In November, Marc Jacobs was featured in a South Park episode as shirtless action figure "Muscle Man Marc," so it's only fair that Jacobs repay the tribute and feature a nude Eric Cartman on a t-shirt created to benefit The Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group at New York University. more ›

Why must science ruin everything? Just as we are getting used to the idea that red wine is not actually going to keep us young and healthy forever, a report shows up suggesting that "processed meat consumption is positively associated with pancreatic cancer risk." Sigh. more ›

Two moms, bound together by cancer (one has lymphoma; the other's daughter has leukemia) are asking—quite nicely—for Mattel to make a "Beautiful and Bald Barbie" to help young girls who suffer from hair loss due to cancer treatments, Alopecia or Trichotillomania. Will the doll giant bow to public demand? Eh, probably not, but let's spread the word with the hopes that they will! more ›

A 31-year NYPD veteran who battled his way back from cancer collared his last criminal in Times Square yesterday. Detective Nelson Dones saw 26-year-old Fernando Francis allegedly swipe an iPhone from an undercover detective on the N/Q/R platform. "It was closing the door the way I would have loved to close the door on my career," Dones told DNAinfo. "I wanted to be proactive." A colleague says Dones, who worked for the Transit Police when it was a separate bureau, is skilled at spotting subway thieves: "He has the eyes. He has the X-Ray vision." He also apparently has a voice "just like Al Pacino." HOO-AH. more ›

The full body imaging scanners now in use at many airports around the country have generated a lot of controversy. The U.S. Government Accountability Office said the TSA was deploying the machines without fully testing them, concerns were raised about privacy, and others have questioned the adverse health effect of some of the machines, which function as low-level X-Ray machines. Now ProPublica, the "independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest," has just published a scathing report accusing the TSA of "marching millions of airline passengers through the scanners, parting ways with European countries that concluded radiation from routine airport use poses a health risk." more ›

In this week's New Yorker, Benjamin Shapiro files a funny story about a retail tobacco outlet on Staten Island and the Lower East Side that's been exploiting a perceived loophole in the city's obscene cigarette tax law. At Island Tobacco, customers can get a pack of smokes that normally cost $13 for $6—or less. The store does this by requiring smokers—aka the 14%—to roll their own coffin nails using on-site cigarette stuffing machines. Island Tobacco's owners contend that this allows them to sell products as loose tobacco, which is taxed at a lower rate. more ›

Yesterday, a panel of doctors who are charged with reviewing preventative medicine ruled that a blood screening for prostate cancer, the second deadliest cancer, is unnecessary. This is mostly because people don't like to be told they have cancer, especially with the treatment and biopsies that occur after a positive result: 5,000 men died after surgery, and up to 70,000 had "serious consequences" after the biopsy, in addition to the 300,000 who experienced impotence or incontinence from 1985 to 2005. The doctor who developed the test has called it a "public health disaster." But Rudy Giuliani tells the Post that the test saved his life: "I believe it's the reason I'm alive. It's really a mistake to move away from this. It's very dangerous." Well, that settles it! more ›

In a report to be released sometime in the next few weeks, the FDNY claims to prove a direct link between 9/11 and the cancer rate among first responders, which contradicts what a study released in late July said. In the latter report, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) said that there was "insufficient evidence" showing a link between the tragedy and cancer rates, which meant victims wouldn't receive federal dollars under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. more ›

Trigger happy former FBI agent, "hedge fund guy" and current Staten Island Congressman Michael Grimm has banked much of his career opposing "Obamacare." As part of this opposition, Grimm has sponsored a bill to repeal the "tanning tax" that currently imposes a 10% levy on indoor tanning salons that is projected to raise $2.5 billion in two years, and will help offset the cost of health care reform. Now, the Indoor Tanning Association has cut Grimm a $500 contribution check for his efforts, and if there was any doubt before, Grimm appears to be deep in the pocket of Big Bronze. more ›

When it comes to fighting cancer, it seems the Empire State is a good place to be. The AP got ahold of a draft of the State Health Department's 2011-16 cancer report and the results are interesting: Nearly 3,000 fewer New Yorkers died of the disease last year compared to a decade ago but at the same time the number of cancer diagnoses in the state is on the rise. more ›

Before you start bragging to your friends about how you got the last package of Organic Purified Nitrate-Free Low Sodium Fair Trade Meat-That-Holds-A-PhD-In-International-Relations hot dogs at the bodega for the 4th, your cookout bonafides may just be a bunch of bull. Hot dog manufacturers are claiming that the USDA's rules for hot dog packaging that disclose whether or not the dogs contain nitrate or nitrite—preservatives that have been linked to colorectal cancer—are confusing and downright deceptive. Does this mean new gross labels for hot dogs too? more ›

Despite frequent studies and reports, most notably one from the World Health Organization in May, that a cellphone's radiofrequency electromagnetic fields cause cancer, we have yet to see someone use one of these "radiation shields." Now it appears that the stubborn disregard for our own lives has paid off: a new study conducted by the journal Environmental Health Perspectives noted that the "accumulating evidence is increasingly against the hypothesis that mobile phone use can cause brain tumors in adults." Hooray! Now we can kick back and relax. more ›

The World Heath Organization' International Agency for Research on Cancer today announced that it now classifies radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans [PDF]. What does that mean in English? The agency now considers mobile phone use to be in the same "carcinogenic hazard" category as lead, engine exhaust, DDT and coffee. Our theories about how Scully got cancer have clearly been vindicated! more ›

One of the more upsetting recent medical malpractice cases going has come to an unsatisfying conclusion. For the past three years Mikhail Sorodsky, 63, has been in jail waiting to face charges that he posed as a cancer doctor who would not only swindle dying immigrants out of their money but would also sexually abuse them while he was at it. He remained locked up since there was no way he could pay his $33 million bail (the highest on record in the state). Jury selection for the case was supposed to begin this week but that's over now since Sorodsky has made a plea deal. And it's a doozy. His 102-count indictment has been reduced down to 20 charges and Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Guy Mangano yesterday set down a sentence of six years (three of which he's already served). more ›

Jury selection for one of the creepier medical malpractice suits in recent history begins this week. Mikhail Sorodsky, 63, made headlines in 2009 when the alleged phony Brooklyn doctor was accused of sexually abusing his dying cancer patients and was smacked with an $11 million cash bail or $33 million bond—more than Bernie Madoff got and quite possibly the highest in State history. Now Sorodsky is getting ready to face a jury of his peers, with his 13th lawyer in tow (he apparently goes through attorneys quickly). more ›

[Update below] You know how the EPA keeps saying "there are dangerous PCBs in New York City schools!" And the Department of Education keeps saying "that's nice but we don't really have the money to deal with that right now?" Well, the dance continues! The results are in from the EPA's latest spot check of city schools and once again the results are not good. On Saturday, February 12, the federal agency checked out P.S. 45 in Brooklyn and found a whole mess of leaking lighting ballasts containing the suspected carcinogens. more ›

The furor over the old lighting fixtures and other installations in the city's public schools has boiled over into a page A1 NY Times (NYC edition) article about the potential dangers of PCBs. A parent says, "You don’t send your children to school thinking, ‘My kid is going to be exposed to a chemical that’s toxic enough that they ban it in building materials.'" more ›

Great news: Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys has reportedly beaten cancer. In an interview with BBC, band-mate Mike D said that Yauch's "all-clear" following his illness was "a good thing" and that "we're really happy about it." It's quite a relief, because the last we heard from Yauch in April, he was sending out a mass e-mail requesting cancer-smashing vibes from his fans. Looks like the vibes worked! (Yauch also credits his vegan diet.) more ›

The push to ghettoize cigarette smokers has been taken to the next level in Great Neck (just two miles from the New York City border!) where the town elders have voted to ban smoking on sidewalks. It's only a matter of time before this latest attack on smokers—which will soon drive them out of NYC parks and beaches—happens here, inevitably culminating with a law requiring smokers to wear electronic collars that zap them if they light up outside designated subterranean nicotine bunkers. The smoking world needs a savior. Enter Audrey Silk, head of the NYC-based smoker's rights group Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, has anything to say about it. more ›

Elizabeth Edwards, the estranged wife of presidential candidate John Edwards, died today at 61 in her Chapel Hill, NC home. Seen as a driving force behind her husband's political ascent, Edwards' struggle with breast cancer became part of his campaign story (as did his affair and love child). Edwards' cancer had recently metastasized to her liver. Yesterday, it was revealed that doctors advised her not to pursue further treatment and that she posted a farewell message on Facebook, "I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces - my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope." more ›

As the number of smokers in NYC has dropped, so has the number of people dying from smoking-related causes, or so says the "what can we get away with?" Health Department. A new analysis by the agency shows smoking-related deaths have declined by 17% during the past decade—from approximately 8,700 in 2002 to about 7,200 in 2009. Cardiovascular disease is down 27%, cancer is down 9%, and respiratory disease is down 12%! But don't break out the champagne and cigars just yet... more ›

The 23-year-old Westchester County newlywed who allegedly faked cancer to get her dream wedding for free is sticking to her story. Jessica Vega tells the Daily News that a doctor at a Bronx clinic told her in February that she has terminal leukemia, and that she hasn't needed chemo to fight her cancer, just "water, the right foods and exercise." She insists she has cancer, but couldn't show the News any immediate proof from her doctor. ("Maybe tomorrow," she told the tabloid.) more ›

In April, the Times Herald-Record published a tear-jerking story about a young Westchester bride-to-be with terminal leukemia preparing to walk down the aisle on a shoestring budget. The article struck a chord with readers in upstate Middletown, and the community rallied to give Jessica Vega, 23, her dream wedding. The rings were donated gratis, the wedding dress and photos were free, the catering hall was heavily discounted, and the happy couple flew off to their honeymoon in Aruba with donated money, using plane tickets bought by well-wishers. But now Vega's husband, Yonkers construction worker Michael O'Connell, says his wife was just faking cancer to get all that swag. more ›