Cancer Research:Sleep duration, quality may impact cancer survival rate ♦ Safer care,for colorectal surgery ♦ Study redefines role of estrogen in cervical cancer

For safer care, simple steps yield substantial improvements in colorectal surgery Simple steps that include the consistent use of experienced medical teams for a single type of surgery, pre emptive antibiotics before the procedure, less reliance on potent opioids during recovery and urging patients to get out of bed and move around sooner can not only prevent infections, blood clots and other serious complications in people undergoing colorectal operations, but can also accelerate recovery and reduce cost of care.

Study redefines role of estrogen in cervical cancer Scientists have prior evidence that the hormone estrogen is a major driver in the growth of cervical cancer, but a new study examining genetic profiles of 128 clinical cases reached a surprising conclusion: Estrogen receptors all but vanish in cervical cancer tumors.

Researchers develop novel ketone supplements to enhance non-toxic cancer therapy A team of researchers has doubled survival time in an aggressive metastatic cancer model using a novel combination of non-toxic dietary and hyperbaric oxygen therapies.

Sleep duration, quality may impact cancer survival rate Pre-diagnostic short sleep duration and frequent snoring were associated with significantly poorer cancer-specific survival, particularly among women with breast cancer.

Many people are not getting the recommended cancer screening tests

• Cancer screening tests save lives, but test use falls short of nation’s goals
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• Are you current on all your recommended cancer screenings?
• This Mother’s Day, make sure you can celebrate with your family for years to come.
• Cancer screening saves lives.
• Cancer Screening Tests
• Many adults in the U.S. are not getting the recommended screening tests for colorectal, breast and cervical cancers, according to data published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. For 2013, screening for these types of cancers either fell behind previous rates or showed no improvement.
• Among adults in the age groups recommended for screening, about 1 in 5 women reported not being up-to-date with cervical cancer screening, about 1 in 4 women reported not being up-to-date with breast cancer screening, and about 2 in 5 adults reported not being up-to-date with colorectal cancer screening.
• The report found that colorectal cancer testing was essentially unchanged in 2013 compared with 2010. Pap test use in women age 21-65 years was lower than 2000, and the number of mammography screenings was stagnant, showing very little change from previous years.
• “It is concerning to see a stall in colorectal cancer screening rates,” said Lisa C. Richardson, M.D., M.P.H., director of CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. “We must find new ways to make people and providers aware that getting tested for colorectal cancer could prevent cancer and save their lives.”
• Researchers reviewed data from the National Health Interview Survey 2013, which is used to monitor progress toward Healthy People 2020 goals for cancer screening based on the most recent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines.
• The screening data for 2013 show that 58.2 percent of adults age 50-75 years reported being screened for colorectal cancer; 72.6 percent of women age 50-74 had a mammogram; and 80.7 percent of women age 21-65 had a Pap test. All of these percentages are below the Healthy People 2020 targets.
• The report found that adults without insurance or a usual source of healthcare generally had the lowest screening test use. For example, fewer than one quarter of adults in these groups reported recent colorectal cancer screening, compared with more than 60 percent of adults with private insurance or a usual source of healthcare. More efforts are needed to achieve cancer screening goals and reduce screening disparities.
• The authors did report some good news: the proportion of women in the highest education and income groups who were screened for breast cancer exceeded the Healthy People 2020 target, and the proportion of people age 65-75 who were screened for colorectal cancer was also near the target.
• Through the Affordable Care Act, more Americans will qualify to get health care coverage that fits their needs and budget, including important preventive services such as screening for some cancers that may be covered with no additional costs. Visit Healthcare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596 (TTY/TDD 1-855-889-4325) to learn more.
• CDC’s Efforts to Increase Cancer Screening
• The Colorectal Cancer Control Program provides funding to 25 states and 4 tribes across the U.S. The program supports population-based screening efforts and provides colorectal cancer screening services to low-income men and women age 50–64 years who are underinsured or uninsured for screening, when no other insurance is available
• The Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action Campaign informs men and women aged 50 years and older about the importance of having regular colorectal cancer screening tests.

Cancer Research: Aspirin fights colorectal cancer and cervical cancer ♦ Researchers solve a lingering mystery of cancer cell biology ♦ Bowel cancer patient exercise to achieve health benefits

Two-thirds of bowel cancer patients aren't advised to exercise despite health benefits More than two-thirds of bowel cancer patients say they weren't advised to exercise regularly after their diagnosis – despite evidence that brisk physical activity is linked to better survival in bowel cancer.

Frequent aspirin use reduces risk of cervical cancer by nearly half Long-term and frequent use of aspirin is associated with significantly decreased risk of cervical cancer, according to a study.12,900 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed and 4,100 women will die from the disease in 2015.

Settling an old debate: Researchers solve a lingering mystery of cancer cell biology German biologist Theodor Boveri observed early in the last century that cancer cells often harbor multiple copies of a subcellular structure that he had previously named the centrosome. He was also the first to suggest that the extra centrosomes drive cancer. Biologists have since learned a great deal about the structure and many functions of Boveri’s “special organ of cell division.” But why cancer cells harbor multiple copies of this organelle has remained unanswered. So has the question of whether healthy human cells even require centrosomes to divide. Now, 101 years after Boveri aired his suspicions, a paper may have some answers.

How aspirin fights colorectal cancer Taking aspirin reduces a person's risk of colorectal cancer, but the molecular mechanisms involved have remained unknown until a recent discovery. found that aspirin might exert its chemopreventive activity against colorectal cancer, at least partially, by normalizing the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in gastrointestinal precancerous lesions. EGFR is overexpressed in about 80 percent of cases involving colorectal cancer, the third-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States.