Health Blog

Over the last five years, pharmacies and websites have offered an increasing number of direct-to-consumer genetic tests. These tests, which you can buy without a prescription, can provide information about a range of health issues, from how well you will respond to a certain type of antidepressant, blood thinner, or other medication and your risk... Read More

Getting an accurate diagnosis is the first step towards finding the right treatment. But for people living with a rare or complex disease, getting that diagnosis can be a long, frustrating process that delays treatment. Depending on which disease you face, getting a definitive diagnosis can take from 7 to 10 years. And though approximately... Read More

While many types of skin cancer can be treated successfully, especially when diagnosed early, some can be more difficult to treat. But newly approved treatments and treatments in development for several different types of skin cancer, including advanced squamous cell carcinoma, drug-resistant basal cell carcinoma, and melanoma that affects the eye mean patients have more... Read More

There are several newer treatment options that people who have been diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common form of the disease, may want to discuss with their doctor. For people who have early stage lung cancer, surgery is the standard treatment recommendation. But those who are older or in poorer overall... Read More

If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer and chemotherapy has been part of your treatment plan, during or after treatment you may notice that you’re more forgetful, have trouble concentrating, or just feel “foggy” mentally. Many cancer survivors call this chemo brain, while physicians often use the term cognitive dysfunction associated with chemotherapy, and up to... Read More

Unless a family member or friend has been diagnosed with childhood cancer, you may not know much about the topic. These 6 key facts can help you learn more. Childhood cancer is relatively rare: Approximately 10, 270 children under the age of 15 were diagnosed with some form of cancer in 2017 according to statistics... Read More

Like all types of medical care, treatment for breast cancer comes with both benefits and risks. Earlier this year, a scientific statement published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation spurred media coverage of the link between some types of breast cancer treatment and an increased risk of developing heart failure and other types of... Read More

Receiving a diagnosis of a serious illness can be overwhelming. Most people aren’t sure what to do next and simply follow their doctor’s treatment recommendations. But if your condition isn’t an emergency, like a heart attack or stroke, you may want to take some time to get a second opinion on your diagnosis and treatment... Read More

New, very expensive prescription drugs that treat a range of conditions from hepatitis C, leukemia, and cystic fibrosis to multiple sclerosis and rare inherited conditions like Wilson’s disease and hereditary angioedema have been one of the drivers of increasing health care costs in the U.S. These prescription drugs can cost from $54,000 to more than... Read More

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer in men, after skin cancer, with nearly 162,000 new cases of the disease projected to be diagnosed in 2017. Approximately one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, with about 6 in 10 cases being diagnosed in men age 66... Read More