cancer

microbiome

Not just gut bugs: Our microbiomes can even affect cancer treatments

Scientists are figuring out that our microbiomes — those multitudes of bacteria, viruses and fungi in our guts — affect far more than just digestion.

Not just gut bugs: Our microbiomes can even affect cancer treatments
Cone snail

A scientist who finds pharmaceutical promise in the venom of cone snails

A scientist who finds pharmaceutical promise in the venom of cone snails
Co-directors Matteo Norzi and Leonor Caraballo, with producer Abou Farman

A cancer victim hallucinated her end before dying, and made a film about it

A cancer victim hallucinated her end before dying, and made a film about it
Gabe Ortiz

How I overcame my fears and saved my life from cancer

How I overcame my fears and saved my life from cancer
Scanning electron micrograph of a human T lymphocyte (also called a T cell) from the immune system of a healthy donor. Image by NIAID

Are we close to curing cancer?

Are we close to curing cancer?
baby on floor

Exposure to insecticides may increase the risk of childhood cancers

A new analysis suggests exposure to insecticides could pose a significant threat to the health of young children.

Exposure to insecticides may increase the risk of childhood cancers
Sunscreen being applied

Don't forget, wear sunscreen. Why SPF is more important than ever

New research suggests a quarter of your skin cells may have already mutated, making you one step closer to getting skin cancer. What can be done to prevent further damage?

Don't forget, wear sunscreen. Why SPF is more important than ever
A still from "That Dragon, Cancer."

How a child's struggle with cancer became an affecting video game

Ryan Green created the video game "That Dragon, Cancer" to tell the story of his son’s struggle with cancer — and cope with it himself. His son didn’t survive, but he hopes the game lives on and helps others understand how families deal with such tragedies.

How a child's struggle with cancer became an affecting video game

Out of Surgery and Back to Work

I checked into NYU Langone Medical Center the morning of January 29. I woke up seven hours later in complete pain, horror, and, surprisingly, relief.

Out of Surgery and Back to Work
Doctor with stethoscope

Want to be healthier? Try seeing your doctor less

It has long been accepted that seeing your doctor on a regular basis and getting regular screenings is good for your health. That's not necessarily true, a doctor and professor says in a new book.

Want to be healthier? Try seeing your doctor less
William Rogers

For men with prostate cancer, being black is a deadly complication

There are vast racial differences in the occurrence of cancer — in breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. And there's a great deal of difference in the mortality rates in men who are black and men who are white as well.

For men with prostate cancer, being black is a deadly complication
Osman Chandab in Melbourne, Australia contracted whooping cough before getting vaccinated.

No matter where in the world you are, opting out of childhood vaccines can be a catastrophic choice

The new NOVA special, "Vaccines: Calling the Shots," explores the lingering global resistance to vaccination campaigns. Case studies from around the world explain just how bad the impact can be when groups opt out of childhood shots.

No matter where in the world you are, opting out of childhood vaccines can be a catastrophic choice

Seven tips one researcher says can help you reduce your risk of breast cancer

Research just published in Environmental Health Perspectives identifies the most frequently encountered breast carcinogens and suggests ways people can reduce their exposure — and hopefully reduce their risk of breast cancer.

Seven tips one researcher says can help you reduce your risk of breast cancer

Tobacco's Shifting Burden: From the Rich to the Poor

A new graphic from The World illustrates how more and more people in developing countries are taking up smoking, while people in developing nations are quitting. In much of the developing world, lung cancer is well on its way to becoming a leading cause of death, and experts predict tobacco deaths will shift dramatically from the rich to the poor in the 21st century.

Tobacco's Shifting Burden: From the Rich to the Poor
The World

Prioritizing Cancer

Richard Horton, editor of the medical journal The Lancet, criticizes governments and foundations for overlooking cancer as an important issue in the developing world. In an interview with reporter Joanne Silberner, Horton urges political leaders to take up the cause.

Prioritizing Cancer