All Podcasts – Johns Hopkins Medicine Podcasts

Regular, supervised exercise helped people who’d been treated for colorectal cancer avoid recurrence of the disease, a new study shows, adding to the burgeoning body of evidence demonstrating the clear health benefits of exercise in many settings, including avoiding cancer … Supervised exercise helped reduce recurrence of colorectal cancer, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

People who had been treated for colorectal cancer and who undertook a structured exercise program had fewer recurrences than people who didn’t exercise, a new study shows. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, says the … Exercise helped people with colorectal cancer avoid recurrence, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Some drugs used to treat breast cancer might also be used to prevent it, but the hot flashes and other troublesome side effects make that an unlikely choice for many women. Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson says … Can a new drug that helps hot flashes herald a way to prevent many breast cancers? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Among people who’ve had a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular event and need a cholesterol lowering medicine, about 2/3 will take one. Among those who have not had such an event but do have high cholesterol only about a … Engaging both patients and physicians in the use of cholesterol lowering medicines is needed, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Only about 25 percent of people who need cholesterol lowering medicines based on blood tests take them,  with about 2/3 of those who’ve had a cardiovascular event doing so, a study by Caleb Alexander, a drug safety and efficacy expert at … Why don’t people who are eligible for cholesterol lowering medicines take them? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Not taking medicines to lower cholesterol when you clearly need them increases your risk for heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events. Yet a study by Caleb Alexander, a drug safety and efficacy expert at Johns Hopkins, and colleagues, shows … Just how much does it cost our healthcare system when people don’t take needed medicines to reduce cardiovascular risk? Elizabeth Tracey...

Cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes, remains the number one cause of death in the United States, yet many people who should be taking medicines to lower their risk by lowering cholesterol aren’t. That’s according to a study by … The gap between recommendations and who is actually taking medicines to lower cardiovascular disease risk is huge, Elizabeth Tracey reports R...

Most people have heard of statins, drugs that lower cholesterol and consequent cardiovascular disease risk. Caleb Alexander, a drug safety and efficacy expert at Johns Hopkins, and colleagues, have looked at just how many people who should be taking such … How many people aren’t taking needed medicines to reduce cardiovascular risk? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Hot flashes and night sweats are called vasomotor symptoms, and they’re experienced by many women approaching menopause and those being treated for certain breast cancers. Now a new class of drugs has been developed to help. William Nelson, director of … Can hot flashes and night sweats be controlled in women having treatment for breast cancer? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Women whose breast cancer has estrogen receptors are usually treated with estrogen depleting medicines, with the consequence that they have hot flashes and night sweats, so called ‘vasomotor symptoms,’ that many describe as worse than menopause. Now a new medicine … There’s hope for women with breast cancer who are experiencing menopausal symptoms, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

CAR-T cells, a highly activated immune cell, have been used to treat a solid tumor, stomach cancer, for the first time. Yet the fact remains that CAR-Ts are expensive and time consuming to produce. Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center director … CAR-T cells are an expensive form of cancer treatment, but other techniques may soon supplant them, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

For the first time CAR-T cells, a highly activated type of immune cell, have been used with some success to treat stomach cancer, a so-called solid tumor. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, says solid … Why has it been so hard to use CAR-T cells to treat solid tumors? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

You’ve probably heard of CAR-T cells, a type of immune cells taken from someone’s body, grown up in a lab and trained to attack their cancer. CAR-Ts are known to be good for treating blood cancers like leukemia, and for … Will solid tumors now be treated with CAR-T cells? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

When it comes to managing with the dog days of summer, air conditioning is very helpful, especially for people with chronic lung problems. Johns Hopkins lung health expert William Checkley says clean systems with filters that are regularly changed are … Humidity may be as important as temperature when it comes to air conditioning, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

People with lung conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, abbreviated COPD, rely on air conditioning in the summer to help keep their symptoms from getting much worse. William Checkley, a lung health expert at Johns Hopkins, says it’s … If you don’t use AC properly you may make lung problems worse, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

If you have any respiratory issues you likely benefit from air conditioning when the weather is hot. Lung health expert William Checkley at Johns Hopkins says you must be aware of the system’s maintenance requirements to reap its benefits. Checkley: … Proper AC maintenance is key to healthful use, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

For many people air conditioning is important for alleviating symptoms of chronic respiratory disease, but Johns Hopkins lung health expert William Checkley says it’s still necessary to be aware of how AC can impact on the function of your respiratory … Sometimes air conditioning can compromise your respiratory health, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

As the northern hemisphere enters full summer, many people shut their windows and turn on the air conditioning, or AC. William Checkley, a lung health expert at Johns Hopkins, says as with many things in life, it’s important to have … While AC is great at making us feel comfortable it’s also important for health, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Mismatch repair is just what it sounds like: when a cell divides and makes new DNA strands when a mistake is made it repairs them. Some types of cancers with a mismatch repair mutation may now be treated with an … Different types of tumors with a specific mutation may not need surgery, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Genetic analysis of most cancers is becoming more commonplace, and now identification of one specific mutation called a mismatch repair may allow people to avoid surgery entirely. Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson explains. Nelson: What they started … Are there cancers where surgery may be entirely avoided? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

More types of gut bacteria, or greater diversity, the healthier your microbiome. That’s one message of a recent review looking at the impact of microbiome health on cancer. Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson at Johns Hopkins explains how gut … Which types of cancer treatment are impacted by the gut microbiome? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

A recent review in the Journal of the American Medical Association asserts that the diversity of bacteria in your colon impact on the likelihood that you’ll develop cancer as well as how you may respond to treatment. William Nelson, director … If your gut microbiome isn’t healthy, is there anything that can be done about it? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

The wealth of bacteria resident on and in your body may have much to do with your overall health, including how you respond to different therapies for cancer. Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson explains views from a … Your gut microbiome may have much to do with how you respond to cancer therapy, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Colorectal cancer screening, and rise in younger people, microplastics and cancer, immune checkpoint inhibitors and longterm toxicity, AI contributions to precision oncology and flattening of breast cancer survival rates.

Breathlessness clinic is a new approach at Johns Hopkins to assist people with chronic lung diseases to live their best lives with these often debilitating conditions. Anna Gersten, a lung expert and director of the clinic, explains who would benefit. … Who is suitable for a breathlessness clinic visit? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »