In September 2009 actor Patrick Swayze passed away due to pancreatic cancer. This week Steve Jobs has lost the battle to the disease.

You can read about this horrible cancer in our original post.

Here are some updated statistics you should know about -

• Each year, more than 43,000 people are diagnosed with this cancer in the United States alone.
• 37,660 people have died of pancreatic cancer since the beginning of the year.
• Smoking is the most important risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Smokers are more likely to develop this cancer, while heavy smokers are at an even higher risk.
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin, dark urine and pale stools) may be a sign of pancreatic cancer. Also abdominal pain may be one of the first signs.
• It’s usually discovered too late, which is one of the reasons so many people die of it
• If the cancer can’t be removed by surgery, survival may last for only 4-6 months.

Haiku by Andrew Forgrave

The Lustgarten foundation was established to advance the scientific and medical research related to the diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of pancreatic cancer. You can make a donation to help prevent further deaths from this disease.

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The FDA is on a roll – only a week after setting new rules for sunscreens, another announcement has arrived – this time it concerns all of you who have breast implants (or plan on having ones some day).

photo by FDA.gov

Breast implants are actually balloons made of silicone, which can be filled with saltwater (saline implant) or with silicone-gel. They come in different sizes and shapes. Implants can be used either for breast enlargement (also called breast augmentation) or for breast reconstruction (after removing one or to breasts surgically – for example in women with breast cancer).

The purpose of the announcement was mainly to remind women that breast implants are not eternal and might need to be replaced. Researches found that 20% of women who underwent breast enlargement and 50% of women who had their breast reconstructed with implants, had to remove the implant within 10 years from the implantation.

What’s the reason for the difference between breast enlargement and reconstruction? In an interviewed to CBS news, Dr. Jennifer Ashton explained that this difference is related to the fact that most reconstructions are done because of breast cancer – radiation treatments which is sometimes needed after surgery causes damage to the tissue around the implant; and if the cancer recurs, removal of the implant is necessary.

Another goal was to raise awareness to the possible complications:

• Capsular Contractures, which is hardening of the tissue around implants. This makes the breast firm, weird-looking and in severe cases – painful.  Contractures happen more if the woman had blood of fluid accumulated near the implant after the surgery. In serious cases this might require another surgery to remove the firm tissue.
• Rupture of the implant: This is a rupture in the outer part of the implant. In saline implants all the water leaks out from the implant, while in silicone-gel implants the inner part of the implant is pretty thick and may remain inside the ruptured implant. Rupture can happen for many reasons – trauma or excessive pressure, capsular contracture, damage during surgery in the area or just normal aging. After one implant ruptures, usually the doctors will remove both of them (and may and may replace them with others). The FDA also recommended having a routine MRI of the breasts to look for unnoticed rupture.
• Cosmetic problems such as wrinkling, asymmetry, scarring.
• Other local complications including pain, infection, irritation around the implant, death of the tissue around the implant and more.

photo by ONYXX86

All these complications become more common with time – and the FDA made it clear that women who get these implants should be ready to have more surgeries in the future. More information about complications can be found in a booklet created by the FDA.

The FDA’s Bottom Line: Despite all these scary complications, the bottom line of the announcement was that breast implants are generally safe – and have not been proved to cause breast cancer, fertility problems or autoimmune diseases, though more research in all these areas is still needed.

One problem which was not mentioned on this week’s announcement is the possible link between breast implants and a rare type of lymphoma (which is cancer in the immune system cells), which was brought up only last January. According to the FDA website, there were 60 cases identified until today, which is a very small fraction of the women with implants worldwide (around 5-10 million women) – and more research is needed to completely understand the subject.

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3. Preparing For The Summer – New Sunscreen Regulations [News]

After last month we told you about the best sunscreens for this summer, the FDA announced last week some new rules that are supposed to help you choose your sunscreen wisely. What exactly are these new regulations, and how can you know which sunscreens will help you prevent skin cancer and melanoma?

Photo by Achi Raz

What exactly do sunscreens do?

The purpose of sunscreens is to prevent UV (Ultraviolet) radiation from the sun to enter the skin. This UV radiation is divided into three types, called UVA, UVB and UVC. UVC is absorbed by the ozone layer and doesn’t reach us, so there is no need to protect the skin from it. Generally, UVA penetrates the skin better (so it can reach deeper in the skin), while UVB is more intense (so it can cause more damage where it gets).

UVA is responsible for tanning and also emitted by tanning booths. It was well known it has an important role in skin aging and wrinkling, but in the last decades it was discovered that UVA can also cause skin cancers.

UVB causes sunburns rather than tanning. It is the main cause for skin cancers and also plays a smaller role in skin aging. The old FDA regulations referred only to protection from UVB.

The FDA has set two main important regulations:

Broad Spectrum SPF: According to the new regulations, sunscreens will have to pass a “Broad Spectrum Test” which will check their protection from both UVA and UVB. Only sunscreens that will pass this test with 15 SPF or more will be considered to protect the skin from skin cancer and aging. Other sunscreens will be able to claim that they protect from sunburns only.

Water Resistance and other promises: Today, there is no regulation for promises like “waterproof”, “sweatproof”, “instant protection” and more. According to the new regulations, these qualities will have to be proved to the FDA if the sunscreen manufacturer wants to write it on the label. As for water resistance, there will be a standard test to prove that, and the label will indicate if the sunscreen remains effective on water for 40 or 80 minutes.

Photo by *tlc

This is also a great opportunity to remind you of other ways to protect yourself from the sun:

• Limit exposure, and especially try to avoid spending time in the sun at noon – between 10AM and 2PM.
• Dress up: Try to cover as much skin as you can – wear shirts with long sleeves, pants, sunglasses and a broad-brimmed hat.
• Use water resistant sunscreen, and remember to renew it at least every two hours.
• Avoid Tanning oil – it has the opposite effect of sunscreen, and increases the risk for skin cancer and melanoma.

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Coffee – good or bad for you? Seems that question may never get an honest answer, as every day another opinion or fact pops up. We recently compared coffee vs. tea, and even helped you discover how much caffeine you’re drinking. Now a new study mentioned on MSNBC claims that drinking too much coffee can make you… hear voices.

The Australian study had a group of 92 volunteers listen to white noise. They were told to press a button each time they heard Bing Crosby’s White Christmas. The catch? The song was never played. Yet those who regularly drank 5 or more cups per day were more likely to imagine they heard it.

If only these beans could talk. Wait a minute – did you hear something? Photo by Thomas Lieser

The researchers attributed the findings to high levels of stress. This goes to show you that the old adage that too much of a good thing can be bad may be true.

Too much coffee makes you hear voices, study suggests [MSNBC’s The Body Odd]

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Several days ago the World Health Organization (WHO) cancer research agency (IRAC) announced that the radiation produced by cell phones can possibly cause brain cancer. This was concluded after a group of more than 30 experts met together and went through all the research done in this subject on the last decades.

(Photo by Jose Oller)

What exactly is this radiation?

Cellular phones produce a type of radiation called radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation. Radiation is practically a group of waves which travels through the air, but which you can’t see. Radiation comes in two flavors: ionizing (like UV, X-rays) and non-ionizing (like infra-red, microwave, radio, and yes – cell phone radiation).

Ionizing radiation is proved to be dangerous and cause cancer (which is why, for example, you shouldn’t do too many CT scans, which are just a whole lot of x-rays done together). On the other side, non-ionizing radiation shouldn’t cause any damage to your body. Or at least that was the belief until now.

(Photo by FDA.gov)

How dangerous is it?

The WHO divides all the things that were thought to cause cancer to 5 groups by the “level of evidence” – how much they are sure that something is carcinogenic (causes cancer). The most dangerous stuff belongs to group 1, which includes, for example, asbestos (small particles that cause lung cancer) and some viruses (like Hepatitis B and C, which can cause liver cancer) and ionizing radiation (which we spoke about above). Group 4 is supposed to include agents which are probably not carcinogenic. Naturally there are also groups 2 and 3 in between.

The group of experts classified cellular phones radiation in group 2b. This means that there could be some risk, and more research should be done to understand the risks better. One of the most important studies that the experts based their assumption on was The Interphone Study, which found an increased risk for brain cancer only in the group of heavy users (around 30 minutes per day, every day, for 10 years). People in this group were 40% more likely to get a brain cancer called glioma. There were several problems with this study – and some claimed that the way is was conducted caused results that aren’t reliable.

What types of cancer can I get from cell phones?

The experts found that two diseases were possibly related to cellular phone use:

Glioma: This is the most common type of brain cancer. The tumor is composed of glial cells, which are cells placed between the main cells in the brain (neurons) and support them. Gliomas cause symptoms by growing into healthy areas of the brain and hurting the neurons – either by destroying them or compressing them. This can cause headaches, seizures, problems with language or vision, and even personality changes – depending on the function of the neurons damaged. The treatment can include brain surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

An MRI of a brain with a glioma – which is the darker round spot on the right of both pictures (photo by Mikhail Kalinin)

Acoustic neuroma: This is a slowly-growing tumor on the acoustic nerve – which is the nerve responsible for hearing. The special location of the tumor causes symptoms like hearing loss or ringing in the ears, and sometimes it can also hurt your balance (which is also a function of the ear and its nerves). Rarely, it grows fast into structures of the brainstem -which is responsible for vital functions like breathing. The treatment depends on the symptoms – in some cases no treatment is needed, but sometimes surgery or radiation treatments will be used.

What the world has to say

On the last couple of days, the internet and the news are full of responses to the WHO announcement. For example, the LA Times health blog “booster shots” claims there is not enough data and refers to former studies dealing with the relation between non-ionizing radiation and cancer; the health blog of Time wonders ‘what took them so long’; the Wall Street Journal reviews the studies conducted on the subject and criticizes the WHO for an immature announcement ; and CNN published an opinion article by physicist Bernard Leikind who claims that cell phones cannot cause cancer from the physics point-of-view. The main conclusion is that there is no reason to panic just yet.

(Photo by Kevin Micalizzi)

What can I do to prevent it?

• Use an earphone: According to earlier data released by the WHO on this subject, cellular phones emit radiation only when turned on, and the radiation exposure of the used depends on the distance from the phone – when the phone is placed 30-40 cm away from the body (like when text-messaging or using an “hands free” device – like an earphone), the exposure is much lower then when its close to the head.
• Limit use as much as possible: Like explained before, one of the largest studies that proved damage from cellular phone use showed an increased risk for glioma only in heavy users.
• Avoid using cell phones when reception is low: In cases of low reception, the phone has to transmit at increased power – which increases the exposure to radiation.
• The International Business Times published yesterday a list of the lowest radiation emitting cell phones.
• According to the WHO, the use of commercial devices for reducing exposure wasn’t proved to be effective.

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Anita Mills used to weigh 382 pounds. Her struggle with weight started when she was 5 years old. By the time she reached junior high she already weighed 200 pounds. On August 17, 2009, she decided to act on a single piece of paper her doctor gave to her, containing four tips to lose weight. These included:

1. Eat 8 ounces of food every 3 hours
2. No sugary drinks
3. Do not skip meals
4. Do not tell anyone what you’re doing

About 2 years later she dropped 232 pounds and trimmed her waist down to 26 inches (size 6), all by herself.

Exercise wasn’t neglected, either. She walked, exercised to a Richard Simmons video, and Zumba’d.

You can read the full story on CNN below. In the meantime, here’s a video about her transformation from the Rachael Ray show (where she also goes through a wardrobe makeover…):

She used 4 easy tips to lose weight [CNN]

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Although the majority of people face the disease early in life (around teenage years), some can experience their first episodes later in life. On Thursday it was reported that actress Katherine Zeta-Jones, 41, is being treated for bipolar disorder. She spent five days at the Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut last week, according to the Daily Mail.

This comes after a tough year for the Oscar-winning actress, standing by her husband Michael Douglas’ side during his fight against throat cancer.

Photo by John Harrison

According to her publicist, “after dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check into a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her Bipolar II Disorder”.

Reminder: Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression) – A Life of Ups and Downs

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric disorder characterized by episodes of extremely elevated mood (manic episodes) followed by episodes of depression. It’s subdivided into bipolar I, II and other types. Bipolar I is the “classic” disease, in which episodes of mania are mixed with episodes of bad mood, or depression. In bipolar II, which the actress is supposedly suffering from, episodes of depression are more pronounced than the manic episodes.

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We’re big advocates of the fight against heart disease here on A Disease A Day (you can read our series – “Understanding heart attacks” – part 1, 2, 3). Yet when people think about heart attacks, they usually think about older people.

According to a new research, younger people are also at risk. In fact, very young – the study, reported on WebMD, included 63 children at the average age of just 13. The study found that obese children’s blood vessels are stiffer. Stiffness in blood vessels is usually associated with aging and predicts heart disease. Specifically, stiffness in the aorta, as was found in the study, is associated with cardiovascular events and early death.

Photo by Patrick J. Lynch

According to Doctor Beth Abramson, quoted in the article, poor nutrition and inactivity are threatening children’s health and well-being. No word yet about a possible treatment, such as improved diet or more exercise.

The bottom line – if you feared that prolonged sitting in front of the TV or video games isn’t healthy for your kids, we may have first proof you were right.

For the full article, follow the link.

Obese Kids Have Signs of Heart Disease [WebMD]

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Starting this week A Disease A Day has its own video channel. You can access it from here or by clicking on “Video” on the menu above.

In the video channel you can see explanations and first person experiences about diseases, complementing the disease information you can find on A Disease A Day. For example, you can watch the personal stories of people who have undergone severe conditions such as a heart attack, or watch a video about allergies. Whether you suffer from the condition or not, we promise you’ll find it interesting!

Videos on the channel are provided by HealthTheater Networks. HealthTheater Networks offers a large and constantly growing collection of premier health videos, whether it be on its flagship website HealthTheater.com or across its network of select partners. From operating rooms to city streets, physician expert interviews to patient submitted video, HealthTheater shares and inspires better health.

We hope you enjoy the new channel. Let us know below if you have any comments.

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According to Fox News, a new study found that a hormone called cortisol, a marker of stress, can be measured in our hair, signifying long-term stress. High levels of this hormone in the hair were also associated with heart attacks.

Cortisol is released into the bloodstream when you’re stressed. From there it can seep to the hair follicles. As the hair grows, traces of cortisol get trapped in the hair shaft, providing a way to measure cortisol over time, often months.

In the study, hair samples were taken from 120 men who checked into a hospital cardiac unit. Half of them had heart attacks. The researchers found that cortisol levels in the hair were significantly higher in those men who had a heart attack.

Hair. A new predictor of an upcoming heart attack. Photo by Helga Weber.

What do you think? Could hair replace other tests in predicting an upcoming heart attack? Post your thoughts in the comments.

Hair Gives a Heads-Up On Heart Attack Risk [Fox News]

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