A test that can detect the genetic “fingerprint” of prostate cancer in blood could improve diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of the disease, researchers say. The test checks for prostate cancer DNA in blood in order to provide the earliest evidence that prostate cancer is active. This could help doctors monitor tumor behavior, determine if cancer…  read on >

Suicidal thoughts have haunted nearly one of every 10 pre-teens in the United States, a new study reveals. About 8.4% of children aged 9 or 10 said they’d temporarily or regularly harbored thoughts of suicide, researchers report. Importantly, only around 1% of children that age reported a suicide attempt or planning their suicide. But suicidal…  read on >

U.S. death rates from cancer continued falling from 2001 to 2017 — dropping an average 1.5% a year, a new report shows. The annual decline was slightly larger among men (1.8%) than women (1.4%), according to the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. The report is prepared by the U.S. Centers…  read on >

Could clues to future health emergencies be found in Facebook posts? Maybe so, according to a new study that discovered there are changes in users’ posts before they seek emergency care. For the study, researchers analyzed the Facebook posts and medical records of more than 2,900 patients at a U.S. urban hospital, including 419 who’d…  read on >

YouTube is awash in misleading videos touting the safety of tobacco and vaping, a new study finds. Researchers found that from 2013 to 2019, views of smoking-themed YouTube videos dramatically increased, particularly those with instructions on vaping. “The easy access of such material suggests that YouTube is a fertile environment for the promotion of tobacco…  read on >

As coronavirus continues to spread across America, people in some areas are quarantined. Conferences, sporting events and travel plans are being called off, while hand sanitizer and toilet paper is flying off the shelves. Short of finding a well-stocked bunker, how can you learn to live with this new normal? An important key to living…  read on >

Many U.S. primary care doctors worry they aren’t ready to care for the growing ranks of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease, a new report suggests. In a Alzheimer’s Association survey, half of primary care doctors said the U.S. medical profession is unprepared for the coming surge in Alzheimer’s cases. Right now, it’s estimated that more than…  read on >

For people who want to stop drinking, the world’s oldest alcohol support group is still the best way, a new review concludes. In an analysis of 27 studies, researchers found that Alcoholics Anonymous was typically more effective than behavioral therapies when it came to helping people remain abstinent. AA also appeared as good as those…  read on >