Browsing: Cancer

With the seventh month of the lunar calendar (more popularly known as the hungry ghost festival) upon us, many acts of worship will be taking place. But did you know, that the act of burning joss sticks could cause cancer? The burning of joss sticks, an integral part of many religious practices in Asia, could be as deadly as traffic fumes and cigarettes.

A California jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay US$18.8 million to Emory Hernandez Valadez, who claimed he developed mesothelioma, a deadly cancer, from long-term exposure to the company’s talc-based baby powder. This ruling marks a significant setback for J&J as it grapples with thousands of comparable cases in the US bankruptcy court.

In an unprecedented and strategic move, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted permission for the temporary import of an unapproved Chinese cancer drug. The decision comes amid a growing shortage of vital cancer drugs in the US, notably cisplatin, a widely used chemotherapy medication. The crisis has prompted the FDA to consider unconventional approaches, and this move stands as testament to that flexibility.

Retiree J.F. Lian’s battle with skin cancer in 2022 led to a life-altering surgery that removed most of his external nose. Accustomed to the gaping void on his face, he accepted it as his new reality. However, a revolutionary proposal from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) in Singapore offered a new path forward.