Cancer Archive

What Is It?

Vaginal cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the vagina (birth canal).

Cancer that starts in the vagina is called primary vaginal cancer. Primary vaginal cancer is rare. More commonly, cancer cells in the vagina are from cancer that started somewhere else, such as the cervix. There are two main types of primary vaginal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.

The US Preventive Services Task Force has updated its lung cancer screening guidelines, to open up the screening to a wider range of people based on their age and smoking history, with the goal of detecting more cancers and reducing deaths.

Research we're watching

Move your body more and skip the alcohol to reduce your risk of cancer, says the American Cancer Society in its new cancer prevention guidelines. The updated recommendations, published online June 9, 2020, by CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, also recommend cutting down on sugar and red meat, based on a review of the most recent scientific evidence.

Specifically, the new guidelines say that instead of exercising moderately for 150 minutes a week or doing 75 minutes of vigorous activity, adults should try to squeeze in 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity — and that the higher number should be the target. As for diet, people interested in reducing their risk of cancer should aim to eat more plants, including whole (not refined) grains and at least two-and-a-half cups of colorful fruits and vegetables each day, and less sugar and meat (specifically limiting processed and red meat whenever possible). In the past, the ACS recommended moderate alcohol intake, but the new guideline says it's better to avoid alcohol altogether if possible. People who do drink should still stick to the previous recommended limits: no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.

Blood testing to detect early cancer may be closer to reality than ever before.

When it comes to most cancers, the sooner they're found, the better. "Identifying cancer in its earlier stages offers improved chances for treating it before it can grow and spread," says Dr. Brian Wolpin, director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center at Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Unfortunately, there are not reliable tools to screen for most cancers. Examples of effective screening tests that do exist now include colonoscopies that look for polyps and early colorectal cancers, as well as imaging tests like mammograms for early signs of breast cancer and chest CT scans for localized lung cancer among former or current smokers.

News briefs

First it was certain blood pressure and heartburn drugs; now some medications used to treat type 2 diabetes are being recalled because of cancer concerns. The FDA warned in late May and early June 2020 that some lots of extended-release metformin may contain unacceptable levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a possible cancer-causing chemical. At least five manufacturers are now issuing voluntary recalls of the medications. But if you take extended-release metformin, don't just stop on your own. Not all extended-release metformin products are affected by the voluntary recalls, and stopping any medication that controls blood sugar can be very dangerous. The FDA advises that you check in with your doctor or pharmacist. Ask if your medication is affected by the recall; if so, ask if you should switch to another version of the drug.

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Sarcomas are a type of cancer that develops from the soft tissues (fleshy parts) of the body, as well as from bone and fatty tissue. This type of cancer is different from carcinomas. Carcinomas develop more frequently in the body's organs, especially those organs that contain glands. Examples of carcinomas include lung cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a cancer that forms in the skeletal muscles. Skeletal muscles attach to bones. They help the body move. Most rhabdomyosarcomas occur in children and teenagers.

What Is It?

A sarcoma is a cancer that develops from particular tissues, such as muscle or bone. In contrast, most cancers develop from organs that contain glands, such as the breast, colon, prostate and lung, among others.

There are two types of sarcoma: osteosarcoma, which develops from bone, and soft tissue sarcoma. Soft tissue sarcoma can arise from muscle, fat, nerves, cartilage, or blood vessels. Cancerous tumors can develop when abnormal cells in these tissues multiply and grow out of control. Scientists do not yet fully understand why these cells become abnormal. However, most cancers are thought to develop due to genetic changes (mutations).

Research we're watching

A new tool to identify people who might be at higher risk for pancreatic cancer could help doctors find cases earlier, when they are most treatable. Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health created a risk model that did a better job than current models of finding people at high risk for the disease. It takes into account clinical and genetic factors as well as blood levels of biomarkers (substances that could potentially indicate disease). To test the model researchers used data from four large clinical studies. They applied the tool to 500 known pancreatic cancer patients and more than 1,000 people without cancer. The researchers then assessed how well the tool would have predicted the risk of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer, which is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, is challenging to treat because most people already have advanced disease when they are diagnosed. It's hoped that identifying people who are at high risk will eventually allow doctors to screen these individuals to find cancers when they are smaller and more curable.

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In the journals

Scientists continue to explore the health benefits versus risks of aspirin therapy. One new analysis suggests that taking aspirin may protect against several types of digestive tract cancers. The results were published online April 1, 2020, by Annals of Oncology.

Researchers examined 113 observational studies of cancer in the general population. They found that individuals who took aspirin regularly — at least one or two tablets a week — had significantly lower rates of cancers of the bowel, stomach, gallbladder, esophagus, pancreas, and liver, compared with people who did not take aspirin.