Cancer Archive

Creative activities can relieve stress, aid communication, and help arrest cognitive decline.

 Image: © Katherine A. Gallagher Integrative Therapies Art Therapy Program at the Mass. General Cancer Center

The title of a recent documentary film, I Remember Better When I Paint, sums up the findings of a growing body of research into the cognitive effects of making art. The movie demonstrates how drawing and painting stimulated memories in people with dementia and enabled them to reconnect with the world. People with dementia aren't the only beneficiaries. Studies have shown that expressing themselves through art can help people with depression, anxiety, or cancer, too. And doing so has been linked to improved memory, reasoning, and resilience in healthy older people.

Research we're watching

Recent evidence suggests that antibiotics, which affect the makeup of intestinal bacteria, might be associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. A team led by researchers from Harvard Medical School wanted to see if antibiotic use is also associated with adenomatous polyps, precursors of colon cancer that significantly increase the risk of developing the disease.

The team analyzed data from 16,642 women ages 60 or older participating in the Nurses' Health Study. They first looked at participants' antibiotic use from ages 20 through 59 and in the most recent four years. They also checked the results with the women's colonoscopies and found 1,195 cases of adenomatous polyps.

If you have a hacking cough and breathlessness, don't chalk it up to aging.

Maybe you never smoked, or you stopped decades ago. But you may still be at risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). That's the umbrella term for a number of lung diseases that sometimes lead to disability and even death. "While about 80% of COPD cases are related to having smoked, 20% are not," says Dr. Bartolome Celli, a pulmonologist with Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Diseases and symptoms

COPD includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis, severe asthma, or a combination of these conditions. They cause inflammation, destruction, or abnormal repair of airways and lung tissue, which reduces airflow and ultimately makes it harder to take in enough oxygen to supply the body.

On call

Q. I have a history of skin cancer, so I am careful with my sunscreen application. I recently heard that I should avoid spray sunscreens. Is that true?

A. Sunscreen use is highly recommended to help prevent skin damage from sun exposure. Spray sunscreens are popular because they are easy to apply and help cover hard-to-reach areas like the back and shoulders. However, they do raise a few concerns. One is the chance of inhaling some of the sunscreen ingredients or its propellant. The health risk from this is uncertain, but it may trigger asthma in susceptible men. The FDA has not specifically determined the health risks of inhaling sunscreen sprays, but recently advised not to use them near your face.

On call

Q. I have had acid reflux for many years, but it is well controlled with a proton-pump inhibitor. However, I am concerned about long-term damage from my reflux, even though I feel fine now. Should I have an upper endoscopy to look for possible damage?

A. Long-term acid reflux can damage the esophagus and may lead to a condition known as Barrett's esophagus, which is a precursor to esophageal cancer. Barrett's affects about 3% to 10% of older men, but within this group the risk of developing esophageal cancer is only about four in every 1,000 cases. Over all, men with Barrett's are more likely to die from another cause.

This ancient practice can be used alone or with conventional therapy to help ease your pain.

 Image: © zilli/Thinkstock

Men looking for an easy and effective means to manage pain should consider acupuncture.

"There are many different types of pain — neuropathic, muscular, degenerative joint — all of which can make management complex," says Hugo Lopez, a licensed acupuncturist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. "Sometimes you need to treat not just the physical components, but also the psychological ones, and that is where acupuncture can help, as it addresses both problems."

Research we're watching

Previous studies have suggested that being somewhat overweight or even slightly obese may not be associated with a shortened life span. Some studies have suggested that being a bit overweight might even be healthier than being at normal weight. This has been referred to as the "obesity paradox."

A recent analysis of data from the Nurses' Health Studies I and II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study has helped bring clarity to this paradox. Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Boston University School of Public Health assessed the maximum body mass index (BMI) over 16 years for more than 190,000 postmenopausal women and 35,000 senior men. They then tracked who died over a follow-up period averaging 12 years. They found that people with a maximum BMI in the normal range (18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2) throughout life had the lowest risk of death. Those whose highest recorded BMI fell into the overweight or obese category were at elevated risk of dying from any cause, as well as dying specifically from cardiovascular disease, cancer, or respiratory disease, during the follow-up period.