Catching up today on some stories you might’ve missed. Here's a quick look at what stood out.
The number of people with cancer is expected to nearly double over the next 25 years, according to WHO.
The Highlights:
→ Annual cancer diagnoses will climb from about 20 million today to nearly 35 million by 2050.
→ About 92 per cent of the world’s population is directly or indirectly affected by cancer.
→ Roughly four in 10 cancers are linked to preventable risk factors (such as tocacco use, alcohol consumption, and physicial inactivity).
Canadians are advised to avoid fruit and vegetables from the U.S. due to a parasite outbreak.
The Highlights:
→ Cyclospora is a bug that can’t be seen by the human eye.
→ There is no known outbreak currently in Canada.
→The outbreak is linked to contaminated water used on crops.
→ It can be found on raspberries, strawberries. lettuce, cilantro, basil, green onions and snow peas.
Anaplasmosis, a bacterial infection caused by blacklegged tick bites, is on the rise.
The Highlights:
→ Symptoms include fever, tiredness, headache or gastrointestinal issues.
→ 50 to 75 per cent of patients diagnosed with early Lyme disease do not remember their tick bites. The same challenge is likely with anaplasmosis.
→ Anaplasmosis is highly treatable with doxycycline.
Liquid biopsies are an emerging form of cancer monitoring that can detect traces of tumour DNA through blood tests.
The Highlights:
→ Few Canadians have access. The biopsies currently exist as clinical trials and in private clinics.
→ The goal is to protect cancer survivors from having the disease come back.
→ The number of clinical trials has quadrupled in recent years.
→ A Toronto-based clinical trial will offer liquid biopsies to more than 7,000 patients over the next five years.
An Ontario man fighting Stage 4 cancer was denied out-of-country treatment coverage that has already been approved by Health Canada.
The Highlights:
→ A version of TIL therapy was approved by Health Canada last year. It is currently undergoing reviews for inclusion in provincial drug plans.
→ It takes about 730 days between a drug approval by Health Canada and a funding decision by provinces.
→ The Ministry of Health rejected the request for out-of-country funding at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida.
→ The treatment could cost up to $1 million.
A new sensor technology can detect chemicals in human tears and help scientists identify neurological conditions, according to the American Chemical Society.
The Highlights:
→ The sensor can detect dopamine, which is responsible for happiness, movement, emotional regulation, and motivation.
→ The research took place using synthetic rather than organic human tears.
→ Further research into the sensor could help diagnose diseases without costly or invasive procedures.
Pulse Check™
What else we're reading:
- Pythons' extreme biology may hold clues for treating human disease
- Opinion: Global health as security: Canada’s opportunity in NATO
- Why doctors say you need to take wildfire smoke seriously
- New paint-on health sensors are as fun as face paint
- What's behind the push to make peptide therapies more readily available
Canada Healthwatch
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