Type 2 diabetes is three times more common in the black community and as this type of diabetes can be prevented or delayed with a healthy lifestyle we can make a huge difference in our community by raising awareness. With this in mind The Lake Foundation has teamed up with Diabetes UK with funding from Croydon Council to run a diabetes community champion project. The aim of this project is to empower the black community with the information that is needed to fully understand diabetes, its symptoms, risk factors and prevention so action can be taken.
We’ve recruited 17 community champions who have received in-depth training from Diabetes UK. The training has equipped them to get out in the community and effectively raise awareness and encourage behaviour change. They will get out and about targeting black churches, businesses and other organisations and we hope that this will make a significant difference in reducing the negative impact of diabetes on the black community in Croydon. We’ll be getting across the message that we can all reduce our risk of developing diabetes by eating a healthier diet, doing more exercise and maintaining a healthy weight.
On 14th June, our champions hosted their first awareness event at Croydon College where they raised awareness amongst staff and students giving out leaflets and encouraging people to take Diabetes UK’s useful ‘know your risk’ test. In addition to this they also helped out on 10th June at Diabetes UK and the Thinking Forward Initiative’s diabetes workshop in Crystal Palace.
Through both of these event our champions were able to reach our community, raise awareness and get people to think about lifestyle changes they can make to improve their health and reduce their risk of developing diabetes.
We’re so happy with the great work our champions have done so far and we’ll be back out in Croydon soon raising awareness. We’ll see you all on our travels!
This week is Diabetes Awareness Week and our guest blogger, StaceyMensah discusses a diabetes diet as well as our current Diabetes Community Champion project.
Welcome back to the Lake Foundation’s blog! Today I’ll be talking about diabetes, but more specifically the idea of a diabetes diet. Now before I continue I have to say that there is no such thing. This is in in fact a myth. Different diets correspond to the different needs of those that have diabetes. In this post I would like to tell you about the two main types of diabetes and the diets that correspond with them. Before I go on however it’s important to note that you should seek medical advice before following any type of diet program. As I don’t want to misinform you all I’ll be mentioning the two most common types of diabetes – Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is the most common form of the disease that is found in children. Insulin dependent diabetes is a term that is also used to describe type 1 diabetes. This causes the loss of insulin production which means that you would be required to regularly administer levels by injection or by insulin pump. When you have this type of diabetes you need to consider how different foods are going to impact your blood glucose levels and how to balance the quantity of carbohydrate with the right amount of insulin.
Here at the Lake Foundation we are constantly promoting healthy eating but when you have type 1 diabetes this should really be stressed as it can play a part in helping to prevent the development of complications. This goes without saying but limiting the amount of processed foods you eat should be at the top of your agenda. Some may wish to adopt a reduced carbohydrate diet as they can be helpful for people who are struggling to keep control on a carb centred diet.
Type 2 Diabetes
The confusion between these two types of diabetes is quite common as they are both characterised by higher than normal blood sugar levels. The key difference is that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed with a healthy lifestyle. There are also no episodes of hypoglycaemia, unless the person is taking insulin or certain diabetes medicines. It is also important to note that you may not have symptoms before the diagnosis. Usually types 2 diabetes is discovered in adulthood.
Having type 2 diabetes does not mean that you can’t have fun with your foods. Instead, it means that you just have to pay extra attention to choosing the right combination of foods that will keep your blood sugar level in your target range. On the whole it’s important to eat healthy regardless of your health situation.
Our Diabetes Community Champion Project
Type 2 diabetes is three times more common in the black community and as I mentioned above this type of diabetes can be prevented or delayed with a healthy lifestyle. With this in mind The Lake Foundation has teamed up with Diabetes UK with funding from Croydon Council to run a diabetes community champion project. The aim of this project is to empower the black community with the information that is needed to fully understand diabetes, its symptoms, risk factors and prevention so action can be taken.
We’re delighted to have recruited 17 community champions who have received in-depth training from Diabetes UK. The training has equipped them to get out in the community and effectively raise awareness and encourage behaviour change. They will get out and about targeting black churches, businesses and other organisations to raise awareness and we hope that this will make a significant difference in reducing the negative impact of diabetes on the black community in Croydon. We’ll be getting across the message that we can all reduce our risk of developing diabetes by eating a healthier diet, doing more exercise and maintaining a healthy weight.
This week, on 14th June, our champions will be at Croydon College raising awareness amongst staff and students giving out leaflets and encouraging people to take Diabetes UK’s useful ‘know your risk’ test. If you’re in the area over lunch time why not drop by, pick up some information and speak to our champions.
Yesterday, we had the pleasure of attending an event organised by Diabetes UK and Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group. This event was entitled ‘Type 2 Diabetes and the Croydon Community’ and it brought together patients, healthcare professionals, local charities and commissioners to discuss how we can tackle diabetes in Croydon.
The event started with a welcome and introduction by Dr Rajan Namasivayam from the Diabetes UK Croydon Local Group and then we heard from the three main speakers: Rachael Glover, Manager at Diabetes UK; Charlotte Harris, Senior Researcher, Revealing Reality; and Dipti Gandhi, Diabetes Clinical Lead at Croydon CCG.
Setting the Scene
Rachael Glover from Diabetes UK started the session with a good introduction to type 2 diabetes and its prevention and management. From Rachael’s presentation, we learnt of the extent to which diabetes affects those living in the UK; currently, 4.5 million people in the UK have diabetes. Rachael explained that diabetes occurs when our body isn’t able to control our blood glucose levels and glucose builds up in the blood leading to a number of health problems. Diabetes is a result of problems with our insulin which is a hormone that helps our body use glucose preventing glucose levels from rising to dangerously high levels.
Rachael stated that there are two main types of diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes: this is where the body doesn’t make any insulin at all
Type 2 diabetes: where the body doesn’t make enough insulin or the insulin isn’t working properly.
From Rachael’s presentation, it was noted that 90% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes hence why there is a need to focus on this type of diabetes, particularly because 3/5 cases of type 2 diabetes are preventable. This means there is a huge opportunity to successfully tackle diabetes.
Rachael explained that type 2 diabetes can be prevented by eating a healthier diet, being more active and maintaining a healthy weight.
Rachael stated that the national programme Healthier You: NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme was launched in 2016 to support people at high risk of developing diabetes to change their lifestyle to reduce their risk.
Rachael also discussed the best ways of ensuring that patients with diabetes are able to successfully manage their condition. She stated that one of the most effective ways to do this is through patient education and there are several approaches: one-to-one information and advice, informal flexible ongoing information, ongoing support and structured education. These approaches are useful to patients with 90% of patients saying that they were better able to manage their condition following education, but sadly only 5% of diabetes patients attend an education event. With this in mind, Diabetes UK and Croydon CCG have pledged to reach 50% of diabetics through education.
Interesting Research
Next, we heard from Charlotte Harris, Senior Researcher from Revealing Reality. Charlotte summarised the findings from a very interesting research study that aimed to understand attitudes to diabetes amongst the South Asian communities of Thornton Heath in Croydon.
In their study they explored the needs, barriers and opportunities for innovation and they did this by finding out about diabetes as it is really lived in the community – they visited patients in their own environment. From their work they identified four key areas for innovation:
Food
Lifestyle and fitness
Medical and healthcare
Knowledge and advice
They also found that:
When looking at the South Asian community, there was no one South Asian community or culture. There were many cultural differences (Indian, Bangladeshi etc..) and these differences are usually overlooked when health education and awareness projects are developed.
Despite diabetes being talked about frequently, understanding of diabetes is low and for people where there was an understanding knowledge wasn’t applied practically.
There was a sense in the South Asian community that diabetes is inevitable and there isn’t anything that can be done to prevent it, so there was a significant feeling of powerlessness.
Many myths about diabetes exist such as climate and stress cause diabetes and that diabetes can be cured, this myth about there being a cure was a major problem as people would stop taking their medication once they started feeling better believing they were cured.
There was a lack of knowledge of the serious complications that are associated with diabetes.
Tackling Diabetes in Croydon
Finally, we heard from Dipti Gandhi the diabetes clinical lead at Croydon CCG. Dipti explained that, in Croydon, diabetes is a huge problem with about 10% of residents living with diabetes. She then went on to explain some of the services in Croydon. These included:
A new prevention programme where pre-diabetics are identified and enrolled in a 15-month programme to reduce their risk of developing diabetes. This programme has started in Thornton Heath and will expand to other areas in Croydon.
This was a really informative and interesting event and one that was of great importance to the black community who are three times more likely to develop diabetes than their white counterparts. The Lake Foundation is currently making its own contribution to tackling diabetes in Croydon by teaming up with Diabetes UK and Croydon CCG with funding from Croydon Council to run a diabetes community champion project. To find out more about this project or to volunteer to take part please email us
Last week, we had the pleasure of attending the launch of Prostate Cancer UK’s Stronger Knowing More campaign. This campaign is aimed at black men and puts the spotlight on the fact that black men have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. Black men have a 1 in 4 chance of developing prostate cancer, which is double the risk faced by white men.
The campaign was formally launched on 17th January at 15 Hatfields . The event started with a networking session where we were able to speak to staff members involved in developing this much-needed campaign, hear from men who have been affected by prostate cancer and view the very powerful images being used for Stronger Knowing More.
Powerful Imagery
Our first mission as we walked around the beautiful venue was to look at the exhibition of images which were created for the campaign.
Prostate Cancer UK worked with photographer Dennis Morris to create a collection of photographs of black men from the worlds of sport, politics and the arts as well as prostate cancer survivors in a show of strength against prostate cancer. The collection of images featured former WBA World Heavyweight champion David Haye, Olympic gold medallist, Linford Christie Labour MP, Chuka Umunna, writer and musician Benjamin Zephaniah, ex-England footballer Viv Anderson and Red Dwarf star Danny John-Jules.
Reading through the captions of the each picture was really inspiring, moving and empowering and we’re sure that as men see these it was make them reflect on their health and perceptions of prostate cancer.
It was also interesting to read the behind the scenes view of the creation of the pictures with photographer Dennis Morris explaining that each shot was carefully thought through. For his photo shoot he asked each of his subjects to select a location where they felt the strongest and he was able to capture moments of defiance, strength and vulnerability. It is hoped that the pictures will tap into the inner strength of men and when combined with information will defeat the silence and stigma around prostate cancer.
Moving Stories
During the networking session we spoke to several men with experience of prostate cancer and were so moved by their experience and the fact that despite their health they were working tirelessly to raise awareness and support other men. It was also interesting to learn of how some men came to be diagnosed, many by chance encounters with people who made them think which really highlighted that small gestures can make a huge difference in someone’s life.
We spoke to one man whose first words to us were: “that man saved my life” as he pointed to one of Prostate Cancer UK’s most well-known patient volunteers, Errol McKellar. He told us that he was waiting at a train station one day when Errol began speaking to him about prostate cancer and ended the conversation by giving him a leaflet, which he only took to “shut him up!” He said that leaflet stayed on his desk at work for two weeks and then during a slow day at work he read the leaflet and realised he had some of the symptoms of prostate cancer. He visited his GP and was later diagnosed with prostate c,ancer, which he said was devastating. All he could think about was not being there for his wife and children and not being around to see his children grow up, “they are still so young”. Luckily he was diagnosed at a fairly early stage and his future is bright, but had he not met Errol McKellar his story could have been so different.
Inspiring Speeches
After the networking session it was time for speeches. We first heard from Tom Shrophire, Trustee of Prostate Cancer, UK who gave some background to the campaign and how it came into being. He said that there was a need to publically acknowledge the heightened risk black men have and start implementing a solution that seeks to raise awareness as many men don’t realise they are at an increased risk. He said this work is part of Prostate Cancer UK’s aim to tame prostate cancer in the next 10 years and this means they have to make black men, black families and black communities a priority.
We also heard from Prostate Cancer UK ambassador, Errol McKellar, who shared his touching story about his experience with prostate cancer. He was diagnosed after reading a leaflet about the PSA test and then decided to have the test done. He explained how prostate cancer totally changed his life and was the most difficult challenge of his life. He described the importance of having a good support system and said he would have never made it through this disease without the support of his wife (“my wife was my strength”). He gave hope to men by saying his prostate cancer diagnosis had knocked him down, yes, but it hadn’t knocked him out. He gave a realistic view telling the audience that he is still battling some of the side effects of treatment and of the disease itself and it has taken him a long time to come to terms with how it has affected his life. He also described his more vulnerable moments, like when he was diagnosed, he said “he cried like a baby.”
We were so inspired by all the work Errol has done since his recovery. After he recovered from his treatment and was fit to return to work he was contemplating how he could make difference. So he decided that he would speak to every man that came into his mechanic shop about prostate cancer.
On his first day back to work he started with his first customer and asked him: “When last did you get your prostate checked?” He then offered his customer a 20% discount if he got a PSA test done and reported back to him. Sure enough a few months later the man return for his 20% discount having completed his PSA test but was shockingly diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. The man said that Errol should donate the discount to charity and keep raising awareness. That was back in 2011 and since then Errol has spoken to hundreds of men about prostate cancer which has resulted in 26 men being diagnosed with prostate cancer, sadly two of those men have since passed away.
Finally we heard from actor Rudolph Walker, who has been working with Prostate Cancer UK for a number of years to raise awareness. Whilst he hasn’t had prostate cancer himself he spoke of his close friend who sadly lost his life to prostate cancer, but had he known the symptoms and been diagnosed earlier he may still be here today.
Getting Involved
On the night Prostate Cancer UK asked us all to make a pledge to support their campaign and raise awareness and we’ve pledged to do just that.
You can also get involved in this campaign and Prostate Cancer UK have said you could do any of the following:
Read the ‘information for black men’ guide, wear your ‘man of men’ charity pin badge, and spread the word. Give the second guide and badge to someone who needs it
So let’s all get involved in raising awareness, breaking down the walls of silence and work towards saving our husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers, cousins and friends from prostate cancer.
In this week’s blog post we hear from freelance journalist, Stacey Mensah, who reflects on the importance of setting resolutions that ensure we become fully rounded individuals.
As we go into another week of the new year it’s so easy to become consumed with the gimmick of new year’s resolutions. As the time passes by we slowly become desensitised to why we’re actually setting these goals – in particular, our health goals. We become obsessed by the numbers; the dress size, the number on the scale and the number of super food salads we have posted on our social media platforms and obviously consumed – obviously! But, it’s time for a reality check; what happens when that isn’t enough? Yes, you’ve changed your diet but what happens when the other aspects of your lifestyle put you and your loved ones in danger? I spoke to the daughter of a woman who was initially diagnosed with cervical cancer, but after various check-ups it turned out to be something entirely different. Here is what she had to say:
“My mother is a workaholic, that is all she has ever known. In order to provide for my siblings and I she has had to work a great deal. This meant that she didn’t really have time to go to the doctors for her check-ups. She was far too busy worrying about everyone else in the family, to worry about herself. That wasn’t until she started bleeding heavily. At first no one knew what it was until the doctors diagnosed her with cervical cancer. We couldn’t believe it.”
In the UK alone, Cancer Research UK reports that around 3,200 new cases of cervical cancer are discovered each year. Meaning that 9 cases are diagnosed every day. With cervical cancer rates remaining stable in the UK this would not be the time to shy away from getting checked out and keeping your loved ones in the loop.
“Of course, being the protective mother she is she wanted to prepare us, trying to figure out the best way to slowly tell us. I had never felt so vulnerable. It was too late and I could do nothing about it. This was a wake-up call, none like any other. We started cooking healthier foods, making sure she was getting her nutrients in. And of course she had to realise that working the amount that she did was not good for her health. Luckily, the doctor re-diagnosed her with having an extreme case of menopause. My mother turned out to be one of the lucky ones that day. I hope she realises that.”
I don’t know about you but I’d rather not leave it to luck. With the rates of the survival of cervical cancer improving, now would be a great time to be proactive and go to see your local GP. It’s good to have goals and it’s even better to accomplish them, but in the process let’s not forget about the other 30%. For 2017 let’s work on becoming better fully rounded individuals. This can be done by focusing on a number of things including how many hours of sleep you’re getting, your working hours, your social life and more.
Here’s to a happy and most importantly healthy 2017 🙂
This week the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) published the results of their research exploring cancer deaths in the Caribbean. This was an interesting piece of work revealing what the common causes of cancer deaths are in the region.
This piece of research looked at 23 Caribbean islands and looked at the most recent five years of mortality data during the period from 2003 to 2013. When they looked at all cancers combined the number of cancer deaths ranged from 32 deaths in the Turks and Caicos Islands to 26,135 in Puerto Rico. They converted the deaths into an age-standardised rate which allows a better comparison because this rate takes into account the size of the population and the age of the people in that population. This is important because a larger country will have more deaths simply because they have a larger population and a region with an older population will have more deaths because cancer is more common in older people. By taking these two factors into account we can get an idea of other underlying factors that may be causing cancer deaths which could be prevented, or in countries where cancer deaths rates are low we can explore what factors are contributing to this so other countries can learn from this.
When cancer deaths were converted into an age-standardised rate it was found that the lowest cancer death rate was found in the Turks and Caicos Islands at 46.1 cancer deaths per 100,000 people and the highest rate was in St Kitts and Nevis at 139.3 per 100,000 people.
The researchers then looked at specific cancers and they found that across 20 of the Caribbean islands prostate cancer was the most common cause of cancer deaths amongst men accounting for 18.4% to 47.4% of cancer deaths. This was followed by lung cancer which accounted for 5.6% to 24.4% of cancer deaths.
When they looked at women, breast cancer was the most common cause of cancer deaths in 16 of the Caribbean islands accounting for 14% to 29.7% of cancer deaths. Cervical cancer was found to be the second most common cause of cancer deaths in women with 4.5% to 18.2% of cancer deaths being attributed to cervical cancer.
The researchers also found that bowel cancer was the third most common cause of cancer deaths in men and women and that overall cancer was second leading cause of death in all islands.
When the deaths rates in the Caribbean were compared to those in the US, it was found that death rates for cervical cancer were 2 – 9 times higher in the Caribbean, prostate cancer death rates were 2 -8 times higher in the Caribbean and lung cancer death rates were lower in the Caribbean.
It was explained, in the publication of the research, that there could be an under or overestimation of the data in the Caribbean for several different reasons such as missing, unknown, invalid and non-specific information. Despite this, important conclusions can be made from this work with researchers concluding that:
“Lung and cervical cancers are important preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in most of the Caribbean countries. Lung cancers can be prevented through primary prevention of exposure to risk factors such as smoking, and cervical cancers can be prevented through human papillomavirus vaccination.
The leading causes of cancer deaths in the Caribbean region for both males and females also can be reduced through screening, early detection, and effective treatment for cervical, breast, and colorectal cancers. Although prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among men in the Caribbean, effective screening strategies that result in reduced mortality have not yet emerged globally, highlighting the need for strengthening referral and treatment strategies.”
The Lake Foundation welcomed this research which provides some good insight into areas that require attention in order to improve cancer outcomes in the Caribbean.
Today, Cancer Research UK and Public Health England announced that a recent analysis of cancer data revealed that black women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with late stage breast cancer as their white counterparts. They found that 25% of black African breast cancer patients and 22% of black Caribbean patients had late stage disease compared to 13% of white patients.
The fact that black women are more likely to be diagnosed at a late stage has been known for some time and has also been observed in not just the UK but in the USA too. The Lake Foundation has conducted work in this area to explore the possible reasons behind this. In 2011, we carried out some qualitative research to explore black women’s beliefs about breast cancer and their help-seeking behaviour to determine whether these two factors may lead to delays in diagnosis. Overall our study suggested that, when it comes to seeking help, black women are quite proactive and there would be no delay in visiting their GP (doctor) if they noticed a breast lump; delays in visiting a GP could occur if black women experience other symptoms as they were less aware of these.
We also found that the following factors could delay help seeking in black women: other priorities such as family or work commitments; language barriers; lack of access to information; age (older people are more likely to delay visiting their GP); difficulty getting appointments; cultural insensitivy of the healthcare system, inaction by GPs; and a lengthy referral process. You can read more about this work on our research page (scroll to the bottom of the page).
National data suggests that black women are less likely to take part in the NHS Breast Screening Programme and this could be another reason for the late stage diagnosis. In 2011, our founder Abi Begho worked with Betterdays Cancer Care, the NHS and Cancer Black Care to determine why black women are less likely to attend breast screening and whether patient navigation could be an effective way of improving screening uptake in black women in Peckham and Lewisham. We found that, at the time, black women living in Lewisham and Peckham who were of screening (over the age of 50) were very mobile with many women being unreachable, on an extended trip abroad; having moved from their GP registered address or had relocated and lived abroad, hence they missed their breast screening appointments. We found that patient navigation was effective at reaching women as numerous and extensive attempts were made to contact women and then support them to attend their screening appointments. You can read more about this work here
Finally, scientific research has also suggested that black women are more likely to develop a more aggressive form of breast cancer which grows rapidly, so this could explain some of the late stage cases. Studies also suggest that black women are more likely to develop breast cancer at a younger age.
This recent analysis by Cancer Research UK has reminded the nation that there is an issue around black women and breast cancer that needs to be addressed. We need to ensure that black women are aware of all the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and that they seek help quickly if they notice any of the symptoms. We also need to understand the biology of the disease and the best ways of detecting and treating the more aggressive forms of breast cancer.
So, the message to black women is:
Be aware of all the signs and symptoms of breast cancer
If you’re worried about any symptoms that you have, please visit your doctor as soon as possible
Eat a healthy diet, keep active and maintain a healthy weight to reduce your risk of developing breast cancer
If you’re aged 50 or over, consider accepting your invitation from the NHS to take part in breast screening
Know your family history. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer you may be at an increased risk so visit your GP for some advice and information
A study published in the British Journal of Cancer has found that the effect of combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in increasing a women’s risk of developing breast cancer is likely to have been underestimated in previous studies.
HRT is used to treat the symptoms of menopause (hot flushes, mood changes etc) by replacing the oestrogen that is lost during a woman’s menopause. There are two type of HRT, oestrogen only HRT and combined HRT which is mixture of oestrogen and progestogen.
Over the years studies have identified that women using HRT have an increased risk of developing breast cancer but this was only felt to be a slight increase with many stating that the benefits of taking HRT outweigh the risks. This new study has found that combined HRT actually has a bigger effect on breast cancer risk than was previously thought.
This New Study
This new piece of work was part of the Breast Cancer Now Generations Study which was set up in 2004 to understand the causes of breast cancer. The full Generations Study is following 113,000 women in the UK for 40 years.
For this research into the effect of HRT, 39183 women from the Generations Study were selected who were at menopausal age. These women had been monitored for 6 years through questionnaires which asked a number of questions including questions about their HRT use.
After the six years of monitoring it was found that 775 of the 39,183 women had developed breast cancer. Statistical analysis revealed that women using combined HRT were 2.7 times more likely to develop breast cancer than those who had not used HRT. This applied to use of HRT for a median length of time of 5.4 years and when they explored longer use of HRT, so 15+ years of use, this increased to women being 3.27 times more likely to develop breast cancer. No overall increase in breast cancer risk was observed in women who used oestrogen only HRT.
They also found that the increase in risk returns to almost normal once combined HRT use is stopped. Researchers noted that after a year and also two years of ceasing to take combined HRT there was no significant increase in breast cancer risk.
How Did Other Studies Result in an Underestimation of Risk?
The underestimation by previous studies occurred because of the way the studies were carried out. Previous studies didn’t comprehensively follow-up with women and document their use of HRT (e.g. did some women stop using HRT over the course of the research) nor did they determine the age at which women went through the menopause. These oversights caused inaccuracies.
What Does this Mean for Women Considering Taking Combined HRT?
Baroness Delyth Morgan, the Chief Executive of Breast Cancer Now said:
“Whether to use HRT is an entirely personal choice, which is why it’s so important that women fully understand the risks and benefits and discuss them with their GP. We hope these findings will help anyone considering the treatment to make an even more informed decision.
“On balance, some women will feel HRT to be a necessity. But in order to minimise the risk of breast cancer during treatment, it is recommended that the lowest effective dose is used for the shortest possible time.
“The good news is that the increased risk of breast cancer begins to fall once you stop using HRT. “If anyone is at all worried about either HRT or breast cancer, we’d highly encourage you to speak to your GP.”
The Lake Foundation believes that women considering using the combined HRT should have a discussion with their doctor about the pros and cons and make an informed decision about whether to proceed with treatment. If you can avoid combined HRT we would recommend that you do so.
This week it was reported that Johnson and Johnson, the company that produces talcum powder, has lost a second court case where another woman has claimed that she developed ovarian cancer after using talcum powder for feminine hygiene reasons.
The company has been instructed by a jury to pay a settlement of $55M to the claimant. This case follows a case in February of this year where the family of a women who died from ovarian cancer was awarded $72M after it was claimed that she developed ovarian cancer after using talcum powder for many years.
Johnson and Johnson will be back in court and may face a long stretch of court appearance as it faces 1,200 lawsuits accusing the company of not adequately warning women of the risks associated with using talc-based products.
The question is: is there a risk of developing ovarian cancer from the use of talcum powder? The short answer is, we don’t know.
Cancer Research UK says the following:
“Scientists are trying to see if this is the case, but for now the evidence is still uncertain. However, even if there is a risk it is likely to be fairly small.
“Cosmetic body and talcum powders often contain a mineral compound called talc. Several studies have looked at talcum powder use and ovarian cancer. While on the whole the studies have seen a modest increase in the risk of ovarian cancer in women who use talc on their genitals, the evidence isn’t completely clear. So we can’t be sure whether or not talc itself could cause ovarian cancer”
The Chief Executive of the UK’s leading ovarian cancer charity, Ovarian Cancer Action, has said the following on this issue:
“If you’re currently using talc, don’t panic. Given evidence is inconsistent we do advocate a ‘better safe than sorry’ attitude and advise that women using talc on their genitals stop doing so. But it’s important to remember that the suggested increased risk from using talcum powder is very small.
“While the relative increase of a third suggested by some studies sounds significant, the absolute risk of getting ovarian cancer still remains very low. We’re talking about the difference between a 2% risk and a risk of 2.5%.”
This sentiment about using talcum powder for personal hygiene reasons is echoed by the NHS who say:
“Most gynaecologists recommend using plain, unperfumed soaps to wash the area around the vagina (the vulva) gently every day, as opposed to talc or perfumed soaps, gels and antiseptics.”
The take home message is that there isn’t yet clarity on whether talcum powder increases risk of ovarian cancer and while this uncertainty remains it’s probably better to avoid using talcum powder on the genital area.
We recently read the children’s book My Magic Scarf and were really moved by it so thought we’d tell you about it.
The Magic Scarf is a very touching book that follows the journey of Tanya who is suddenly diagnosed with cancer. Through Tanya’s story the book teaches children to have a sense of compassion and it creates an understanding of the importance of family, friends and school in helping children cope with a sudden illness.
The book also, very usefully, creates the opportunity to teach children the importance of speaking up if they don’t feel quite right when Tanya states in the story “Always this silly pain”. This is something that she never mentioned to her parents.
We think this is an important book that helps teachers, parents and carers have a useful discussion with children about a very difficult topic.
