Cancer News
Breast cancer drug can reduce recurrence risk
It could potentially improve survival chances for many patients
An existing drug has cut the chances of breast cancer recurrence by a quarter in patients with the most common form of the malignancy . The medication ribociclib is a targeted therapy — a form of precision medicine targeting proteins that control how cancer grows — already used to treat advanced breast cancer that is hormone-receptor positive and HER2-negative , a subtype of the condition accounting for about 70 percent of all cases in the US . Researchers from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center in the US found that the drug could also improve disease-free survival in patients with early-stage diseases when it ’ s administered in combination with hormone therapy after they underwent standard treatments like surgery and chemotherapy . Though current treatments can offer improvements against breast cancer , in many cases the disease returns .
“ Currently approved targeted treatments can only be used in a small population of patients diagnosed with [ hormone receptor ] - positive , HER2-negative early breast cancer , leaving many without an effective treatment option for reducing risk of the cancer returning , � lead study author Dr Dennis Slamon , Director of Clinical / Translational Research and Director of the Revlon / UCLA Women ’ s Cancer Research Program at the University of California , Los Angeles ( UCLA ) Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center , said in a press release . “ Thus , there is a significant unmet need for both reducing the risk of recurrence and providing a tolerable treatment option that keeps patients cancer-free without disrupting their daily life . �
The finding is a potential breakthrough because it could be used to extend survival in a large number of patients with breast cancer . The next steps will see researchers monitor quality of life in patients who received ribociclib with hormonal therapy while measuring long-term outcomes .
Gas stoves send out substance linked to cancer
Benezene levels can be higher than those produced by secondhand smoke
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esearchers from Stanford University found that using gas stoves could dangerously raise indoor levels of benzene , a chemical that ’ s been associated with a higher risk of leukaemia and other blood cancers .
Benzene levels could surpass those produced by secondhand smoke and could linger in home air for hours , with those measured in bedrooms potentially exceeding international benchmarks .
�Benzene forms in flames and other high-temperature environments , such as the flares found in oil fields and refineries . We now know that benzene also forms in the flames of gas stoves in our homes , � said study senior author Rob Jackson , professor of earth system science at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability . “ Good ventilation helps reduce pollutant concentrations , but we found that exhaust fans were often ineffective at eliminating benzene exposure . �
Previous studies showed that rates of leukaemia , a common type of blood cancer , were higher in workers exposed to high benzene levels like those in chemical , shoemaking , and oil refining industries .
In addition , a 2013 meta-analysis reached the conclusion that children living in homes with gas stoves had a 42 percent increased risk of asthma compared to children living in homes without gas stoves .
“ I ’ m renting an apartment that happens to have an electric stove , � said study lead Yannai Kashtan , a graduate student in earth system science . “ Before starting this research , I never thought about it twice , but the more we learn about pollution from gas stoves , the more relieved I am to be living without a gas stove . �
24 ISSUE 3 | 2023 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com