Fred Hutchinson Cancer

Getting pregnant while on the pill: Yet another health hazard of being overweight

Overweight and obese women who take oral contraceptives are 60 percent to 70 percent more likely to get pregnant while on the birth-control pill, respectively, than women of lower weight, according to new findings from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center that will be published in the January issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

The study, led by epidemiologist Victoria Holt, Ph.D., M.P.H., a member of Fred Hutchinson's Public Health Sciences Division, is the largest case-control study of its kind to examine the link between body-mass index and oral-contraceptive failure. The research was conducted in collaboration with Delia Scholes, Ph.D., a senior investigator at the Center for Health Studies at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle.

Changing sexual behavior may explain rise of anal cancer

Anal cancer is on the rise in both sexes, particularly among American men, and changing trends in sexual behavior -- combined with current tobacco use and infection by a specific strain of the human papillomavirus -- may help explain the increase.

Study Finds Risk for Lung Cancer Varies Among Smokers

Smoking, the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, causes 130,000 lung cancer deaths each year. Many smokers are now considering screening with low-dose helical computed tomography (CT) scans in the hope of diagnosing the disease early. A new study that shows lung cancer risk varies widely among smokers may help individuals and their doctors decide if voluntary screening is appropriate for them.