Our round-up of the health headlines on Tuesday 23 August.
A ‘golden era' for cancer research has been hailed by Cancer Research UK chief executive, Harpal Kumar, as a project to test the genetics of tumours of 9,000 newly diagnosed patients begins. The Guardian reports that these trials due to start next month at seven hospitals could revolutionise cancer treatments and advance our understanding ‘exponentially'.
The Times reports latest research from think tank Demos which shows that one in 10 people who commit suicide have a terminal illness. The research highlights the ‘bleak choices facing patients with incurable conditions' and presents anecdotal evidence that coroners sometimes turn a blind eye if they think a friend or relative helped the person to die.
Not such startling news from the Telegraph today that ‘richer people are less likely to care for parents'. A study from the Kiev Economics Institute found that ‘For every 10% rise in their salary women will spend 36% less time providing care and men will reduce their input by 18%.'
‘Flu vaccine could help sleep disorder sufferers' says the Independent after research in China found that there was a strong link between getting the flu and incidences of narcolepsy. Therefore taking the flu vaccine (not Pandemrix) and avoiding infection might result in fewer narcolepsy attacks.
The Daily Mail shows research by Swedish scientists who have found women who snack three times a week on biscuits, buns and cakes have a 33% higher chance of developing womb cancer. And yet it was found that eating other sugary food such as sweets, soft drinks, jam and marmalade showed no increase. However, before you lament that piece of lemon drizzle cake you just ate, the overall risk of developing womb cancer over the 18 year study period of 61,226 women was found to be 1%, plus British experts ‘emphasised that it is too early to draw any firm conclusions.'
