Of all the exports from our modern world, breast cancer ranks as among the most dubious. Once thought to be a disease of the rich, it is now a global epidemic.

A richer diet, smaller families, delayed childbearing and reduced breast-feeding have driven the increase in the West, together with rising obesity and increased alcohol consumption, specialists say. Now these trends are being seen everywhere – with a growing burden of malignant disease in their wake.

Weight-loss Researchers at the University of Southern California have developed a prostate cancer vaccine that prevented the development of cancer in 90 percent of young mice genetically predestined to develop the disease. In the February 1 issue of Cancer Research, they suggest the same strategy might work for men with rising levels of PSA (prostate specific antigen), a potential diagnostic indicator of prostate cancer.

“By early vaccination, we have basically given these mice life-long protection against a disease they were destined to have,” said the study’s lead investigator, W. Martin Kast, Ph.D., a professor of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology and Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. “This has never been done before and, with further research, could represent a paradigm shift in the management of human prostate cancer.”

At least 100,000 deaths from ovarian cancer have been prevented worldwide by the contraceptive pill over 50 years, research has concluded. The Oxford University team said the pill’s rising popularity meant 30,000 new cases will soon be avoided each year, the Lancet reported. The findings were based on analysis of 45 previous studies.

Calls for the pill to be available without prescription were strengthened by the study, the Lancet’s editor said. The link between oral contraceptives and lower rates of ovarian cancer is long-established, but the study is one of the most detailed attempts to work out how effective it is across a woman’s lifetime.

Those who are physically active in their leisure time seem to be younger than those with inactive lifestyles, from a biological perspective.

Generally, people who participate in regular exercise already have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, obesity, and osteoporosis. However, according to a report in the January 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, there might be more to this than just avoiding these diseases. “A sedentary lifestyle increases the propensity to aging-related disease and premature death,” the authors write. “Inactivity may diminish life expectancy not only by predisposing to aging-related diseases but also because it may influence the aging process itself.”