Testing, testing
It started with pregnancy kits 20 years ago and now you can buy home diagnosis tests for dozens of ailments, from cancer to high cholesterol. They are certainly handy, but should we trust them, asks Joanna Moorhead.
DNA damage from eating red meat linked to cancer
· Harmful compounds raise risk of bowel disease · Volunteers fed diet heavy in beef and pork
Can you catch cancer?
In the early 1980s, US doctors began to notice a strange phenomenon. A rare form of cancer, once confined to elderly Jewish men in Europe, was suddenly cropping up among young gay men. The explanation? By catching a new virus, called HIV, they were also developing cancer. Now doctors believe that other infections, even simple coughs and colds, can trigger everything from childhood leukaemia to cervical cancer. Should we be worried? Sarah Boseley investigates.
Conquering cancer
A few years ago 28-year-old Emma Kearns's chances of survival would have been bleak. But thanks to Herceptin, breast cancer sufferers could now look forward to a long life. For the first time ever, scientists are talking about a cure. Simon Garfield charts the 20-year story of the superdrug that has changed the face of modern medicine.
Fish and drips
Getting treatment at home with Herceptin has at least one unexpected side effect - being forced to brush up on etiquette, says Dina Rabinovitch in her latest update on life with breast cancer.
Fresh hopes for life-saving breast cancer drug
· Impressive results in trial on 8,000 women · Questions over best remedies remain for NHS
Lab notes
Ovarian cancer.
Sweet charity
Selling candy to raise funds for breast cancer research sounds like a good idea, but there's an unfortunate link. Dr John Briffa unwraps the evidence.