Here is one of Beardvember’s newest members, Nicolas Rico, proving that it’s never too late to join the cause, raise awareness, and raise hope for cancer patients and survivors.
Thanks for your support, Nicolas!
Here’s Beardvember co-founder and all around awesome dude Scott Maggs, showing off his nearly month-old facial features. Way to rock the beard, Scott!
Say hello to Joshua (and Julia!) Torvi!
The Torvi’s have been great supporters of Beardvember from the beginning and we thank Joshua, Julia, Peter, and of course Donna for their continued love, support, and generosity throughout.
In the US, overweight and obesity contribute to 14%-20% of all cancer-related deaths …observational studies show that obesity increases the risk for cancers of the pancreas, gallbladder, thyroid, ovary, and cervix, and for multiple myeloma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and aggressive prostate cancer. The link between body weight and cancer risk is believed to stem from multiple effects on fat and sugar metabolism, immune function, level of hormones (including insulin and estradiol), and cell growth.
Lessen your risk by following these healthy steps:
Maintain a healthy weight throughout life.
• Balance caloric intake with physical activity.
• Avoid excessive weight gain throughout life cycle.
• Achieve and maintain a healthy weight if currently overweight or obese.
Adopt a physically active lifestyle.
• Adults: Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, above usual activities, on 5 or more days of the week; 45 to 60 preferable.
• Children and adolescents: Engage in at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity at least 5 days per week.
Consume a healthy diet, with an emphasis on plant sources.
• Choose foods and beverages in amounts that help achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat 5 or more servings of a variety of vegetables and fruits each day.
• Choose whole grains in preference to processed (refined) grains.
• Limit consumption of processed and red meats.
If you drink alcoholic beverages, limit consumption.
• Drink no more than 1 drink per day for women or 2 per day for men.
From: American Cancer Society. Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts & Figures 2011. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2011
Regular use of some established screening tests can prevent the development of cancer through identification and removal or treatment of premalignant abnormalities; screening tests can also improve survival and decrease mortality by detecting cancer at an early stage when treatment is more effective.
From: American Cancer Society. Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts & Figures 2011. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2011
There has been remarkable progress in reducing cancer death rates in the United States. Between 1990 and 2007, the most recent year for which mortality data are available, overall cancer death rates decreased by about 22% in men and 14% in women, translating to the avoidance of 898,000 deaths from cancer.
From: American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2011. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2011
Survival varies widely by cell type and stage of disease. For NHL, the overall 1- and 5-year relative survival is 80% and 67%, respectively; survival declines to 57% at 10 years after diagnosis. For Hodgkin lymphoma, the 1-, 5-, and 10-year relative survival rates are 92%, 85%, and 81%, respectively.
From: American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2011. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2011
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients are usually treated with chemotherapy; radiation, alone or in combination with chemotherapy, is used less often… High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplantation and low-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplantation (called non-myeloablative) may be options if non-Hodgkin lymphoma persists or recurs after standard treatment.
Hodgkin lymphoma is usually treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, bone marrow or stem cell transplantation, or any combination thereof, depending on stage and cell type of the disease. Recent intermediate results from a clinical trial showed promise for an investigational targeted therapy (brentuximab vedotin) in high-risk Hodgkin patients whose disease had failed to respond to other treatment.
From: American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2011. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2011
Symptoms [of lymphoma] may include swollen lymph nodes, itching, night sweats, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, and intermittent fever.
From: American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2011. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2011
An estimated 20,620 deaths from lymphoma will occur in 2011 (Hodgkin lymphoma, 1,300; non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 19,320). Death rates for NHL have been decreasing in men since 1997 (by 3.0% per year) and in women since 1998 (by 3.6% per year) after increasing for most of the previous two decades. Death rates for Hodgkin lymphoma have been decreasing in both men and women for more than three decades.
From: American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2011. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2011
20 days in, here is Jonathan Lowndes and his beard. Keep up the great growth, Jonathan, and thanks for your Beardvember participation!
An estimated 75,190 new cases of lymphoma will occur in 2011. Lymphoma is cancer of the lymphocytes, or white blood cells, and is classified as Hodgkin (8,830 cases in 2011) or non-Hodgkin (66,360 cases in 2011). Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) encompasses a wide variety of disease subtypes for which incidence patterns vary; overall incidence has been stable since 1998 in both men and women. Rates for Hodgkin lymphoma have also remained stable since 1998.
From: American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2011. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2011
About 5% of all cancers are strongly hereditary, in that an inherited genetic alteration confers a very high risk of developing one or more specific types of cancer. However, most cancers do not result from inherited genes but from damage to genes occurring during one’s lifetime. Genetic dam age may result from internal factors, such as hormones or the metabolism of nutrients within cells, or external factors, such as tobacco, chemicals, and excessive exposure to sunlight.
From: American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2011. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2011
LLS invests research funds in both basic and applied research programs for myeloma and other blood cancers. LLS is funding research related to the development of new therapies and new ways to use current therapies.
From: http://www.lls.org/content/nationalcontent/resourcecenter/freeeducationmaterials/myeloma/pdf/myeloma.pdf