GOOD E-NEWS

Our B & B in Kingussie, southern Scotland, 1999

 

The hound was friendly

 

http://getinvolved.fhcrc.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=21341.0&printer_friendly=1

That’s the web address of the latest Fred Hutchinson e-newsletter.  I urge you all to click on it, then “subscribe”.  If you do, every so often you will get notification of some interesting – and understandable – news about all kinds of cancer.  Sure, you don’t want to think about cancer.  Nobody does.  But, man up!.  It won’t go away if we ignore it.

The latest issue has some very interesting and important, content.  First article is about breast cancer; how to avoid having it.  If you are a woman under the age of 90 you should read it.  If you have close relatives who have had breast or ovarian cancer, you must read it.

The second article relates that men who have had (or currently have) prostate cancer can prolong their lives by – drinking coffee!  Apparently the statistics are irrefutable, even if no one is certain how coffee does its thing.  There is no evidence, one way or the other, concerning whether drinking coffee can prevent prostate cancer.   I hope so; my four cups/day for 50 years should render me completely safe.

The third article is fascinating.  I blogged earlier (4/2/12) about aspirin as a cancer preventative agent.  This article affirms that it is, and also affirms that no one is absolutely certain why.  There seems to be some evidence that aspirin actually prevents deleterious mutations.  The excitement is building.  If we can prevent mutations (how, for heaven’s sake?), we can conquer most sorts of cancer once and for all.  Of course, if we stop mutations altogether we will cease to evolve, and be overtaken and subjugated by a race of – say - intelligent cockroaches.    But not for a long time, so don’t worry.

The final article deals with the role of viruses in causing cervical (and possibly other kinds of) cancer.  It has been known for years that something called the human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical cancer.  As a result, a vaccine is available to prevent this particular threat to womanhood, resulting in a sharp decline in prevalence and mortality.  Apparently viruses are suspected in other kinds of cancer, including lung, squamous cell skin cancer, and lymphoma, although the evidence is not in.  Alas, ovarian was not mentioned.

Enjoy your autumn.  In Bellingham the trees are just passing their peak of splendor.  Unfortunately, it is difficult to see them through the fog.