Behind the Headlines

Are 'turbocharged' immune cells key to cancer cure?

Friday Jan 4 2013

"Immune system 'booster' may hit cancer," BBC News reports. The headlines follow Japanese research where stem cells were used to clone and produce large numbers of a specialised type of white blood cell...

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Trojan horse therapy 'can beat cancer'

Friday Dec 21 2012

BBC News reports that an experimental therapy hides "cancer killing viruses inside the immune system in order to sneak them into a tumour" and that this "Trojan-horse therapy 'completely eliminates' cancer in mice"...

Four cups of coffee a day 'halves' mouth cancer risk

Wednesday Dec 12 2012

“Drinking coffee halves the risk of mouth cancer – even in smokers and drinkers,” claims the Daily Mail. This story is based on a large US study that found that adults who reported drinking more than four cups of caffeinated coffee a day...

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Cancer cases rise, but more people survive

Friday Dec 7 2012

New cancer statistics for the UK have hit the headlines, with most papers reporting that fewer people are dying from the disease, despite a rise in the numbers being diagnosed...

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Ten years of tamoxifen ups cancer survival rates

Thursday Dec 6 2012

'Breast cancer deaths halved if patients given "wonder drug" tamoxifen for 10 years, not five,' reports the Daily Mail. This headline is based on a study of the effectiveness...

Smacking link to adult cancers improbable

Tuesday Nov 13 2012

'Smacking or shouting at children boosts their risk of developing cancer, heart disease and asthma, British researchers have claimed' The Sun informs us. The researchers argue that trauma during childhood can cause long-term harmful biological effects…

Tea cuts bowel cancer risk

Friday Nov 2 2012

'Green tea may lower the risk of colon, stomach and throat cancers in women' the Daily Mail suggests after the publication of a study looking at the effects of tea drinking in older Chinese women…

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Does breast cancer screening do more harm than good?

Tuesday Oct 30 2012

The media reports that breast cancer screening is "harming thousands", with The Guardian claiming "breast cancer screening causes more damage than previously thought". These headlines have been prompted by...

Does blood pressure influence prostate cancer survival?

Tuesday Oct 23 2012

'Men suffering from high blood pressure are at greater risk of prostate cancer' the Daily Express warns. In fact the study they are misreporting found no link between hypertension and overall rates of prostate cancer cases, but prostate cancer deaths …

Multivitamins 'reduce cancer risk' in men

Thursday Oct 18 2012

"Taking a daily multivitamin pill may lower the risk of developing cancer in men, US researchers have claimed," reports the BBC News website. This news is based on a long-term trial that looked at whether men who took a daily multivitamin...

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