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Women see rise in cancer rates as rates in men decrease: Report

January 16, 2025
A new American Cancer Society report revealed women in some age groups are being diagnosed with cancer more often than men. The findings suggested that higher cancer rates are shifting from men to women, and the gaps between sexes, as well as between older and younger adults, have narrowed greatly.

The American Cancer Society’s data also noted cancer rates in women ages 50 to 64 are now higher than in men.

In 2021, women under 50 years old had an 82% higher cancer rate than men the same age. In 2002, it was only a 51% higher rate than men.

The research showed an increase in cancer diagnoses among younger Americans.

While the American Cancer Society said it is unclear what is driving the increase in women and younger adults, it listed possible factors. Obesity, alcohol use, ultra-processed foods, smoking and environmental hazards are among possible contributors.

The American Cancer Society said racial disparities in cancer rates still exist, with minorities seeing higher rates of cancer diagnoses.

The study also found overall cancer death rates fell by 34% since their peak in the early 1990s.
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US life expectancy hits highest level since COVID-19 pandemic

December 19, 2024
The U.S. life expectancy jumped significantly in 2023, hitting its highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic. The new findings come from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report on Thursday, Dec. 19, revealing life expectancy among Americans rose to 78.4 years last year, up nearly an entire year from 77.5 years in 2022.

Health officials say a one-year jump in life expectancy was previously unheard of before the COVID-19 pandemic. They attribute the rise in life expectancy largely to a decline in COVID-19 deaths, which, from 2019 to 2021, had caused U.S. life expectancy to drop from 78.8 years to 76.4 years.

COVID-19 went from the fourth leading cause of death in 2022 to 10th in the United States in 2023. COVID-19 deaths dropped last year from 350,000 deaths in 2020 to 76,000 in 2023.

The biggest decrease in COVID-19 deaths is reportedly among Hispanic men and women, who saw a more than 10% decrease in COVID-19 deaths.

The CDC also found that overdose deaths decreased last year for the first time since 2018.

The rate of overdose deaths dropped from nearly 33 in every 100,000 people to a little more than 31 per 100,000 people. The group seeing the largest drop in drug overdose deaths was 15 to 24-year-olds, who saw a drop of more than 10%.

The top five causes of death last year in the United States were heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, stroke and chronic lower respiratory diseases. Rates for 9 of the 10 leading causes of death reportedly fell in 2023 while cancer deaths remained largely unchanged.
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World first mRNA lung cancer vaccine trial begins, offering hope for thousands

August 23, 2024
In a significant advancement in cancer treatment, doctors have initiated trials for the world’s first mRNA lung cancer vaccine. This vaccine is being developed by the same German company behind the COVID-19 vaccines.

Experts are optimistic that this new treatment could save thousands of lives.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths globally, responsible for approximately 1.8 million deaths each year. The new vaccine is being tested on patients with the most common type of lung cancer.

The trial is currently underway at 34 research sites across seven countries, including the U.K., U.S., Germany, and Spain. A U.K. patient, diagnosed earlier this year, was the first to receive the treatment. According to the BBC, his treatment will continue weekly for six weeks, followed by a longer-term schedule over the next year.

The injections are designed to target specific markers found on his cancer cells, a method that has scientists excited about its potential. The new treatment is said to target specifically a person’s immune response, strengthening it. The healthy cells are left alone, which is a major divergence from chemotherapy.

While the trial is still in its early stages, researchers are hopeful. The same mRNA technology that helped combat the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic could now be key in fighting cancer.
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Teen who created soap to treat skin cancer named Time’s Kid of the Year

August 16, 2024
Time magazine is honoring a scientist who created a bar of soap that has the potential to transform skin cancer treatment — while he still found time to be part of his school’s marching band. Fifteen-year-old scientist Heman Bekele from Fairfax, Virginia has been named Time’s 2024 Kid of the Year.

https://twitter.com/TIME/status/1824049032156651529

Time put Bekele on its cover to recognize him for “developing an affordable compound-based bar of soap that could in the future be a new and more accessible way to deliver medication to treat skin cancers, including melanoma.”

In 2023, the teen was named America’s Top Young Scientist by 3M and Discovery Education for his invention. Along with the title, Bekele won $25,000.

He is spending weekdays this summer working in the lab at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. Bekele told Time he is passionate about skin cancer research and finds it incredible that one day his bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody else’s life.

“I personally hope one day that skin cancer treating soap can turn into a more not-for-profit organization where we really can distribute it to people that need it the most,” Bekele said.
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Trump reacts to new testimony, AI offers cancer cure: March 21 rundown

March 21, 2023

After former President Donald Trump predicted he would be arrested Tuesday, law enforcement agencies began preparing for protests. So where does the investigation currently stand? Plus, the second-largest school district in the country will be closed today as their employees go on strike. These stories and more highlight the daily rundown for Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

Latest on potential Trump indictment

Former President Donald Trump expressed renewed hope on his social media platform, Truth Social, following the testimony of former attorney Robert Costello. But the country is still bracing for potential protests after the president previously predicted an indictment would come down Tuesday and encouraged his supporters to protest.

Sources close to the Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation into allegations of hush money paid to former porn star Stormy Daniels have told the media there’s no indictment coming Tuesday. CBS said it could come by the end of this week, but Fox News reported the indictment would most likely come down next week.

Costello went before the grand jury Monday in an effort to discredit Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, whose testimony against Trump holds a significant role in the DA’s case.

Following Robert Costello’s testimony, Trump posted to social media that “the DA will do the right thing.”

Increased security in case of protests

Steel barricades now surround the Manhattan courthouse and District Attorney’s office. New fencing has also been installed around the U.S. Capitol amid concerns Trump’s potential indictment could bring a repeat of Jan. 6. High level local and federal law enforcement officials met Monday to further coordinate security plans in preparation for a possible Trump arrest.

Our Washington correspondent Ray Bogan sat down for an extended interview with an attorney to discuss what happens next if Trump is charged. And whether he would be treated differently as a former U.S. president. You can find that report here.

L.A. schools closed due to strike

Tens of thousands of L.A. Unified School employees will go on strike Tuesday. All classes have been canceled in all the district’s schools, but child care and cafeterias will remain open. The employees on strike range from bus drivers, custodians, to teachers and teacher-aides. The main issue comes down to pay. Employees want a 30% raise.

Over the weekend, the district came up to a 23% hike and a 3% bonus, but it wasn’t enough to avoid an employee strike and close the district down. Approximately 420,000 students will miss school for up to three days if no deal is reached, and the district is at risk of losing tens of millions of dollars. A similar strike in 2019 cost the district $97 million.

Fox, Dominion seek pretrial wins

Fox and Dominion will be in court today for a pre-trial hearing. They are expected to ask the judge to rule in their favor, without the need for the case to go to trial next month.

Lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems will ask the judge to find Fox liable for defamation over its 2020 election coverage on voter fraud. While Fox will argue the network is constitutionally protected by freedom of the press.

The high-profile defamation lawsuit is scheduled to begin April 17.

Biden defends ESG investments in veto

President J0e Biden issued the first veto of his presidency Monday. He killed a Republican-led bill that would have banned ESG considerations when making investments for people’s retirement plans.

Republicans argued that by making investment decisions based on ESG’s puts political agendas over best-returns for savers. The president said the bill put retirement savings at risk.

Round 2 of job cuts for Amazon

A major tech giant is gearing up for another round of layoffs. Amazon says it plans to cut 9,000 jobs in the next few weeks. This comes after the company announced 18,000 lay-offs last January.

Amazon’s CEO said the company had not yet identified who would be laid off and that those decisions would be made next month.

AI creates potential cancer treatment

Artificial Intelligence has significantly picked up steam. We know it can write sophisticated essays and solve math problems. But what if it becomes our pathway to finding a cure for cancer?

According to a new study, researchers at the University of Toronto say it’s done just that by revealing a previously unknown treatment pathway. A drug discovery platform called Pharma.AI has developed a potential treatment for the most common type of liver cancer.

The experiment uncovered a novel hit molecule that can target tumors on the liver. The drug will have to go through clinical trials before widespread use. Researchers say the potential drug was discovered by AI in just 30 days, leaving them hopeful for medical breakthroughs through AI.
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to buy biotech firm Seagen

March 13, 2023

Pfizer has agreed to buy biotech firm Seagen for $43 billion. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Pfizer is “deploying financial resources to advance the fight against cancer.”

Seagen is a leading researcher and developer in cancer treatments. It produces several cancer drugs that are able to target tumors with a toxic agent.

Seagen currently has nine studies underway exploring different immunotherapies to fight cancer. Pfizer will acquire and expand those studies and immunotherapies if the deal obtains shareholder and federal approvals.

Pfizer expects the acquisition to be complete by the end of this year if all goes according to plan. Seagen, a growing company, is expected to increase its revenue in 2023 by 12% at $2.2 billion. Pfizer will go into debt and dip into cash to finance the $43 billion transaction, but it projects a $10 billion profit by 2030.

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