Cancer Information

Archive for 2012

France has been shaken recently by the case involving breast implants society Var PIP. Suspected of being responsible for cancer in more than 20 carriers, the case PIP created a wave of terror in several countries in the world. Not to relive that nightmare, a report will be submitted to the Minister of Health Xavier Bertrand on lessons learned from this event.

The French Food Safety Agency of Health Products (AFSSAPS) wrote the report in question in collaboration with the Directorate General for Health (DGS). The report emphasizes the lack of vigilance has led to a global scandal.
Key points of the report

The report contains data on inspections conducted on several occasions by Afssaps. The agency inspectors had unveiled a fraudulent practice with respect to the manufacture and use of non-conforming gel. Afssaps inspected all distributors and manufacturers of breast implants in France and it turned out that the PIP is the only company to be against the rules of conformity.

The Health Minister Xavier Bertrand plans to strengthen existing laws. Afssaps for its aims to increase their vigilance and effort to ensure that a product complies with the rules prior to commercialization.

Studies have shown that sport reduces the risk of recurrent cancer of the breast. Thus, the Institut Curie has developed a program of sports activities for women who were victims of breast cancer .
Custom activities

The Institut Curie confirms that several studies have shown that playing sports reduces the risk of recurrence and sequelae and promote recovery. The Curie Institute has established a program of activities for women covering of breast cancer.

Dr. Laura Copel who is leading this initiative believes that patients need help right after cancer. Thus, a healthy lifestyle, reduces the risk of relapse. Patients undergo a physical checkup. Professionals develop a plan for each patient to determine their abilities and desires. The progress of the patient is strictly followed by a book. This pilot project has been launched with a hundred women who were patients of the Institute Curie.

Experts reveal that mammography can prevent at least 3,000 deaths related to cancers in women aged 50 to 74 years.

Supports most suitable

As a reminder, mammography is 100% reimbursed by Social Security . Women are strongly recommended to use this review to ensure more appropriate care in case of cancer . The doctors point out that screening tests can detect small tumors, avoiding the heavy treatments such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

HAS (High Authority for Health ) recommends that women use organized test rather than an individual. The organization believes this technique will diagnose more than 282 additional cancer cases per year. HAS notifies gynecologists and physicians work together to improve the quality of treatment. Experts believe that women should be better informed with respect to the importance of mammography.

A Spanish doctor was convicted of having imposed a compensation of 7.455 euros in a patient with ruptured breast implants.

Lack of information about risks

The patient had not received sufficient information on risks from PIP prostheses: in fact, the rupture of implants occurred in 2008 when the scandal broke in 2011 (following the death of a lymphoma carrier).

The Madrid court sentenced the surgeon and the clinic in Menorca, for breach of duty of disclosure. This case represents the first record against breast implants PIP. As a reminder, these products contain silicone gel industry, an extremely hazardous substance in the human body. Several cases of cancer were even spotted among clients of IPP. The data indicate at least 400,000 to 500,000 women use these products worldwide.

Several countries including France, Belgium and Germany to encourage clients to remove the implants as a precautionary measure.

A life is priceless. Yet in Britain, a support of more than 50,000 euros for the treatment of cancer is no longer assured. This measure is disturbing and people come to ask about the situation in France.

Worrying figures

The hexagon has a phenomenal support treatments against cancer because it would take 5 million euros in chemotherapy for 100,000 residents. In Britain the figure would be around 2 million. So should we be legitimate concerns about what lies ahead in France? Costs of care for people with cancer would have gone from 473 million to 1 billion euros between 2004 and 2009.

Future of cancer in France

Professionals in health claim that current drug therapies are effective in the fight against cancer. They rely on drugs , specifically those with a name ending in “ib” because they have a clear focus on existing tumors. Patients and their families believe that a few weeks or months longer on earth worth it to get paid.

It is of course no question of recalquer in France the British situation with regard to cancer patients. However, it is clear that the hexagon will not continue to support “blindly” these drug treatments. Moreover, according to senior health authority, this awareness is enhanced by the lack of transparency in determining prices for treatments that are profitable in the first instance to the marketing laboratories. Is it possible that in future it will opt for chemotherapy , surgery or medication?

And if fasting and chemotherapy could fight cancer in humans? A study published Wednesday, February 8, 2012 in the journal Science Translational Medicine indicates that mice with certain cancers respond favorably to treatment consisting of fasting and chemotherapy. Indeed, a combination of both techniques would extend the lifespan of mice with cancer.

Results

In eight cancers present in laboratory mice, five responded favorably to fasting as well as chemotherapy. Professionals in health indicate that the reduction of food ingested favor slowing the progression of cancer.

Valter Longo, a professor of gerontology and biology at the University of Southern California, and one of the authors of the study, says

The pancreatic cancer is one of the cancers most lethal amounting to 5% survival rate at 5 years. Scientists have focused their analysis of seven studies. They were able to show an increase of 50 grams in the consumption of meats per day increases the risk of cancer of the pancreas. This risk would amount to 19% for men and women.

Explanations

These results are explained by the fact that the processes of conservation of meat involve hazardous constituents for health . Indeed, conservation is done with nitrites (salts of nitrous acid with its presence in human blood prevents hemoglobin oxygen set correctly). Moreover, these additives will form nitrosamines in meat found to be highly carcinogenic. They are likely to arrive until the pancreas and cause cancer.

To prevent the risk of pancreatic cancer, it is recommended that:

• have a reasonable consumption of meats and monitored at 500 grams per week (maximum amount not to cross)
• Avoid smoking because tobacco also contains nitrosamines.

Victims of PIP prostheses agree to withdraw breast implants. Concern ranks this time on the side of the surgeons, since they do not know where to replace the PIP. Indeed, they said they had received any guidance on the recommended hardware for reimplantation.
The reliability of implants

The French Agency for Sanitary Security Branch of the products of Health (Afssaaps) has for its part, conducted health inspections and concluded that all implants available on the French market are compliant. Since September 2010, tests were performed in nine French manufacturers, but the details of the results remain unknown to date.

However, Afssaps promises a progress report on the report required by Xavier Bertrand, Minister of Health will be available in late January.

As a result, patients and surgeons must be patient with regard to use implants.

Both in France and the United States, we see a decrease in the rate of deaths from cancer . The heralds of the good news are the authors of the annual report of the American Society of Oncology. However, they can not hide their concern over the emergence of cancers that are rare and little known and which could be caused by obesity.
BMI and cancer

In the U.S., since 1990, the rate of deaths from cancer fell by 23% in men and 15% in women. During the last two decades, approximately one million deaths from cancer were averted. It turns out that this is due to the many campaigns of screening and prevention have been conducted over the past three decades.

However, it was observed that there was a considerable increase in the number of cases of unusual cancers such as cancers of the liver, pancreas, thyroid, esophagus, kidney, skin and throat . According to the American Cancer Society, “the reasons for this increase are not all known” but the professional health argue that many of these diseases is linked to obesity.

A correlation has been established in 2008 by British scientists, between BMI (body mass index) and risk of cancer predisposition. For the year 2012, the American Society of Oncology anticipate 1.6 million cancer cases diagnosed in the United States. The number of deaths would amount they estimate at 577,000. It should be noted that in France, 365 000 cancer cases were detected in 2011 killing 145,000 patients .

Mesothelioma has been declared recently as disease notifiable. This term means that the doctor who diagnosed the disease in the patient must inform the health authorities. The objective of this decree is to better understand this rare type of cancer by identifying the causes.
A rare cancer

Mesothelioma is a cancer often located in the peritoneum. The National Cancer Institute (INCA) claims to have identified between 800 and 1200 cases of mesothelioma each year. These figures represent only 0.3% of all cancers .

Exposure to asbestos at work is the main cause of this cancer. It is good to know that asbestos is a highly toxic mineral used in building construction.
The objectives

The National Mesothelioma Surveillance uses this order to try to identify risk factors for mesothelioma other than asbestos exposure in order to strengthen their program of surveillance and prevention. Physicians must complete a form available at the INVS to report a case of mesothelioma.