Articles

Breath Analyzer Technology Aids in Lung Cancer Detection

Sep 9, 2018

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Law enforcement officials utilize breath analyzer technology to determine a person's blood alcohol level. Thanks to several research studies across the United States, physicians may soon be able to utilize breath analyzer technology to detect if a patient could be experiencing lung cancer.

Researchers from the University of Louisville have created a microchip that can analyze a person's breath and identify cancer's presence. Researchers placed the microchip in a brown lunch bag and had patients blow in and out of the bag. The results were transferred and tested from the microchip, specifically for the presence of carbonyl compounds known to be associated in patients with lung cancer.

The study tested 165 patients and identified 109 patients at risk for cancer. The predictions were correct in an estimated 95 percent of the patients tested.

"It didn't seem to matter what you ate, whether you brushed your teeth before or not or you just smoked, because we identified the compounds that were specific for cancer," says Dr. Michael Bousamra, an Associate

"Nowhere Hair: Explains Your Cancer and Chemo to Your Kids" by Sue Glader

Team Xplore

Sep 4, 2018

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The cover of the book "Nowhere Hair" shows a mom, little girl and dog playing on the beach. But there's something a little different about this mom: she doesn't have hair. This is the premise of "Nowhere Hair," a book written by Sue Glader to help parents explain cancer and chemotherapy treatments to children.

The book's narrator is a little girl whose mom is missing her hair. The little girl goes looking for her mother's hair all throughout her home. Her mother explains to her daughter that medicine made it fall out, and that it was nothing the little girl did to make that happen. Written in rhyme, the book covers many sensitive topics, such as cancer, wearing hats and scarves to cover a head and that some people look different, which is okay.

The LIVESTRONG.org organization selected the book for children ages 3 to 12 to help kids understand a parent's diagnosis. The Moonbeam Children's Book Awards also selected the book as its 2011 Gold Medal Winner in the "Health" category.

Author Sue Glader is a breast cancer survivor who lives in Marin County, California. She is

Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer: A Tale of Two Breakthroughs

Team Xplore

Aug 29, 2018

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Pancreatic cancer has long had a poor prognosis due to its ability to aggressively spread and its inherent resistance to therapy. After years of little progress in treatment, two separate breakthroughs in understanding the biology of these tumors have placed two new potential therapies on the horizon.

The pancreatic cancer research program at Fred Hutchinson, led by Dr. Sunil Hingorani, is responsible for the discoveries. With both an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Dr. Hingorani studies the biological basis for pancreatic cancer's resistance. Research was historically difficult because the cancer is usually not diagnosed until it is already in a late stage. To better understand these tumors, Dr. Hingorani started by developing a live mouse model that allowed him to examine the disease from inception all the way through the advanced stages.

In the first prong of his double breakthrough, Dr. Hingorani discovered that pancreatic cancer creates a protective shield distributed throughout the mass. This shell-like tissue is similar to scar tissue. It

The Bloodless Option: A Look at Bloodless Medicine Programs

Team Xplore

Aug 29, 2018

1179 views

Whether for religious reasons or due to health concerns, a subset of Americans do not believe in utilizing blood transfusions during or after surgeries. For those patients, bloodless medicine programs offer an alternative when a cancer surgery could result in significant blood loss.

Bloodless medicine utilizes special equipment and techniques to save as much of a patient's blood as possible. Anemia, or a low red blood cell count, is sadly a common side effect for cancer treatments and surgeries in the United States. The American Cancer Society defines anemia as having a hemoglobin level less than 12 g/dL. While some cancer patients can tolerate lower blood levels, others may start to experience symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, dizziness, difficulty breathing with exertion, extreme fatigue and swelling in the hands and feet.

While extreme fatigue can be a common side effect from cancer treatments, anemia compounded with cancer treatments can leave a person feeling extremely weak. If a person's blood levels dip below 8 g/dL, a physician will typically recommend a