When the Answer Isn’t So Clear: Interpreting the Results of Medical Research
There are few things in life that are black and white and medical research is certainly no exception. Being able to skillfully evaluate the authority, usefulness, and reliability of medical information is a crucial step towards making informed decisions in one’s own healthcare.
Avenues - Summer 2009
In our Summer 2009 newsletter, we offer advice for critically evaluating medical research and also give an update on our canine scent detection of ovarian cancer research.
Simple Tools For Understanding Risks: From Innumeracy to Insight
Bad presentation of medical statistics such as the risks associated with a particular intervention can lead to patients making poor decisions on treatment. Particularly confusing are single event probabilities, conditional probabilities (such as sensitivity and specificity), and relative risks. How can doctors improve the presentation of statistical information so that patients can make well informed decisions?
Presentation: June 10th, 2009
The Pine Street Foundation hosted a presentation on our current canine scent detection study on Wednesday June 10th, 2009 at 6pm at the LGBT Center, 1800 Market Street, in San Francisco.
Canine Scent Detection: Frequently Asked Questions
Researchers answer people's frequently asked questions about our canine scent detection research projects.
Canine Scent Detection: Breast and Lung Cancer
In an international collaboration, the Pine Street Foundation conceived of and obtained grant support for a rigorously designed diagnostic study aimed at accurate early detection of lung and breast cancers.
O, The Oprah Magazine: Sniffing Out Cancer
The Pine Street Foundation's work on canine scent detection was featured in the June 2009 of O, The Oprah Magazine.
Lymphoma, Chemotherapy, & Antioxidants
Using antioxidants during chemotherapy is an important and controversial question among health care providers, patients, and their support teams. In previous issues of Avenues, we have researched this subject thoroughly for prostate, breast, lung, colon, and ovarian cancers. In this article, we turn our focus to lymphoma, conducting a systematic search for published research that would support or discourage the use of antioxidants in combination with chemotherapy.
From the Board (Avenues 25 - Spring 2009)
Welcome to the spring issue of Avenues! 2009 is already off to an incredible start and this coming year promises to be our best yet, with new research projects and educational initiatives.
Avenues - Spring 2009
In our Spring 2009 newsletter, we address the question of combining antioxidants with chemotherapy in the treatment of lymphoma and also give an update on our canine scent detection of ovarian cancer research.
Cómo dormir bien: Para comprender la importancia del descanso y la salud optima
Durante los últimos 25 años, los estadounidenses han estado durmiendo cada vez menos. [1] Los resultados de encuestas realizadas por la Fundación Nacional del Sueño [Nacional Sleep Foundation] muestran que el 69% de los adultos responden que tienen problemas para dormirse por lo menos varias veces a la semana, si no más.
Pine Street Foundation on KQED's "Quest"
The Pine Street Foundation's research on the early detection of cancer was featured on KQED's "Quest" program on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008.
Ovarian Cancer, Chemotherapy, & Antioxidants
Chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of ovarian cancer work, in part, by inducing even higher levels of oxidative stress to attack cancer cells. This increased oxidative stress also causes chemotherapy related side effects. Oncologists have been concerned that antioxidants, which can decrease oxidative stress, can therefore also decrease chemotherapy treatment effectiveness or increase resistance to chemotherapy. However, no substantial clinical research has emerged to support the assertion that antioxidants are contraindicated during chemotherapy.
Colon Cancer, Chemotherapy, & Antioxidants
Although not commonly addressed in clinical consultation, scientific evidence suggests that combining certain chemotherapy treatments with specific antioxidants at defined dosages can improve drug effectiveness or may reduce side effect severity in the treatment of colon cancer.
Lung Cancer, Chemotherapy, & Antioxidants
There is a growing body of evidence that suggests combining specific chemotherapy treatments for lung cancer with certain antioxidants at defined dosages can help improve drug effectiveness or reduce the severity of side effects. In this evidence-based review article, Johanna Altgelt, an associate researcher at the Pine Street Foundation, searched through thousands of peer-reviewed, published studies and discusses how antioxidants may enhance or, in some cases, inhibit the therapeutic action of specific chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of lung cancer.
Breast Cancer: Advances in Diagnosis & Treatment
There has been significant progress in the diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer this past year. In this article, guest author Gwendolyn Stritter, MD, discusses some of the latest research and observes how there is increasingly "more information about which herbs, supplements, and other alternative/complementary approaches can minimize treatment side effects and possibly even reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence."
Breast Cancer, Chemotherapy, & Antioxidants
There is a growing body of evidence that suggests combining certain chemotherapy treatments with certain antioxidants at specific dosages can help improve drug effectiveness or reduce the severity of side effects. In this evidence-based review article, we searched through thousands of peer-reviewed, published studies and discuss how antioxidants may enhance or, in some cases, inhibit the therapeutic action of specific chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of breast cancer.
Antioxidants & Chemotherapy for Advanced Prostate Cancer: The Latest Research on Specific Interactions
While it is true that there are some antioxidants that can hinder chemotherapy's effects, recent research suggests that there are some antioxidants that, when combined with chemotherapy, can increase the effectiveness of treatment by upwards of 30%. In this article, we seek to provide some clarity on this topic by providing useful guidelines that patients and health care providers can use to make better, more informed treatment decisions. Although this article specifically focuses on advanced metastatic prostate cancer, future articles will focus on the use of antioxidants and chemotherapy in the treatment of other cancers.
Your Mind & Cancer Treatment: The Latest Research on Chemotherapy-related Cognitive Decline
In 2005, we addressed the issue of chemotherapy-related cognitive decline, sometimes called "chemo brain" or "chemo fog." Since then, there have been some important new studies that provide more evidence of this problem, which we discuss and summarize in this new article.