Behind the Headlines

Even 'light' smoking may raise women's arthritis risk

Tuesday Apr 23 2013

"Smoking just a few cigarettes a day more than doubles a woman's risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis," the Mail Online website reveals. The website reports on a Swedish study that found women who smoke…

Prostate cancer screening for older men 'unlikely'

Wednesday Apr 17 2013

There is wide coverage of new research that argues that routine screening could reduce deaths from prostate cancer, with BBC News, The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail all reporting the story. This controversial study is likely to reignite…

Alcohol has no effect on breast cancer survival

Tuesday Apr 9 2013

'A glass of wine a day will not affect a woman's chance of beating breast cancer' the Mail Online website reports. A new study suggests that while alcohol increases the chances of developing breast cancer it does not affect the chance of dying from it…

Bowel cancer up 30% for men in 35 years

Tuesday Apr 2 2013

A rise in bowel cancer among men has been reported across the UK media. The news is based on figures released by Cancer Research UK, coinciding with the start of bowel cancer awareness month...

Could new gene markers herald better cancer tests?

Thursday Mar 28 2013

Most of the UK media have reported on what has been described as landmark research into the genetics of breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. Many commentators state that this will lead to cheap and reliable screening tests…

Women who stop taking breast cancer drugs risk early death

Friday Mar 22 2013

“Breast cancer survivors who cut short preventative treatment ‘risk early death’,” The Guardian reports, saying that women who have only three years of preventative treatment rather than five are more likely to die earlier…

Seven healthy lifestyle tips could 'halve cancer risk'

Tuesday Mar 19 2013

'The seven golden rules for a healthy life: Simple lifestyle steps can help prevent cancer and heart disease,' the Mail Online website reports. This accurate headline comes from a new study that found that people who took steps to reduce...

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Metastatic breast cancer blood test performs well

Thursday Mar 14 2013

A blood test to see how well women are responding to breast cancer treatment could be on its way, The Daily Telegraph reports. It describes the test as a 'liquid biopsy'…

Diet high in processed meat 'threatens health'

Friday Mar 8 2013

The big health news of the week is the claim that eating a diet high in processed meat can increase the risk of premature death due to cancer and heart disease. The current media scare stems from a large Europe-wide study…

Don't lose sleep over heart failure risk from insomnia

Wednesday Mar 6 2013

Insomnia "can triple your risk of heart failure", the Daily Mail reported today. Try not to lose sleep over this story. The Mail has chosen the most startling figure it can find. Fortunately, the results of the research are less worrying...