MaryJo Perry raises animals on her property outside of Jackson, Miss., and uses ivermectin to treat her cattle. To her, the drug is as familiar, safe, cheap and effective as vitamins: “We’ve been using it on the farm for 40 years.”

Perry, who studied animal science and at one time wanted to be a vet, also uses it to treat mange in stray dogs she rescues near her home. It works without side effects, she says: “I’ve never seen issues with it.”

In humans, ivermectin fights parasitic infections from roundworm, lice and scabies; it’s effective against certain tropical diseases, and may have benefits in fighting malaria. Continue reading →

This could be a breakthrough in the way the deadly cancer is treated.

For so long, pancreatic cancer has been a near-death sentence. Not just because of the aggressive nature of the cancer, but because so many times, the cancer isn’t found until it has already progressed far enough to be detected through metastasis (spreading to another location). By then, the cancer has already taken such a significant hold on the organ, and it can be resistant to many different treatment types.

At least, that’s how things used to be before a 2026 breakthrough. Continue reading →

Anti-aging and longevity supplements are booming in popularity, with Americans collectively spending millions a year on the products.

Among the most popular are vitamin B3 derivatives: nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide (NAM).

These forms of vitamin B3 are often taken to increase energy, protect the brain and heart and slow aging. They are touted for their ability to raise levels of NAD+, a molecule that plays a crucial role in metabolism and cell repair. Continue reading →

More than one in three cancers could be prevented with simple lifestyle habits changes, a major study suggests.

A major study has found that one in three cancer cases across the world could be due to preventable factors

In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers, analyzed 19 million cases of 36 different cancer types in nearly 200 countries, including the US and UK.

Using 2022 figures, the latest available, the team found 38 percent, or 7.1 million diagnoses, were attributable to 30 modifiable risk factors.

Despite consistent declines in smoking rates across the world, tobacco smoking was the leading modifiable risk factor for cancer, accounting for one in six cases. It was also the top preventable risk factor in men. Continue reading →

Many forms of cancer are devastating. But pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly and aggressive forms there is. There are several reasons for this, including its stealthy progression, rapid metastasis (the way it spreads), and late detection. In fact, early detection is so rare there’s a five-year survival rate of 13.3%.

Over 80% of patients die due to metastatic progression within two years of diagnosis. But scientists may have discovered a way to slow it all down by studying a receptor that normally helps cancer cells spread, called ALK7. This is explained in a report published in Molecular Cancer.  Interconnected ALK7-driven pathways typically promote pancreatic cancer cells, or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). To really understand what’s going on, you have to look at two concepts related to cancerous tumors, called extravasation and intravasation. Continue reading →

Appendix cancer was once a medical oddity that most people never heard about. Today, reports are stacking up in younger adults, and doctors are trying to make sense of it.

This cancer starts in the small pouch off the large intestine, and it often hides until surgery for suspected appendicitis.

These cancers vary in their biology – from appendiceal adenocarcinoma, which begins in the gland cells lining the appendix, to neuroendocrine tumors that arise from hormone-producing cells in the digestive tract. Yet they share a troubling trend: the number of cases is steadily climbing. Continue reading →

A new study reports nanoparticles that send messenger RNA, genetic instructions that tell cells to make proteins, directly to the pancreas with 99 percent selectivity. The tests used an intravenous shot in mice.

The work was led by Chandrabali Bhattacharya at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). It points to a way to treat diabetes and pancreatic cancer with fewer off target hits. The team built lipid nanoparticles, tiny fat based carriers for genetic cargo, and revised their recipe to steer them.

“Until today, there has been no material that can be injected intravenously that automatically goes to the pancreas with 99% selectivity, an organ previously inaccessible to intravenous treatment. This discovery is a first,” said Bhattacharya. Continue reading →

These MRI images were taken during and after three treatment attempts in two patients. The leftmost column shows the brain just after opening the barrier, the middle column was taken two days later, and the rightmost column was taken four days after the procedure. CHENG-CHIA WU, LUCA SZALONTAY, ET AL./AAAS

One of the deadliest childhood brain tumors known to medicine now has a new vulnerability, due to an experimental device that uses ultrasound to briefly unlock the brain’s protective barrier and let in anti-cancer drugs.

In a small clinical trial in New York, pediatric oncologists harnessed the technology to temporarily – but repeatedly – open the blood-brain barrier in three children with a rare type of brain cancer called diffuse midline glioma. Two of the patients responded favorably to the treatment and experienced temporary disease stabilization. All of the children, as is typical with this aggressive disease, died within a year of initiating treatment. Continue reading →

Scientists have discovered more than 140 medications that alter the gut microbiome, forcing bacteria to compete for nutrients, a phenomenon known to cause an intestinal imbalance and prompt cancer-promoting inflammation.

Stanford University researchers focused on common medications that impact the vast array of microbes in the gut, with potentially far-reaching consequences for metabolism, immune system response and overall health.

They found that potentially deadly changes in the gut result from certain medications killing off populations of bacteria and changing the availability of nutrients. Continue reading →

About two-thirds of breast cancer cases are detected at a localized stage, when the disease remains confined to the breast and treatment tends to be effective.

Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock

Breast cancer accounts for roughly 30 percent of all new cancer diagnoses in women each year, making it the most common cancer among women in the United States after skin cancers. The lifetime risk for a woman developing breast cancer is about 1 in 8.

Breast cancer incidence has been increasing in recent years, with a slightly higher rate in women under 50. On a more hopeful note, about two-thirds of cases are identified at an early stage, when the cancer hasn’t spread beyond the breast, and treatment is generally more effective. Continue reading →

Experts urge perspective, saying the risk per child remains low.

The theoretical risks of CT scans must be weighed against the benefits. (Bethesda naval medical center, Maryland, Hospital)

After a hard fall, a computed tomography (CT) scan can seem like a lifeline. In minutes, the scan can rule out a brain bleed or another hidden injury. The technology now anchors pediatric care, guiding decisions on concussions, appendicitis, and cancer.

A new study found that CT scans may carry hidden costs. About one in 10 blood cancers among the children and adolescents studied – roughly 3,000 cases – may be attributable to imaging radiation, according to one of the largest studies to date linking medical radiation to childhood leukemia and lymphoma.

The risk to any one child is small, but across millions of patients it adds up. Continue reading →

Key driver of pancreatic cancer spread identified

A Cornell-led study has revealed how a deadly form of pancreatic cancer enters the bloodstream, solving a long-standing mystery of how the disease spreads and identifying a promising target for therapy.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is among the most lethal cancers, with fewer than 10% of patients surviving five years after diagnosis. Its microenvironment is a dense, fibrotic tissue that acts like armor around the tumor. This barrier makes drug delivery difficult and should, in theory, prevent the tumor from spreading. Yet the cancer metastasizes with striking efficiency – a paradox that has puzzled scientists. Continue reading →