Two New Articles on Cancer: Good vs. Evil

Here are two news article related to cancer. One is good news for us, and the other is bad news (although predictable).

A new cancer scanner for dense breasts has been developed, according to an Associated Press article on September 4, 2008.

“A radioactive tracer that ‘lights up’ cancer hiding inside dense breasts showed promise in its first big test against mammograms, revealing more tumors and giving fewer false alarms, doctors reported Wednesday.”

They very explicitly said that the new test would not replace mammograms for women, but would be an additional tool for higher-risk women who have dense tissue that makes tumors hard to spot on mammograms. And the new test (MBI) is less cost than an MRI, $500 versus $1,000+.


Nearly 60 percent of employers nationwide plan to curb rising health premiums by making their employees pay more, according to a survey released Thursday by Mercer consulting firm.

In an effort to reduce costs next year, 59 percent of companies surveyed said they will raise deductibles, co-payments, the share of premiums that employees pay, or out-of-pocket spending limits.