Cancer patients who have heart attacks are typically not treated with a course of life-saving aspirin because of the belief that these patients might experience lethal bleeding.

This belief is now under dispute and researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center say that without aspirin, the majority of these patients will die. Their arguments, subject of a recent study, will be published in the February 1 issue of the journal Cancer.

Aspirin has been viewed as harmful because of its tendency to thin blood. Because cancer patients can experience low platelet counts and abnormal clotting, aspirin has been considered a contraindication. But this study found that nine of 10 cancer patients with low platelet counts who experienced heart attacks and who did not receive aspirin died. Only one patient died, however, in a group of 17 cancer patients who received aspirin.

This conclusion -- that aspirin helps people with cancer just as it does for people without cancer -- may help medical professionals determine guidelines for treatment of heart attacks in cancer patients. Because right now, physicians are uncertain about how to balance treatment for both conditions.

Stomach cancer is hard to detect. It has no symptoms in its early stages, and there is no effective screening to detect its presence. So early detection and early treatment for this disease -- that attacks 800,000 people worldwide -- are hard to come by. In Taiwan, stomach cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the focus of study for researchers working to devise a method for detecting stomach cancer in its infancy.

A team of researchers at National Taiwan University Hospital have discovered a toxic factor -- GroES -- that causes stomach cancer. And they have discovered that a simple blood test will show either a positive or negative result for this substance, leading to immediate endoscopic exams for patients who may be at risk for stomach cancer. The test to identify GroES has already achieved a 65 percent accuracy rate.

Apparently, if the human body is infected with GroES, it produces antibodies to the factor and can cause chronic inflammation of the stomach, causing cells to rupture and proliferate. Long-term inflammation can cause stomach cancer. Researchers say about 45 percent of adults in Taiwan are infected with GroES -- and one percent will go on to develop stomach cancer.

Right now, patent applications are underway in the United States, Japan, and Taiwan. Once a kit is developed, a single drop of blood will be all it takes to determine the risk for stomach cancer.

Just days before the 5th anniversary of the September 11th tragedy, Mt. Sinai Medical Center released a health report on the variety of illnesses suffered by rescue workers and city residents who were present at the scene. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against NYC by 8,000 of these workers who blame the toxic atmosphere and lack of health warnings from city officials for the onset of cancers, respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases developed after exposure to the site.

The toxic metals and particles floating in the air above the pile of rubble that day are the same toxic elements found in cigarette smoke -- and these particles became deeply embedded in rescue workers and volunteers lungs. A special warning has been issued to those present at the site to now quit smoking, to avoid making their symptoms worse.

NY senator-D Hillary Clinton, along with other state representatives, are urging more federal funding for health care for these individuals. The new study has also helped establish new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of 9/11 related illnesses. As many of the volunteers and crisis workers now live in other areas of the country, the guidelines provide much needed understanding of their ailments to unaware doctors.

Double the hormone, double the risk. Or so says one study of older women who take hormone pills. When estrogen and testosterone are combined, women face twice the chance of getting breast cancer, according to a study of more than 70,000 nurses. This type of combination therapy may help with mood, libido, and bone density -- but the possible risk of breast cancer may just outweigh these benefits. These findings, published in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine, add to the evidence that certain types of hormone supplements -- like estrogen-progestin pills -- increase risk of breast cancer, strokes, and heart attacks in women. Other research points to a link between breast cancer and high natural levels of testosterone.

Women's natural levels of estrogen and testosterone decrease with menopause. Use of supplements has climbed over the past 24 years, perhaps putting more women at more risk. Estrogen-testosterone pills are sold under the brand names Estratest and Estratest H.S. and appear on a Washington-based advocacy group's "Worst Pills" list because of breast cancer risk.

The term Omega-3 has become well known in recent years with studies that this healthy fat found in fish and most other seafood can reduce the risk of cancer, and particularly prostate and breast cancer. Consumption of fish has been shown to have cardiovascular health benefits like reducing triglycerides and reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Vicki's Broiled Lime Cilantro Salmon
1 whole side Salmon fillet, 3/4" thick 
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 lime sliced thinly

Combine cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and salt in bowl and mix well. Place fish on a plate or platter skin side down if the skin is still on, and pour mixture over fish. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Spray non-stick cooking oil on broiler pan and place fish on pan. Place lime slices around on top of the fish. Place in oven about 12 inches from the heat and broil for about 6 minutes. Keep an eye on it as it broils because all ovens heat differently. Take fish out of oven and let stand for 3 to 4 minutes as fish will continue to cook on its own with the heat already in it.  Slice and serve.

Another option is you can grill the salmon with this same recipe but grill covered for about 4 to 5 minutes.

Coping with the fear of cancer recurrence is something in my every day mindset as well as many cancer survivors. When my cancer did come back, it doubled my fears often sending me into panic attacks. Often examining every inch of my body for signs of cancer several times a day, I found myself crying in my bathroom and then eventually going into a denial mindset that if I didn't know about it, it would just go away. Fear of any kind if let in consistently can eat away at your ability to function even simple every day tasks. Fear leads to a lot of depression and stress and that in turn leads your body into a state of vulnerability of disease including recurrence of cancer.

Both times my cancer came back was following two very stressful times in my life, so I do not have any doubt about the effects stress plays on a body. So how can you not stress? How can you get that fear out of the back of your mind? I am asked at least 2 or 3 times a week, how do I keep a positive mindset and focus on so much work. It is not simple and it is not an easy thing to do. My advice is always, find meaning and learn focus.

Is smoking or not smoking a choice for everyone? While some cities are banning smoking in public places and some conscious efforts around the US are setting standards to stop smoking in the work place -- and restaurants are following a pattern to either end smoking in their establishments or to designate an area just for smokers -- it is still up to a lot of individuals to make choices where they will go in public to avoid cigarette smoke.

Twenty percent of lung cancers in women are from non-smokers who were exposed to second hand smoke. This statistic seems to be on the rise. But it is not just lung cancers that are affected by second hand smoke. Other types of cancers have been related to smoking or second hand smoke.

As adults we all have to make choices daily whether to go hang out with friends in a bar or night club that allows smoking, or to visit with a friend or family member in their house and they are a smoker. But what about the children? What choices do they have to stay away from parents, guardians, or baby sitters or other family members that are smokers? Children face a higher risk than adults of the negative effects of second hand smoke. Not only is a child's body still developing physically, but their breathing rate is faster than that of adults. Children breathing second hand smoke have many more illnesses like ear infections, bronchitis, allergies, and stunted growth.

So if you are trying to find some way to help you quit smoking, think about the health of your children or the children you are around. If you need another reason, remember that kids of a parent that smokes are more likely to start smoking themselves when they get older.  Do you want your kids to have an increased risk of lung cancer or heart attacks because they learned to smoke from you?

If you just can't quit, then make a conscious effort to smoke outside of the home and do not smoke in the car.  Also consider using smokeless ashtrays.  Cut down on the amount of exposure to second hand cigarette smoke for your child who does not have the choice.

Out of New Zealand comes reporting that four New Zealanders have suffered rotting jawbones after taking a bisphosphates medication prescribed to help prevent bone loss for patients suffering from osteoporosis and bone cancers. At least 15 Americans are suing Merck after developing breakdown of bone in the jaw due to taking Fosamax prescribed to strengthen bone and prevent bone loss.

According to the report, while the New Zealand patients were not taking the brand name drug, Fosamax, they were taking a similar version of the same drug. In total, about 2500 cases of rotting jaws have been reported. Merck is the same company who was forced to take Vioxx, an arthritis drug, off the market after a study showed it doubled the risk of heart attacks or strokes if patients took it for longer than 18 months. Perhaps we need to take a closer look into the medicine cabinet -- and start asking more questions -- before we rush to get a glass of water and down the newest approved pill. A new cancer drug is about to hit the market. Let's take a look.

According to an attorney representing a group of 9/11 first responders who have been diagnosed with brain cancer and other illness -- out of the 7,300 sick workers and family members involved in the case -- 41 have now died. The group states that the toxic dust that filled the air immediately following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers is responsible for their illnesses. 

In a related post, WTC Ground Zero: FDNY paramedic dies of lung cancer, we shared the story of Debbie Reeve, a FDNY paramedic, who spent several months at Ground Zero working in the morgue. Reeve was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer. Mesothelioma is a malignant lung cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Reeve was exposed to asbestos particles in the air caused by the collapsing Twin Towers. According to her physician and her family, her work at Ground Zero is the direct link to the cancer that took her life. She died in mid-March, leaving behind her husband, David Reeve, 45, a FDNY paramedic, and two children, a daughter Elizabeth, who is ten years old, and a son Mark, who is only six years old. Her family said she suffered greatly leading up to her death, as the cancer consumed her body.

In another news story that came out today, a survey completed by the Centers for Disease Control states that people trapped in the dust and debris cloud were nearly three times more likely to experience respiratory symptoms than other building survivors not bathed by the cloud. "That was most surprising to us - the impact of the dust cloud," noted Dr. Lorna Thorpe, deputy commissioner of the city Health Department and head of the World Trade Center Health Registry, which has been tracking the health of more than 71,000 people who worked at or were near Ground Zero on 9/11.

As a nation, we owe these brave men and women whatever they need. Government, state and city agencies should step up and do what is right for our heroes, who ran upstairs into harm's way while everyone was passing them on the way down escaping danger. Who stood in the middle of dense choking dust and debris, to help the injured. Who stayed, and sifted through the heartbreak of destruction to find the lost loved ones of others. This should never have gotten so bad for them they have to go to court to see that right is done.