Cancer

Like all parents, John and Tammy Carver face daily challenges in trying to raise a large brood. But for the Manchester couple, who have adopted six youngsters from orphanages in Russia and Belarus between 1997 and 2004, those challenges also include helping their youngest child fight cancer. Juliana Carver, 11, is now in the middle of 36 weeks of chemotherapy, most of which is performed on an in-patient basis at Baltimore's Sinai Hospital. "I'm a little bit tired," said Juliana, who is being treated by a team of three oncologists.

The Baltimore VA Medical Center said Wednesday it has become the first hospital in Maryland to offer three-dimensional mammograms, a technology it hopes will better detect breast cancer in women. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration last year, 3-D mammograms give a deeper view of breast tissue than traditional two-dimensional tests. The device allows doctors to examine breast tissue in individual layers rather than in one big mass. The 3-D views enable doctors to detect small lumps that may get lost in layers of tissue and thus allow earlier breast cancer detection, said Dr. Rakhi Goel, director of breast imaging at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

I'm sure that Baltimore Ravens fans noticed the pink cleats, gloves, wristbands, sideline caps and other equipment the team sported during October. I want to let the community know that the Ravens were much more than "pretty in pink" during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The National Football League's initiative, "A Crucial Catch: Annual Screening Saves Lives," reminds women ages 40 and older about the importance of annual mammograms. Through this initiative, the NFL provides funding to the American Cancer Society to help uninsured and underserved women access breast cancer screening and detect breast cancer early.

NASHVILLE -- Impacted first hand by colleagues being diagnosed by cancer, public relations officials from Major League Baseball and its 30 clubs announced Monday afternoon they have organized a unique online auction to benefit Stand Up to Cancer. The cause has impacted the Orioles directly. The club's public relations director, Monica Barlow, is battling Stage 4 lung cancer. “I don't want to be a spotlight person," Barlow said. "Millions and millions of people are affected by this disease.

Editor: November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. This year, approximately 160,340 Americans are expected to die from lung cancer, accounting for 28 percent of all cancer deaths. That is why there is an entire month dedicated to this disease, raising awareness and increasing research to help put an end to it. People like to think that lung cancer is a self-inflicted disease from smoking. The truth is that radon, second-hand smoke and air pollution all can cause lung cancer.

As the American Cancer Society approaches its 100th birthday in 2013, we've embarked on a landmark national study, the Cancer Prevention Study-3, with the goal of creating a cancer-free world. We'd like to congratulate residents of the Baltimore region for their incredible response to volunteering to participate in this study, and we want to thank The Sun and the Aegis for their excellent coverage that has helped spread the word. So far, more than 2,100 people in the Baltimore region and Western Maryland have enrolled.

Update: The American Chemistry Council disputes the study. Here is a statement: “It is concerning that the authors could be over-interpreting their results and unnecessarily alarm workers. This study included no data showing if there was actual chemical exposure, from what chemicals, at what levels, and over what period of time in any particular workplace. Although this is an important area of research, these findings are inconsistent with other research. This study should not be used to draw any conclusions about the cause of cancer patterns in workers.”  The original blog post is below: Women who worked ten years or more in jobs that exosed them to cancer-causing substances and endocrine chemicals increased their odds of getting breast cancer, a new study has found.

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University slogged through thigh-deep water to rescue tissue samples and evacuate lab animals when a flood crippled a cancer research building after Hurricane Sandy last month. "It was really an extraordinary community effort," said Landon King, vice dean for research at the university's medical school, who worked to save precious samples stored in large freezers after the power went out. "It could have been an absolute disaster. " In the darkened basement of the Koch Cancer Research Building, water rose until it stood more than three feet in places.

When Gilman and Calvert Hall kick off in Saturday's MIAA A Conference football championship, they will play for more than the title and the No. 1 ranking. They will play for The Mike Whittles Trophy. The trophy was created to honor the late Archbishop Spalding football coach who mounted a courageous 16-month battle with Stage Four pancreatic cancer before his death in June. Whittles put the Cavaliers on the football map, taking them to the A Conference semifinals last season in their first year after moving up from the B Conference, where they won four of the previous six titles.

It all started at Night of Champions, when John Cena traded in his green attire for pink, signaling the beginning of an official partnership between WWE and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Until Raw on Monday, pink ribbons were worn by Supersatars, Divas, broadcasters and referees. The entrance ramp, announce table and ring skirts were co-branded. The middle rope was pink. PSAs ran frequently during WWE programming. WWE dove head first into this breast cancer initiative, headlined by all proceeds of John Cena's “Rise Above Cancer” apparel going to fight the cause.