Recently I received a forward citing a recent “John Hopkins update” on cancer. It turns out it is a Hoax (per the link below), in that it supposedly comes from Johns Hopkins, a well respected US health institution and it also contains non-factual statements mixed with some facts.
I encourage reading the hoax and the response which debunks the non-factual statements. If you have only time for one, stick to the facts in the response. There is lots of good information on cancer and links to related information. Links are at the bottom of the post.
Below are the two interesting things I learned about cancer after reading the Johns Hopkins response,
On Testing and Diagnosis
Diaz and other Kimmel Cancer Center researchers are working on new tests that detect abnormal DNA shed by cancer cells into blood and body fluids and have the ability to find cancers before they cause any symptoms.
Approaches like this could lead to a broad-based screening test for cancer.
Tests like these also are being used to detect cancer recurrences and malignant cells left behind following surgery, and can find cancers that are not detectable under the microscope or in x-rays.
Other researchers are studying cancer stem cells. They are stealth cells that make up just a tiny fraction of a tumor. While small in number, investigators believe they may be the cells that drive certain cancers and lead to cancer recurrence. Therapies that target these cells are now being tested in clinical trials.
A team of our breast cancer researchers has developed a method that could make it possible to detect breast cancer from the DNA contained in a single drop of blood.
On Immune Response
The immune system simply does not recognize cancer. In its complexity, the cancer cell has learned to disguise itself to the immune system as a normal cell. By deciphering the methods cancer cells use to make them invisible to the immune system, Elizabeth Jaffee and team have developed cancer vaccines that have successfully triggered immune reactions against prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, leukemia, and multiple myeloma.
Cancer Hoax Email
Johns Hopkins Response to Cancer Hoax Email
