Wellness

[cherry]

From what I have read there is not much chance of developing cancer from these meds. There is just as much cancer causing substances in our food

I still recall the Thanksgiving, when they announced cranberries were going to make you get cancer if you ate them, because of what they were sprayed with..Mom and Grammie kept them on our menu, and no one got sick, or developed cancer

Don't panic. If you are afraid, talk to your pharmacist or Dr ,and then decide what is right for you.

[cherry]

Cancer risk: What the numbers mean

Take the time to understand what cancer risk is and how it's measured. This can help you put your own cancer risk into perspective.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

You might wonder about your chances of developing cancer. News reports can make it sound as if every day something is found to dramatically raise your risk. Sorting through all the information and figuring out what's valid can be tricky.

What is risk?

When scientists talk about risk, they're referring to a probability — the chance that something may occur, but not a guarantee that it will. For example, if you flip a coin, there is one chance in two, or a 50 percent chance, that the coin will land heads up.

Risk estimates for cancer and other diseases are determined by studying large groups of people. Researchers focus on the probability that any person or category of people will develop the disease over a certain period of time. They also look to see what characteristics or behaviors are associated with increased or decreased risk.

How is risk expressed?

Absolute risk

Relative risk

Risk is generally divided into two categories: absolute risk and relative risk.

Absolute risk

Absolute risk refers to the actual numeric chance or probability of developing cancer during a specified time period — for example, within the year, within the next five years, by age 50, by age 70, or during the course of a lifetime.

One type of absolute risk is lifetime risk, which is the probability that an individual will develop cancer during the course of a lifetime. For instance, an American man's absolute risk of developing prostate cancer in his lifetime is about 12 percent. Put another way, about 12 out of every 100 men will develop prostate cancer at some time in their lives. This also means that 88 out of every 100 men won't develop prostate cancer.

Lifetime risk isn't the risk that a person will develop cancer in the next year or the next five years. An individual's cancer risk has a lot to do with other factors, such as age. For instance, a woman's lifetime risk of developing colon and rectal cancer is just over 4 percent, or about 42 out of every 1,000 women. But her risk of developing colon and rectal cancer before the age of 50 is 0.3 percent, or about 3 out of every 1,000 women.

Relative risk

Relative risk gives you a comparison or ratio rather than an absolute value. It shows the strength of the relationship between a risk factor and a particular type of cancer by comparing the number of cancers in a group of people who have a particular trait with the number of cancers in a group of people who don't have that trait.

For instance, compare the relative lung cancer risk for people who smoke with the relative lung cancer risk in a similar group of people who don't smoke. You might hear relative risk being expressed like this: The risk of lung cancer for smokers is 25 times higher than the risk for people who don't smoke. So the relative risk of lung cancer for smokers is 25.

Relative risk is also given as a percentage. For example, the risk of lung cancer for smokers is 2,500 percent higher than it is for people who don't smoke.

When you hear about relative risk, there's no upper limit to the percentage increase in risk. Most people think 100 percent is the highest possible risk, but that isn't true in this case.

A relative risk of 100 percent means your risk is twice as high as that of someone without that risk factor. A 200 percent relative risk means that you are three times as likely to develop that condition.

Risk seems greater when put in these terms. A 100 percent increase in risk may seem enormous, but if the risk began as 1 in 100 people, a 100 percent increase in risk means that 2 out of 100 will be affected.

Where do cancer risk statistics come from?

Most information about cancer risk and risk factors comes from studies that focus on large, well-defined groups of people. Cancer researchers have identified many of the major environmental factors that contribute to cancer, including smoking for lung cancer and sunlight for skin cancer. Uncovering more subtle cancer risks has proved more difficult.

Many studies of cancer risk factors rely on observational approaches. In these studies, researchers keep track of a group of people for several years without trying to change their lives or provide special treatment. This can help scientists find out who develops a disease, what those people have in common, and how they differ from those who didn't get sick.

How do cancer risk statistics relate to you?

Risk statistics can be frustrating because they can't tell you your risk of cancer. Studies may have found that men have a nearly 40 percent chance of developing cancer in their lifetimes, but that doesn't mean your risk is 40 percent. Your individual risk is based on many different factors, such as age and habits (including eating habits), family history of cancer, and the environment in which you live.

Even then, the combination of risk factors might not apply to you. Cancer is individualistic. You can have two people with the same age, sex, race, socio-economic status and comparative lifestyles and still have different experiences. Risk statistics are helpful in general statements such as "exercising regularly coincides with a reduced risk of chronic diseases, such as cancer." But exercising regularly won't guarantee that you won't get cancer.

Talk with your doctor about your risk of cancer. He or she can review what elements in your life may increase your risk. You can then discuss what to do to help lower this risk.

Keep cancer risk statistics in perspective

You might hear a news report about a study that seems to indicate you may be at increased risk of a particular type of cancer. Don't jump to conclusions based on this one report. Take a step back and think about what the risk really means.

Observational studies aren't foolproof. Researchers agree that one study by itself isn't authoritative. This is why you sometimes see studies with seemingly contradictory results.

Scientists weigh the evidence of many research studies over time to better determine whether a finding is true. News reports, though, focus on each new study in isolation, rather than as a part of an evolving picture. This can sometimes cause unnecessary alarm or confusion.

When you read or see a report about cancer risk statistics, pay attention to these details:

• Who's being observed? A news report may say a certain activity increases the risk of cancer for a group of people. But who was being observed in the study? Pay attention to the ages of the people and their characteristics. For instance, some people are genetically predisposed to certain types of cancer.
• How many people were studied? In general, studies involving thousands of people are more accurate than are those that examine a small group of people.
• Have similar studies been done? The findings of one study are more reliable if they're similar to findings by other studies. Sometimes, the study wasn't carried out for enough years to make it statistically significant.

News reports that focus on alarming statistics, such as a 300 percent increase in risk, but don't give you context aren't helpful. If you're concerned about the risk, gather more information and talk to your doctor.

[SilleeMee]

Video about foreign drug manufacturing and the FDA's role in it:

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-healthcare-professionals-drugs/fdas-role-foreign-drug-manufact...

[Nuttmeg]

@Ketra

I like information, but please give me the source.

I found one ,The World Health Organization. They published a paper in 2004, "The World Medicines Solutions ".

This article talks about the production and distribution of medicines in the global market.

If I have a concern about a medicine, I talk to my doctor.

[PamfromCT]

We should all be concerned about the increase of antibiotic-

resistant forms of bacteria.  Yes, bacteria does mutate.  There has to be an emphasis on research and development of new antibiotics to combat this.  I personally know someone who was hospitalized for quite a while, while doctors finally found an antibiotic that worked to clear up his pneumonia.  That is scary.

[Nuttmeg]

@KentuckyWoman 

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@KentuckyWoman wrote:

I am on Losartan and get bombarded constantly with updates from my insurance company and drug store.  At least every other month I am at the drug store having them verify that my batch isn't contaminated.  I can't begin to tell you what I think of our pharmaceutical companies.  We are a

Was your doctor able to prescribe you another medication?

[Mindy D]

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@Bhvbum wrote:

“

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@kivah wrote:

Remember years ago - all the dogs dying from eating dogfood made in China. Remember years ago how many people got sick and died from the wallboard installed in their new homes? Never buy toothpaste made in China. Their standards are very low!!!!

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they have to meet our quality standards, and my guess is that anything that is imported by a company has to meet the FDA requirements for certain goods.

So when these things come into the US they are tested. I worked for a big manufacturing company and we literally tested everything that we received for quality. 

Actually there are some countries that refuse our products because they are worried that our goods don’t meet their standards.  There is a lot of concern about our genetically modified foods, and some countries will not accept them. 

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Quality of these drugs is off topic. The post is about the vulnerability we are up in, here in the US, because we import ALL antibioticics and almost all blood pressure medicines. Not making these drugs over here puts Americans in jeopardy in the event of troubles with China. I would like to address the quality issue in another thread. 

[Mindy D]

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@Ketra wrote:

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@Kachina624 wrote:

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@Mindy D wrote:

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@Kachina624 wrote:

It's very worrisome but there isn't a darn thing we can do about it if we must take prescription medication.  You can make yourself ill worrying about this sort of thing.  Heaven knows, you've given us more than enough to worry about @Mindy D .

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Kachina, the issue is;  what if you don’t have anymore of your prescription medication to take because it is no longer available?

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@Mindy D. The problem with all these gloom and doom posts is that many people read them, including less educated, naive, elderly people.  It's scary for us but could be terrifying for them, so much so that they might quit taking their much-needed medication..   When you post something like that, you assume the responsibility for the condequences, although you may never know about the outcome.

I'd like to say what I think, but can't as it would be political so I'll just rest my case. 

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@Kachina624  If posting the truth here is somehow intimidating because current facts and reality are too scary for people to know, then certain people should not read this forum. Many of us like to stay informed and don’t want to put our head in the sand. We like informational as well as uplifting forums. Others can read the uplifting and entertaining forums if they find current day issues too disturbing. People read what their interested in, and no one is forcing them to do anything. We call that freedom to choose. Thank God it still exists.

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Thank you. So well said. 

[Mindy D]

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@Sooner wrote:

I think it's a top security issue and most of all a national disgrace!  I can't believe we let this happen.

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Thank you for your comment and for staying on topic. After I posted my thought on this matter I was reading news online and I ran into articles with others touting this same viewpoint. These persons were high ranking military and persons working in the area of defense and national security. Just a case in point, is this statement: 

"Basically we've outsourced our entire industry to China," retired Brig. Gen. John Adams told NBC News. "That is a strategic vulnerability."

[Mindy D]

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@iwrite wrote:

yes, this is a problem, especially if heaven forbid there is a war.

this country has outsourced itself almost to death.

the fda is not what it use to be. money talks and you know what walks.

hopefully, this country still keeps a multi year stock pile of some meds, for emergencies.

pharmaceutical companies are doing this because it saves them money, even though the prices just keep going up. it allows for the top executives to get bigger salaries and bonuses. as some would say (not me), this is nothing more than capitalism at its finest. and lets not forget about the shareholders, who often dictate how to cut back and make more money.

companies have the money to make more meds here. they just want the easy out. they want fewer people on the payroll, less benefits, etc etc. they don't need or deserve a government handout for that.

not sure what we, the people can do about it, other then sit on the neck of all those running for prez and insist that they require at least a certain amount of meds to be made here, without any ingredients from china.

what good is affordable health care, when the meds can make you sick or worse?

if andrew lessman can do it on his own, surely pharmaceutical conglomerates can source safe products and/or make them here.

what we the people can do on own own, is to eat much better, lose weight, eat veggies, stop buying processed foods, exercise, strengthen our immune system, etc etc, to prevent from getting sick in the first place.

not to be mean, but a lot of this countries medical problems are self inflicted. just because fast food is everywhere, doesn't mean people need to eat it, especially not several times a week.

didn't jeff bezos buy a pharmaceutical company a few years ago? who knows, maybe he will step up to the plate and have some meds made here.

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Thank you for your thoughtful reply and for providing insight about this topic. As you said, “ this country has outsourced itself almost to death.”  Thank you for staying on topic. I like your example of Andrew Lessman being able to manufacture over here.