Latest news with #gynecologist
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Marathon runner in best shape of her life diagnosed with deadly cancer
A marathon runner who felt like she was in the best shape of her life was diagnosed with a deadly cancer that has spiked among young people. Lindsay Barad, 39, from New York had just run her fourth marathon, was avoiding alcohol, and eating clean. But just a month after the race in 2021, she was hit with a devastating diagnosis of stage four appendiceal cancer and told she had hundreds of tumors inside her. 'I had never even heard of this cancer,' Lindsay told in an exclusive sit-down interview. 'I didn't know it was possible. I was really, really shocked. I had no other symptoms; I just thought this was some kind of endometriosis.' Appendiceal cancer, or appendix cancer, is now the fastest-rising cancer among under-50s, with young adults today being up to seven times more likely to develop the disease as in the 1940s. Lindsay is among the latest young adults to be diagnosed with the disease and, like many others, said she has no idea why she developed it, despite her healthy lifestyle. She also has no idea when it started. She had heavy periods, menstrual cramps and bloating for as long as she could remember, which can be symptoms of appendicceal cancer, but had always played them down as normal. Doctors had dismissed them too, saying they were 'just something women go through' and putting her on birth control and over-the-counter painkillers to reduce her symptoms. But in late 2021, after she changed gynecologist, Lindsay was recommended for an ultrasound on the pretence of getting an IUD, or small T-shaped device that is inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy. The scan revealed a grapefruit-sized cyst on her right ovary, despite the fact that ovaries are only about three to five centimeters long. She was rushed into surgery, but during the procedure doctors noted a strange mucus in her abdominal cavity and that her appendix was swollen. They removed her appendix and sent it for testing, along with her cyst, right ovary and right fallopian tube. A few weeks later, in December 2021, she was called back into her doctor's office to be given the diagnosis. Lindsay said: 'It's hard to figure out when was that quote-unquote normal [menstrual cramps] versus when did I have appendix cancer, and that was what was making the symptoms. 'What was a red flag symptom was close to my diagnosis I had to urinate a lot, and I would notice every time I would drink something I would have to use the bathroom. I always felt the need to pee. 'And it turned out that was because I had a huge ovarian cyst and it was taking up space where my bladder is and that was me needing to urinate.' Appendiceal cancer has no clear symptoms, especially in its early stages, meaning doctors often struggle to diagnose the disease. It is rare, with about 3,000 cases every year, and normally diagnosed in people around 50 and 55 years old. But as cases have risen among younger adults, researchers have suggested that shifts in the microbiome caused by the western diet could be raising the risk of developing the cancer. Lindsay was diagnosed with low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN), a rare and slow-growing form where cells in the appendix overproduce mucin - a jelly-like substance - that can flood the abdominal cavity and push other cells into it. This disruption in the body's internal cavity can cause a large cyst to develop on an ovary, like in Lindsay's case, or on another organ of the body. It isn't clear how often this form of the disease affects patients, but some studies on only a small number of patients have suggested it is around 40 per cent of all cases. To treat her cancer, Lindsay was brought in for a major 12-hour surgery in March 2022 to try to clear the disease from her body. For the procedure, surgeons initially made an incision from her chest to her pelvis and opened up her body, before trying to remove as much of mucin as possible that was coating each organ. They removed part of her liver, omentum - the thin tissue surrounding the stomach - and part of her diaphragm during the surgery because these were covered in mucin. Doctors also said they might have to remove her uterus, leaving Lindsay unable to start a family, but managed to save the organ. Then, doctors pumped her abdominal cavity full of chemotherapy drugs heated to 106F, sewed her up and rotated her for about 90 minutes. She was rotated to spread the chemotherapy drugs in her abdomen to treat any remaining cancer cells. The drugs were then extracted, and Lindsay said she went through months of a 'miserable' recovery where she was so unwell she was barely able to leave the apartment. But the surgery was a success, and the cancer has not been detected in Lindsay since. She now returns every year to the hospital to check for recurrence. Survival rates for appendix cancer vary widely depending on the type and how advanced the cancer is, with between 67 and 97 per cent of patients living for longer than five years after their diagnosis. For LAMN, about 64 per cent of patients survive for longer than five years according to studies. Amid her recovery, Lindsay said she is now trying to live an intentional life and is thankful for the people around her and aiming to raise awareness about the disease. Appendix cancer is slow-growing but Lindsay says she will never be considered 'cured,' just 'in remission' because of the risk more cancerous cells could appear. She said: 'It's so slow moving, it could be slowly growing over the next couple of years, so it's uncertain. 'But every year now I get scans and blood work done and I feel like I am just in really good hands with all of this.' She lives in her apartment with her dog Charlie, a rescued Maltese poodle mix, and keeps active with long hikes. She also had her eggs frozen at age 35 in case she wanted to start a family but now says she doesn't think she wants to put her body through the trial of pregnancy. Lindsay is thankful that her cancer was slow growing but fears the outcome if it had not been detected earlier.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I was training for my fourth marathon at 39... hit then diagnosed with a deadly cancer exploding among young people
Lindsay Barad felt like she was in the best shape of her life. The 39-year-old New Yorker had just run her fourth 26.2-mile marathon, and was avoiding alcohol and even eating clean. She felt unstoppable. But just a month after the race in 2021, she was hit with a devastating diagnosis of stage four appendiceal cancer and told she had hundreds of tumors scattered over her insides. 'I had never even heard of this cancer,' Barad told in an exclusive sit-down interview. 'I didn't know it was possible. I was really, really shocked. I had no other symptoms; I just thought this was some kind of endometriosis, something like that.' Appendiceal cancer, or appendix cancer, is now the fastest-rising cancer among under-50s, with young adults today being up to seven times more likely to develop the disease as in the 1940s. Barad is among the latest young adults to be diagnosed with the disease and, like many others, said she has no idea why she developed it, despite her healthy lifestyle. She also has no idea when it started. She had heavy periods, menstrual cramps and bloating for as long as she could remember, which can be symptoms of appendicceal cancer, but had always played them down as normal. VID HERE PLEASE PUT LIVE: 3477873 Doctors had dismissed them too, saying they were 'just something women go through' and putting her on birth control and over-the-counter painkillers to reduce her symptoms. But in late 2021, after she changed gynecologist, Barad was recommended for an ultrasound on the pretence of getting an IUD, or small T-shaped device that is inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy. The scan revealed a grapefruit-sized cyst on her right ovary, despite the fact that ovaries are only about three to five centimeters long. This was also very large for Barad, who is just 5ft 1in tall. She was rushed into surgery, but during the procedure doctors noted a strange mucus in her abdominal cavity and that her appendix was swollen. They removed her appendix and sent it for testing, along with her cyst, right ovary and right fallopian tube. A few weeks later, in December 2021, she was called back into her doctor's office to be given the diagnosis. Barad said: 'It's hard to figure out when was that quote-unquote normal [menstrual cramps] versus when did I have appendix cancer, and that was what was making the symptoms. 'What was a red flag symptom was close to my diagnosis I had to urinate a lot, and I would notice every time I would drink something I would have to use the bathroom. I always felt the need to pee. 'And it turned out that was because I had a huge ovarian cyst and it was taking up space where my bladder is and that was me needing to urinate.' Appendiceal cancer has no clear symptoms, especially in its early stages, meaning doctors often struggle to diagnose the disease. It is rare, with about 3,000 cases every year, and normally diagnosed in people around 50 and 55 years old. But as cases have risen among younger adults, researchers have suggested that shifts in the microbiome caused by the western diet could be raising the risk of developing the cancer. This is also one of the leading theories linked to a surge in colon cancer in young people. There are several types of the cancer, but Barad was diagnosed with low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN), a rare and slow-growing form where cells in the appendix overproduce mucin — a jelly-like substance — that can flood the abdominal cavity and push other cells into it. This disruption in the body's internal cavity can cause a large cyst to develop on an ovary, like in Barad's case, or on another organ of the body. It isn't clear how often this form of the disease affects patients, but some studies on only a small number of patients have suggested it is around 40 percent of all cases. To treat her cancer, Barad was brought in for a major 12-hour surgery in March 2022 to try to clear the disease from her body. For the procedure, surgeons initially made an incision from her chest to her pelvis and opened up her body, before trying to remove as much of mucin as possible that was coating each organ. They removed part of her liver, omentum - the thin tissue surrounding the stomach - and part of her diaphragm during the surgery because these were covered in mucin. Doctors also said they might have to remove her uterus, leaving Barad unable to start a family, but managed to save the organ. Then, doctors pumped her abdominal cavity full of chemotherapy drugs heated to 106F (41C), sewed her up and rotated her for about 90 minutes. She was rotated to spread the chemotherapy drugs in her abdomen to treat any remaining cancer cells. The drugs were then extracted, and Barad said she went through months of a 'miserable' recovery where she was so unwell she was barely able to leave the apartment. But the surgery was a success, and the cancer has not been detected in Barad since. She now returns every year to the hospital to check for recurrence. Appendix cancer is slow-growing, however, with Barad saying that she will never be considered 'cured,' just 'in remission' because of the risk more cancerous cells could appear. She said: 'It's so slow moving, it could be slowly growing over the next couple of years, so it's uncertain. 'But every year now I get scans and blood work done and I feel like I am just in really good hands with all of this.' Survival rates for appendix cancer vary widely depending on the type and how advanced the cancer is, with between 67 and 97 percent of patients living for longer than five years after their diagnosis. For LAMN, about 64 percent of patients survive for longer than five years according to studies. Amid her recovery, Barad said she is now trying to live an intentional life and is thankful for the people around her and aiming to raise awareness about the disease. She lives in her apartment with her dog Charlie, a rescued Maltese poodle mix, and keeps active with long hikes. She also had her eggs frozen at age 35 in case she wanted to start a family but now says she doesn't think she wants to put her body through the trial of pregnancy. Barad is thankful that her cancer was slow growing but fears the outcome if it had not been detected earlier. She was helped through her journey by PMP Pals and the Abdominal Cancers Alliance, which aim to help patients with the disease.
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
World leading expert warns that most people are taking popular supplement WRONG: 'You're putting yourselves at risk'
A world leading doctor has raised the alarm over turmeric supplements, and says that they could cause life-threatening liver damage. Turmeric has long been lauded for its anti-inflammatory benefits, and hailed as a natural remedy which can be used to treat everything from arthritis to heart disease. Some researchers even believe that the spice might be effective in supporting cancer treatments, reducing the chance of the disease spreading. As a result, turmeric supplements have taken the wellness world by storm, with around half of all adults in the UK currently taking supplements on a regular basis. Yet, Dr Jen Gunter, a leading gynecologist, has now warned: 'There is no good science to support turmeric supplements for any health outcome, so why take the risk?' Turmeric is made by breaking down the dried rootstalk of turmeric plants, so that it can be used in everything from curries to coffees. In this state very little of the active ingredient—curcumin, which gives the spice its bright yellow colour—can be absorbed by the body. 'Food and supplements are not the same thing,' Dr Gunter warned her 372,000 followers in an Instagram video. 'You can't compare something that you're taking with a bowl of protein of fibre, with something you're taking as a pill,' she added. But now supplement manufactures are pairing curcumin with piperine—a compound found in black pepper—to boost its absorption by up to 2,000 per cent. 'Turmeric, the spice by itself, is not actually absorbed very well,' Dr Gunter explained. 'But these turmeric products that have really flooded the market are all designed to enhance absorption.' This carries significant health risks as in high doses, curcumin can interact with the efficacy of other drugs including antibiotics and blood pressure medications. In the most extreme cases, turmeric supplements have been linked with severe liver damage. Dr Gunter said: 'Experts in this space are really concerned that the rise in liver toxicity that we're seeing is paralleling these products that are designed to enhance absorption.' In a study published in The American Journal of Medicine researchers looked at the number of turmeric-associated liver injury cases recorded in the US between 2004 and 2022. They discovered 10 cases of liver damage caused by the spice. Five people were hospitalised and one person died of acute liver failure. The 62-year-old woman had no history of liver disease and was taking turmeric root extract for her arthritis. She was also taking tramadol—a strong painkiller—a nasal decongestant for her allergies, and other multivitamins including ginger and vitamin D. She developed fatigue and nausea followed by jaundice, after taking turmeric once daily for 14 months. A liver that is working poorly cannot get rid of bilirubin—a substance that triggers yellowing of the eyes and skin, medically known as jaundice. She stopped taking the supplement, but her symptoms did not improve and she was listed for a liver transplant. She died within five weeks of the onset of symptoms. Doctors concluded that the liver failure was likely caused by the turmeric supplements, which could have interacted with the other medications she was taking. High doses of curcumin have also been shown to have a blood-thinning effect, putting people who take anticoagulants at increased risk of dangerous bleeding. Dr Gunter also warned that the supplements could interfere with the absorption of iron, an essential mineral important in making red blood cells that carry life-giving oxygen around the body. A lack of iron can lead to iron deficiency anemia, which can be particularly dangerous for women who lose a lot of blood during their period. It comes as the latest official figures show the number of Brits being hospitalised for malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies has almost tripled in a decade. In 2022, there were more than 800,000 admissions in England and Wales with conditions linked to poor nutrition, including 'Victorian' illnesses scurvy and rickets. Iron deficiency was the biggest problem, NHS data revealed, with admissions for the bone-weakening condition shooting up by 149 per cent since 2013.
Japan Times
15-07-2025
- Health
- Japan Times
Italy's abortion taboos challenged by new law in Sicily
Monia, a Sicilian woman in her early forties, was overjoyed when she discovered in October 2022 she was expecting her first child. Her doctor, however, recommended a genetic test due to her age, and the result was one no parent wants to receive. The fetus had a genetic syndrome. Monia, who declined to give her surname, asked her gynecologist what she could do. "Nothing. You don't want to terminate, do you?" the doctor asked her, she said. He was a conscientious objector, Monia said, one of hundreds on the southern Italian island. More than 80% of gynecologists in Sicily refuse to perform abortions for moral or religious reasons, according to the latest health ministry data, which dates to 2022, even though the procedure has been a legal right for women in Italy since 1978. To address that situation, in late May, Sicily's regional council — run by a center-right coalition — passed a law in a secret ballot requiring all public hospitals to create dedicated abortion wards and to hire staff willing to provide the service. Under the national rules, abortion is permitted within the first 90 days of a pregnancy, or later if there are risks to the mother's health or fetal abnormalities. The latter circumstance applied to Monia, who went to the Sant'Antonio Abate hospital in the city of Trapani, in western Sicily, to terminate her pregnancy. "All the gynecologists were objectors," she said. "An obstetrician gave me a bed with only a mattress cover and said they would administer a pill every three hours until I went into labor." She was told she would receive no further assistance. Her story is far from unique in southern Italy, where cultural traditions are more conservative than in the Catholic country's richer north and center. A general view of San Marco Hospital in Catania, Italy, on June 25. Under Italy's law, health workers are exempted from abortion procedures if they declare an ethical or religious objection, so long as the woman's life is not in immediate danger. | San Marco Hospital / via REUTERS At first, Monia's pills were ineffective, but after five days and a change of treatment, she finally miscarried, attended to by a doctor and a midwife. Hospital staff referred to her as "Article 6," she said, after the provision in the law that allows abortions beyond 90 days. In response to a request for comment, the Sant'Antonio Abate hospital said it was sorry for Monia's "difficult experience." However, the hospital said it was unable to verify the facts because both the hospital manager and the head of the gynecology department at that time had left. The hospital said it now has three non-objecting doctors and was able to provide abortion services. Abortions are only available in around half of Sicily's hospitals, health ministry data shows, a figure much lower than in central and northern Italy, where rates are around 70%. Like most of his colleagues, Fabio Guardala, a 60-year-old doctor, refuses to perform abortions. He operates at the Cannizzaro hospital in the Sicilian city of Catania, on the east coast of the island. "A doctor's job is to heal," said Guardala, who is also deputy head of a healthcare unit at his local Catholic church. "Abortion is not treatment but killing. Nobody can force a doctor to kill." Silvia Vaccari, president of the Italian federation of midwives, FNOPO, said health outcomes can be grim in areas where legal abortions are hard to access. "The absence of facilities sometimes leads people to turn to non-professionals, putting them at risk of death, or to continue with pregnancies and give birth to babies who are abandoned in places where they may never be found alive," she said. Catholic influence Most other European Union countries allow health workers to refuse to perform abortions on ethical grounds, according to a 2022 study published in the Acta Biomedica journal. But the right is generally exercised far less commonly than in southern Italy. One exception is deeply Catholic Poland, where abortion is only legal in cases of rape or incest or when a woman's health or life is at risk. The Acta study said many Polish women have been forced to travel abroad to terminate their pregnancies. Abortion has always been contentious in Italy, a Catholic country that hosts the Vatican. Right-leaning Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni passed legislation last year to try to deter women from terminating pregnancies. People demonstrate about abortion rights in Rome on Sept. 28, 2024. | REUTERS Anti-abortion groups have been allowed into abortion advice clinics, in a move Meloni's party said was aimed at giving women an opportunity for reflection before making a final decision. Nationally, the number of abortions dropped to 65,000 in 2022, according to the latest health ministry data, against 110,000 in 2011. More than 60% of gynecologists are conscientious objectors. On the island of Sardinia, the region's ruling, left-leaning 5-Star Movement last month presented a law proposal similar to the one adopted in Sicily, suggesting that other southern regions may soon follow its example. Dario Safina, a center-left Democratic Party lawmaker in Sicily and the promoter of the new law, said many Sicilian women seeking an abortion feel forced to resort to the private sector. "Access to abortion is not a problem for those who can afford it, because they can go to a private clinic. But health care based on wealth is the end of democracy," he said. Some doctors argue Sicily's high objection rates are not only due to ethics, but also to staff shortages and poor working conditions that make it harder for gynecologists to provide abortions on top of their regular duties. Data from the GIMBE Foundation, a health sector think tank, shows Sicily had nine health care workers per 1,000 residents in 2022, compared with a national average of 11.6 and far below the northern and central Emilia Romagna and Tuscany regions with 15. "Hospitals always try to exploit doctors' work without paying them properly, so sometimes professionals are reluctant to perform abortions," said Salvatore Incandela, head of the Sicilian arm of AOGOI, Italy's gynecologists' association. Italian anti-abortion group Pro-Life Together rejects this, saying non-objectors in Sicily were only required to perform 1.5 abortions a week, on average, in 2022 — still above a national average of 0.9. Legal challenges? Six Sicilian hospital managers and health professionals said the new legislation could strengthen the service, but it was still important to ensure doctors could opt out as allowed under 1978 national law that sanctioned the right to abortion. The entrance to the Day Surgery department of San Marco Hospital, in Catania, Italy, on June 25. Some doctors argue Sicily's high objection rates are not only due to ethics, but also to staff shortages and poor working conditions that make it harder for gynecologists to provide abortions on top of their regular duties. | San Marco Hospital / via REUTERS Under the law, health workers are exempted from abortion procedures if they declare an ethical or religious objection, so long as the woman's life is not in immediate danger. Gaetano Sirna, the director general of Catania's Policlinico-San Marco hospital, one of the city's largest, said even with just six non-objecting gynecologists out of a total of 39, he could still ensure abortions for those who needed them. "We have no problems guaranteeing the availability (of doctors) ... gynecologists are free to declare themselves as objectors; we do not discriminate," he said. Abortion is not the only case in which conscientious objection is permitted in Italy. It used to be grounds for avoiding compulsory military service, which was abolished in the early 2000s, and an opt-out for scientists from conducting animal experiments was introduced in the early 1990s. Giorgia Landolfo, a abortion-rights activist in Catania, called the new law in Sicily a "landmark," but said she feared it would be hard to enforce. Some anti-abortion groups say it will be challenged in court on the ground that job postings reserved for non-objectors discriminate against the others. "Many measures in the past aimed at hiring non-objectors have been challenged and ultimately came to nothing," said Vito Trojano, the head of SIGO, the Italian Obstetrics and Gynecology Society. Some Sicilian politicians who strongly oppose the new rules believe the region should instead bolster its health care and support facilities for pregnant women, who often feel abandoned and see no alternative to abortion. "Life is life from the moment of conception," said Margherita La Rocca, a Sicilian lawmaker from the center-right Forza Italia party. "The fetus cannot just be considered a clump of cells when it's convenient."
Al Arabiya
05-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
French doctor handed 10-year jail term for abusing patients
A French court sentenced a doctor to a 10-year prison term on Saturday for raping nine of his patients during medical consultations, according to a lawyer representing some of the victims. Thirty women filed complaints against the gynecologist, in his 60s, accusing him of sexual assault during medical exams. The Haute-Savoie Court in eastern France found him guilty on Saturday of raping nine of the plaintiffs, said lawyer, Aurelie Zakar. Four of the plaintiffs accused the gynecologist of penetration with his genitals, while others complained of unjustified rectal exams and 'vaginal massages' that they said the doctor presented as medically necessary. 'The penetration suffered during consultations was not medical in nature and was, in fact, sexualized,' said Zakar. 'My three clients have been recognized as victims, they have been heard and believed. They can now rebuild their lives,' she said. The doctor, from the eastern town of Bonneville, has denied all allegations. The debate was particularly 'heated on the notion of intent', said a lawyer for three other plaintiffs, including two women who were minors at the time. The defendant presented the acts 'as justified or never having happened,' said Patricia Lyonnaz, adding that all the victims came to testify at the trial. 'These are not women seeking revenge,' said Lyonnaz. The defendant has 10 days to appeal.
