Advancing Your Health

There are 66 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers across the United States. Through their designation, these centers and their teams are charged with conducting and leading cancer research and putting that work into life-saving clinical practice every day.  The Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University is Georgia's only NCI-designated cancer center.  But in a state where more than 15,000 lives are lost annually to cancer-related deaths, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal is taking steps to help lower these numbers. It is Deal’s goal to bring a second NCI cancer center to Georgia to help attract additional researchers and cancer research dollars to the state and at the same time, improve access to high quality cancer treatments [...]

Who could have imagined that a three-letter virus – HPV -- could generate so much confusion and controversy? Oh, wait, there is precedence for all the political posturing, fear and mis-information about HPV, the human papillomavirus, one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. We saw the same take place around HIV, a far more deadly virus and one that continues to wreak havoc and claims thousands of lives a year. And it took decades of advocacy, much of which is still ongoing, to bring attention to the need to stop HIV in its tracks, before it leads to AIDS. That same advocacy and public health campaigning is now underway to help consumers better understand HPV and what people can do about it, and how important it is for young people to receive vaccines that [...]

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. To help raise awareness around cervical health and cervical cancer, this is the first of a two-part blog post series on the topic. Before we dig deeper into cervical cancer types and risk factors, here a few cervical health-related statistics you should be aware of:

• Cervical cancer was previously the leading cancer-related cause of death for women in the U.S. In the last 40 years, however, the number of deaths from cervical cancer has dropped. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) & CDC, the decline is largely “the result of many women getting regular Pap tests, which can find cervical precancer before it turns into cancer."
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Recent news that even a small bit of alcohol consumption increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer got me thinking. The authors of the study, published in early November in the Journal of the American Medical Association, talked in news media interviews about the fact that many respondents might actually have under-reported their alcohol consumption. They went on to say that it is very important to accurately report your lifestyle habits when your doctor asks. So here’s what got me thinking. A few years back, I had a breast cancer scare. Perhaps the fear made me especially conscientious about reporting any bad habits – you know, fear being a powerful motivator and all. When the [...]

Chatting before the start of an editorial meeting, Lynne Anderson told us about a family she had adopted through Winship’s Adopt-A-Family program, one supporting needy families stricken by cancer.  My colleague Morgan and I were so moved and unexpectedly brought to tears by the story (I didn’t even have tissues ready!) that we proposed our marketing team adopt a family as our group’s annual holiday community building event.  Everyone readily agreed – and even better to be helping members of our own Emory community. While participation was voluntary, it wasn’t surprising that we had 100% participation from our team. After all is there a more noble cause then helping a [...]

The list reminded me of something from a storybook I had read in first grade. The book was called “The Littlest Angel.”  It was about a young angel whose humility and innocence led him to believe that a humble gift offered to the baby Jesus was inadequate. His gift– a small box with a golden butterfly, a blue bird’s egg -  had been all the little angel had in Heaven to remind him of his earthly home.  And it had brought him such peace and happiness, because he had been so homesick! Yet he had been willing to part with it. After he placed his box among the dazzling array of gifts offered to the newborn, however, his face burned with embarrassment as he cried hot tears, thinking that his gift [...]

Most of us have heard that moderate drinking – a glass of wine a day – can be beneficial in preventing heart disease. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in early November, however, suggests that even moderate alcohol consumption can increase a woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. Alcohol use already has been linked to oropharyngeal cancers, esophageal and, to lesser degree, stomach and colon cancers, so what does this news mean to you as you go into the holidays? It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t imbibe, but it does mean that you should be aware that alcohol is considered a carcinogen. Here are six things to think about as you get ready for the parties and the tree-trimming.

1. The JAMA article reported [...]
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  November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Last week, we gave you an intro to Pancreatic Cancer, including statistics, information on the types of pancreatic cancer, and pancreatic cancer risk factors. As promised, this week, we’re following up with information on preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer of the pancreas.

Pancreatic Cancer Prevention

Much of the advice you’ll see for cancer prevention is similar across cancers. A few things you can do to help improve your health and fight off cancer, including pancreatic cancer, include: quitting smoking, exercising regularly, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Diagnosing Cancer of the Pancreas

Diagnosing cancer of the pancreas can involve a variety of tests and assessments. As is true in any [...]

Doctors Kristin Higgins and Taofeek Owonikoko held a live web chat on the topic of lung cancer this month. From that chat, there were several unanswered questions that we wanted to circle back with the answers for. You'll find them below in a Q&A format. If you're interested in checking out the rest of the conversation from the chat, check out the lung cancer chat transcript. Rhonda asked: Is there any lung cancer treatment program for people without health insurance? Dr. Owonikoko: Depending on where this person resides, the state may have a program for indigent cancer patients. Also, the American Cancer Society has some patient support programs for indigent patients to support cancer care. Here is the webpage to the support options on the ACS website. Marjorie asked: My sister has been treated this year for [...]

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Before we dig a bit deeper into pancreatic cancer in this two-part blog post, below are some important stats you should be aware of. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and American Cancer Society:

• pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer-related death in both men and women in the U.S.
• 1.41% of men and women born today will be diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas at some time during their lifetime
• the median age for diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was 72 years old (based on data from ‘04-’08)
• the median age of death as a result of pancreatic cancer was 73 years old (based on data from ‘04-’08)
• 0.53% of men will [...]
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