Cancer Death Rates Continue to Fall in U.S., Report Says

THURSDAY, March 12, 2020 -- U.S. death rates from cancer continued falling from 2001 to 2017 -- dropping an average 1.5% a year, a new report shows.

The annual decline was slightly larger among men (1.8%) than women (1.4%), according to the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer.

Radiation Treatment Is Hard on the Heart

MONDAY, Feb. 17, 2020 -- Radiation therapy that targets cancers in the chest area can tax the heart and trigger high levels of fatigue, breathing problems and a reduced ability to exercise, a new study suggests.

However, doing more physical activity before undergoing radiation therapy may help reduce these problems, the researchers added.

Dual Method May Boost Accuracy of Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2020 -- Adding MRI to a standard tissue biopsy appears to enhance the accuracy of a prostate cancer diagnosis, new research finds.

The study, led by researchers at the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), found that combining the two methods cut the rate of "underdiagnosis" by more than half, compared to use of either MRI or biopsy alone.

New Gene Study Unravels Cancer's Secrets

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 5, 2020 -- Cancer is a genetically driven disease, and a mother lode of new genetic data on dozens of different cancers is promising to break open fresh avenues of prevention and treatment.

Nineteen out of 20 cancers now can be tracked back to one or more specific genetic mutations, based on data gathered from in-depth sequencing of thousands of whole-cancer genomes, researchers say.

New Study Supports Lowering Age of First Colonoscopy

FRIDAY, Jan. 31, 2020 -- The rate of colon cancer among Americans spikes sharply between the ages of 49 and 50, a new study finds -- supporting the case for earlier screening for the disease.

Researchers say the uptick between those two ages does not reflect an actual increase in the occurrence of colon cancer but the fact that screening for the disease has traditionally begun at age 50. So "latent" cancers that had been present for some time are caught at that age.

Study Confirms CT Screenings Can Cut Lung Cancer Deaths

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 29, 2020 -- A new Dutch study is being hailed as proof of the need for annual CT screenings of former and current longtime smokers to reduce deaths from lung cancer.

Dr. Debra Dyer, a spokeswoman for the American College of Radiology and chair of radiology at National Jewish Health in Denver, called the findings "wonderful news."