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For a topic that always gets a lot of news coverage, health and healthcare has been in the media even more than usual since the 2016 election. While it’s unclear exactly where the current debates on Obamacare and the American Health Care Act will lead, a Sounding Board article in today’s New England Journal of […]

Suggests focus on inequality should be similar to that on lifestyle risk factors by Hank DartA large, new study has found that income inequality contributes to premature death on a level similar to important lifestyle factors like smoking, physical inactivity, and diabetes. The study, appearing in The Lancet, combined findings from 48 cohort studies in […]

Only two doses now needed for most youth, instead of three By Katy Henke HPV, or human papillomavirus, is an increasingly popular health topic these days. Not only are there news stories about HPV and the HPV vaccine just about every week, but there’s a push across nearly all levels of healthcare — from federal […]

It’s not news that parents can sometimes have blinders on when it comes to their kids. It’s only natural that we look for all the positives in our children and downplay any possible negatives. And this is just what seems to be happening with parents and the loaded issue of their child’s weight.  Parents of […]

by Katy Henke With Labor Day weekend bringing summer vacation to a close, parents are putting the finishing touches on preparation for the impending school year. In addition to school supplies and new clothing, parents should also be vaccinating their children prior to school starting. Vaccinations help prevent possible future infections and diseases. Prevention through […]

Cancer News in Context’s Dr. Graham Colditz speaks with ecancertv at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) 50th Anniversary Scientific Conference 2016 about the social and legislative surroundings of modern strategies in cancer prevention.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) reported today in the journal, JAMA, that there is not enough evidence to recommend that adults get screened for skin cancer. Though some professional medical organizations recommend physician-performed visual checks for skin cancer — and many physicians carry them out — the USPSTF found no solid evidence that […]

Photos from Friday’s very successful 2nd Rural Cancer Disparities Retreat at Washington University School of Medicine in collaboration with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. The P20 leadership team: from left: Sonya Izadi, WUSM project coordinator; Dr. Wiley Jenkins, SIU; Dr. Graham Colditz, WUSM; Dr. David Steward, SIU; Dr. Aimee James, WUSM; and Amanda Fogleman Dr. Graham […]

Cancer News in Context is excited to publish four posts this week on high-risk breast and ovarian cancer.  These posts will provide insight for women (and their families) from Washington University School of Medicine physicians on unique aspects of high-risk disease — from genetic testing and treatment to prevention and risk management.   July 11 […]

Cancer News in Context is excited to publish four posts this week on high-risk breast and ovarian cancer.  These posts will provide insight for women (and their families) from Washington University School of Medicine physicians on unique aspects of high-risk disease — from genetic testing and treatment to prevention and risk management.   July 11 […]

by Katy Henke For such an important issue, rural cancer disparities don’t often get their due attention. Yet, it is understood by researchers and rural community members alike that geographic location has an important affect on population health and preventative health interventions. For individuals living in rural, isolated areas, a lack of access to healthcare […]

Cancer News in Context is excited to publish four posts this week on high-risk breast and ovarian cancer.  These posts will provide insight for women (and their families) from Washington University School of Medicine physicians on unique aspects of high-risk disease — from genetic testing and treatment to prevention and risk management.   July 11 […]

Cancer News in Context is excited to publish four posts this week on high-risk breast and ovarian cancer.  These posts will provide insight for women (and their families) from Washington University School of Medicine physicians on unique aspects of high-risk disease — from genetic testing and treatment to prevention and risk management.   July 11 […]

A new study shows just how tough it can be for low-income smokers in the United States to get adequate, affordable health insurance coverage. In an analysis looking at the plans offered in the Affordable Care Act marketplace, in a state that did not expand Medicaid coverage, Washington University School of Medicine researchers found that […]

By Sydney Philpott Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common sexually transmitted infection. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most sexually active women and men will have an HPV infection at some point in their lives. While HPV infections usually go away on their own, certain types persist and then serve as the primary […]

by Hank Dart The course of the obesity epidemic in the United States has been so bad for so many years that even minor victories have been cause for celebration. But despite some bright spots in the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports on national rates of obesity (on adults, on youth), […]

By Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH In the British journal, The Lancet, this week Dr. Karen Emmons and I comment on an analysis of health insurance, cancer mortality and the impact of the great recession 1. This note expands slightly on our comment and adds focus on the Vice-President’s Moonshot options to improve access to cancer […]

Editor’s note: This post originally appeared as a Health Beyond Barriers podcast on Minds Eye Radio. It was produced in English, Spanish, Bosnian, Vietnamese, and Arabic through a collaboration with LAMP, Language Access Metro Project. By Hank Dart Whole grains. For something so often recommended as part of a healthy diet, they can seem pretty […]

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by Katy Henke A new study sheds some light on strategies that may help smokers in under-researched communities take steps to quit. Recently, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis led a study that looked at the potential impact that graphic cigarette labels might have in sparking social interaction around smoking cessation in American Indian/Alaska […]

Since January of 2000, our website, Your Disease Risk, has reached millions of visitors with personalized risk estimates and prevention messages for the most important preventable chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and others. Based on feedback from both health professionals and the public, much of the appeal of the the Your Disease Risk […]

While the ultimate goal of the HPV vaccine is to prevent cancer, that benefit can feel very far off in the future, especially since vaccination ideally takes place in eleven and twelve-year-old girls and boys.  But studies looking at the five to six years after the vaccine was approved and became widely available show that […]

by Katy Henke Breast cancer is back in the headlines this week with the announcement by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (Missouri) that she has been diagnosed with the disease following a routine mammogram. Because such news coverage can raise questions about current breast cancer screening guidelines and the steps women can take to prevent the disease, […]

by Hank Dart Thirteen years ago, in an earlier incarnation of Cancer News in Context, we wrote our very first post about the potential of the HPV vaccine following the release of a promising study in the New England Journal of Medicine. That post – “A Shot in the Arm for Cervical Cancer Prevention” – […]

by Hank Dart We’ve written a great deal in CNiC over the years on the dangers of indoor tanning, with one primary theme being the allure it has to young people, especially teenage girls.  It even seems to border on an addiction of sorts, as some research suggests. With UV exposure in youth and young […]

by Hank Dart Though coverage of the Iowa caucuses has eclipsed most other media stories this week, there was still some important health news Monday about a large study finding that a high-fiber diet early in life may lower the risk of later adult breast cancer. The study, part of the long-running Nurses’ Health Study II, […]

by Hank Dart In a paper published yesterday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, Cancer News in Context’s Graham Colditz and Washington University researcher, Kelle Moley, detail the important role that overweight and obesity play in the development of breast cancer. Looking at wide-ranging evidence at all periods of life — from gestation to the […]

It’s been another big year of cancer prevention news, and it started with a real splash way back in January with a headline-grabbing study in Science attributing most cases of cancer to simple “bad luck.” Not surprisingly, we disagreed with that conclusion, and our post responding to the study – and the stories it generated […]

by Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH Obesity is an established cause of postmenopausal breast cancer, with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimating that approximately 10 percent of postmenopausal breast cancer is due to excess weight (1). Overweight and obesity also increase the risk of mortality after diagnosis. One large analysis combining data from […]

by Katy Henke Family members share many things that can impact cancer risk: lifestyle choices, habits, physical environments and their genetic makeup. Of all of these, genetics can be particularly key. Because of this, it’s important to understand your family history of cancer and how it may impact your risk for the disease. Some types […]

by Hank Dart We’re in the middle of it now. The holiday season – that wonderful and stressful five-week stretch from Thanksgiving to New Year’s where at every turn, there seems to be food. And not just everyday food, but food of such amounts and enticing types that it can feel nearly impossible at times […]

Download Graham Colditz’s Grand Rounds presentation from Dec. 4, 2015. To view Graham Colditz’s faculty profile, please visit this website.