Cases among younger people are rising – such as with actor James Van Der Beek, who died on 11 February at age 48

Actor James Van Der Beek died on 11 February, aged 48; he had been diagnosed in 2023 with colorectal cancer.

According to the World Health Organization, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. While rates are declining overall, cases among younger people are rising.

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© Photograph: Sebastian Kaulitzki/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF

© Photograph: Sebastian Kaulitzki/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF

© Photograph: Sebastian Kaulitzki/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF

Berlin film festival
Bella Ramsey leads this likable coming-of-age story where the shared experience of adolescent cancer gives new warmth to a familiar genre

Bella Ramsey leads the cast of this likable coming-of-age movie from 26-year-old actor-turned-director George Jaques about a summer camp for teens with cancer. Though maybe sometimes a bit too euphoric in its positivity, and unrealistic about the life-changing experiences to be had at a camp like this or any other, it’s big-hearted, well acted, topped off with an amusing star cameo – and for those who think they can spot the “tragic-sacrificial” character in stories like this, writer-director Jaques executes a smart misdirection-twist.

There’s a kind of Heartstopper energy and a strongly LGBTQ+ cast but perhaps oddly, heterosexuality is dominant. It is as if the centrality of cancer has left no room for any additional “other” identities.

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© Photograph: © Colin J Smith, SUNNY DANCER Distribution Limited

© Photograph: © Colin J Smith, SUNNY DANCER Distribution Limited

© Photograph: © Colin J Smith, SUNNY DANCER Distribution Limited

The National Cancer Institute is using federal funds to study whether cancer can be cured by ivermectin, a cheap, off-patent anti-parasitic and deworming drug that fringe medical groups falsely claimed could treat COVID-19 during the pandemic and have since touted as a cure-all.

Large, high-quality clinical trials have resoundingly concluded that ivermectin is not effective against COVID-19. And there is no old or new scientific evidence to support a hypothesis that ivermectin can cure cancer—or justify any such federal expenditure. But, under anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who is otherwise well-known for claiming to have a parasitic worm in his brain—numerous members of the medical fringe are now in powerful federal positions or otherwise hold sway with the administration.

During a January 30 event, Anthony Letai, a cancer researcher the Trump administration installed as the director of the NCI in September, said the NCI was pursuing ivermectin.

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Having a health insurance plan with a high deductible could not only cost you—it could also kill you.

A new study in JAMA Network Open found that people who faced those high out-of-pocket costs as well as a cancer diagnosis had worse overall survival and cancer-specific survival than those with more standard health plans.

The findings, while perhaps not surprising, are a stark reminder of the fraught decisions Americans face as the price of health care only continues to rise and more people try to offset costs by accepting insurance plans with higher deductibles—that is, higher out-of-pocket costs they have to pay before their health insurance provider starts paying its share.

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His pioneering work on the origins of cancer was later overshadowed by his contrarian views, notably his rejection of the established theory that H.I.V. causes AIDS.

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Researchers found an antibody that seems to play a role in people with better lung cancer prognoses, but turning it into a treatment could be difficult.

Federal officials working on the new dietary guidelines had considered limiting men to one drink daily. The final advice was only that everyone should drink less.

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Bayer has asked the justices to decide whether federal law shields the company from lawsuits over its Roundup herbicide and cancer. Democrats and MAHA activists aren’t happy.

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Now the government’s recommendation is to “limit” drinking, without specifying safe amounts for men and women. The guidelines no longer warn of risks like cancer.

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Problems with a 25-year-old landmark paper on the safety of Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, have led to calls for the E.P.A. to reassess the widely used chemical.

© Seth Perlman/Associated Press