Questions tagged [cancer]

Blanket term for a class of diseases in which cells lose the function called apoptosis" and continue to grow uncontrolled. Can also refer to the study of this uncontrolled growth, as well as its invasion and/or destruction of other tissues which is known as metastasis. The term "cancer" covers hundreds of different conditions.

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Are the majority of modern cancer drugs useless?

Cancer is one of those diseases that cause dread in its victims and their families. Though many are treatable or even curable, many others are not and there is great pressure on medics to offer any source of hope the those suffering from hard to…
matt_black
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Are two thirds of cancer mutations random and unavoidable?

The internet is full of cures for cancer and the medical literature (and many newspaper headlines) are full of claims about which specific lifestyle factors make cancer more likely. Some cancers are known to be strongly related to lifestyle (smoking…
matt_black
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Does sugar "feed" cancer?

I keep seeing this claim in alternative health circles that sugar feeds cancer and if you restrict carbohydrate from your diet, particularly refined sugar, you can prevent cancer or even "starve" existing cancer. Here is an example of this…
Melissa
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Is Red Bull carcinogenic and does it pose a health risk?

I've seen hundreds of reports, from various sources online claiming that Red Bull contains a substance that causes cancer and that so far it may have killed three people. However I believe in most cases this has been due to exceeding the recommended…
Ambo100
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Are mitochondria "natural cancer fighting cells"?

The article Scientists cure cancer, but no one takes notice claims big pharma and the media are ignoring dichloroacetate because it's out of patent protection - but that question is answered at Dichloroacetate (DCA) as a cure for cancer The bit I'm…
Andrew Grimm
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Is cancer linked to having an acidic body?

There a lot of differing views reports on pH levels and cancer. Some say that cancer only grows in acidic bodies. Some say that an alkaline body can prevent or cure cancer. Many others disagree calling it a "myth". What this question is: Is there a…
Coomie
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Can smoking marijuana reduce the risk of cancer in cigarette smokers?

The risk of a cigarette smoking person developing cancer is much higher than a the risk of a non-smoker developing cancer (can I assume that this is common knowledge?) - this website claims that adding marijuana to the mix will reduce the risk due…
Jan Vladimir Mostert
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Do lemons help cure cancer?

This morning I read an article on Facebook (in German) about the huge health benefits of lemons - and not just the juice, but the whole lemon, especially the skin. Several other sites make similar claims. This Dynamic Health Now site recommends…
Jakob Abfalter
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Do fingerprint scanners cause skin cancer?

Recently, my company started using fingerprint scanners to identify employees for access control and for attendance. Many employees have a concern about developing skin cancer from the IR fingerprint scanners. The Saudi Gazette also has a…
user10938
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Is "blue scorpion venom" a legitimate treatment for cancer?

I came across this article just recently, in which it states that no data had been collected about the effectiveness of blue scorpion venom as a treatment for cancer. However, this article was written in 2003. Has any definitive research been…
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Do diets containing meat and milk cause a large proportion of breast cancer?

Kristi Funk is a breast cancer surgeon, famous (I assume) for treating Angelina Jolie and Sheryl Crow (I assume these are famous people). She has a new book to promote and has been doing publicity for it. So there are plenty of interviews with her…
matt_black
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Will half of the human population born in 1960 develop cancer?

It is well known that the incidence of cancer is increasing due to a lower fraction of deaths from other causes. However, there are many articles (probably sharing the same source) stating that the probability of an individual developing cancer…
shortstheory
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Dichloroacetate (DCA) as a cure for cancer

A while ago I read about a cheap and safe drug that kills most cancers. It was the already known compound dichloroacetate (DCA) and the discovery was widely reported in the media. The results at that time were only preliminary, but people still used…
Mad Scientist
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Does colonoscopy screening reduce the risk of death due to colon cancer?

The article Colonoscopy Still ‘Gold Standard’ For Preventing Colon Cancer, Johns Hopkins Expert Says mention that the colonoscopy is the gold standard in detecting colon cancer even though there are still other tests that help. A colon cancer…
user275517
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Is it healthy to sunbathe without sunscreen?

An article in The Telegraph starts with: Researchers followed 30,000 women for 20 years and found that those who avoided the sunshine were twice as likely to die Women who never sunbathe during the summer are twice as likely to die than those who…
Christian
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