Behind the Headlines

Charity calls for boys to get HPV jab

Friday Feb 1 2013

Boys as well as girls should receive the HPV vaccine, say experts, it was reported by the BBC and others today. The experts, gathered together by the Throat Cancer Foundation, say the change is needed to prevent a rise in throat...

2 comments about ‘Charity calls for boys to get HPV jab’:

Cancer death rates are a third higher in men

Tuesday Jan 29 2013

The fact that men are more likely than women to both develop and die from cancer has been covered by most of the media today. The news is based on…

Plastic plates and kidney stones claim 'overcooked'

Wednesday Jan 23 2013

'Eating hot food off plastic plates can increase the risk of kidney stones' is the latest in a long-line of misleading Daily Mail headlines. The study they report on involved only 12 people and only looked at urine samples…

Going bald by 40 'raises prostate cancer risk'

Wednesday Jan 23 2013

'Men who go bald by the age of 40 are more likely to get prostate cancer' is the somewhat depressing news in the Daily Mail as they report on an Australian study into male pattern baldness and cancer…

Nine out of 10 sunbeds have 'unsafe' UV levels

Thursday Jan 17 2013

'Research reveals nine out of ten sunbeds break safety rules,' ITV News has reported. This headline is based on a survey of more than 400 sunbeds and artificial tanning units throughout England. Sunbeds tan the skin by emitting ultraviolet (UV)...

Breast cancer drugs set for preventative use

Tuesday Jan 15 2013

Almost all of the newspapers and their websites are leading with the news that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published draft guidelines recommending that women with a high risk of familial breast cancer...

Pill-size camera may make cancer diagnosis easier

Monday Jan 14 2013

'Doctors have made a pill-sized device that can take detailed microscopic images of inside the gullet' BBC News explains. It is hoped that this new technology will make diagnosing digestive system cancers easier…

Wrong fat in pregnancy diet 'may make kids fatter'

Friday Jan 11 2013

Pregnant women who eat too much of the ‘wrong’ type of fat are likely to have fatter children' the Daily Mail advises. The advice is based on a UK study that found a link between maternal consumption of omega 6 fatty acids and the child’s weight…

1 comment about ‘Wrong fat in pregnancy diet 'may make kids fatter'’:

Breast cancer drug studies 'subject to spin'

Thursday Jan 10 2013

The Daily Telegraph reports the alarming news "Breast cancer drug trials 'spun for impact'," saying that trial results are spun to make treatments appear more beneficial than they actually are...

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...

1 comment about ‘Are 'turbocharged' immune cells key to cancer cure?’: