<p>Due to the contaminated water of Shamli's Kairana meat plant, there is panic in the public with the wrath of Hepatitis C and cancer gripping people in the village.</p>

<p>The villagers informed that more than 35 people have died in the last few days after drinking the contaminated water and about 70 percent are suffering from serious illnesses due to the same.</p>

<p>The locals told ANI, "Around 35 people have died due to water-borne diseases but no action has been taken by the government as yet."</p>

<p>Village head Irshad said, "There is a pond of about 35-36 bighas in our village, in which drainage is filled with all the filthy water. And this messy water goes down to the ground floor. Because it comes in from the taps, the people here have black jaundice. The treatment of some people is going on in Rohtak and Meerut. The poor people do not have money hence die."</p>

<p>Shamli CMO Rajkumar accepted the ongoing problem in the village and informed about his next course of action stating that an investigation has been set up and it is going on in full swing.</p>

<p>"We will be setting up health camps and will also get the water tested for investigation. The patients will be tested by camping in the village and the doctors will soon present a report for the same," said Rajkumar.</p>


Shamli CMO Rajkumar accepted the ongoing problem in the village and informed about his next course of action

Due to the contaminated water of Shamli's Kairana meat plant, there is panic in the public with the wrath of Hepatitis C and cancer gripping people in the village. The villagers informed that more than 35 people have died in the last few days after drinking the contaminated water and about 70 percent are suffering from serious illnesses due to the same. The locals told ANI, "Around 35 people have died due to water-borne diseases but no action has been taken by the government as yet." Village head Irshad said, "There is a pond of about 35-36 bighas in our village, in which drainage is filled with all the filthy water. And this messy water goes down to the ground floor. Because it comes in from the taps, the people here have black jaundice. The treatment of some people is going on in Rohtak and Meerut. The poor people do not have money hence die." Shamli CMO Rajkumar accepted the ongoing problem in the village and informed about his next course of action stating that an investigation has been set up and it is going on in full swing. "We will be setting up health camps and will also get the water tested for investigation. The patients will be tested by camping in the village and the doctors will soon present a report for the same," said Rajkumar.

35 die in UP's Shamli village, residents blame meat plant

<p>An Indian-American scientist has been awarded a grant of over $1.1 million for his groundbreaking research on cancer.</p>

<p>Navin Vardarajan, along with another University of Houston researcher Sanghyuk Chung, were awarded huge grants by Cancer Prevention &amp; Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) , an organisation that funds pioneering cancer research and prevention programmes in the state.</p>

<p>Associate professor of chemical and bimolecular engineering, Navin was given USD 1,173,420 to improve the effectiveness of T-cell immunotherapy, while his fellow researcher Sanghyuk Chung, associate professor of biology and biochemistry, was awarded USD 811,617 to define molecular targets for the treatment of cervical cancer.</p>

<p>Varadarajan will use his grant to bring consistent results to cancer patients undergoing T-cell immunotherapy by manufacturing programmed T cells to meet, recognise and destroy tumours, a statement said.</p>

<p>&quot;We have to understand every single T cell and what each one is capable of,&quot; said Varadarajan, who is looking for a perfect cell composition in order to manufacture only those that cure tumours.</p>

<p>&quot;Once we know what is required to get a positive response, we can control the composition of the cells so that they all can work to fight cancer,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Varadarajan said studying what makes better T cells will guide the development of the next generation of genetically modified cells, and all of immunotherapy in general.</p>

<p>&quot;The big challenge with T cells is that there isn&#39;t one single thing that can be used to define what a T cell is supposed to do. Because it&#39;s a living cell, it&#39;s capable of so many different things but studying them at the single-cell level allows us to map all of these different things onto the same cell,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Although cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide, there has been little progress in the treatment of it over the past decade.</p>

<p>Chung will use his award to delve into the little-researched topic - the role of oestrogen in the development of cervical cancer.</p>

<p>&quot;It is clearly demonstrated that human papillomavirus (HPV) is required for the development of cervical cancer, but evidence indicates that other co-factors are required for cervical cancer,&quot; Chung said.</p>


Navin Vardarajan, along with another University of Houston researcher Sanghyuk Chung, were awarded huge grants by Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas

An Indian-American scientist has been awarded a grant of over $1.1 million for his groundbreaking research on cancer. Navin Vardarajan, along with another University of Houston researcher Sanghyuk Chung, were awarded huge grants by Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) , an organisation that funds pioneering cancer research and prevention programmes in the state. Associate professor of chemical and bimolecular engineering, Navin was given USD 1,173,420 to improve the effectiveness of T-cell immunotherapy, while his fellow researcher Sanghyuk Chung, associate professor of biology and biochemistry, was awarded USD 811,617 to define molecular targets for the treatment of cervical cancer. Varadarajan will use his grant to bring consistent results to cancer patients undergoing T-cell immunotherapy by manufacturing programmed T cells to meet, recognise and destroy tumours, a statement said. "We have to understand every single T cell and what each one is capable of," said Varadarajan, who is looking for a perfect cell composition in order to manufacture only those that cure tumours. "Once we know what is required to get a positive response, we can control the composition of the cells so that they all can work to fight cancer," he said. Varadarajan said studying what makes better T cells will guide the development of the next generation of genetically modified cells, and all of immunotherapy in general. "The big challenge with T cells is that there isn't one single thing that can be used to define what a T cell is supposed to do. Because it's a living cell, it's capable of so many different things but studying them at the single-cell level allows us to map all of these different things onto the same cell," he said. Although cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide, there has been little progress in the treatment of it over the past decade. Chung will use his award to delve into the little-researched topic - the role of oestrogen in the development of cervical cancer. "It is clearly demonstrated that human papillomavirus (HPV) is required for the development of cervical cancer, but evidence indicates that other co-factors are required for cervical cancer," Chung said.

Indian-American scientist wins award for groundbreaking research on cancer

<p>Radiation emitted from mobile phones have long been a topic of debate among health experts. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) lists down reasons &quot;why people are concerned that cell phones might have the potential to cause certain types of cancer or other health problems&quot;. Radiation from cell phones is now being increasingly linked to cancer.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to NCI, radiofrequency energy (radio waves) emitted from cell phones can easily get absorbed by the tissues nearest to the phone&#39;s antenna.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Exposure to ionizing radiation, such as from x-rays, is known to increase the risk of cancer. However, although many studies have examined the potential health effects of non-ionizing radiation from radar, microwave ovens, cell phones, and other sources, there is currently no consistent evidence that non-ionizing radiation increases cancer risk,&quot; noted NCI.</p>

<p>Many companies have now come up with chips that can be stuck to the body of your cell phone and help in reducing the radiation emitted by the device.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While there may not be an easy way to measure the amount of radiation emitted by a particular smartphone device, a leading statistics companies Statista has put together a list of popular cell phones that emit the most and the least amount of radiation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Xiaomi MI A1, OnePlus 5T, Huawei Mate 9, Nokia Lumia 630 and Huawei P9 Plus emerged as the phones emitting the most radiation.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/12797/the-phones-emitting-the-most-radiation/" title="Infographic: The Phones Emitting the Most Radiation | Statista"><img alt="Infographic: The Phones Emitting the Most Radiation | Statista" height="330" src="https://infographic.statista.com/normal/chartoftheday_12797_the_phones_emitting_the_most_radiation_n.jpg" style="width: 100%; height: auto !important; max-width:960px;-ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic;" width="100%" /></a>&nbsp;Sony Experia M5, Samsung Galaxy Note8, Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, Google Pixel XL and Samsung Galaxy S8+ featured among the phones that emit the least radiation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The online statistics company sourced the data from the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt f&uuml;r Strahlenschutz).</p>

<p><a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/12841/the-phones-emitting-the-least-radiation/" title="Infographic: The Phones Emitting the Least Radiation | Statista"><img alt="Infographic: The Phones Emitting the Least Radiation | Statista" height="auto" src="https://infographic.statista.com/normal/chartoftheday_12841_the_phones_emitting_the_least_radiation_n.jpg" style="width: 100%; height: auto !important; max-width:960px;-ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic;" width="100%" /></a></p>

<p>The German body, on its official website, lists out ways to ensure minimum radiation exposure to individuals.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Make calls using a headset. This applies to smartphones as well as to classic mobile phones. Surfing the internet and accessing e-mails should be done only when there is a good reception or using wi-fi. Wi-fi networks usually have a lower transmission power than the mobile communication standards UMTS, GSM or LTE,&quot; notes the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Some other things to be kept in mind to ensure less exposure to mobile phone radiation includes the following:&nbsp;</p>

<p>- Access e-mails manually only when necessary</p>

<p>- Avoid receiving e-mails during a telephone call.&nbsp;</p>

<p>- Switch off background data traffic whenever possible.</p>

<p>- Maintain sufficient distance from your body while surfing the internet on your tablet or smartphone.&nbsp;</p>


Many companies have now come up with chips that can be stuck to the body of your cell phone and help in reducing the radiation emitted by the device

Radiation emitted from mobile phones have long been a topic of debate among health experts. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) lists down reasons "why people are concerned that cell phones might have the potential to cause certain types of cancer or other health problems". Radiation from cell phones is now being increasingly linked to cancer. According to NCI, radiofrequency energy (radio waves) emitted from cell phones can easily get absorbed by the tissues nearest to the phone's antenna. "Exposure to ionizing radiation, such as from x-rays, is known to increase the risk of cancer. However, although many studies have examined the potential health effects of non-ionizing radiation from radar, microwave ovens, cell phones, and other sources, there is currently no consistent evidence that non-ionizing radiation increases cancer risk," noted NCI. Many companies have now come up with chips that can be stuck to the body of your cell phone and help in reducing the radiation emitted by the device. While there may not be an easy way to measure the amount of radiation emitted by a particular smartphone device, a leading statistics companies Statista has put together a list of popular cell phones that emit the most and the least amount of radiation. Xiaomi MI A1, OnePlus 5T, Huawei Mate 9, Nokia Lumia 630 and Huawei P9 Plus emerged as the phones emitting the most radiation. Sony Experia M5, Samsung Galaxy Note8, Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, Google Pixel XL and Samsung Galaxy S8+ featured among the phones that emit the least radiation. The online statistics company sourced the data from the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz). The German body, on its official website, lists out ways to ensure minimum radiation exposure to individuals. "Make calls using a headset. This applies to smartphones as well as to classic mobile phones. Surfing the internet and accessing e-mails should be done only when there is a good reception or using wi-fi. Wi-fi networks usually have a lower transmission power than the mobile communication standards UMTS, GSM or LTE," notes the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection. Some other things to be kept in mind to ensure less exposure to mobile phone radiation includes the following: - Access e-mails manually only when necessary - Avoid receiving e-mails during a telephone call. - Switch off background data traffic whenever possible. - Maintain sufficient distance from your body while surfing the internet on your tablet or smartphone.

Does your mobile phone emit maximum radiation? Here's how to protect yourself

<p>A US-based&nbsp;MD Anderson&nbsp;cancer centre has pulled out its name out of an event to be held in IIT Madras after Baba Ramdev was named as the chief guest in the event.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The event is scheduled to be held in Chennai on February 4 and is based on Cancer prevention and treatment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The theme of the event is &quot;Cancer prevention and treatment: from Ancient Medicine to Modern Medicine&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>MD Anderson cancer centre which is based at the University of Texas&nbsp;took to Twitter to disclose its back out from the event.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It tweeted &quot;In the past, MD Anderson has sponsored this conference through its Global Academic Program. But this year, we&rsquo;re not a sponsor. Our name and logo are being used without permission, and we&rsquo;ve requested they be removed from promotional materials.&rdquo;</p>

<p>In the past, the Yog Guru had made several controversial and unscientific statements.</p>

<p>He said that Yoga and medicines from his Patanjali had the power to cure Cancer and AIDS.</p>

<p>Despite the fact that till date, no comprehensive cure has been found for the two deadly diseases.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He also supported Himant Biswa&#39;s comment&nbsp;on cancer patients wherein the Assam Health Minister had called cancer sufferings as sins of their past.&nbsp;</p>

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The event is scheduled to be held in Chennai on February 4 and is based on cancer prevention and treatment

A US-based MD Anderson cancer centre has pulled out its name out of an event to be held in IIT Madras after Baba Ramdev was named as the chief guest in the event. The event is scheduled to be held in Chennai on February 4 and is based on Cancer prevention and treatment. The theme of the event is "Cancer prevention and treatment: from Ancient Medicine to Modern Medicine". MD Anderson cancer centre which is based at the University of Texas took to Twitter to disclose its back out from the event. It tweeted "In the past, MD Anderson has sponsored this conference through its Global Academic Program. But this year, we’re not a sponsor. Our name and logo are being used without permission, and we’ve requested they be removed from promotional materials.” In the past, the Yog Guru had made several controversial and unscientific statements. He said that Yoga and medicines from his Patanjali had the power to cure Cancer and AIDS. Despite the fact that till date, no comprehensive cure has been found for the two deadly diseases. He also supported Himant Biswa's comment on cancer patients wherein the Assam Health Minister had called cancer sufferings as sins of their past.

US cancer centre backs out of event after Ramdev is named chief guest

<p>Every year 4th February is observed as the World Cancer Day. The day is commemorated with an aim to spread awareness and educate people about the lifestyle disease.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bracketed under the category of lifestyle disease, cancer is a debilitating disease which can be prevented by making minor tweaks in your lifestyle.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The World Health Organisation estimates close to 30-50% of cancer cases as preventable.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Although there is no exact cause of the disease, experts identify the onset of the disease manifested in the growth of cancerous cells in the body.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Indian-American oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee -- in his award-winning book, <em>The Emperor of all Maladies</em> -- describes cancer as &#39;neoplasm&#39;.</p>

<p>&#39;Neoplasm&#39;&nbsp;can loosely be described as the aggressive and manic multiplication of abnormal (cancerous) cells that can outdo, outrun, outwit their healthier, normal counterpart.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While the rising incidence of cancer is a cause of concern, experts note that cancer research remains highly underfunded.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>&quot;US$1.16 trillion is the estimated total annual economic cost of cancer in 2010,&quot; estimates WHO.&nbsp;</p>

<p>An estimated 8.8 million died of the disease in 2015 and the number of cases is only rising by the day.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While nothing guarantees cancer prevention, dietary tweaks and changes in lifestyle can go a long way in minimising the risks.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ahead, a look at some of the simplest steps that can be taken to ensure a healthy, cancer-free life, after all, prevention is always better than the cure!&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The World Health Organisation considers these basic steps imperative in the fight against cancer.</p>

<p>1. Smoking and tobacco consumption account for a large number of oral cancer cases. Smoking and tobacco consumption must be avoided. Monitor your alcohol intake.&nbsp;</p>

<p>2. A healthy diet is a must; monitor what you eat and limit your fast food intake. Sugary food items should be avoided; make your diet more about fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts and dairy among others.&nbsp;</p>

<p>3. Exercise regularly. The World Health Organisation recommends moderate-intensity physical activity, at least thrice a week, for an adult to keep fit. Walking 10,000 steps a day is also an ideal way to keep fit. Do not lead a sedentary lifestyle.&nbsp;</p>

<p>4. Breastfeeding is known to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer in women.&nbsp;</p>

<p>5. Vaccinate your kids against Hepatitis B and HPV.&nbsp;</p>

<p>6. Avoid getting exposed to air pollution and too much of sun.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
7. Get regular medical tests and cancer screenings done.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>According to health experts, early cancer detection can save many lives. Preventive measures can also bring down the ever-escalating burden on global healthcare cost.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One of the many symptoms of cancerous growth manifests&nbsp;itself in a stony-hard lump. Get in touch with your doctor if you detect a stone-hard lump in any part of your body. Ask your medical expert to explain the many forms of cancer symptoms, how to identify them and when to seek medical help.&nbsp;</p>


According to health experts, early detection can save many lives

Every year 4th February is observed as the World Cancer Day. The day is commemorated with an aim to spread awareness and educate people about the lifestyle disease. Bracketed under the category of lifestyle disease, cancer is a debilitating disease which can be prevented by making minor tweaks in your lifestyle. The World Health Organisation estimates close to 30-50% of cancer cases as preventable. Although there is no exact cause of the disease, experts identify the onset of the disease manifested in the growth of cancerous cells in the body. Indian-American oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee -- in his award-winning book, The Emperor of all Maladies -- describes cancer as 'neoplasm'. 'Neoplasm' can loosely be described as the aggressive and manic multiplication of abnormal (cancerous) cells that can outdo, outrun, outwit their healthier, normal counterpart. While the rising incidence of cancer is a cause of concern, experts note that cancer research remains highly underfunded. A post shared by World Health Organization (@who) on Feb 3, 2018 at 1:22pm PST × "US$1.16 trillion is the estimated total annual economic cost of cancer in 2010," estimates WHO. An estimated 8.8 million died of the disease in 2015 and the number of cases is only rising by the day. While nothing guarantees cancer prevention, dietary tweaks and changes in lifestyle can go a long way in minimising the risks. Ahead, a look at some of the simplest steps that can be taken to ensure a healthy, cancer-free life, after all, prevention is always better than the cure! A post shared by World Health Organization (@who) on Feb 3, 2018 at 11:35pm PST × The World Health Organisation considers these basic steps imperative in the fight against cancer. 1. Smoking and tobacco consumption account for a large number of oral cancer cases. Smoking and tobacco consumption must be avoided. Monitor your alcohol intake. 2. A healthy diet is a must; monitor what you eat and limit your fast food intake. Sugary food items should be avoided; make your diet more about fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts and dairy among others. 3. Exercise regularly. The World Health Organisation recommends moderate-intensity physical activity, at least thrice a week, for an adult to keep fit. Walking 10,000 steps a day is also an ideal way to keep fit. Do not lead a sedentary lifestyle. 4. Breastfeeding is known to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer in women. 5. Vaccinate your kids against Hepatitis B and HPV. 6. Avoid getting exposed to air pollution and too much of sun. 7. Get regular medical tests and cancer screenings done. Close to 30-50% of cancer cases are preventable -- WHO × According to health experts, early cancer detection can save many lives. Preventive measures can also bring down the ever-escalating burden on global healthcare cost. One of the many symptoms of cancerous growth manifests itself in a stony-hard lump. Get in touch with your doctor if you detect a stone-hard lump in any part of your body. Ask your medical expert to explain the many forms of cancer symptoms, how to identify them and when to seek medical help.

World Cancer Day 2018: 7 ways to prevent the debilitating disease

<p>China has developed a kit to detect liver cancer which is among the hardest to detect with nearly 80 per cent patients finding out about it in the middle or late stage.</p>

<p>Early detection holds the key to fighting cancer as the effect of treatment begins to fade as the tumor spreads.</p>

<p>Researchers at&nbsp;Zhongshan Hospital in&nbsp;Shanghai worked for over nine years to develop the cancer detection reagent kits.</p>

<p>The reagent only need 0.2 milliliters of blood to detect liver cancer in the early stage. It can check and assess seven liver cancer diagnostic molecular markers, and the sensitivity of the test can reach over 80 per cent, Reuters reported.</p>

<p>&quot;Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP) has the positive rate of 60 to 70 per cent, but there are some false positive results among them. The use of micro RNA (Ribose Nucleic Acid) enables us to better solve the blood testing problem for patients whose AFP is negative,&quot; said Fan Jia, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the president of Zhongshan Hospital told Reuters</p>

<p>&quot;Tests show that the accuracy of the detection can reach 90 per cent,&quot; Zhou Jian, deputy president of Zhongshan Hospital revelead.</p>


The reagent only need 0.2 milliliters of blood to detect liver cancer in early stage.

China has developed a kit to detect liver cancer which is among the hardest to detect with nearly 80 per cent patients finding out about it in the middle or late stage. Early detection holds the key to fighting cancer as the effect of treatment begins to fade as the tumor spreads. Researchers at Zhongshan Hospital in Shanghai worked for over nine years to develop the cancer detection reagent kits. The reagent only need 0.2 milliliters of blood to detect liver cancer in the early stage. It can check and assess seven liver cancer diagnostic molecular markers, and the sensitivity of the test can reach over 80 per cent, Reuters reported. "Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP) has the positive rate of 60 to 70 per cent, but there are some false positive results among them. The use of micro RNA (Ribose Nucleic Acid) enables us to better solve the blood testing problem for patients whose AFP is negative," said Fan Jia, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the president of Zhongshan Hospital told Reuters "Tests show that the accuracy of the detection can reach 90 per cent," Zhou Jian, deputy president of Zhongshan Hospital revelead.

Watch: China develops world's first liver cancer detection kit

<p>Simple lifestyle changes can help stave off risks of lifestyle diseases including cancer, notes a study conducted by experts at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia.</p>

<p>Although medical experts have still not been able to zero down the exact cause of cancer, lifestyle factors, genetic disposition and obesity have been termed as some of the most common perpetrators.&nbsp;</p>

<p>WHO estimated close to 8.8 million people to have died of cancer in the year 2015, the number is only escalating every year. Health experts note that minor dietary and lifestyle tweaks may go a long way in preventing us prey to cancer and cutting down its risk significantly.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the study published in the International Journal of Cancer, experts found the modifiable factors were responsible for 41% of cancer deaths among Australian men and 34% of cancer deaths in women.</p>

<p>&ldquo;By far the biggest preventable cause of cancer deaths in Australia is tobacco smoke. Cancer caused by smoking and passive smoking killed 9,921 people in 2013 and accounted for 23% of all cancer deaths,&rdquo; said Professor David Whiteman, head of QIMR Berghofer&rsquo;s Cancer Control Group.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Other major factors included poor diet, being overweight or obese, and infections, which each caused about five per cent of all cancer deaths in 2013,&rdquo; said Whiteman. &ldquo;Poor diet was responsible for 2,329 deaths from cancer, being overweight or obese for 1,990 deaths, and infections for 1,981 deaths,&rdquo; he said.</p>

<p>Close to 17,000 cancer deaths can be avoided annually only if people follow accepted guidelines to minimise exposure to risk factors, noted the study.</p>

<p>Ideally, it is imperative to maintain a healthy weight, ditch processed and refine food items, quit smoking and limit alcohol and red meat consumption.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Regular physical activity is also essential along with proper sleep and stress management.</p>

<p>Experts have now started focussing on the trend of prolonged sitting which was also termed as a &#39;new type of cancer&#39;&nbsp;by Apple CEO Tim Cook. Prolonged sitting has also been linked to triggering a host of ailments.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from PTI)</em></p>


WHO estimated close to 8.8 million people to have died of cancer in the year 2015

Simple lifestyle changes can help stave off risks of lifestyle diseases including cancer, notes a study conducted by experts at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia. Although medical experts have still not been able to zero down the exact cause of cancer, lifestyle factors, genetic disposition and obesity have been termed as some of the most common perpetrators. WHO estimated close to 8.8 million people to have died of cancer in the year 2015, the number is only escalating every year. Health experts note that minor dietary and lifestyle tweaks may go a long way in preventing us prey to cancer and cutting down its risk significantly. In the study published in the International Journal of Cancer, experts found the modifiable factors were responsible for 41% of cancer deaths among Australian men and 34% of cancer deaths in women. “By far the biggest preventable cause of cancer deaths in Australia is tobacco smoke. Cancer caused by smoking and passive smoking killed 9,921 people in 2013 and accounted for 23% of all cancer deaths,” said Professor David Whiteman, head of QIMR Berghofer’s Cancer Control Group. “Other major factors included poor diet, being overweight or obese, and infections, which each caused about five per cent of all cancer deaths in 2013,” said Whiteman. “Poor diet was responsible for 2,329 deaths from cancer, being overweight or obese for 1,990 deaths, and infections for 1,981 deaths,” he said. Close to 17,000 cancer deaths can be avoided annually only if people follow accepted guidelines to minimise exposure to risk factors, noted the study. Ideally, it is imperative to maintain a healthy weight, ditch processed and refine food items, quit smoking and limit alcohol and red meat consumption. Regular physical activity is also essential along with proper sleep and stress management. Experts have now started focussing on the trend of prolonged sitting which was also termed as a 'new type of cancer' by Apple CEO Tim Cook. Prolonged sitting has also been linked to triggering a host of ailments. (With inputs from PTI)

Close to 40% cancer deaths can be prevented by simple lifestyle changes, say experts

<p>A new therapy is showing positive results in the US, but children in India suffering from blood cancer may not be able to access it anytime soon, Frances Milnes, Market Access Head of multi-national pharma giant Novartis, shared this information.</p>

<p>Introduced last month in the US, Chimeric Anitigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a last resort for children suffering B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer.</p>

<p>In India, over the last 20 years, number of children affected by ALL has doubled and the number stands at an estimated 25,000 children diagnosed with ALL every year. It will be tough to bring the CAR-T therapy to India because the cost of the therapy is eye-watering.</p>

<p>The one-time therapy costs Rs 3.8 crore or US$4,75,000 and Novartis has no plans to make it accessible to India in near future.</p>

<p>It is the first-ever FDA approved cell therapy and it shows high rates of remission. Over 80% of pediatric patients who were treated got cured. &quot;Most children have stem-cell transplants and are cured but it relapses in some children, and in most children with relapse the CAR-T therapy works and it is really the last chance for them,&quot; said Milnes. Currently, the therapy is available in only a few accredited hospitals in the US to patients who are insured.</p>

<p>&quot;We are not looking at India as a market at the moment because of affordability issues. Also, it is too early to say anything. We are now moving towards introducing it in Europe first,&quot; said Milnes.</p>

<p>Cell therapy is a novel approach to fight tough cancers. Kymriah, first such drug developed by Novartis, earlier this year for treatment of blood cancer when other treatments fail is showing hope.It involves extracting and genetically modifying millions of patient&#39;s T-cells to destroy malignant cancers.</p>

<p>Milnes said that it took an immensely long time for the process of research and formulation of the therapy. &quot;We remove cells from the patient and take them to a processing plant. After about 21 days, the cells are ready to be reintroduced in the patients. The process is to modify the cells and scale them up to make sure there are enough cells to put back in the body, so they can go and fight the cancer,&quot; said Milnes.</p>

<p>&quot;It is an exciting therapy. It is one of a kind and helps give patients another shot at life. However it is too expensive for Indians to afford and we are hoping that Indians can access it in India sooner,&quot; said Dr Sameer Kaul, Surgical Oncologist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi.</p>

<p>Millnes said that the patient will only get charged by the pharma company if they have responded to the therapy by the end of the first month. &quot;This is outcomes based contracting or pricing and you do not pay if the therapy fails to work on you,&quot; Milnes stated.</p>

<p>Top scientific journal Nature reported that remission in patients lasted a median six months and most patients remained in remission for up to 21 months from the time they were administered the therapy. Remission suggests lessening or disappearance of symptoms of the disease. In the US, Novartis is looking at fighting new indications, like adult cancers with CAR-T now and trials are underway.</p>


Introduced last month in the US, Chimeric Anitigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a last resort for children suffering B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer

A new therapy is showing positive results in the US, but children in India suffering from blood cancer may not be able to access it anytime soon, Frances Milnes, Market Access Head of multi-national pharma giant Novartis, shared this information. Introduced last month in the US, Chimeric Anitigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a last resort for children suffering B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer. In India, over the last 20 years, number of children affected by ALL has doubled and the number stands at an estimated 25,000 children diagnosed with ALL every year. It will be tough to bring the CAR-T therapy to India because the cost of the therapy is eye-watering. The one-time therapy costs Rs 3.8 crore or US$4,75,000 and Novartis has no plans to make it accessible to India in near future. It is the first-ever FDA approved cell therapy and it shows high rates of remission. Over 80% of pediatric patients who were treated got cured. "Most children have stem-cell transplants and are cured but it relapses in some children, and in most children with relapse the CAR-T therapy works and it is really the last chance for them," said Milnes. Currently, the therapy is available in only a few accredited hospitals in the US to patients who are insured. "We are not looking at India as a market at the moment because of affordability issues. Also, it is too early to say anything. We are now moving towards introducing it in Europe first," said Milnes. Cell therapy is a novel approach to fight tough cancers. Kymriah, first such drug developed by Novartis, earlier this year for treatment of blood cancer when other treatments fail is showing hope.It involves extracting and genetically modifying millions of patient's T-cells to destroy malignant cancers. Milnes said that it took an immensely long time for the process of research and formulation of the therapy. "We remove cells from the patient and take them to a processing plant. After about 21 days, the cells are ready to be reintroduced in the patients. The process is to modify the cells and scale them up to make sure there are enough cells to put back in the body, so they can go and fight the cancer," said Milnes. "It is an exciting therapy. It is one of a kind and helps give patients another shot at life. However it is too expensive for Indians to afford and we are hoping that Indians can access it in India sooner," said Dr Sameer Kaul, Surgical Oncologist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi. Millnes said that the patient will only get charged by the pharma company if they have responded to the therapy by the end of the first month. "This is outcomes based contracting or pricing and you do not pay if the therapy fails to work on you," Milnes stated. Top scientific journal Nature reported that remission in patients lasted a median six months and most patients remained in remission for up to 21 months from the time they were administered the therapy. Remission suggests lessening or disappearance of symptoms of the disease. In the US, Novartis is looking at fighting new indications, like adult cancers with CAR-T now and trials are underway.

New cancer therapy for kids shows results in US but at Rs 3.8 crore, distant dream in India

<p>Former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna has died at the age of 49.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Former Czech Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna has passed away at the age of 49. <a href="https://t.co/ZrYRznfU8r">pic.twitter.com/ZrYRznfU8r</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/932541348476891137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Novotna, who won the Wimbledon in 1998, had been suffering from cancer.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;After a long battle with cancer, Jana died peacefully, surrounded by her family in her native Czech Republic,&quot; the World Tennis Association said on its website.</p>


Former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna has died at the age of 49. Former Czech Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna has passed away at the age of 49. pic.twitter.com/ZrYRznfU8r — ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2017 × Novotna, who won the Wimbledon in 1998, had been suffering from cancer. "After a long battle with cancer, Jana died peacefully, surrounded by her family in her native Czech Republic," the World Tennis Association said on its website.

Former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna dies at 49

<p>There are very few childhood memories that bend my lips and left me giggling. One of them is my mother&#39;s when she used to comb her long hair and the bright smiling face that looked divine without makeup. It used to feel like falling in love with her almost every day.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As time passed, the pride of having long hair became a challenge to her. Eventually, she got irritated with the struggle faced every day before leaving for work. Maintenance of long hair is never easy and in those days, there was a little scope of going to the salon for its proper upkeep.</p>

<p>Her continuous struggle had forced her to cut her hair and come up with a new look. A look that I did not admire at all but she was happy. Now, her hair was falling to the shoulder, not till her waist. She seemed happy. As they say, &#39;short hair, don&#39;t care&#39;.</p>

<p>At that time, she had no idea that what is about to come her way. The struggle of dealing with long hair was going to end for some time. The chemotherapy, a therapy to cure her of the deadly disease cancer, a therapy that gave her a new life, a therapy no one wants to experience, a therapy that left brutal marks on her body. When I said repercussions, severe hair fall is one of them. Just after her first chemo, she went bald.</p>

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<h5>In India, cancer risk is constantly on the rise with 10 lakh people diagnosed with it every year.</h5>
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<p>As I was attending my mother during the treatment, I have seen her in pain very closely. I have also seen other patients in distress, not only adults but children too. The worst thing happened to me was to see these little ones in immense pain. Their cries used to echo in the whole hospital. Though, they were definitely a motivation for others. I used to tell my mum that, &quot;Mom please don&#39;t cry, look at them, even they are getting their treatment done&quot;. It did not reduce her pain but I had nothing else to say. During that therapy, she has experienced the worst time of her life.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide. In India, cancer risk is constantly on the rise with 10 lakh people diagnosed with it every year. Around 7 lakh of them die, making it one of the leading causes of death. Cancer awareness is very important in today&#39;s context. Due to lack of knowledge, people are getting affected by this deadly disease. Once, this disease takes hold on a person, then it takes forever to get rid of it.</p>

<p>There are numerous NGO working for the betterment of cancer patients but how many of them are really focusing on palliative care? There is no proper awareness about the disease and diagnosis happens when a person has reached the terminal stage. Meanwhile, there is a unique way to create cancer awareness that has become a trend among young generation that is &quot;No-Shave November&quot;. It is a web-based non-profit organisation which is devoted to growing awareness about cancer.</p>

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<h5>The treatment of the disease continues to be either very costly or is out of the reach of the patients, the No-Shave campaign has barely succeeded in touching the tip of the iceberg.</h5>
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<p>No-Shave November is a month-long journey during which participants forgo shaving and grooming in order to evoke conversation and raise cancer awareness. It is meant to create awareness by embracing our hair and letting it grow wild and free. Instead of going to the salon and spending the money on grooming, donate it for cancer awareness and raising funds to support cancer prevention, research, and education with a mission to save lives, and aid those fighting the battle.</p>

<p>The campaign has so far proved to be an efficient way to create awareness, particularly in the era of being trendy and of following the hashtags. However, as the treatment of the disease continues to be either very costly or is out of the reach of the patients, the campaign has barely succeeded in touching the tip of the iceberg.</p>


No-Shave November is a unique way to create cancer awareness but the campaign is not meeting the cause

There are very few childhood memories that bend my lips and left me giggling. One of them is my mother's when she used to comb her long hair and the bright smiling face that looked divine without makeup. It used to feel like falling in love with her almost every day. As time passed, the pride of having long hair became a challenge to her. Eventually, she got irritated with the struggle faced every day before leaving for work. Maintenance of long hair is never easy and in those days, there was a little scope of going to the salon for its proper upkeep. Her continuous struggle had forced her to cut her hair and come up with a new look. A look that I did not admire at all but she was happy. Now, her hair was falling to the shoulder, not till her waist. She seemed happy. As they say, 'short hair, don't care'. At that time, she had no idea that what is about to come her way. The struggle of dealing with long hair was going to end for some time. The chemotherapy, a therapy to cure her of the deadly disease cancer, a therapy that gave her a new life, a therapy no one wants to experience, a therapy that left brutal marks on her body. When I said repercussions, severe hair fall is one of them. Just after her first chemo, she went bald. In India, cancer risk is constantly on the rise with 10 lakh people diagnosed with it every year. × As I was attending my mother during the treatment, I have seen her in pain very closely. I have also seen other patients in distress, not only adults but children too. The worst thing happened to me was to see these little ones in immense pain. Their cries used to echo in the whole hospital. Though, they were definitely a motivation for others. I used to tell my mum that, "Mom please don't cry, look at them, even they are getting their treatment done". It did not reduce her pain but I had nothing else to say. During that therapy, she has experienced the worst time of her life. Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide. In India, cancer risk is constantly on the rise with 10 lakh people diagnosed with it every year. Around 7 lakh of them die, making it one of the leading causes of death. Cancer awareness is very important in today's context. Due to lack of knowledge, people are getting affected by this deadly disease. Once, this disease takes hold on a person, then it takes forever to get rid of it. There are numerous NGO working for the betterment of cancer patients but how many of them are really focusing on palliative care? There is no proper awareness about the disease and diagnosis happens when a person has reached the terminal stage. Meanwhile, there is a unique way to create cancer awareness that has become a trend among young generation that is "No-Shave November". It is a web-based non-profit organisation which is devoted to growing awareness about cancer. The treatment of the disease continues to be either very costly or is out of the reach of the patients, the No-Shave campaign has barely succeeded in touching the tip of the iceberg. × No-Shave November is a month-long journey during which participants forgo shaving and grooming in order to evoke conversation and raise cancer awareness. It is meant to create awareness by embracing our hair and letting it grow wild and free. Instead of going to the salon and spending the money on grooming, donate it for cancer awareness and raising funds to support cancer prevention, research, and education with a mission to save lives, and aid those fighting the battle. The campaign has so far proved to be an efficient way to create awareness, particularly in the era of being trendy and of following the hashtags. However, as the treatment of the disease continues to be either very costly or is out of the reach of the patients, the campaign has barely succeeded in touching the tip of the iceberg.

Cancer awareness: The 'king of maladies' yet to be vanquished

<p>It is a misconception that palliative care deals with death. On the contrary, it deals with &lsquo;Life&rsquo;. The &lsquo;Journey of life&rsquo; passes by many stopovers and stations, with death being the last ultimate destination. Death is no doubt the ultimate truth of our life. But making this journey peaceful and gratifying is an important dimension which a medical care facility should take care of.</p>

<p>Here lies the importance of palliative care. Whenever this journey becomes shaky or turbulent, palliative care comes into the picture. The philosophy of palliative care emerged with Cicely Saunders&#39; vision for &lsquo;a good death&rsquo;. In essence, palliative care is medical care focused on improving quality of life of patients and their families.</p>

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<h5>Palliative care also focuses on improving planning and communication among the care team (patient, family, and medical staff), and addressing emotional and spiritual needs.</h5>
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<p>The emphasis is on managing pain and other symptoms such as nausea, insomnia, fatigue and reduced appetite. Palliative care also focuses on improving planning and communication among the care team (patient, family, and medical staff), and addressing emotional and spiritual needs.</p>

<p>A patient may receive palliative care at any stage of the disease, and continue for many years. Ideally, it should be started when a person is diagnosed with a chronic or terminal illness, and goes beyond the patients&rsquo; death, with bereavement care and support for the family. It may also be combined with treatment designed to cure illness or prolong life.</p>

<p>A palliative care consult can be done in the hospital or the outpatient clinic. It is intended to support your care in all areas employing a team-based approach. The team will include the patient and the patient&rsquo;s family, current doctor and care providers, and specialists in palliative care. Palliative care specialists can address the more complex problems that come with a serious illness. The incidence of cancer and chronic diseases are increasing day by day, and so is the number of terminally ill patients with poor quality of life.</p>

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<h5>Good quality of life and death with dignity are considered as basic human rights.</h5>
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<p>Less than 3 per cent of India&rsquo;s 1.38 billion population has access to palliative care. The Indian Council of Medical Research has recently projected that India is possibly looking at over 17 lakh new cases of cancer and over 8 lakh death related to the disease by the year 2020. Good quality of life and death with dignity are considered as basic human rights. Pain-free end with dignity is a fundamental right of a patient.</p>

<p>Other conditions with palliative care needs are &nbsp;&mdash; AIDS, muscular dystrophy, dementia, multi-organ failure, Alzheimer&#39;s, Parkinson&#39;s disease, end-stage renal disease, heart diseases, those who are permanently bed-ridden and people with neurological problems.</p>

<p>So, providing a good palliative care to all terminally ill and chronic patients is a moral responsibility of medical fraternity. In India, besides increasing the number of trained human resources, awareness level regarding palliative care among general population needs to be improved.</p>

<p>Department of Palliative Medicine at AIIMS, strive to deliver holistic care to patients and their families. AIIMS has started M.D. program for specialisation in Palliative Medicine, with an intake of 6 students per year. Patients attending Pain OPD are screened on each visit about social and psychological factors associated with pain and other symptoms.</p>

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<h5>If any patient is unable to visit the hospital due to disease or debility, an NGO based &lsquo;home-care&rsquo; palliative care team is deployed to visit the patient at home.</h5>
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<p>A 24-hour helpline number, operated by a senior resident doctor or consultant, is provided to all patients for telemedicine family conference or consultation to contact out-of-hours, particularly during initiation of treatment or for palliative care counselling during the last phase of life. A patient may be admitted for emergent management of acute or severe pain, by titration of opioid therapy using intravenous or immediate-release oral morphine and adjuvant analgesics and adjuvant drugs.</p>

<p>If any patient is unable to visit the hospital due to disease or debility, an NGO based &lsquo;home-care&rsquo; palliative care team (including a doctor, a nurse and a social worker) is deployed to visit the patient at home.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Department is a unique example of Integration of Pain and Palliative care services to improve quality of life of patients. Department has dedicated facility to provide neurolytic blocks at any stage of the disease early or late or wherever it is beneficial for the patients.</p>

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<h5>Apart from Pain management, treatment of other symptoms form an important component of palliative care.</h5>
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<p>Apart from pain management, treatment of other symptoms form an important component of palliative care. Patients are admitted to ward for ascitic or pleural fluid tapping or pig-tail insertion. Appropriate candidates are offered pleurodesis. Conservative management of intestinal obstruction, dyspnoea, increased ICT, fungating wounds, colostomy care, intractable nausea and vomiting can be a challenging task.</p>

<p>Principles of the end of life care practised extremely well by giving honest information, realistic hope. The patient is given information about futile treatment well in advance. This gives him an opportunity to make informed choices of the treatment.</p>

<p>At AIIMS, palliative care is provided by the multidisciplinary team, where all the oncologist, physiotherapist, dietician come together to make an appropriate treatment plan. Teaching and training department is conducting a basic course in essentials of palliative care twice in a year, in the month of June and November, besides yearly foundation course in palliative care is also provided to observers coming from India and abroad.</p>

<p>Counselling is another crucial aspect of palliative care which should be addressed along with any other form of therapy. We believe that the counselling and empathy delivered by the palliative care physician along with a holistic understanding of each component (physical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual) of &lsquo;total pain&#39; is unmatchable.</p>

<p>Essentially, the primary aim is to rehabilitate and empower the patient and caregivers to be able to live, or die, peacefully and be cared for at home. In conclusion, palliative care is a form of justice to the patients who are in agony. This justice should be delivered to every patient.</p>


Providing a good palliative care to all terminally ill and chronic patients is a moral responsibility of medical fraternity.

It is a misconception that palliative care deals with death. On the contrary, it deals with ‘Life’. The ‘Journey of life’ passes by many stopovers and stations, with death being the last ultimate destination. Death is no doubt the ultimate truth of our life. But making this journey peaceful and gratifying is an important dimension which a medical care facility should take care of. Here lies the importance of palliative care. Whenever this journey becomes shaky or turbulent, palliative care comes into the picture. The philosophy of palliative care emerged with Cicely Saunders' vision for ‘a good death’. In essence, palliative care is medical care focused on improving quality of life of patients and their families. Palliative care also focuses on improving planning and communication among the care team (patient, family, and medical staff), and addressing emotional and spiritual needs. × The emphasis is on managing pain and other symptoms such as nausea, insomnia, fatigue and reduced appetite. Palliative care also focuses on improving planning and communication among the care team (patient, family, and medical staff), and addressing emotional and spiritual needs. A patient may receive palliative care at any stage of the disease, and continue for many years. Ideally, it should be started when a person is diagnosed with a chronic or terminal illness, and goes beyond the patients’ death, with bereavement care and support for the family. It may also be combined with treatment designed to cure illness or prolong life. A palliative care consult can be done in the hospital or the outpatient clinic. It is intended to support your care in all areas employing a team-based approach. The team will include the patient and the patient’s family, current doctor and care providers, and specialists in palliative care. Palliative care specialists can address the more complex problems that come with a serious illness. The incidence of cancer and chronic diseases are increasing day by day, and so is the number of terminally ill patients with poor quality of life. Good quality of life and death with dignity are considered as basic human rights. × Less than 3 per cent of India’s 1.38 billion population has access to palliative care. The Indian Council of Medical Research has recently projected that India is possibly looking at over 17 lakh new cases of cancer and over 8 lakh death related to the disease by the year 2020. Good quality of life and death with dignity are considered as basic human rights. Pain-free end with dignity is a fundamental right of a patient. Other conditions with palliative care needs are — AIDS, muscular dystrophy, dementia, multi-organ failure, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, end-stage renal disease, heart diseases, those who are permanently bed-ridden and people with neurological problems. So, providing a good palliative care to all terminally ill and chronic patients is a moral responsibility of medical fraternity. In India, besides increasing the number of trained human resources, awareness level regarding palliative care among general population needs to be improved. Department of Palliative Medicine at AIIMS, strive to deliver holistic care to patients and their families. AIIMS has started M.D. program for specialisation in Palliative Medicine, with an intake of 6 students per year. Patients attending Pain OPD are screened on each visit about social and psychological factors associated with pain and other symptoms. If any patient is unable to visit the hospital due to disease or debility, an NGO based ‘home-care’ palliative care team is deployed to visit the patient at home. × A 24-hour helpline number, operated by a senior resident doctor or consultant, is provided to all patients for telemedicine family conference or consultation to contact out-of-hours, particularly during initiation of treatment or for palliative care counselling during the last phase of life. A patient may be admitted for emergent management of acute or severe pain, by titration of opioid therapy using intravenous or immediate-release oral morphine and adjuvant analgesics and adjuvant drugs. If any patient is unable to visit the hospital due to disease or debility, an NGO based ‘home-care’ palliative care team (including a doctor, a nurse and a social worker) is deployed to visit the patient at home. Department is a unique example of Integration of Pain and Palliative care services to improve quality of life of patients. Department has dedicated facility to provide neurolytic blocks at any stage of the disease early or late or wherever it is beneficial for the patients. Apart from Pain management, treatment of other symptoms form an important component of palliative care. × Apart from pain management, treatment of other symptoms form an important component of palliative care. Patients are admitted to ward for ascitic or pleural fluid tapping or pig-tail insertion. Appropriate candidates are offered pleurodesis. Conservative management of intestinal obstruction, dyspnoea, increased ICT, fungating wounds, colostomy care, intractable nausea and vomiting can be a challenging task. Principles of the end of life care practised extremely well by giving honest information, realistic hope. The patient is given information about futile treatment well in advance. This gives him an opportunity to make informed choices of the treatment. At AIIMS, palliative care is provided by the multidisciplinary team, where all the oncologist, physiotherapist, dietician come together to make an appropriate treatment plan. Teaching and training department is conducting a basic course in essentials of palliative care twice in a year, in the month of June and November, besides yearly foundation course in palliative care is also provided to observers coming from India and abroad. Counselling is another crucial aspect of palliative care which should be addressed along with any other form of therapy. We believe that the counselling and empathy delivered by the palliative care physician along with a holistic understanding of each component (physical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual) of ‘total pain' is unmatchable. Essentially, the primary aim is to rehabilitate and empower the patient and caregivers to be able to live, or die, peacefully and be cared for at home. In conclusion, palliative care is a form of justice to the patients who are in agony. This justice should be delivered to every patient.

Palliative Care - Need of the Hour

<p>Amy Krouse Rosenthal, a popular children&rsquo;s book author, memoirist and public speaker died at the age of 51 on Monday at her home in Chicago. She was suffering from ovarian cancer.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rosenthal had recently earned a large readership after she started writing a monthly column in the New York Times titled <strong>&ldquo;You May Want to Marry My Husband&rdquo;</strong>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In her column, she wrote: &ldquo;I want more time with Jason. I want more time with my children. I want more time sipping martinis at the Green Mill Jazz Club on Thursday nights. But that is not going to happen. I probably have only a few days left being a person on this planet. So why I am doing this?&rdquo;</p>

<p>&ldquo;I am wrapping this up on Valentine&rsquo;s Day,&rdquo; she continued, &ldquo;and the most genuine, non-vase-oriented gift I can hope for is that the right person reads this, finds Jason, and another love story begins.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Her husband, Jason was later interviewed by publishers. To People&rsquo;s Magazine, he said, &ldquo;When I read her words for the first time, I was shocked at the beauty, slightly surprised at the incredible prose given her condition and, of course, emotionally ripped apart.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Rosenthal has written 28 children&rsquo;s picture books, two memoirs; delivered TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Talks and NPR commentaries; and produced short films and YouTube videos of what she called social experiments, with titles like &ldquo;ATM: Always Trust Magic,&rdquo; &ldquo;The Money Tree&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Beckoning of Lovely.&rdquo;</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="430" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o3eZvEIdmq4" width="970"></iframe></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="430" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hxWgIccldh4" width="970"></iframe></p>

<p>Amy Krouse Rosenthal is now survived by her husband, parents, sons Justin and Miles; her daughter, Paris; her sisters, Katie Froelich and Beth Kaufmann; and her brother, Joe Krouse.</p>

<p>From her last memoir: &ldquo;Invariably, I will have to move on before I have had enough. My first word was &lsquo;more.&rsquo; It may very well be my last.&rdquo;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Amy Krouse Rosenthal was a popular children's author and filmmaker

Amy Krouse Rosenthal, a popular children’s book author, memoirist and public speaker died at the age of 51 on Monday at her home in Chicago. She was suffering from ovarian cancer. Rosenthal had recently earned a large readership after she started writing a monthly column in the New York Times titled “You May Want to Marry My Husband”. In her column, she wrote: “I want more time with Jason. I want more time with my children. I want more time sipping martinis at the Green Mill Jazz Club on Thursday nights. But that is not going to happen. I probably have only a few days left being a person on this planet. So why I am doing this?” “I am wrapping this up on Valentine’s Day,” she continued, “and the most genuine, non-vase-oriented gift I can hope for is that the right person reads this, finds Jason, and another love story begins.” Her husband, Jason was later interviewed by publishers. To People’s Magazine, he said, “When I read her words for the first time, I was shocked at the beauty, slightly surprised at the incredible prose given her condition and, of course, emotionally ripped apart.” Rosenthal has written 28 children’s picture books, two memoirs; delivered TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Talks and NPR commentaries; and produced short films and YouTube videos of what she called social experiments, with titles like “ATM: Always Trust Magic,” “The Money Tree” and “The Beckoning of Lovely.” Amy Krouse Rosenthal is now survived by her husband, parents, sons Justin and Miles; her daughter, Paris; her sisters, Katie Froelich and Beth Kaufmann; and her brother, Joe Krouse. From her last memoir: “Invariably, I will have to move on before I have had enough. My first word was ‘more.’ It may very well be my last.” (WION)

'You May Want to Marry My Husband' columnist dies at 51

<p>As a 13-year-old, he was diagnosed with&nbsp;Hodgkin&rsquo;s disease - a severe blood cancer. Being in the fourth and final stage, doctors declared that he will not live for more than ninety days. However, he fought and survived. At 16, another&nbsp;golf ball-sized cancerous tumor was discovered in his lung. After removal of the Askin&rsquo;s tumor, Sean Swarner was expected to live for only fourteen days. But he survived again to astonish the medical world.</p>

<p>A decade later and with only one fully functioning lung, Sean became&nbsp;the first cancer survivor to climb Mount Everest, proving to others that nothing is impossible when your&nbsp;determination is rock solid. The journey didn&#39;t end there; he completed the Ironman Championship and made it to the top of the Seven Summits, the highest peaks of the seven continents. He is also an author of two inspirational novels and the founder of CancerClimber Association, a non-profit organization for cancer survivors.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: What was your state of mind when you were first&nbsp;detected with cancer?</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>Since I was only a 13-year-old, I didn&rsquo;t fully understand how devastating it would be to my life. Being so young, I don&rsquo;t think I had a full grasp on the concept of life versus death, but I knew I was sick and that if I lost the will and hope to live, I wouldn&rsquo;t survive.</p>

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<p>Sean Swarner at age 13, when he was diagnosed with cancer (WION)</p>
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<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: How did you deal with it the second time?</strong></p>

<p><strong>Sean:&nbsp;</strong>I knew what I was getting into much better than before because I had been through a year of hell with the chemotherapy, treatments, bloating, loss of hair&nbsp;and everything else that I&rsquo;d never wish for my worst enemy. I was more scared the second time because I understood what was about to happen &ndash; my life was going to be put on hold until I was better again.</p>

<p>I went through the first one, and I sure didn&rsquo;t want to go through another! I mentally told myself either to fight for my life or give up and die.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: What were some thoughts occupying your mind?</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Sean:&nbsp;</strong>It was difficult in the beginning, I kept asking myself &ldquo;why me?&rdquo; Eventually, I realized that it WAS ME and I cannot change the fact that I had cancer,&nbsp;but I could change my thoughts about cancer. In the process of self-healing, I used to picture&nbsp;myself killing&nbsp;cancer in my veins.</p>

<h3 dir="ltr"><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: So&nbsp;you believe&nbsp;the human mind has the power to heal?</strong></h3>

<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Sean:&nbsp;</strong>The power of the&nbsp;human mind is often underestimated.&nbsp;It can heal on many levels, including emotional, physical and psychological.&nbsp;You always have the freedom to&nbsp;choose how you want to perceive the world. No one can make you feel in a certain manner or force their thoughts upon you unless you want to. You always have a choice. It boils down to perspective &ndash; instead of seeing a challenge as a challenge, see it from a different angle and look at it as an&nbsp;opportunity.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: How would you define hope?</strong></p>

<p><strong>Sean:&nbsp;</strong>I believe it&rsquo;s more than words could ever describe. It&rsquo;s the feeling we get when we expect&nbsp;a certain outcome&nbsp;and sense an unsaid but unwavering assurance for it to happen. To quote Emily Dickinson, &ldquo;Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul&nbsp;and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.&rdquo;</p>

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<p>&quot;Being so young, I don&rsquo;t think I had a full grasp on the concept of life versus death, but I knew I was sick, and that if I lost the will to live and if I lost hope, I wouldn&rsquo;t survive&quot; (Source: Facebook, Sean Swarner) (Facebook)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: Who has shared&nbsp;hope with you?</strong></p>

<p><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>My friends and family are my greatest strength. I also make an effort to grasp something from everyone I meet.&nbsp;We have two ears and one mouth for a reason&nbsp;and if we listen we can learn something new each day.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: You are the first cancer survivor to conquer Mt. Everest- What inspired you?</strong></p>

<p><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>After surviving cancer twice, I wanted to spread hope among those struggling with the disease. I literally wanted the highest platform in the world to scream hope. I developed&nbsp;interest in mountain climbing only eight months before I went for the Everest.&nbsp;People touched by the disease are fighting for their lives; I can struggle through being cold&nbsp;and a little altitude sickness.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: When did you decide to do the Seven Summits?</strong></p>

<p><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>I could see the impact my first expedition had made, and I didn&#39;t want to stop there.&nbsp;After coming home from Everest, I figured that the rest of those mountains on every other continent couldn&rsquo;t be harder than Everest, so I went for it.</p>

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<p>Sean during his expedition to Antarctica (WION)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: What was the scariest moment?</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>I&#39;ve had a number of them and going through cancer definitely is one. Another would be when&nbsp;I was climbing Mt. Denali&nbsp;and&nbsp;fell from a height of 100 feet. I was roped&nbsp;to my climbing partner when I slid 50 feet below him, then another 50 feet below, rocketing down a glacier on the highest mountain in North America.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: What impact have you been able to&nbsp;make with your organization?</strong></p>

<p><b>Sean:</b>&nbsp;We raise funds for cancer survivors who are interested in adventure sports and take them to&nbsp;Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa. These survivors reach out to their own communities and share their survivorship story to inspire others to climb their own proverbial mountains to make more out of their lives.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: What is the overall message?</strong></p>

<p><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>Even though I speak about different causes in different places, the underlying message is all about &ldquo;Redefining Your Impossible&rdquo; and living a life that matters.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: Please share a memory&nbsp;when your story&nbsp;impacted others</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>At a conference after my presentation,&nbsp;I was addressing the audience. I could tell that the next woman in the queue&nbsp;had been crying because her mascara was running down her face and her nose was red. She came up to me, hugged me, buried her face in my chest and started sobbing. I hugged her back and held her until she was ready to talk. She told me that in the past 6 months, she lost her husband and son to cancer and now she&nbsp;herself, had been diagnosed with the disease for the third time. She had planned on committing suicide and&nbsp;had a suicide note written in her hotel room. She said that my talk changed her mind and that I saved her life. It made me believe that I could make a difference.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: Out of all your milestones, which one do you consider your highest?</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>I feel the highest milestone&nbsp;is yet to come,&nbsp;maybe it will be when I get married and have a family.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: Any words for those going through a hard time in life?</strong></p>

<p><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>&ldquo;This too shall pass,&rdquo; because it does. Embrace the positive, enjoy everything you can when life is good&nbsp;and know the bad times are going to pass. People get big muscles by pushing against massive weight. In the same way, people build their mental character and strength by pushing through the tough times.</p>

<p dir="ltr">(Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)</p>


'I knew I was sick and that if I lost the hope to live, I wouldn?t survive'

As a 13-year-old, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease - a severe blood cancer. Being in the fourth and final stage, doctors declared that he will not live for more than ninety days. However, he fought and survived. At 16, another golf ball-sized cancerous tumor was discovered in his lung. After removal of the Askin’s tumor, Sean Swarner was expected to live for only fourteen days. But he survived again to astonish the medical world. A decade later and with only one fully functioning lung, Sean became the first cancer survivor to climb Mount Everest, proving to others that nothing is impossible when your determination is rock solid. The journey didn't end there; he completed the Ironman Championship and made it to the top of the Seven Summits, the highest peaks of the seven continents. He is also an author of two inspirational novels and the founder of CancerClimber Association, a non-profit organization for cancer survivors. Kazimi: What was your state of mind when you were first detected with cancer? Sean: Since I was only a 13-year-old, I didn’t fully understand how devastating it would be to my life. Being so young, I don’t think I had a full grasp on the concept of life versus death, but I knew I was sick and that if I lost the will and hope to live, I wouldn’t survive. Sean Swarner at age 13, when he was diagnosed with cancer (WION) × Kazimi: How did you deal with it the second time? Sean: I knew what I was getting into much better than before because I had been through a year of hell with the chemotherapy, treatments, bloating, loss of hair and everything else that I’d never wish for my worst enemy. I was more scared the second time because I understood what was about to happen – my life was going to be put on hold until I was better again. I went through the first one, and I sure didn’t want to go through another! I mentally told myself either to fight for my life or give up and die. Kazimi: What were some thoughts occupying your mind? Sean: It was difficult in the beginning, I kept asking myself “why me?” Eventually, I realized that it WAS ME and I cannot change the fact that I had cancer, but I could change my thoughts about cancer. In the process of self-healing, I used to picture myself killing cancer in my veins. Kazimi: So you believe the human mind has the power to heal? Sean: The power of the human mind is often underestimated. It can heal on many levels, including emotional, physical and psychological. You always have the freedom to choose how you want to perceive the world. No one can make you feel in a certain manner or force their thoughts upon you unless you want to. You always have a choice. It boils down to perspective – instead of seeing a challenge as a challenge, see it from a different angle and look at it as an opportunity. Kazimi: How would you define hope? Sean: I believe it’s more than words could ever describe. It’s the feeling we get when we expect a certain outcome and sense an unsaid but unwavering assurance for it to happen. To quote Emily Dickinson, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.” "Being so young, I don’t think I had a full grasp on the concept of life versus death, but I knew I was sick, and that if I lost the will to live and if I lost hope, I wouldn’t survive" (Source: Facebook, Sean Swarner) (Facebook) × Kazimi: Who has shared hope with you? Sean: My friends and family are my greatest strength. I also make an effort to grasp something from everyone I meet. We have two ears and one mouth for a reason and if we listen we can learn something new each day. Kazimi: You are the first cancer survivor to conquer Mt. Everest- What inspired you? Sean: After surviving cancer twice, I wanted to spread hope among those struggling with the disease. I literally wanted the highest platform in the world to scream hope. I developed interest in mountain climbing only eight months before I went for the Everest. People touched by the disease are fighting for their lives; I can struggle through being cold and a little altitude sickness. Kazimi: When did you decide to do the Seven Summits? Sean: I could see the impact my first expedition had made, and I didn't want to stop there. After coming home from Everest, I figured that the rest of those mountains on every other continent couldn’t be harder than Everest, so I went for it. Sean during his expedition to Antarctica (WION) × Kazimi: What was the scariest moment? Sean: I've had a number of them and going through cancer definitely is one. Another would be when I was climbing Mt. Denali and fell from a height of 100 feet. I was roped to my climbing partner when I slid 50 feet below him, then another 50 feet below, rocketing down a glacier on the highest mountain in North America. Kazimi: What impact have you been able to make with your organization? Sean: We raise funds for cancer survivors who are interested in adventure sports and take them to Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa. These survivors reach out to their own communities and share their survivorship story to inspire others to climb their own proverbial mountains to make more out of their lives. Kazimi: What is the overall message? Sean: Even though I speak about different causes in different places, the underlying message is all about “Redefining Your Impossible” and living a life that matters. Kazimi: Please share a memory when your story impacted others Sean: At a conference after my presentation, I was addressing the audience. I could tell that the next woman in the queue had been crying because her mascara was running down her face and her nose was red. She came up to me, hugged me, buried her face in my chest and started sobbing. I hugged her back and held her until she was ready to talk. She told me that in the past 6 months, she lost her husband and son to cancer and now she herself, had been diagnosed with the disease for the third time. She had planned on committing suicide and had a suicide note written in her hotel room. She said that my talk changed her mind and that I saved her life. It made me believe that I could make a difference. Kazimi: Out of all your milestones, which one do you consider your highest? Sean: I feel the highest milestone is yet to come, maybe it will be when I get married and have a family. Kazimi: Any words for those going through a hard time in life? Sean: “This too shall pass,” because it does. Embrace the positive, enjoy everything you can when life is good and know the bad times are going to pass. People get big muscles by pushing against massive weight. In the same way, people build their mental character and strength by pushing through the tough times. (Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)

Konversations: The cancer survivor who climbed Everest

<p>Bangladeshi nationals who flock to India in search of medical facilities were left stranded in India&#39;s eastern state of West Bengal following the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes by the Indian government.</p>

<p>For Saima Sharmin, who got Indian currency notes in exchange for Bangladeshi taka at the border checkpost, the journey ahead was difficult. Sharmin was here for her chemo therapy at a private hospital in state capital&nbsp;Kolkata. But, she had to return home without any treatment since the Tata Cancer Hospital refused to provide her treatment in exchange for the old currency notes she had.</p>

<p>&ldquo;I am suffering from cancer. Since&nbsp;we do not get good medical facilities in Bangladesh, we come to India&rsquo;s Bengal. I am in urgent need of the chemo therapy. My chances of survival depend on the treatment that I receive periodically,&rdquo; she told WION.</p>

<p>&ldquo;The hospital is demanding Rs 100 currency notes but I could only exchange Bangladesh&rsquo;s currency for Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. I have to return home without being treated,&quot; she added.</p>

<p>Like Sharmin, several Bangladeshi nationals had to either return home or look for other options to avail treatment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While the Indian government has asked hospitals to accept the old Rs.500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, only government-run hospitals are doing so. Private hospitals and nursing homes are turning down patients who cannot pay for the treatment in denomination of Rs 100 or lower.</p>

<p>While Bangladesh ramps up its own healthcare infrastructure, most patients from across the border come to India in search of not just intensive medical procedures but routine checkups too.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Most private hospitals in the southern fringes of Kolkata get approximately 5 to 10 per cent&nbsp;of its revenue&nbsp;from medical tourism. This demonetisation of currency notes is not only affecting the patients&nbsp;but also the economy rendered by cross-border medical tourism,&rdquo; said a doctor requesting anonymity.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


While the Indian government has asked hospitals to accept old currency notes, only government hospitals have been doing so

Bangladeshi nationals who flock to India in search of medical facilities were left stranded in India's eastern state of West Bengal following the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes by the Indian government. For Saima Sharmin, who got Indian currency notes in exchange for Bangladeshi taka at the border checkpost, the journey ahead was difficult. Sharmin was here for her chemo therapy at a private hospital in state capital Kolkata. But, she had to return home without any treatment since the Tata Cancer Hospital refused to provide her treatment in exchange for the old currency notes she had. “I am suffering from cancer. Since we do not get good medical facilities in Bangladesh, we come to India’s Bengal. I am in urgent need of the chemo therapy. My chances of survival depend on the treatment that I receive periodically,” she told WION. “The hospital is demanding Rs 100 currency notes but I could only exchange Bangladesh’s currency for Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. I have to return home without being treated," she added. Like Sharmin, several Bangladeshi nationals had to either return home or look for other options to avail treatment. While the Indian government has asked hospitals to accept the old Rs.500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, only government-run hospitals are doing so. Private hospitals and nursing homes are turning down patients who cannot pay for the treatment in denomination of Rs 100 or lower. While Bangladesh ramps up its own healthcare infrastructure, most patients from across the border come to India in search of not just intensive medical procedures but routine checkups too. “Most private hospitals in the southern fringes of Kolkata get approximately 5 to 10 per cent of its revenue from medical tourism. This demonetisation of currency notes is not only affecting the patients but also the economy rendered by cross-border medical tourism,” said a doctor requesting anonymity. (WION)

Denied medical treatment in Kolkata for lack of Rs 100 notes: Bangladeshi cancer patient

<p>Michael Douglas ended months of speculation over fellow actor Val Kilmer&#39;s health on Monday by confirming his friend was suffering from cancer, several reports said on Monday.</p>

<p>Douglas reportedly told the audience at an event in London over the weekend that Kilmer, his co-star in 1996&#39;s &quot;The Ghost and the Darkness,&quot; is &quot;dealing with exactly what I had,&quot; referring to oral cancer.</p>

<p>He added that &quot;things don&#39;t look too good&quot; for the 56-year-old, best known for his role in &quot;Top Gun&quot; and as singer Jim Morrison in &quot;The Doors.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;My prayers are with him. That&#39;s why you haven&#39;t heard too much from Val lately,&quot; Douglas, 72, told host Jonathan Ross, according to the London-based Daily Telegraph newspaper and US entertainment industry bible Variety.</p>

<p>Kilmer has repeatedly denied reports that he is unwell but his health has been the subject of persistent speculation since pictures showed him with, apparently, a tracheotomy tube last year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Kilmer&#39;s representatives did not respond immediately to a request for comment.</p>

<p>But Kilmer issued an oblique denial that he was incapacitated in a Facebook post promoting &quot;Cinema Twain,&quot; a filmed version of his one-man play about Mark Twain.</p>

<p>&quot;I&#39;m having so much fun sharing the role I created for my stage play Citizen Twain,&quot; he wrote.</p>

<p>&quot;&#39;The recent news of my death has been greatly exaggerated...&#39; Mark Twain,&quot; he joked, using a widely misquoted line from the author.</p>

<p>&quot;And his values and spirit live on even now! And I&#39;m sure still standing! Yippee!&quot;</p>

<p>Two-time Oscar winner Douglas revealed in 2010 that he was battling stage four throat cancer, but beat the disease thanks to a grueling regime of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.</p>

<p>(AFP)</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


'Things don't look too good' (for Kilmer), Douglas adds

Michael Douglas ended months of speculation over fellow actor Val Kilmer's health on Monday by confirming his friend was suffering from cancer, several reports said on Monday. Douglas reportedly told the audience at an event in London over the weekend that Kilmer, his co-star in 1996's "The Ghost and the Darkness," is "dealing with exactly what I had," referring to oral cancer. He added that "things don't look too good" for the 56-year-old, best known for his role in "Top Gun" and as singer Jim Morrison in "The Doors." "My prayers are with him. That's why you haven't heard too much from Val lately," Douglas, 72, told host Jonathan Ross, according to the London-based Daily Telegraph newspaper and US entertainment industry bible Variety. Kilmer has repeatedly denied reports that he is unwell but his health has been the subject of persistent speculation since pictures showed him with, apparently, a tracheotomy tube last year. Kilmer's representatives did not respond immediately to a request for comment. But Kilmer issued an oblique denial that he was incapacitated in a Facebook post promoting "Cinema Twain," a filmed version of his one-man play about Mark Twain. "I'm having so much fun sharing the role I created for my stage play Citizen Twain," he wrote. "'The recent news of my death has been greatly exaggerated...' Mark Twain," he joked, using a widely misquoted line from the author. "And his values and spirit live on even now! And I'm sure still standing! Yippee!" Two-time Oscar winner Douglas revealed in 2010 that he was battling stage four throat cancer, but beat the disease thanks to a grueling regime of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. (AFP)

Val Kilmer has cancer, says Michael Douglas

<p>There is no conclusive evidence that drinking coffee causes cancer&nbsp;but&nbsp;all &quot;very hot&quot; drinks are probably carcinogenic,&nbsp;the World Health Organization&#39;s cancer agency said&nbsp;as it downgraded&nbsp;its warning.<br />
<br />
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) had previously rated coffee as &quot;possibly carcinogenic&quot; but has changed its mind. On Wednesday it will say its latest review found &quot;no conclusive evidence for a carcinogenic effect&quot;.<br />
<br />
At the same time, however, it will say other scientific evidence suggests that drinking anything very hot - around 65 degrees Celsius or above - including water, coffee, tea and other beverages, probably does cause cancer of the oesophagus.<br />
<br />
Lyon-based IARC, which last year prompted headlines worldwide by saying processed meat can cause cancer, reached its conclusions after reviewing more than 1,000 scientific studies in humans and animals. There was inadequate evidence for coffee to be classified as either carcinogenic or not carcinogenic.<br />
<br />
It had previously put coffee as a &quot;possible carcinogen&quot; in its 2B category alongside chloroform, lead and many other substances.<br />
<br />
The US&nbsp;National Coffee Association welcomed the change in IARC&#39;s classification as &quot;great news for coffee drinkers&quot;.</p>


Still, The International Agency for Research on Cancer removed coffee from the list of 'possible' carcinogens, like lead and chloroform

There is no conclusive evidence that drinking coffee causes cancer but all "very hot" drinks are probably carcinogenic, the World Health Organization's cancer agency said as it downgraded its warning. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) had previously rated coffee as "possibly carcinogenic" but has changed its mind. On Wednesday it will say its latest review found "no conclusive evidence for a carcinogenic effect". At the same time, however, it will say other scientific evidence suggests that drinking anything very hot - around 65 degrees Celsius or above - including water, coffee, tea and other beverages, probably does cause cancer of the oesophagus. Lyon-based IARC, which last year prompted headlines worldwide by saying processed meat can cause cancer, reached its conclusions after reviewing more than 1,000 scientific studies in humans and animals. There was inadequate evidence for coffee to be classified as either carcinogenic or not carcinogenic. It had previously put coffee as a "possible carcinogen" in its 2B category alongside chloroform, lead and many other substances. The US National Coffee Association welcomed the change in IARC's classification as "great news for coffee drinkers".

Can coffee cause cancer? Not really! Unless it's very hot, then scientists say it might

<p>Americans pay the highest prices in the world for cancer drugs, but the treatments are least affordable in lower income countries, according to the results of a new study released on Monday.</p>

<p>The study of cancer drug prices in seven countries, which did not take into account discounts or rebates to list prices, was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.</p>

<p>The lowest drug prices were found in India and South Africa. After calculating price as a percentage of wealth adjusted for the cost of living, however, cancer drugs appeared to be least affordable in India and China.</p>

<p>Researchers at Rabin Medical Center in Petah-Tikvah, Israel, calculated monthly drug doses for 15 generic and eight brand-name cancer drugs used to treat a wide range of cancer types and stages. List prices in Australia, China, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United States were obtained from government websites.</p>

<p>The high prices commanded by modern cancer drugs are generating increased resistance and demands for price discounts from politicians,&nbsp;health&nbsp;care providers, insurers, patients and some doctors.</p>

<p>Drug companies argue that they need to make a profit to pay for the billions of dollars needed for drug research. Many companies also have extensive low-cost or free access schemes for patients who cannot afford their medicines.</p>

<p>The study researchers used gross domestic product and cost of living statistics from the International Monetary Fund to estimate drug price affordability.</p>

<p>Median monthly prices for branded drugs ranged from $1,515 in India to $8,694 in the United States. For generics, median prices were highest in the United States, at $654, and lowest in South Africa, $120, and India, $159.</p>

<p>In terms of ability to pay, the study found cancer drugs to be most affordable in Australia, where generic drugs were priced at 3 percent of &quot;domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity&quot; and patented drugs were 71 percent of the same measure.</p>

<p>In China, the study found generic drug prices were 48 percent and patented drugs were 288 percent of wealth adjusted for the cost of living.</p>

<p>In India, the cost of generics was 33 percent of that measure, while patented drugs were 313 percent.</p>

<p>In the United States, generics were found to be priced at 14 percent of wealth adjusted for the cost of living, and patented cancer drugs were 192 percent of the same measure.</p>

<p>The study did not take into account that drug costs are paid by either the government,&nbsp;healthinsurers, or patients themselves, depending on each country&#39;s&nbsp;health&nbsp;insurance system.</p>

<p>Worldwide spending on cancer medicines will exceed $150 billion by 2020, driven by the emergence of expensive new therapies that help the immune system to attack tumors, according to a forecast earlier this year from IMS&nbsp;Health&nbsp;Holdings.</p>


The study found that cancer drugs were least affordable in India and China although Americans pay the highest in the world for cancer drugs

Americans pay the highest prices in the world for cancer drugs, but the treatments are least affordable in lower income countries, according to the results of a new study released on Monday. The study of cancer drug prices in seven countries, which did not take into account discounts or rebates to list prices, was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago. The lowest drug prices were found in India and South Africa. After calculating price as a percentage of wealth adjusted for the cost of living, however, cancer drugs appeared to be least affordable in India and China. Researchers at Rabin Medical Center in Petah-Tikvah, Israel, calculated monthly drug doses for 15 generic and eight brand-name cancer drugs used to treat a wide range of cancer types and stages. List prices in Australia, China, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United States were obtained from government websites. The high prices commanded by modern cancer drugs are generating increased resistance and demands for price discounts from politicians, health care providers, insurers, patients and some doctors. Drug companies argue that they need to make a profit to pay for the billions of dollars needed for drug research. Many companies also have extensive low-cost or free access schemes for patients who cannot afford their medicines. The study researchers used gross domestic product and cost of living statistics from the International Monetary Fund to estimate drug price affordability. Median monthly prices for branded drugs ranged from $1,515 in India to $8,694 in the United States. For generics, median prices were highest in the United States, at $654, and lowest in South Africa, $120, and India, $159. In terms of ability to pay, the study found cancer drugs to be most affordable in Australia, where generic drugs were priced at 3 percent of "domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity" and patented drugs were 71 percent of the same measure. In China, the study found generic drug prices were 48 percent and patented drugs were 288 percent of wealth adjusted for the cost of living. In India, the cost of generics was 33 percent of that measure, while patented drugs were 313 percent. In the United States, generics were found to be priced at 14 percent of wealth adjusted for the cost of living, and patented cancer drugs were 192 percent of the same measure. The study did not take into account that drug costs are paid by either the government, healthinsurers, or patients themselves, depending on each country's health insurance system. Worldwide spending on cancer medicines will exceed $150 billion by 2020, driven by the emergence of expensive new therapies that help the immune system to attack tumors, according to a forecast earlier this year from IMS Health Holdings.

Cancer drug prices highest in U.S., least affordable in India, China: study

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