archive

December 28, 2012 For years, researchers have struggled to understand the mental fog that envelops some patients getting chemotherapy. Now a study has found that the cancer treatment significantly decreases brain activity in regions responsible for memory, attention, planning and prioritizing.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

December 26, 2012 The short supply of a key drug to treat lymphoma forced doctors to switch to another medicine. Now researchers have documented that the fallback drug wasn't as good a choice as many doctors thought.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 12, 2012 The Venezuelan president is recovering in Cuba after an operation on Tuesday targeted an aggressive cancer. It was his fourth cancer-related surgery in Cuba, and comes after he won re-election last month.

Summary

November 28, 2012 The chemicals are meant to prevent a sofa from going up in flames, but there are concerns about health risks. With efforts to ban the chemicals moving slowly, the solution for now may be a simple vacuum cleaner.

Summary

October 29, 2012 Proton therapy can be targeted much more precisely than regular radiation. The hope is that it translates into far fewer side effects, such as impotence and incontinence. But it also costs twice as much as regular radiation. And there's no proof it's more effective — it could potentially be worse, say some radiation experts.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

October 25, 2012 A survey finds that the majority of advanced stage lung and colon cancer patients believe chemotherapy might cure them, when it can actually only buy them a few months. Oncologists are worried about how this impacts end-of-life decision making.

Summary

ListenPlaylist

August 8, 2012 An artist at a Seattle hospital turned a teenage leukemia patient's room into an art installation using nearly 2,000 photos of cats solicited through social media. "In the hospital, you feel cut off," says the patient. "So the photos made me feel like I was part of the world again."

Summary

August 8, 2012 Scientists have learned that compact fluorescent light bulbs could give off ultraviolet radiation if their inner coating cracks. Light-emitting diodes, another eco-friendly lighting option, won't give you a sunburn, but they do have the potential for other mild health effects.

Summary

August 8, 2012 Camp Fantastic allows kids who are too sick to attend traditional camp — such as those living with active cancer — to get the summer camping experience.

Summary

August 1, 2012 Three separate teams of scientists have shown that so-called cancer stem cells can be found in brain tumors and early forms of skin and colon cancer. Evidence has been mounting in recent years for the existence of these cells, which are believed to resist standard chemotherapy and fuel the growth of tumors and relapses.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

July 30, 2012 Arjit Guha, a graduate student at Arizona State, felt sick after coming back from a trip to India in early 2011. His severe stomach pain was caused by advanced colon cancer. He maxed out his health insurance and harnessed the Web to raise money to cover his care. A Twitter conversation with Aetna's CEO opened a new chapter in the story.

Summary

July 26, 2012 The two patients in Boston seem to be free of HIV after treatment for cancer, Harvard researchers say. But they're still on antiviral drugs, unlike the so-called Berlin patient, who's the only person in the world to be fully cured.

Summary

July 23, 2012 For many people of African descent, a lack of registry information and genetic diversity make bone marrow matches tough to find. Lawyer and Winter Olympic hopeful Seun Adebiyi made his battle with leukemia a quest for more donors and better registries in African countries.

Transcript

On Tell Me MorePlaylist