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A report published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition suggests raising the RDA of vitamin C from the current levels of 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men to an overall 200 mg per day for adults.

Beyond preventing the vitamin C deficiency disease of scurvy, researchers say it’s appropriate to seek optimum vitamin C levels that will saturate cells and tissues, pose no risk, and may have significant effects on public health. All of these benefits come at almost no expense (approximately a penny a day), if taken as a dietary supplement, researchers add.

Patients investigate their illnesses online to become better informed and prepared to play an active role in their care, a new study by researchers at University of California (UC), Davis suggests.

A recent study found that after only 1 or 2 consultations, 77% of cancer patients who first present to their family doctors (GPs) with suspicious symptoms are referred to a specialist. The research, published in the journal The Lancet Oncology, also showed a large disparity in the number of times cancer patients visit their GP prior to a specialist referral. Most pre-referral consultations occurred when the patient was either female, young, or an older person from an ethnic minority, or when the cancer was one of the more rare types.

For the first time, new research indicates the impact of an R rating for movie smoking.

According to James Sargent, MD, codirector of the Cancer Control Research Program at Norris Cotton Cancer Center, an R rating for any film with characters smoking could considerably diminish smoking onset in US adolescents. “Hollywood plays a role by making smoking look really good,” says Sargent. “By eliminating smoking in movies marketed to youth, an R rating for smoking would dramatically reduce exposure and lower adolescent smoking by as much as one-fifth.”

When cancer treatments are no longer an option, the focus of a patient’s care often shifts from prolonging life to promoting the quality of life (QOL) at the end of life (EOL).

In a recent report, better QOL at the EOL for patients with advanced cancer was associated with avoiding hospitalizations and the intensive care unit, being visited by a pastor in a hospital or clinic, having a therapeutic alliance with their physician, worrying less, and praying or meditating. The report was published online in Archives of Internal Medicine.

In 2002, the highly publicized Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) established that risks outweighed benefits with regard to hormone therapy for the prevention of chronic disease. Thus began 10 years of debate regarding hormone therapy use. Now 15 top medical organizations have joined together to issue a statement of agreement pertaining to the benefits of hormone therapy for symptomatic menopausal women. Read More ›

The number of patients diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a very common early-stage and noninvasive form of breast cancer, has risen dramatically since the early 1980s. Now, a recent study shows that accelerated whole breast irradiation after lumpectomy is an effective treatment for DCIS, which means that many more breast cancer patients could experience a great reduction in length of treatment.

During a recent study, patients reported significant improvement in side effects of cancer treatment following just 1 session of Jin Shin Jyutsu, an ancient form of touch therapy that is similar to acupuncture in philosophy.

A new drug, brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris), dramatically improved survival rates in Hodgkin lymphoma patients who have failed other treatments and are running out of options.

Recent analysis shows that increasing the number of cups of caffeinated coffee consumed could lower the risk of developing basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer.

Jiali Han, PhD, associate professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, and Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues conducted a prospective analysis of data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.