Breast Cancer Archive

Survivor's guilt includes strong, persistent feelings of sadness and remorse. Advances in cancer treatment have led to an unprecedented 18 million Americans who are cancer survivors, making survivor's guilt a possible psychological outcome for greater numbers. Survivor's guilt may be more common among people who have survived cancers with high death rates. Strategies to cope include taking time to grieve, seeking support from fellow survivors, and getting counseling to explore underlying contributors to feelings of guilt.

Chronic pain is more common in women, who cope with conditions such as arthritis, migraine headaches, lupus, and fibromyalgia at higher rates than men do. Some research suggests the hormone estrogen could contribute to the disparity. Women should feel free to seek a second opinion or referral to a pain specialist if the current plan is not working. They should also be receptive to different treatment approaches, seek support, and make lifestyle changes that can help them manage pain, such as getting adequate sleep and exercising.

A 2023 study suggests that women who have migraine headaches before pregnancy may have higher risks of pregnancy complications that could threaten their health or that of their babies.

Ovarian cancer, which claims about 13,000 lives each year, is hard to detect in early stages. Recent guidance from professional groups recommends removing fallopian tubes to help prevent ovarian cancer if women are undergoing gynecologic surgery and are finished with childbearing.

The FDA authorized a brand of smokeless tobacco to use language in its advertising claiming that using snuff reduces risk of lung cancer compared to smoking cigarettes. Technically this is true, but it's not the health advantage the product's maker would like consumers to think it is.

Miscarriage describes a pregnancy loss before 20 weeks. It happens in as many as one in three pregnancies, although the risk gradually decreases as pregnancy progresses. What causes miscarriage? How is it treated? And why is appropriate health care for miscarriage under scrutiny?

Prediabetes is a common condition, and often goes undetected. People with this condition have a number of health risks, including a greater chance of suffering a heart attack or stroke. In addition, they are more likely to develop diabetes, which can lead to additional health problems, such as kidney disease and a higher rate of infection. Testing for prediabetes can find the condition early and potentially prevent it from progressing to diabetes.

A recent review found not only that coffee won't harm cardiovascular health or raise the risk of cancer, but it may actually have some health benefits. These include a lower risk of diabetes, and certain cancers, such as liver, and endometrial cancer. Many of these benefits may come from plant chemicals found in coffee.

Certain fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds have been labeled "superfoods" because, compared with other foods, they have higher amounts of certain vitamins and minerals and powerful antioxidants. They often are associated with combating high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers. But instead of focusing on eating more of individual foods, experts suggest building "superplates" that include a variety of superfoods.

A study published by JAMA Network Open found that people taking vitamin D supplements were less likely to have a cancer that spread from the original tumor site to another part of their body or one that proved fatal. However, this risk reduction was only seen in people who were at a normal weight, not those who were overweight or obese. The study did not find that people who took vitamin D were less likely to develop cancer over all compared with those who did not.