Can Exercise Fight Cancer? This NASA-Inspired Therapy Says Yes! (5 minutes reading)

What do astronauts and cancer patients have in common? More than you'd think. Dr. Jessica Scott, a former NASA scientist now at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is pioneering research showing that exercise can counteract the physical toll of cancer treatments — just like it helps astronauts recover from zero gravity.

Her team found that regular, personalized exercise not only improves physical and mental health during cancer treatment but may also slow tumor growth. In a groundbreaking clinical trial, men with early-stage prostate cancer exercised at home using treadmills and wearable tech. The results? Just under four hours of weekly exercise reduced key cancer-related biomarkers — without any other treatment.

This research is the first to treat exercise like a drug: prescribed in specific doses, monitored, and tested for biological effects. While more studies are needed to prove long-term survival benefits, the early signs are promising.

The ultimate goal? To make exercise a standard, personalized part of cancer care — just like chemotherapy or radiation.

source: LINK

 AI Spots Breast Cancer Missed by Doctors—Before It’s Too Late (5 minutes reading) 

A new study from UCLA shows that artificial intelligence (AI) could help doctors find breast cancers that are often missed during routine mammograms. These are called interval breast cancers, which grow between regular screenings and are usually harder to treat because they’re found later.

Researchers looked at nearly 185,000 past mammograms and found 148 cases where cancer was missed. They used an AI tool called Transpara to re-analyze the original scans. The AI flagged 76% of the missed cancers and was especially good at spotting ones that were visible but overlooked by radiologists.

Even when the cancer was very subtle or nearly invisible, the AI still caught many of them. For example, it flagged 90% of cases where the cancer was visible but misread, and 69% of cancers that were completely hidden on the scan.

While AI isn’t perfect and sometimes marks the wrong areas, it could act as a helpful second opinion for doctors. The study suggests that using AI in screenings could reduce missed cancers by up to 30%, leading to earlier treatment and better outcomes for patients.

This research is one of the first of its kind in the U.S. and could change how breast cancer is detected in the future. 

source: LINK  

Big Drop in Breast Cancer Deaths Among Young Women (5 minutes reading) 

A new study shows that breast cancer deaths in women aged 20 to 49 dropped sharply between 2010 and 2020. The biggest improvements came after 2016, thanks to better treatments, more targeted medicine, and improved access to care.

Researchers looked at over 11,000 deaths and found that all types of breast cancer and all racial and ethnic groups saw declines. The most common type, called luminal A, had the biggest drop. However, younger women (ages 20–39) with this type had lower survival rates than expected, which may mean their cancers behave differently.

Despite the progress, Black women still had the highest death rates and the lowest survival, showing that health gaps remain. Experts say more research and better access to screening and treatment are needed, especially for high-risk and underserved groups.

This study highlights how far we've come in fighting breast cancer in young women—but also how much more we can do to save lives.

Source: LINK