Slight slowdown seen in new cancer cases

The rate of new cancer cases finally may be inching down — cautiously optimistic news but a gain that specialists worry could be derailed by economic turmoil.

Encouraging dip in rate of new cancers, deaths

The rate of new cancer cases finally may be inching down - cautiously optimistic news but a gain that specialists worry could be derailed by economic turmoil. Death rates from cancer have been dropping slowly for years, thanks to earlier detection and better treatments. But preventing cancer is the ultimate goal, and Tuesday's annual "Report to the Nation" on cancer also shows a small but encouraging change: The rate of new diagnoses among men dropped 1.8 percent a year between 2001 and 2005.

U.S. cancer rate declines for the first time

Government figures indicate that major progress is being made in prevention. But researchers warn that there are still some clouds on the horizon. For the first time since the government began compiling records, the rate of cancer has begun to decline, marking a tipping point in the fight against the second-leading cause of death among Americans.

Encouraging dip in rate of new cancers, deaths

The rate of new cancer cases finally may be inching down - cautiously optimistic news but a gain that specialists worry could be derailed by economic turmoil. Death rates from cancer have been dropping slowly for years, thanks to earlier detection and better treatments. But preventing cancer is the ultimate goal, and Tuesday's annual "Report to the Nation" on cancer also shows a small but encouraging change: The rate of new diagnoses among men dropped 1.8 percent a year between 2001 and 2005.

Hot flushes linked to breast cancer drug success

Hot flushes, night sweats or painful joints may be good news for women taking hormone-based drugs for breast cancer — it may mean their tumors are less likely to return, researchers said on Thursday.

New test aims to predict breast cancer risk better

A new test to predict an ordinary woman's odds of getting breast cancer works better than a method doctors have relied on for decades, researchers reported Friday. The test is the first to combine dozens of genes and personal factors like age and childbearing to gauge risk in women who don't have a strong family history of the disease. They account for three-fourths of all cases.