News by Subject Medicine & Health

In an analysis of how regulators review pesticides for their potential to cause cancer, researchers at Silent Spring Institute identified more than two dozen registered pesticides that were linked with mammary gland tumors in animal studies. The new findings raise concerns about how the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approves pesticides for use and the role of certain pesticides in the development of breast cancer.

A pair of recently published studies analyzed how ovarian function in mice responded to various levels of exposure to glyphosate, a chemical extensively used to kill weeds. The results showed exposure changed the level of some ovarian proteins but did not impact ovarian steroid production, an indication glyphosate may not adversely affect reproduction.

Researchers used silicone wristbands to examine the extent of chemical exposure among a small group of children in Montevideo, Uruguay. The 6- to 8-year-olds wore the bands for seven days. After analyzing the wristbands, researchers found an average of 13 pollutants in each one collected. Some of the wristbands showed exposure to DDT, a harmful pesticide that has been banned for use in many countries, including the U.S., since the 1970s.

The discovery of the oncogene responsible for glioblastoma could be the brain cancer's Achilles' heel, one researcher says.

Human papilloma viruses (HPVs) - a common group of viruses known to cause cervical cancers - may also have a causal role in prostate cancer, according to a literature review published in the open access journal Infectious Agents and Cancer, supporting the case for universal HPV vaccination.

Lung cancer in non-smokers is a biologically distinct disease from that in smokers, according to a new study. Researchers also found that non-smokers have signs of genetic damage from environmental carcinogens and that some cancers look molecularly like more advanced disease - with characteristics that could be targeted with tailored treatments.