Cell phone radiation linked to cancer

Cell phone radiation could pose a risk of certain cancers, the preliminary findings of two new major studies from the National Institutes Health suggest. Six percent of male rats exposed to the same kind of radiation our cell phones emit - though in much larger quantities - developed a type of cancer called a schwannoma in their hearts.

Smartphones and other wireless devices put out small amounts of low frequency microwave radiation when they connect networks and transmit information. This energy is not nearly as strong as ultraviolet radiation or X-ray energy, but the new studies add to the mounting evidence that even microwave radiation, in high doses, can pose some health risks.

The NTP researchers exposed rats and mice to high levels of radiation over the course of 18 hours each day, alternating 10-minute exposures with 10-minute periods without exposures. Radiation surges when cell phones are trying to connect to faint network signals or transmit large amounts of information.

Stop sleeping with your cell phone: Anything closer than arm's length could cause cancer and infertility, health officials warn. Experts warn that it is these inconsistent exposures that make the devices risky. There were 'statistically significant' differences in the incidence of heart schwannoma tumors in rats.

Schwannomas develop from peripheral nervous cells, called Schwann cells. They develop inside the sheath that covers nerves, wrapping and interfering with nerves themselves. In humans, these tumors are usually benign. These noncancerous schwannomas are most common in the vestibular nerve that connects the brain and the ear.

Malignant schwannomas can start anywhere, but seem to be most common in the leg, arm or lower back, sometimes causing a bump, pain, muscle weakness or tingling. Though they are not common in human hearts, cardiac tissue is a good target for cell phone radiation. Microwave radiation works by heating water. Muscle tissue - like the heart - is 75 percent water, while fat, for example, is only about 10 percent water.

That means that muscular tissues are especially affected by cell phone radiation, which may explain why the nerve tumors were most likely to form in a highly muscular organ. Counter-intuitively, bigger animals are more sensitive to radiation. The higher rate of tumors in males 'was probably due to the fact that male rats simply absorb more radiation than females as a function of the size of the animal.

Cancer risks for mice were negligible, and female rats that were pregnant - and therefore larger - were also more sensitive to radiation. The levels of microwave radiation the animals were exposed to were much higher than we encounter from human cell phones, humans are, larger than rats. It is also worth note that radiation exposures in the study would still comply with federal regulations on heat microwave heat generated by cell phones, and still there were increased risks of at least one cancer for rats.
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Breast cancer therapies linked to heart failure

According to American Heart Association, women should consider the risks and benefits of any therapies that may hurt hearts during breast cancer treatment, patients should have a conversation with their doctor about the side effects of the treatment. Some treatments for different types of cancer may pose heart risks, but they are growing more common for breast cancer patients.

Side effects can include abnormal rhythms, valve problems or heart failure, where the heart slowly weakens and can't pump effectively. Symptoms may not appear until long after treatment ends.
Herceptin and similar drugs for a specific type of breast cancer can cause heart failure. Sometimes it's temporary and goes away if treatment is stopped, but it can be permanent.

Radiation can affect arteries and spur narrowing or blockages. Other drugs can lead to abnormal heart rhythms or artery spasms, which can cause chest pain and possibly lead to a heart attack. Some research suggests that powerful new drugs that harness the immune system to fight cancer may in rare cases cause heart damage, especially when used together.

Certain chemotherapies such as doxorubicin, sold as Adriamycin and in generic form, might be less risky if given more slowly, rather than all at once. Some research suggests that a drug called dexrazoxane may minimize damage if given to women with advanced breast cancer who are getting high doses of doxorubicin.

Cancer patients should make sure doctors are monitoring their heart before, during and after breast cancer treatment. Common risk factors of breast cancer are: obesity, smoking, sedentary lifestyle and eating of junk food.
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Habits that increase the risk of cancer

Forty per cent of cancer deaths could be prevented with simple lifestyle changes. Quitting smoking, eating healthier and boozing less would stop the disease. Scientists suggest habits responsible for cancer with tobacco proving the biggest burden. Other habits, includes excessive UV radiation, obesity and not exercising enough can be blamed.

Researchers at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, said the total amount is greater than 38 per cent because many deaths involved two factors. Even 'small improvements' would reduce the risk of dying prematurely from cancer, the Australian researchers claimed. Their findings, which also highlighted irresponsible sun tanning as a cause, were derived from an analysis of cancer deaths.

Obesity and infections were responsible for five per cent of the deaths while not exercising enough was blamed for 0.8 per cent.Dr David Whiteman, lead researcher of the study published in the International Journal of Cancer, found that the bad habits fueled 41 per cent of cancer deaths in men and 34 per cent in women because men smoke and drink more, spend more time in the sun and don't eat healthy foods.

The researchers concluded that the following eight habits are responsible for 38 per cent of cancer deaths. Researchers at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, said the total amount is greater than 38 per cent because many deaths involved two factors. The habits are-Smoking, Poor diet, Boozing, UV radiation, Obesity, Infections, Inactivity and Hormones.
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Wi-fi and cellphones increase the risk of miscarriage

Wi-fi and cellphones increase pregnant women's risk of suffering a miscarriage by nearly 50 percent, new research reveals. Magnetic field (MF) non-ionizing radiation, which is also given off by power lines and cell towers, has been found in past studies to put a stress on the body, leading to genetic damage that can cause pregnant women to miscarry. Those exposed to the highest levels of MF radiation are 48 percent more likely to lose their baby than women exposed to the lowest amounts, the US study found.

MF radiation, which everyone is exposed to at some extent, has previously been linked to cancer
and has been recommended by the World Health Organization to be studied for its effect on pregnancies. Miscarriages affect between 15 and 20 percent of pregnancies in the US. They are defined as losing babies less than 20 weeks into their gestation.

Pregnant women can reduce their magnetic field (MF) non-ionizing radiation exposure by - Keeping cellphones away from their abdomens and not keeping them in clothes pockets. Turning Wi-Fi off when it is not in use, particularly while sleeping. Keeping cellphones on airplane mood when they are not in use. Talking on speakerphone when making calls and keeping them as brief as possible.

Not using appliances that give off MF non-ionizing radiation when in the car, as levels are already increased. Researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California,  analyzed 913 pregnant women at varying stages of their gestation. Some of the study's participants had previously suffered at least one miscarriage. All of the participants carried an EMDEX Lite meter, which measures MF-radiation exposure, for 24 hours on a typical day. Their pregnancy outcomes were followed for the duration of their gestation.

High-radiation exposure increases the risk by up to 48%. Results reveal pregnant women with the highest MF-radiation exposure have a 48 percent greater risk of miscarrying than those with the lowest exposure. Among pregnant women exposed to the highest levels of MF radiation, 24.2 per cent had a miscarriage compared to 10.4 per cent of those exposed to the lowest amounts. This risk occurs regardless of whether women have suffered miscarriages in the past and are therefore more likely to lose another baby before its birth. This study provides evidence from a human population that magnetic field non-ionizing radiation could have adverse biological impacts on human health.
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Lung cancer treatment could affect the heart

Radioactivity of the heart from
radiotherapy of lung cancer treatment is increasing mortality rates. Exposing heart to radiation during treatment of lung cancer may kill the organ.

Some tumours are very close to the heart, higher dose of radiotherapy to this part of the body increases the risk of early death. During radiotherapy, some radiation will hit the heart because it is very close to the lung and this have negative effects on it

Researchers analysed many patients, looking at where in the heart there was radiation and how long the patients survived. They identified that the top of the heart is very sensitive to radiation than the body of the organ.

The researchers carried out a high-resolution, normal-tissue dosimetric analysis, this identify regions in the heart that correlated with poorer survival. The result confirmed that radiation affects the heart.
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Drug may prevent infertility after cancer treatment

Women who are treated for cancer with radiation or chemotherapy may be rendered sterile. Some female breast cancer survivors experience premature ovarian failure, in which they lose normal function of their ovaries.

Women are born with a lifetime reserve of oocytes, or immature eggs, but those oocytes are among the most sensitive cells in the body and may be wiped out by cancer treatments.

Checkpoint protein CHK2 becomes activate when oocytes are damaged by radiation. CHK2 functions in a pathway that eliminates oocytes with DNA damage, a natural function to protect against giving birth to offspring bearing new mutations.

When the researchers irradiated mice lacking the CHK2 gene, the oocytes survived, eventually repaired the DNA damage, and the mice gave birth to healthy pups.

The new study explored whether the checkpoint 2 pathway could be chemically inhibited. There were pre-existing CHK2 inhibitor drugs that were developed, ironically enough, for cancer treatment, but they turned out not to be very useful for treating cancer.

Giving mice the inhibitor drug, a small molecule, it essentially mimicked the knockout of the checkpoint gene.
Inhibiting the checkpoint pathway, the oocytes were not killed by radiation and remained fertile, enabling birth of normal pups.
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Facts about glioblastoma

Glioblastoma GBM is the most aggressive tumor that can form in the brain. Glioblastomas are tumors that developed from astrocytes- supportive tissue of the brain.

Glioblastomas are found in the cerebral hemispheres of the brain, but can be found anywhere in the brain or spinal cord. It can cause brain bleeding, which may have been related to the clot.

These tumors are cancerous because the cells reproduce quickly and they are supported by a large network of blood vessels.

There two types of glioblastoma
Primary - The tumors are common and very aggressive.
Secondary - These tumors have slower growth rate and very aggressive.

Common symptoms are - headache, nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness. Depending on the location of the tumor, patients can develop different symptoms like weakness on one side of the body, memory and speech difficulties, and visual changes.

The exact cause of glioblastoma is not known. It can be difficult to treat because the tumors contain so many different types of cells. Some cells may respond very well to certain therapies, while others may not be improve.

However, because of the way it spreads, it is impossible to remove every microscopic growth from the brain. Therefore, it will continue to grow.

Radiation and chemotherapy may be used to slow the growth of tumors that cannot be removed with surgery.
Patients have a ten percent chance of surviving five years after their diagnosis.
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Facts about Melanoma

1. Melanoma is a cancer that begins in the melanocytes.

2. Ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of melanoma

3. Over exposure to the sun can damage DNA and leads to melanoma.

4. It accounts for 5% of all skin cancer and it's the most dangerous types of skin cancer.

5.  Melanoma can develop in any part of the skin.

6.  Having lots of moles on the skin can cause melanoma.

7.  One of the common symptoms of melanoma is sore that do not heal.

8.  Red raspberries fruits  and green tea may prevent it.

9.  Daily intake of raw garlic can prevent melanoma

10.  Common treatments include:
• Chemotherapy
• Immunotherapy
• Surgery
• Targeted therapy