A blood test used for population based cancer screening fell short of allowing cancers to be detected earlier, was cost prohibitive and delayed diagnoses for others, a new study shows. Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson says both … What do false positives and negatives have to do with screening tests for cancer? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

A blood test capable of detecting multiple cancers seems like a dream come true, yet a new study looking at such a test used in populations of people failed to find cancers earlier, and also delayed diagnosis for others. William … Just how expensive could it be to screen populations of people for cancer using blood tests? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

When large populations of people were screened for multiple cancers using a blood test, not only didn’t cancers get found earlier, others who were not screened had delays in their diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center … Should blood tests to screen for cancer be used on a population basis? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

For some types of cancer obesity is clearly a risk factor. Now a new study shows that when people with obesity take a GLP-1 agonist to lose weight, they also reduce their risk for these cancers. Kimmel Cancer Center director … How do GLP-1 agonists compare against other strategies for weight reduction and cancer risk reduction? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

GLP-1 agonists are a class of drugs originally developed to treat diabetes but have been shown to be helpful for weight loss. Now a new study looks at whether their use reduces the risk of obesity related cancers. William Nelson, … How are one class of diabetes drugs related to cancer risk? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Keeping mosquitoes away may be more important than ever as malaria returns to the continental US and other viral illnesses are also transmitted by them. Johns Hopkins mosquito expert Christopher Potter says most means to drive them off depend on … Can anything be done to ward off mosquitoes? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Mosquitoes seem to practice discernment when they choose which human they’ll bite. Christopher Potter, a mosquito expert at Johns Hopkins, says smell brings them in, with women who smell enticing being high on the list. Potter: The sense of smell … Do mosquitoes have preferences when it comes to who they bite? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Mosquitoes looking to feed utilize many qualities of humans to find their prey. Exhaled carbon dioxide, unique human scents and infrared radiation all play a part. But it’s not until the mosquito actually lands on us that a final decision … It’s the touch that finally does it when a mosquito is looking to feed, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

You may not think of yourself as especially odorous but your very breath combines with scents from your body to make a human bouquet that’s especially attractive to mosquitoes. That’s according to Christopher Potter, a mosquito expert at Johns Hopkins. … Body odors work in concert with carbon dioxide to tip mosquitoes off to our presence, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Mosquitoes, relative in size to people, are tiny. How is it that they can locate us so efficiently when they’re looking for a blood meal? Mosquito expert Christopher Potter at Johns Hopkins explains. Potter: The first thing they use is … What’s the first clue to a mosquito that there’s a human around? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »