All Posts: cancer
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Forget Fukushima: Chernobyl still holds record as worst nuclear accident for public health
This week marks the 30th anniversary of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. Georgetown University radiation expert and author Timothy Jorgensen, PhD, MPH, takes a look back at the tragic events of April 26, 1986 and how it impacts humans and the environment.
Category: GUMC Stories
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Top Tobacco Control Experts To FDA: Studies of E-cigs Suggest More Benefit Than Harm
WASHINGTON — Seven top international tobacco control experts are prompting regulators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to have a broad “open-minded” perspective when it comes to regulating vaporized nicotine products, especially e-cigarettes.
Category: News Release
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Precision Medicine Clinical Trial for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Now Open at Georgetown Lombardi
WASHINGTON — The first clinical trial to compare standard of care chemotherapy with molecularly tailored therapy (also known as precision medicine) for metastatic pancreatic cancer is now enrolling patients at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Category: News Release
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10-Minute Urine Test Can Measure Specific Compounds from Food Consumed
Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, DC, have developed a method that can quickly evaluate specific food compounds in human urine. They say their method could one day replace unreliable food logs used in population studies examining the effects of diet on cancer and will also help scientists accurately identify the most beneficial anticancer foods.
Category: News Release
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What Scott Kelly’s Year in Space Might Mean for a Mars Mission
GUMC Update sat down with Albert J. Fornace, Jr., MD, who holds the molecular cancer research chair at Georgetown Lombardi, to discuss his work on cosmic radiation and potential health concerns for astronaut Scott Kelly, who returned from a year in space on March 2.
Category: GUMC Stories
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Georgetown Author Says Radiation Fears Will Be “Rearranged” With New Book, Strange Glow
WASHINGTON — It’s a common paradox. Why is it that some people fear using cellphones believing radiation from the device will cause a brain tumor, but will gladly have a whole body CT scan to check for diseases without any signs or symptoms of anything wrong? Why do others fear microwave ovens, but have no issue with the nearby nuclear power plant that provides electricity for their kitchens?
The answer is that most people do not understand radiation in a way that allows them to make an accurate assessment of its health risks, says a Georgetown’s Timothy J. Jorgensen.
Category: News Release
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Graphic Cigarette Warnings Trigger Brain Areas Key to Quitting Smoking
WASHINGTON — Viewing graphic anti-smoking images on cigarette packs triggers activity in brain areas involved in emotion, decision-making and memory as observed via brain scans. Researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center and Truth Initiative reported their findings online this week in Addictive Behaviors Reports.
Category: News Release
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Gene Family Turns Cancer Cells into Aggressive Stem Cells That Keep Growing
WASHINGTON — An examination of 130 gene expression studies in 10 solid cancers has found that when any of four related genes is overexpressed, patients have much worse outcomes, including reduced survival.
Category: News Release
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Georgetown Lombardi Urges HPV Vaccination for Cancer Prevention
WASHINGTON — In response to low national vaccination rates for the human papillomavirus (HPV), Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center joined with other top cancer centers in a joint statement urging increased HPV vaccination for the prevention of cancer. These institutions collectively recognize insufficient vaccination as a public health threat and call upon the nations’ health care providers, young adults and parents to take advantage of the opportunity to prevent cancers.
Category: News Release
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Precision Medicine Pioneer Pursues New Cancer Treatments
Giuseppe Giaccone, MD, PhD, recognizes the promise of precision medicine, but he feels it is important to understand its limitations as well as celebrating its future benefits.
Category: GUMC Stories