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CBS News
5 hours ago
- Sport
- CBS News
The Pan-Mass Challenge is this weekend. Here's what to know about the routes, fundraising and more.
The 2025 Pan-Mass Challenge, an annual bike-a-thon that has become the largest single athletic fundraiser in the U.S., is happening in Massachusetts this weekend. More than 6,500 cyclists and 3,500 volunteers are coming together to raise millions of dollars for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Here's what to know about the PMC. The Pan-Mass Challenge is made up of 14 routes ranging from 25 to 186 miles. The original and longest route is a two-day ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown. Riders begin in the hills of Central Massachusetts on Day 1 and end up on the Cape Cod Canal. On Day 2, riders depart Bourne, following Route 6A before connecting with the Cape Cod Rail Trail. For some, the ride ends at the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown. Other routes include a 162-mile ride from Wellesley to Provincetown, an 85-mile trek from Wellesley to Bourne and a scenic 50-mile loop that starts and finishes in Wellesley. Click here for a full list of routes and maps for riders. In 2026, the Pan-Mass Challenge will start at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester to give riders more space and access to modern facilities. The PMC takes place on Saturday, Aug. 2 from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 3. from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exact start times depend on which route riders are taking. The ride from Sturbridge will kick off at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday. Wellesley riders leave at 6:45 a.m. Saturday. Click here for more information about logistics. The PMC has a fundraising goal of $76 million this year, and 100% of every rider-raised dollar goes directly to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Since it began in 1980, the PMC has raised more than $1 billion for cancer research, treatment and patient care. It also makes up 66% of the Jimmy Fund's annual revenue. There are fundraising minimums ranging from $2,000 for a one-day ride, to $6,000 for rides to Provincetown from Sturbridge and Wellesley. People can also participate as a "virtual rider" with no fundraising minimum. The Pan-Mass Challenge is full of inspirational stories and riders. This year's cyclists and volunteers come from 10 countries and 45 states. There are 160 Dana-Farber employees riding or volunteering, and organizers say some of them are doing so to fund their own cancer research. Boston Red Sox World Series champion Mike Timlin is riding his first PMC in memory of Tim and Stacy Wakefield. Timlin and his wife Dawn are riding for the Red Sox Foundation's Team 9. Among those riding are more than 1,000 "Living Proof" cyclists who have been treated for cancer. PJ Branco, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer at 26 years old, is one of them. "I finally feel like I'm able to give back to the people who helped save my life," he told WBZ-TV. WBZ is proud to partner with the Pan-Mass Challenge. To learn more, go to
WebMD
23-07-2025
- Health
- WebMD
Mastectomy or Lumpectomy? Reassuring New Data for Young Women
July 23, 2025 – Young women diagnosed with breast cancer may not need to choose aggressive surgery to reduce recurrence risk. New research suggests the likelihood of cancer recurring (coming back) in the same breast or nearby lymph nodes isn't related to her choice of surgical treatment – removing either the cancerous tissue (lumpectomy) or one or both breasts (mastectomy). And for women 40 and under with invasive but not incurable cancer, recurrence risk across the board was "low" – just 5.6% over 10 years. "Many young women with breast cancer choose to have bilateral mastectomies even if they may be a candidate for a smaller surgery," said study author Laura S. Dominici, MD, a breast surgeon at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Mass General Brigham in Boston. "We know survival isn't impacted by this choice, but historically, young women were felt to have higher risk for local recurrence and tend to have more 'aggressive' breast cancers." The new findings, published Wednesday in JAMA Surgery, suggest that "women cannot make a bad choice," Dominici said. "A woman who wants to keep her breast isn't trading off a cancer outcome to do so." Of the more than 1,100 people in the study, 30% had lumpectomy, 26% had a single mastectomy, and 43% had bilateral mastectomy. When researchers analyzed surgical treatment alongside cancer subtype – such as whether it was related to hormones or certain genes – they found no significant differences in recurrence rates. Researchers attributed the low risk to advances in cancer treatments, which have become more targeted. Breast cancer patients in the study were diagnosed between 2006 and 2015, and they received optimal treatment after surgery – meaning breast cancer in young women may not be as likely to come back as older research suggested. Does This Research Apply to Me? The study included women age 40 or younger with stage I, II, or III breast cancer of any subtype – meaning hormone receptor-positive, triple negative, or any ERBB2 (formerly HER2) genetic status. If that describes you, you may want to talk to your doctor about it. The researchers excluded women with stage IV breast cancer (which has already spread to other parts of the body) and women with stage 0, or ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS. "The results do require some caution in their generalizability because the patients were not from diverse populations, with nearly 85% non-Hispanic White women," Julie A. Margenthaler, MD, wrote in a commentary published with the study. Margenthaler was not involved in the study and is a breast cancer surgeon at WashU Medicine in St. Louis. What Type of Recurrence Did This Study Look For? It looked for local or regional recurrence (that is, in the same breast or surrounding lymph nodes), but not distant recurrence – when breast cancer returns in a distant part of the body like the brain or bones. That's a stage IV diagnosis, which is usually considered treatable but not curable. What About BRCA? About 1 in 10 women in the study had known BRCA genetic involvement, and most had mastectomies. "Women do not have to have a mastectomy in this setting, but many of them consider it," Dominici said. "Mastectomies will reduce the risk for future cancers (for which patients with BRCA mutations are at higher risk) but will not reduce risk for recurrence of the current cancer. A woman with BRCA mutation having lumpectomy should be doing high-risk screening with mammogram and MRI." Does This Mean I Should Get a Lumpectomy? When deciding what breast cancer surgery to have, you need to consider physical, emotional, and psychological factors, said Dominici, who is also a professor at Harvard Medical School. "There is no 'right' answer," she said, "and it is often hard for women to both appreciate and consider the short- and long-term impacts of the different surgeries." Lumpectomy may not be an option for some women with cancer in a significant portion or multiple areas of the breast, Dominici said. "Surgery is one important part of treatment, but systemic therapy and radiation are also key to lower risk for recurrence," she said.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dramatic rise in gastrointestinal cancers in people under 50
There has been a dramatic rise in gastrointestinal cancers in people under the age of 50, according to a new review. Gastrointestinal cancers, such as colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer, 'represent the most rapidly increasing early-onset cancer in the US,' researchers wrote in a review published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Thursday. Colorectal cancer, which develops in the colon or rectum, was the most common among early-onset gastrointestinal cancers in the U.S. in 2022, with just over 20,800 people diagnosed. There were 2,689 diagnoses of Gastric cancer, which develops in the stomach lining, that year, followed by 2,657 diagnoses of pancreatic cancer and 875 diagnoses of esophageal cancer. There has been a dramatic rise in gastrointestinal cancers in people under the age of 50, according to a new review (Getty Images) Most early-onset gastrointestinal cancers are linked to risk factors that could be changed, such as obesity, poor-quality diet, and a somewhat inactive lifestyle. Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are other risk factors. 'It's really what people were doing or exposed to when they were infants, children, adolescents that is probably contributing to their risk of developing cancer as a young adult,' Dr. Kimmie Ng, the review's co-author and director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told NBC News. There are also risk factors that patients don't have control over such as family history and hereditary syndromes. People with early-onset colorectal cancer could have inflammatory bowel disease. Researchers wrote in the review: 'The prognosis for patients with early-onset GI cancers is similar to or worse than that for patients with later-onset GI cancers, highlighting the need for improved methods of prevention and early detection.' The American Cancer Society recommends people at average risk of colorectal cancer start regular screening at the age of 45. Before 2018, the ACS recommended screenings start at the age of 50. 'It never used to happen in this age group, and now a very significant rise in 20-, 30- and 40-year-olds are getting colon cancer,' Dr. John Marshall, chief medical consultant at the nonprofit Colorectal Cancer Alliance, who was not involved in the review, told NBC News. It's still unclear why young patients with gastrointestinal cancers could have worse survival rates than older patients. 'My personal feeling is that it's because we're finding them at a more advanced stage, because people don't really think of colon or other GI cancers when they see a young person with these nonspecific complaints,' Dr. Howard Hochster, director of gastrointestinal oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey, who was not involved in the review, told NBC News. But Ng said even when taking the stage of cancer into account, young patients still seem to have worse survival rates, and questioned whether there's a biological reason.
The Independent
18-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Dramatic rise in gastrointestinal cancers in people under 50
There has been a dramatic rise in gastrointestinal cancers in people under the age of 50, according to a new review. Gastrointestinal cancers, such as colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer, 'represent the most rapidly increasing early-onset cancer in the US,' researchers wrote in a review published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Thursday. Colorectal cancer, which develops in the colon or rectum, was the most common among early-onset gastrointestinal cancers in the U.S. in 2022, with just over 20,800 people diagnosed. There were 2,689 diagnoses of Gastric cancer, which develops in the stomach lining, that year, followed by 2,657 diagnoses of pancreatic cancer and 875 diagnoses of esophageal cancer. Most early-onset gastrointestinal cancers are linked to risk factors that could be changed, such as obesity, poor-quality diet, and a somewhat inactive lifestyle. Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are other risk factors. 'It's really what people were doing or exposed to when they were infants, children, adolescents that is probably contributing to their risk of developing cancer as a young adult,' Dr. Kimmie Ng, the review's co-author and director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told NBC News. There are also risk factors that patients don't have control over such as family history and hereditary syndromes. People with early-onset colorectal cancer could have inflammatory bowel disease. Researchers wrote in the review: 'The prognosis for patients with early-onset GI cancers is similar to or worse than that for patients with later-onset GI cancers, highlighting the need for improved methods of prevention and early detection.' The American Cancer Society recommends people at average risk of colorectal cancer start regular screening at the age of 45. Before 2018, the ACS recommended screenings start at the age of 50. 'It never used to happen in this age group, and now a very significant rise in 20-, 30- and 40-year-olds are getting colon cancer,' Dr. John Marshall, chief medical consultant at the nonprofit Colorectal Cancer Alliance, who was not involved in the review, told NBC News. It's still unclear why young patients with gastrointestinal cancers could have worse survival rates than older patients. 'My personal feeling is that it's because we're finding them at a more advanced stage, because people don't really think of colon or other GI cancers when they see a young person with these nonspecific complaints,' Dr. Howard Hochster, director of gastrointestinal oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey, who was not involved in the review, told NBC News. But Ng said even when taking the stage of cancer into account, young patients still seem to have worse survival rates, and questioned whether there's a biological reason.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Gastrointestinal cancers rising dramatically in people under 50
Gastrointestinal cancers, which include colorectal, stomach and pancreatic cancer, are rising dramatically in younger adults, though doctors aren't fully sure why. Even some of the possible causes require more research, they say. According to a review published Thursday in JAMA, gastrointestinal cancers have become the fastest-growing type of cancers diagnosed in adults younger than 50 in the U.S.. The review, one of the most comprehensive looks at gastrointestinal cancer trends, summarized the findings of major international and U.S. cancer databases, plus 115 papers on gastrointestinal cancers published from January 2014 to March 2025. The authors underscore the need for people to follow the screening guidelines for colorectal cancer, which suggest that people with an average risk start screening — usually a colonoscopy or stool test — at age 45. Since doctors don't routinely screen for pancreatic, stomach and esophageal cancers in the U.S., the authors also call for new ways to screen more people for these cancers. 'This really points to the importance of trying to improve screening and early detection,' said Dr. Kimmie Ng, the review's co-author and director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. According to the review, colorectal cancer is by far the most common early-onset gastrointestinal cancer, with nearly 185,000 cases reported worldwide in 2022 and nearly 21,000 cases reported that same year in the U.S. Diagnoses in the U.S. have risen 2% annually in people younger than 50 since 2011, according to the American Cancer Society. 'It never used to happen in this age group, and now a very significant rise in 20, 30 and 40-year-olds are getting colon cancer,' said Dr. John Marshall, chief medical consultant at the nonprofit Colorectal Cancer Alliance, who was not involved in the research. In one of the most high-profile examples, actor Chadwick Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016 and passed away of the disease four years later at age 43. Early-onset cases of pancreatic, stomach and esophageal cancers are also rising, according to the new study. Previous research has shown a disproportionate share of those gastrointestinal cancer diagnoses were among Black and Hispanic people. Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest forms of cancer, with just 13% of patients surviving five years after their diagnosis. Because colorectal cancer is the most common, doctors said they have a better grasp of what might be contributing to these early-onset cases compared to others. 'If we can understand what's going on in colorectal [cancer], I think it would really provide a lot of guidance to help us understand the other GI tract cancers,' said Dr. Scott Kopetz, a professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Kopetz said there are likely multiple factors driving the increase in early-onset cases. 'The leading theory is that there is no single leading theory,' he said. Ng's new review in JAMA suggests that most gastrointestinal cancers in people under 50 are associated with lifestyle factors such as obesity, lack of exercise, poor diet, cigarette smoking or alcohol consumption. One study included in the review found that women who consumed more sugar-sweetened beverages during adolescence had a higher risk of developing early onset colorectal cancer. 'It's really what people were doing or exposed to when they were infants, children, adolescents that is probably contributing to their risk of developing cancer as a young adult,' Ng said. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been vocal about the association between sugary beverages and health issues, including cancer. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said Coca-Cola will start being made with cane sugar rather than corn syrup in the U.S., but the company did not commit to the change when asked about it by NBC News. Marshall said he suspects the rise in early-onset colorectal cancer could have something to do with changes in people's gut microbiomes — the bacteria that live in our gastrointestinal tracts. Diet, antibiotic use, microplastics and exposure to environmental chemicals likely all influence a person's gut bacteria, but scientists still don't have a clear understanding of what a healthy microbiome looks like nor how it affects our health. That is a booming area of research. Ng's review also found that 15% to 30% of people with early-onset gastrointestinal cancer carry hereditary genetic mutations that may have predisposed them to getting cancer at a young age. Because of that, she said, 'we do recommend that all young patients diagnosed under the age of 50 undergo testing for hereditary conditions.' Overall survival rates for gastrointestinal cancers have gotten better over time, due to improvements in treatment and screening. But Ng's review found that younger patients often have worse outcomes, despite typically receiving more treatments, including more surgery, radiation and aggressive combinations of chemotherapy, she said. One reason could be that primary care doctors may overlook symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation, heartburn or reflux in younger patients, thereby delaying their diagnoses. 'My personal feeling is that it's because we're finding them at a more advanced stage, because people don't really think of colon or other GI cancers when they see a young person with these non-specific complaints,' said Dr. Howard Hochster, director of gastrointestinal oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey. But Ng said that even after controlling for the stage at which patients are diagnosed, young people still seem to have worse survival rates. 'This makes us wonder as researchers whether that means that the cancers that develop in younger people may be biologically different and more aggressive, or maybe less responsive to treatment,' she said. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
