Lifesite is reporting that Saskatoon Wanuskewin Maurice Vellacott, MP in Ottowa, is publicly asking why the Canadian Cancer Society is not reporting information about the link between hormonal contraception and cancer, and asking what other information the organization may be failing to report.

Vellacott said, “If the Canadian Cancer Society is not telling Canadians the truth about the birth control pill’s link to breast cancer, what else is the Canadian Cancer Society withholding?” Three years ago, researchers found a cervical cancer link to birth control pill use. Last year, the World Health Organization, WHO, said that the birth control pill is carcinogenic and linked to increases in cervical, liver and breast cancer.

In 2003, UK Cancer Research in Oxford epidemiology researchers reviewed 28 studies covering 12,500 women. The results of the study indicated the longer a woman took the pill, the greater her risk of developing cervical cancer. Dr. Gavin Jarvis, with Oxford's Department of Pharmacology, said hormonal contraception is a cocktail of steroids influencing the behavior of every cell in a woman's body. Vellacott wants to know why this information is not made available by an organization structured to represent the best health interests of its citizens.

Chasing the Cancer Answer, a documentary investigating the causes of the North American cancer epidemic, aired last night on CBC. If you were unable to watch the documentary on television, CBC Marketwatch has published much of the content in the show online. Wendy Mesley followed the Canadian Cancer Society's seven steps to a healthy life, and was diagnosed with cancer. She looks behind the cancer curtain to find out why. Mesley investigates the issues of diet and lifestyle; the environmental toxins in our blood; how blaming the patient is easier than prevention; the big business of cancer drugs and treatments; and carcinogens to avoid.

Chasing the Cancer Answer, an investigative documentary that provides revealing interviews with an outspoken American doctor, frustrated cancer victims in southern Ontario, pharmaceutical sales representatives in Paris, France, and activists working to increase awareness of prevention measures, airs Sunday, March 5, at 7:00 pm on CBC television.

Wendy Mesley, co-host of CBC's Marketplace and breast cancer survivor, investigates why cancer is one of Canada's fastest growing medical problems, and asks hard questions as to why, when the rate of cancer in the 1950's was 1 person out of 10, today, it is predicted that cancer will strike 1 person out for every two people. Mesley is angry at a medical system that focuses on lifestyle prevention programs that seem to blame the person for their cancer.

What Mesley discovers during her investigation promises to be shocking. If you live in Canada, or can get the CBC channel through satellite dish programming, this looks to be a good show. From the promos and brief interviews I have read about Chasing the Cancer Answer, she is outspoken and takes no prisoners. For those who are interested and will not be able to view the documentary, I will provide a follow-up to this post with a summary of Chasing the Cancer Answer.

03/11/2006 post update: If you missed the original airing of Chasing the Cancer Answer, you can view it free online. Go here for details.