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October 19, 2009
Surgical Treatments for Breast Cancer
 October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, aside from skin cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among women in the United States this year. And about 40,170 women are expected to die from the disease in 2009 alone.
Surgical Treatments
For women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, surgery is the typical treatment.
But that surgery can take one of two forms, says University of Minnesota professor Beth Virnig, who studies treatments for breast cancer.
She says it can be either mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery, otherwise known as lumpectomy.
Beginning the early 1990s, a major effort was made by oncologists to reduce the rate of mastectomy by favoring lumpectomy and radiation therapy. The thought was that lumpectomy was less invasive and had equivalent survival results.
Since then, mastectomy rates have dropped, Virnig says.
Rates for double mastectomy rise
But she and other researchers have noticed a recent increase in the number of double mastectomies.
Virnig encourages more research to learn why but also offers advice to women, in this installment of Public Health Moment.
Listen to Virnig on Public Health Moment
September 9, 2009
Tanning Beds and Skin Cancer Risk
 For many Midwesterners, the tanning bed is a necessity of life. Now, it's also officially a cancer-causing agent, according to the World Health Organization.
In a recent report, the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer states that there is a causal link between ultraviolet radiation produced by tanning beds and cancer.
DeAnn Lazovich a University of Minnesota cancer epidemiologist, explains.
Based on this report and her own research, Lazovich offers advice.
Listen to Lazovich on Public Health Moment
May 27, 2009
Burned and charred meat can increase your risk of pancreatic cancer
 People who regularly eat red meat that is very well done, burned or charred may increase their risk of pancreatic cancer by almost 60 percent.
That's according to a 9-year study that involved more than 62,000 people.
The study was led by Kristin Anderson, a University of Minnesota cancer epidemiologist.
Anderson recommends turning down the heat when you grill meats and says that you should trim away any burned or charred portions.
• Listen to Anderson on Public Health Moment
April 13, 2009
Hormone Therapy and Colorectal Cancer
 Women who have taken menopausal hormone therapy have a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer. That's according to a study of more than 56,000 postmenopausal women over 15 years.
University of Minnesota researcher Jill Johnson led the study.
While this appears to be good news, it runs counter to other studies showing an increased risk of breast cancer associated with women who used hormone replacement therapy.
Johnson says more research is needed.
• Listen to Johnson on Public Health Moment
March 19, 2009
Study: Prostate cancer screening does not lower death rate
 Being screened for prostate cancer does not appear to reduce your chance of dying from the disease.
That's according to a new report from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial than 76,000 men.
The finding is important because there are negative consequences to screening, says Tim Church, a University of Minnesota expert on cancer screenings.
Listen to Church on Public Health Moment
October 8, 2008
Breast Cancer Awareness
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States. This year, nearly 180,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. And about 40,000 women will die from the disease.
Who is at risk and what are the risk factors?
We asked Kristin Anderson, a cancer epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota.
• Listen to Anderson on Public Health Moment
September 4, 2008
Prostate Cancer Screening
 A national task force of has recommended that doctors stop screening men ages 75 and older for prostate cancer because the search for the disease in this group was causing more harm than good.
The PSA or Prostate Specific Antigen test is the screening method that doctors use, says Tim Church, a University of Minnesota expert on cancer screenings.
• Listen to Church on Public Health Moment
April 1, 2008
Polyps and Glucose Levels
 A new study has identified elevated glucose levels in patients as one factor in the recurrence of adenomatous polyps. These are benign polyps that can lead to colorectal cancer.
The four-year study followed 715 patients who had had a polyp removed. University of Minnesota epidemiologist Andrew Flood, one of the study's authors, has more.
• Listen to Flood on Public Health Moment
March 10, 2008
Cancer Survivors Return to Work
 More cancer survivors are returning to the workforce, thanks to improved screening and treatment. But little is known about what helps these employees return to work successfully.
Recently, Nancy Nachreiner, a University of Minnesota occupational health professor, conducted focus groups with cancer survivors--women ages 31 to 54. She learned that job flexibility, active involvement from health care providers, and coworker support, were keys to a successful return.
• Listen to Nachreiner on Public Health Moment
February 15, 2008
Diabetes and Colorectal Cancer
Women with diabetes are 50 percent more likely to suffer colorectal cancer than those who do not have the metabolic disorder.
That's according to a study of 45,000 women led by University of Minnesota epidemiologist Andrew Flood.
• Listen to Flood on Public Health Moment
October 16, 2007
Lung Cancer and Minnesota Miners
 The relationship between respiratory disease and mining work has been a continuing concern in northeastern Minnesota, where unusually high rates of mesothelioma--a rare and fatal form of cancer--have been reported among males since the late 1980s. Jeffrey Mandel, an environmental health sciences professor at the University of Minnesota, is helping lead an effort to find out why.
• Listen to Mandel on Public Health Moment
June 11, 2007
Prostate Cancer Screening
More than 200,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year and 27,000 will die. Yet there is no clear evidence that being screened for prostate cancer is beneficial, says Tim Church, a University of Minnesota expert on cancer screenings.
• Listen to Tim Church on Public Health Moment
January 31, 2007
Cervical Cancer Awareness
November 21, 2006
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
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Last modified on Monday Jul 02, 2007