into cancer assassins and unleashed them into his bloodstream. Immune therapy is the hottest trend in cancer care and this is its next frontier — … Continue reading
CHICAGO (AP) — Drugs are scoring big wins against common cancers, setting new standards for how to treat many prostate, breast and lung tumors. There’s even a “uni-drug” that may fight many forms of the disease. What’s striking: The drugs are beneficial in some cases for more than a year, much longer than the few … Continue reading
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — When Dr. Ralph Alvarado was elected to the Kentucky state Senate in 2014, he found his new colleagues had something in common with most of his patients: They knew smoking was bad, they just couldn’t quit. For more than two years, Alvarado has led the effort to restrict smoking in a … Continue reading
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton announced Tuesday that he has prostate cancer, revealing the diagnosis hours after collapsing while delivering his State of the State address the night before. The 69-year-old Democratic governor said he plans to finish the final two years of his term, during which he faces a unified … Continue reading
ATLANTA (AP) — Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas has opened up about his recent battle with testicular cancer. The 41-year-old rapper says he checked into an emergency room in 2014 after having pain throughout his body after a show and found out that he had stage 2 testicular cancer. He underwent surgery and a … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Gwen Ifill, co-anchor of PBS’ “NewsHour” with Judy Woodruff and a veteran journalist who moderated two vice presidential debates, died Monday of cancer, the network said. She was 61. A former reporter for The New York Times and The Washington Post, Ifill switched to television in the 1990s and covered politics … Continue reading
ST. LOUIS (AP) — When Deborah Giannecchini was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer four years ago, it didn’t make sense. She had no family history, nor did she seem a high risk. But months later, when her daughter saw a TV ad for a law firm asking ovarian cancer victims who used talcum powder … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report outlines a scientific roadmap for the White House’s cancer “moonshot” initiative — urging research to harness the power of immune-based therapy, and to better tailor treatment by helping more patients get their tumors genetically profiled. Those are among a list of recommendations issued Wednesday by a panel of cancer … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report outlines a scientific roadmap for the White House’s cancer “moonshot” initiative — urging research to harness the power of immune-based therapy, and to better tailor treatment by helping more patients get their tumors genetically profiled. Those are among a list of recommendations issued Wednesday by a panel of cancer … Continue reading
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Two Utah sisters grew up in the same bedroom, went to the same college, worked for almost a decade at the same company and have visited over 50 countries side by side. Now every three weeks, they sit together in matching chairs and chat as their bodies are pumped full … Continue reading
TORONTO (AP) — Canada on Thursday, April 14, introduced a new assisted suicide law that will apply only to citizens and residents, meaning Americans won’t be able to travel to Canada to die. Canadian government officials said a person would have to be eligible for health services in Canada to take advantage of the law, … Continue reading
Sharon Johnson calls herself an addict, although she’s been sober for three years now. She started by smoking pot and eventually moved to crack cocaine. Her daughter has tried heroin and “I believe I’m going to pull her out of the gutter someday,” Johnson laments. Johnson has seen firsthand the ravages of drug abuse reflected … Continue reading
LONDON (AP) — The Rolling Stones press office says the band’s former bassist Bill Wyman has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but is expected to make a full recovery. A statement said Tuesday that 79-year-old Wyman is undergoing treatment for the disease, which was “caught in the early stages.” It said the Wyman family has … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Walt Whitlow was under treatment for cancer when he got an unwelcome surprise. His financial assistance under President Barack Obama’s health care law got slashed. That meant his premium quadrupled and his deductible went from $900 to $4,600. Hundreds of thousands of people lose subsidies under the health law, or even their … Continue reading
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