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THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The human body is teeming with bacteria, and a new study finds the same is true of many cancers -- raising questions about what role microbes might play in the diseases. Researchers have already known that tumors in certain areas of the body -- like the gut -- harbor bacteria of their own. But the new research reveals that a range of cancers, including those of the breast, lungs, bones and brain, have their own bacterial communities within tumor cells. And the makeup of those communities seems to be unique to each cancer type, the researchers report in the May 29 issue of Science. Exactly what it all means is unclear at this point. But the study also found that the same bacteria within tumor cells were present in patients' immune system...

THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A cancer diagnosis can deliver a double blow -- along with dealing with a serious health crisis, you also need to worry about how your treatment is going to affect your finances. Nearly three out of four people with advanced colon cancer that spread to other parts of their bodies experienced major financial hardships within a year of starting treatment, a new study found. "Major financial hardship was extremely common -- nearly 75% in a year experienced a decline in income, increasing debt, new loans, or selling or refinancing their home," explained study author Dr. Veena Shankaran. She's co-director of the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Shankaran said she was...

THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Lots of people are using medical marijuana to treat their arthritis and other muscle aches and pains, often without consulting their doctor, a new study reports. As many as 1 in 5 patients who consult an orthopedic surgeon for chronic musculoskeletal pain are using a cannabis product to treat them, Canadian researchers found. "We found 20% had reported past or current use of cannabis with the specific intention to manage pain," said study author Dr. Timothy Leroux, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Toronto. "Not just recreational users, but patients who said, 'I'm using cannabis because I want to improve pain with this condition.' " There's also a lot of interest in medical marijuana among arthritis sufferers who haven't yet tried it,...

THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Very few people with autism receive two recommended genetic tests, a new study finds. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups recommend offering chromosomal microarray testing and Fragile X testing to people with autism, to detect or rule out genetic abnormalities that could affect their diagnosis and care. For the study, the researchers analyzed data gathered from 1,280 autism patients in Rhode Island between April 2013 and April 2019. Only 16.5% said they'd received some genetic testing, with 13.2% receiving Fragile X testing, and 4.5% receiving chromosomal microarray testing. Only 3% received both recommended tests. Older patients were less likely to have the tests. Patients diagnosed by subspecialist pediatricians...