HEALTHY LIVING THE LATEST RESEARCH
Immunotherapy Transforms Cancer Treatment
T
he idea of boosting the body’s natural immune defenses to
combat cancer has long been a dream of medical researchers. Today, that dream is quickly becoming a reality. Medical researchers are testing
a spate of new therapies that don’t target tumors directly, but unleash the body’s defense mechanisms to attack the genetic mutations underlying tumor growth. This approach, known
as immunotherapy, marks a huge departure from conventional cancer treatments, such as radiation, chemo, and surgery. Among the most promising players in the
emerging field are drugs called “checkpoint inhibitors” that work by taking off the natural brakes on the immune system, enabling cancer- destroying killer T-cells to attack tumors. In a clinical trial involving 4,846 advanced melanoma patients, the new Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s checkpoint inhibitor Yervoy was found to be a major success. Newer drugs that work
similarly are getting even better results and are extending the benefits beyond melanoma to other cancers. Many companies are also testing other approaches, including “cancer vaccines.”
ARE WE WINNING THE WAR ON CANCER?
U.S. cancer deaths have dropped 22 percent in two decades — with 1.5 million lives saved — thanks to new treatments. Still, cancer may soon overtake heart disease as the leading killer because the drop in mortality rates from heart disease in recent decades has been much larger. Heart disease kills about 308,000 men and 288,000 women annually, while cancer claims 302,000 men and 274,000 women.
TEST REVEALS IF A HEART ATTACK IS IN YOUR FUTURE
T
he FDA has approved a first-of-its- kind blood test that can determine
a person’s future odds for suffering a heart attack. The test is especially useful for women, who often have few warning signs before a heart attack strikes. The screening tracks a biomarker for vascular inflammation called Lp-PLA2 that is associated with the build-up of artery-clogging plaques in blood vessels. If the test is positive, patients can be given medications or implement lifestyle changes to improve their heart health.
WARNING SIGNS Screening can detect buildup before it becomes life-threatening.
82 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | MARCH 2015
HEART: YOGA CURE Gym workouts aren’t the only way to heart
health. Yoga has been shown to be as good for the heart as cycling or brisk walking, and is far easier to tolerate for older people and those with health challenges. That’s the finding of a new Harvard University analysis of 37 clinical trials that found yoga lowers blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors as much as aerobic exercise.
DEPRESSION: GENETIC CONNECTION Children of parents who have attempted suicide are five times as likely to try taking their own lives. In a new study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center tracked about 700 young and adult-aged children of 334 parents with mood disorders, such as depression or bipolar disorder – 191 of whom had attempted suicide. Seventy- three of the children of those parents also attempted suicide — a fivefold increase over those without such family histories.
OBESITY: SWEET RELIEF Americans are eating fewer donuts,
pastries, and other pre-packaged desserts that are high in sugar and saturated fat than in years past. That’s the upshot of new research out of the University of North Carolina, which tracked consumption of sweets between 2005 and 2012. The study found that purchases of such products have decreased by 24 percent.
DIABETES: TYPE B RISK New research suggests that people
with Type B blood are more susceptible to diabetes. Researchers at the Gustave Roussy Institute found that women with B-positive blood face a 35 percent greater risk for developing Type 2 diabetes than those with O-negative blood.
WOMAN/MICHAELJUNG/DOLLAR PHOTO CLUB / SYRINGE/AFRICA STUDIO/DOLLAR PHOTO CLUB VEIN/ROCOS/SHUTTERSTOCK
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