June News Round Up

Higher estrogen levels linked to more severe disease in scleroderma

MUSC Catalyst News
Older men with scleroderma have more estrogen than postmenopausal women with the disease, and more estrogen is linked to more severe disease; this could explain why the the disease is often more severe in men.

Smoking unfiltered cigarettes appear to double risk of lung cancer death. Smoking light/ultralight cigarettes does not reduce lung cancer deaths.

Healio
People who smoke unfiltered cigarettes are nearly twice as likely to die from lung cancer and 30 percent more likely to die of all causes than those who smoke filtered cigarettes, according to research presented at ATS 2019. The same analysis of National Lung Screening Trial data found that smokers of light or ultralight cigarettes were just as likely to die of lung cancer and shared the same increased risk of dying of all causes as smokers of regular cigarettes, but were less likely to quit smoking.

Hollings Cancer Center Receives-NCI Designation Renewal

MUSC Catalyst News
Congratulations to the Hollings Cancer Center for recently receiving renewal of its designation as a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and achieving their highest score yet. Hollings is one of just 70 cancer centers to receive this prestigious recognition, which recognizes a commitment to advances in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

A spoonful of peppermint helps the meal go down

Science Daily
When treated with peppermint oil, 63 percent of patients with disorders of the esophagus that cause difficulty swallowing and non-cardiac chest pain reported feeling much or slightly better, report researchers. Eighty-three percent of patients with spastic disorders of the esophagus reported feeling better. Peppermint is an attractive first-line treatment because it has few side effects and can be taken as needed by patients.