Cervical cancer is caused by a virus called HPV (human papilloma virus) that is spread through sexual contact. For many people, the virus is cleared by the immune system. But if it isn’t, it can develop into cancer. The virus can be detected through HPV screening that inspects a sample of cervical tissue for the … Read more
Cancer does not affect everyone in the same way. A combination of factors, including race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status can make some patients face a greater cancer burden and poorer outcomes in cancer care and treatment. These inequities are called cancer disparities. The causes “are complex and reflect social and economic disparities and … Read more
As one of three family members with the same first and last name, John E. Duggan found individuality through initials while growing up — becoming universally known as “Jed.” Having survived both stage III colon cancer and thyroid cancer before age 30, he is refusing to let another familial tie get him down. Duggan has MUTYH-associated polyposis (or MAP), … Read more
Genetic testing provided a father and son with a proper diagnosis for their rare colon condition.
Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays in sunlight, along with sunburns, can increase the risk of skin cancer and melanoma.
Drinking tea has been a practice around the world since ancient times, and often has been seen as a way of promoting good health. Whether tea – either the green or black varieties – can reduce the risk of cancer is a question that has been studied, but hasn’t yielded a definite answer. Made from … Read more
For women who inherit a breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene like mutant BRCA-1 or BRCA-2, the risk of ovarian and tubal cancers begins to rise significantly at age 40 to 45. Women at this age — and younger — are often advised to have their ovaries and tubes removed as a risk-reducing strategy for … Read more
Despite the fact that cancer survivorship is on the rise, it may seem that cancer is everywhere — and that there’s nothing we can do about it. But are we really powerless to stop certain cancers from coming our way? Or, at least, to lessen the chances of developing those cancers? With the help of … Read more
While not all cancers can be prevented, there are a number of strategies and techniques to help reduce cancer risk, even for those with inherited cancer genes. It’s important to start implementing healthful habits early in life, and as a parent, to educate kids about the importance of cancer prevention. However, it can be difficult … Read more
Cancer researchers continue to explore why cancer occurs in the body – and how to stop it before it shows up. Tools like genetic testing, which looks for alterations, or mutations, in a person’s genes, can help determine whether a person is more likely to develop certain kinds of cancer. But researchers have also identified … Read more
As with many cancers, screening is a crucial step in preventing colorectal cancer. In fact, colorectal cancer is one of the most treatable forms of cancer if it is found early. “There are many different ways we can prevent colorectal cancer, ranging from medical tests to dietary and lifestyle behaviors, to taking certain medications,” says … Read more
Although cervical cancer incidence and death rates have decreased thanks to regular screenings, thousands of women in the U.S. are still affected by the disease every year. In this Cancer Conversations podcast episode, Ursula Matulonis, MD, medical director of the Gynecologic Oncology Program in the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at Dana-Farber, joins … Read more
In recent years, studies have shown that foods like coffee and nuts may be able to lower risk of colon cancer. Aspirin, too, has been linked to reducing risk. Despite these studies, experts still stand by screening as the number one way to prevent the disease. “There are many different ways we can prevent this … Read more
Updated April 13, 2015 While one of the most common cancers in both men and women, colorectal cancer remains a very preventable disease, says Jeffrey Meyerhardt, MD, MPH, clinical director of Dana-Farber’s Center for Gastrointestinal Oncology. “Most of these cancers develop over a period of years,” he says. “While not preventable in everyone, the earlier … Read more
Nearly 40 years after its introduction, tamoxifen continues to prove its value as a breast cancer prevention drug. The most recent evidence comes from the International Breast Cancer Prevention Study 1 (IBIS-1), which for 20 years has been tracking breast cancer occurrence and survival rates in more than 7,000 women who had a higher than average … Read more
Although cervical cancer is relatively rare in the United States, approximately 11,000-12,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with the disease each year. Globally, that number grows to more than 500,000 diagnoses each year, making it the fourth most common women’s cancer worldwide. As January marks Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, the Susan F. Smith Center … Read more
As we recognize World Cancer Day today, it’s important to remember that one-third of cancer deaths worldwide are tied to lifestyle and diet, making them largely preventable. Dr. Judy Garber, director of Dana-Farber’s Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention, provides some perspective, and highlights some of the steps individuals can take to reduce their cancer … Read more
发布日期：2024年2月1日 作者：Beth Dougherty 医学审校：Marios Giannakis博士（Marios Giannakis, MD, PhD）及Annette M. Goldberg博士 （Annette M. Goldberg, MBS, MS, RD, LDN） 您或许听过这个说法：精加工食品是不健康的。但是真的是这样吗？精加工视频那么不堪吗？ 坦白而言，很多我们熟知且喜爱的食物都属于精加工类别，因此我们有必要了解下这类食物的风险，以及参考专家的建议，让我们的购物选择更为健康。 我们采访了丹娜—法伯癌症研究所的专家，从多个角度帮您解读精加工食品以及它们与癌症风险的关联。 丹娜—法伯结直肠癌专家们深入研究了加工肉类对肠道健康的影响。他们发现了一些经加工食品加剧结肠癌患癌风险背后的生物学机制 丹娜—法伯影响学家们提出有用意见：如何利用这些有关经加工食品的科学发现，帮助您以后的选购之旅。 什么是精加工食品？ 丹娜—法伯营养学家Annette M Goldberg博士指出，根据联合国NOVA系统分类，因食品的加工程度而异，所有的食物可以被分为四类： 未加工食物（Unprocessed foods）：如新鲜水果、蔬菜、禽肉和鱼 烹饪用加工调料（Processed culinary ingredients）：如黄油、食用油、盐、糖 加工食品（Processed foods）：综合了未加工食品和烹饪用加工调料，如：面包、果酱、奶酪或坚果黄油 精加工食品（Ultraprocessed foods）：含有添加剂的食品，包括染色剂、人工添加香料、非糖类甜味剂以及改变食品质地或外观成分的调味料。包括：碳酸饮料、一些植物类的肉类替代品和含有甜味剂的早餐燕麦片 Goldberg博士表示：“并非每一类加工食品都会对健康有害。我们需要的是那些对食品及其营养成分造成有限影响的食物。” 例如：罐头蔬菜、冻水果和鸡肉馅都是轻微加工过的食品，但是它们仍保有营养价值。 精加工食品和癌症有哪些关联？ 精加工食品使得癌症风险加剧有三种方式： 加工肉类、红肉和DNA损害：很多研究发现食用红肉和加工肉类（如：热狗、培根和熟肉制品）与结肠癌风险加剧相关。在一项加工肉类对结直肠癌患者影响的新研究中，丹娜—法伯癌症研究所Marios Giannakis博士与同仁们发现：摄入大量含有硝酸盐等化合物的红肉和加工肉类，可在结肠细胞里留下DNA损害的“特征”。 Giannakis博士和同事们正在展开后续研究，在肿瘤模型中进一步研究红肉及其化合物的影响。这项研究能帮助他们了解细胞的活动，以及谁是最容易受到影响的个体。身为胃肠道肿瘤医师和研究员的Giannakis博士指出：“我们希望能了解更多信息，从而为大众提出更精准的建议。但目前而言，我建议摄取红肉量要适度。” 美国癌症研究协会（AICR）建议：每周收入的红肉量（牛肉、猪肉和羊肉）不超过12到18盎司（3份4-6盎司的分量），避免摄入加工肉。 垃圾食品和肥胖症：经加工食品往往削减或者剔除了食物的营养价值。这就让食物变成了可能导致体重增加的“垃圾”食品。过度的增重和肥胖症都是癌症的风险因素。存储的脂肪组织产生激素和炎症因子，两者皆可助长癌症。体重超标与13种癌症均相关，包括：乳腺癌、食道癌、胰腺癌、结肠癌、卵巢癌、前列腺癌和胃癌。 Goldberg博士说道：“以前，我们认为脂肪组织并不活跃，只是储存能量，但如今我们了解到，脂肪组织在代谢上是活跃的，而过度活跃可能是有害的。” 未知原因：目前，学界尚未明晰精加工食品中的添加剂或包装是否会影响癌症风险。有些研究建议，精加工食品与很多癌症风险加剧普遍相关，但我们还需要更多的研究来明确哪些食物在人体内作用，从而引起癌症风险。 Giannakis博士表示，有这样几种假设，例如，精加工食品可能会： 直接损害正常细胞 含有可能导致持续发炎的物质 改变免疫系统，干扰监测癌症的机制 导致微生物、肠道菌群的变化，产生不良影响 “这是一个复杂的问题，而且上述因素中，使得精加工食品与癌症相关的机制尚未得到充分验证。”Giannakis博士补充道。 我应该摒弃所有的精加工食品吗？ Goldberg博士建议，我们应该将注意力放在摄入更多健康食物上，这包括： 重新平衡食谱：健康摆盘，让植物为主的全谷物占据餐盘的3/4。剩下的1/4填满蛋白质，包括：豆子、豆腐、禽肉、鱼，偶尔放一些红肉 … Read more
You might have heard the buzz about ultraprocessed foods being unhealthy. But what are they, exactly? And are they really all that bad? A lot of familiar and, frankly, favorite foods fall into the ultraprocessed food category, so it’s good to get the facts about the risks and expert tips for making your shopping cart … Read more
发布日期：2019年8月27日 更新时间：2023年6月2日 医学审校：Huma Q. Rana博士（Huma Q. Rana, MD, MPH） 关键摘要： CHEK2是一种肿瘤抑制基因，保护细胞免于癌变。 遗传基因突变的人群罹患某种癌症的风险有所加剧，更为频繁的筛查或可使其受益。 CHEK2是 “检测点激酶2（checkpoint kinase2）” 基因的缩写。该基因为血细胞生产CHK2蛋白质提供指令，当细胞里的DNA损毁或DNA链断裂时，CHK2被激活。 CHK2蛋白质有什么作用？ CHK2和其它基因响应DNA损坏的机制如下：通过终止细胞分裂并判断细胞之于人体健康应修复损伤还是自毁。这一过程确保了具有基因损伤或突变的细胞在分裂时，不会将 “有害” 的DNA传给下一代。这种基因突变可被视为迈向癌变的第一步。CHEK2使得细胞免于癌变，也被视为一种肿瘤抑制基因（tumor-suppressor gene）。 当CHEK2自身产生突变时（即构成CHEK2的DNA出错时），它的功能受损。在CHEK2基因不能正常作用时，细胞就失去了一个生长的关键限制，并且离无节制分裂的癌症更进一步。 哪些癌症携带CHEK2基因突变？ 美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）指出，很多癌症都有CHEK2基因突变，包括：乳腺癌、肾癌、甲状腺癌等。有些脑肿瘤和骨肉瘤（osteosarcoma，一种骨癌）也有CHEK2基因突变。 携带CHEK2突变的人群有哪些风险？ 携带CHEK2基因突变的人群罹患某些癌症的风险更高。携带CHEK2基因突变的女性罹患乳腺癌的风险是与未携带CHEK2基因突变的女性的两倍以上。因风险加剧，携带CHEK2基因突变的女性需要更为密切的乳房筛查。 结直肠癌、前列腺癌风险加剧是否与CHEK2基因突变相关尚不明确，但是携带CHEK2基因突变的人群需要与家庭医生和遗传学专家咨询，是否需要针对结直肠癌和前列腺癌展开筛查。 大部分携带CHEK2基因突变的个体都有该基因的一个正常基因的副本，以及一个突变的副本。因为子女从父母两人处分别集成一个基因的副本，因此携带CHEK2基因突变的人群遗传给子女的概率为50%。此外，因为CHEK2突变通常是通过基因传播的，所以知道自己携带CHEK2基因突变的人应该告诉近亲，以便他们根据自己的医院接受筛查检测。 近期有哪些CHEK2相关的科研信息？ CHEK2会发生许多不同的突变，包括该基因DNA的拼写错误。根据突变发生的位置，它们会从多方面影响基因：有些会关闭基因或阻止基因活性；或使得具有缺陷的CHEK2产生。 最近，由丹娜—法伯科学家Huma Rana博士和Brittany Bychkovsky博士带领的一项研究，对数千位患者的数据进行分析，以判断有些基因突变是否与某些特定类型的癌症相关。他们发现，无论患者携带哪种CHEK2基因突变，它都与乳腺癌、肾癌、甲状腺癌相关，与结直肠癌并不相关。此前，学界曾认为：在CHEK2基因突变患者中，结直肠癌更为常见。遗传学专家可根据以上研究，帮助先天携带CHEK2基因突变的患者更好地了解患癌的风险。 点击此处，从丹娜—法伯癌症研究所癌症遗传学和预防学诊所了解更多有关癌症风险的信息。 医学审校人简介： 2007年，Rana博士毕业于新泽西医学和牙科大学的罗伯特·伍德·约翰逊医学院（Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey）。随后，她在西奈山医学院（Mount Sinai School of Medicine）完成了内科学住院医师培训，以及遗传学和基因科学专项培训。2020年，Rana博士在哈佛大学陈曾熙公共卫生学院获得公共卫生硕士学位。自2012年起，Rana博士在丹娜—法伯癌症研究所任职。 转载须知 … Read more