Smokers who make the decision to quit will experience immediate health benefits, including a rapid reduction in their risk of atrial fibrillation (A-Fib), according to new research published in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology. The study, conducted by Dr. Gregory Marcus, a cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, offers compelling evidence for smokers to quit, showing that it’s never too late to avoid the damaging effects of smoking on heart health.

Dr. Marcus, the senior author of the study, emphasized that A-Fib can be prevented even in individuals who have smoked for years. "The findings provide a compelling new reason to show current smokers that it’s not too late to quit, and that having smoked in the past doesn’t mean you’re ‘destined’ to develop A-Fib," Marcus explained. "Even for the current and longtime smoker, A-Fib can still be avoided."

What is Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib)?

"There’s strong evidence that smoking increases the risk of A-Fib," Marcus said. "But the benefits of quitting smoking have been less certain." With this in mind, his team sought to determine whether quitting could significantly lower a person’s risk of developing A-Fib, or if the risk would remain the same.

The research team analyzed data from over 146,700 current and former smokers, tracking their smoking habits and health over a 12-year period using data from the UK Biobank database. The results were promising: former smokers had a 13% lower risk of developing A-Fib compared to current smokers, while those who quit during the study saw an 18% reduction in their risk.

"This is likely a testament to the potency of reducing atrial fibrillation risk pretty shortly after quitting," Marcus said in a statement from the American College of Cardiology.

The findings highlight the importance of quitting smoking, not only for general health but specifically for reducing the risk of serious heart conditions like A-Fib.

Tips for Quitting Smoking

Quitting smoking is one of the most effective ways to lower the risk of A-Fib and improve overall heart health. While it can be challenging, the benefits of quitting are clear and immediate. Here are some tips to help you quit smoking successfully:

1. Choose a specific date to quit smoking and stick to it. Prepare yourself mentally and physically for this change.

2. Reach out to family, friends, or a support group to help keep you accountable. Sharing your goals with others can provide encouragement.

3. Options like nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges can help ease withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings.

4. Identify situations that make you want to smoke, such as stress or social gatherings, and find healthy ways to cope with them.

5. Regular exercise can help distract you from cravings and improve your mood during the quitting process.

6. Drinking water can help flush nicotine out of your system faster, reducing cravings.

7. Activities like yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises can help manage stress, a common trigger for smoking.

Quitting smoking offers immediate and significant benefits, particularly in reducing the risk of atrial fibrillation. The latest research provides smokers with more motivation to quit, showing that it's never too late to take control of their heart health.

X-Men actor Tyler Mane has revealed that he has been diagnosed with a "super-rare" form of breast cancer.

In a post on Instagram, Mane, a former professional wrestler, shared that he has been diagnosed with the condition, which is predominantly associated with women. He noted that only about 1 per cent of breast cancer cases occur in men.

The 59-year-old actor said he initially considered keeping his diagnosis private, but ultimately decided to speak publicly about it because men are often diagnosed at more advanced stages of the disease due to a lack of awareness.

“I have some bad news: I start chemo today. One in 750 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and I’m one of them,” he said in a video posted on Instagram.

Mane revealed that doctors initially dismissed the lump he discovered.

“My doctors initially dismissed it and it was only because my wife pushed me to get the lump removed that I got in early,” he said.

The actor admitted that his first instinct was to keep the diagnosis secret.

“I’ll be honest, my first reaction was to keep it secret. I mean it’s kind of embarrassing,” he said.

However, after learning more about male breast cancer and the importance of early detection, he decided to share his experience publicly to help raise awareness.

While Mane did not reveal the stage of his cancer, he informed of undergoing chemotherapy and urged his followers to spread awareness about the disease.

“I’m gonna kick cancer’s ass. Thank you for coming along for the journey. We need to spread the awareness. Cancer sucks but if you catch it quick enough, you can win this battle,” he wrote.

Breast Cancer in Men

According to the CDC, about one in every 100 breast cancer cases diagnosed in the United States occurs in men. The situation is similar globally, with the World Health Organization estimating that between 0.5 and 1 per cent of breast cancers occur in men.

The lifetime risk of breast cancer in men is currently less than one in 1,000. However, the incidence of the disease is increasing, particularly with advancing age.

The average age at diagnosis for men is about 67 years, roughly five years later than the average age of diagnosis in women.

Because breast cancer is often not suspected in men, the condition can be overlooked or misdiagnosed, resulting in many cases being detected at later stages.

What Are the Risk Factors in Men?

Several factors can increase a man's likelihood of developing breast cancer. These include:

• Advancing age
• Genetics
• Family history
• Lifestyle and hormonal factors, including excess weight, alcohol consumption, liver disease and hormonal imbalances
• Medical conditions such as gynecomastia and Klinefelter syndrome
• Radiation exposure, particularly previous radiation treatment to the chest area

Symptoms to Watch For

The symptoms of breast cancer in men are similar to those in women, but men may overlook them because they are less aware of the disease.

Common signs include:

• A lump in the breast, usually painless
• Nipple discharge
• Dimpling, redness or inversion of the skin or nipple

Why Early Detection Matters

Routine mammography is not generally recommended for men because of the low prevalence of the disease. However, men considered to be at high risk, including those with a strong family history or genetic predisposition, may benefit from periodic screening and should discuss appropriate options with their healthcare providers.

An indigenous low-cost point-of-care (PoC) testing approach has shown promise in making screening for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) more affordable and accessible, potentially improving the early detection of cervical cancer, according to a joint study led by researchers from AIIMS, ICMR, and the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, found that PoC tests have the potential to become scalable, low-cost screening tools in India and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The objective of the study was to evaluate indigenous HPV DNA testing platforms for use in primary cervical cancer screening.

Four Indigenous Tests Evaluated

While several Indian HPV tests have been developed, many had not yet been validated against the international standards laid down by the WHO.

The study evaluated four point-of-care tests developed by 3 Indian companies:

• Genes2Me – HPV-Q
• Mylabs India – PathoDetect HPV-7 and PathoDetect HPV-14
• Molbio Diagnostics – Truenat HR-HPV-Plus

Each test was developed by repurposing existing COVID-19 RT-PCR platforms. HPV-Q and PathoDetect HPV-14 can detect all 14 high-risk HPV types, while PathoDetect HPV-7 detects seven high-risk types: 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58.

How the Tests Performed

Also read: PM Modi Launches Nationwide Free HPV Vaccination Drive; A Landmark Step, Says WHO

To assess performance, researchers analyzed 1,159 cervical samples collected from studies conducted in Argentina and Costa Rica.

The results showed:

• Truenat HR-HPV-Plus: Sensitivity 80.4%, specificity 91.5% — met IARC validation criteria.
• PathoDetect HPV-7: Sensitivity 68.1%, specificity 89.0% — lower sensitivity.
• HPV-Q and PathoDetect HPV-14: Did not meet validation criteria.

Indigenous Platforms Can Be Game-Changers

"This study demonstrates that indigenous platforms can achieve clinical validation, quality standards, and accuracy comparable to global gold-standard tests. It will be a game-changer for cervical cancer prevention and early detection in India," said lead author Dr Neerja Bhatla, Professor Emeritus, NCI and former Head of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at AIIMS New Delhi.

Dr Shalini Singh, Director of ICMR-NICPR, added that HPV DNA testing at age 35 and again at age 45 is central to WHO's cervical cancer elimination strategy, but high costs remain a major barrier in LMICs.

"Affordable indigenous solutions are essential to expand screening coverage and reduce disease burden," she said.

High Burden Of Cervical Cancer: Why HPV Testing Matters

Read More: HPV Vaccine Can Help Curb Rising Head And Neck Cancers, Says Top US Doctor

Cervical cancer continues to be a major public health challenge in India, with around 127,000 new cases and 80,000 deaths reported annually.

Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. According to WHO data for 2022, there were approximately 662,000 new cases and 348,000 deaths worldwide.

Regular screening of women over 30 years of age every 3-5 years can help detect precancerous and cancerous lesions early. However, screening coverage in India has remained low despite the inclusion of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) in the national screening program for breast, oral, and cervical cancers.

Persistent infection with carcinogenic HPV types is the necessary cause of cervical cancer. WHO recommends a transition to HPV testing as the preferred strategy for cervical cancer elimination.

Using validated HPV tests, only two rounds of screening — at ages 35 and 45 — may be sufficient to help achieve elimination targets. However, most existing HPV tests are expensive, require sophisticated laboratory infrastructure, and are not easily available at last-mile health facilities.

The researchers said that the point-of-care HPV testing approach, thus, could be a major breakthrough, enabling affordable diagnostics and even same-day treatment for women who test positive.

Potential for Nationwide Rollout

The researchers noted that while the recently introduced national HPV vaccination campaign will benefit younger generations, there remains an urgent need to expand HPV testing for women over 30 who are currently at risk of cervical cancer.

Dr Showket Hussain of the ICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), Noida, said the validated platform has strong potential for integration into national screening programs because district-level healthcare personnel are already familiar with similar testing systems.

"Future advancements such as self-sampling and high-throughput adaptations could further enhance accessibility," he said.

The findings are expected to support India's cervical cancer elimination goals while offering a scalable model for other low-resource settings globally.

Cancer patients in India, already affected by shortages of critical chemotherapy drugs, are now set to face higher costs after the government approved a price hike.

Facing significant shortages are Cisplatin and Carboplatin — the two platinum-based drugs that form the backbone of treatment for common cancers such as oral cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, esophageal cancer, and testicular cancer.

Shortages Disrupt Cancer Treatment

The shortage of these essential chemotherapy medicines is disrupting care across hospitals and cancer centers, with several doctors pointing out that a substantial proportion of chemotherapy protocols for solid tumors rely on one of these platinum-based agents.

The drugs have been facing shortages as companies find it difficult to sustain production amid rising manufacturing costs linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The two drugs, often prescribed in combination and with no alternatives, are derived from platinum, a precious metal whose cost has surged due to the Middle East conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Rising Production Costs Hit Manufacturers

Also read: India Revises Folic Acid Measurement Unit to Prevent Dosage Errors

"The production cost has increased because the API, or active pharmaceutical ingredient, which is imported from abroad, has become more expensive. As a result, manufacturing costs have gone up, but the MRP has not increased," Dr Shyam Agarwal, Senior Consultant, Medical Oncology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told HealthandMe.

As companies have struggled to sustain production amid rising manufacturing costs, they approached the government seeking a revision of the price cap.

Drugmakers reportedly sought price revisions for 82 medicines, citing substantial increases in production costs due to the US-Iran conflict linked to the Hormuz crisis and other factors.

Government Approves Higher Prices

In response, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), following permission from the Union government's Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), has increased maximum retail prices for four drugs, including the life-saving cancer medicines Cisplatin and Carboplatin, and two anti-tetanus injections.

While the move is aimed at restoring supplies, it has also raised concerns about affordability for patients already battling a costly disease.

The NPPA is the country's drug price regulator and functions under the DoP, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

NPPA Asked to Review Cost Increases

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The ministry directed the pricing authority to determine how much prices could be increased.

The formula suggested: "The Standing Committee recommended a 10 per cent increase per year from the last fixation with a ceiling of 50 per cent, which could also be a guide, but the primary principle should be cost increase," News18 reported.

The DoP has further advised the NPPA to examine increases in raw material costs for these drugs while determining any price revisions. It has also asked the regulator to assess similar requests from the pharmaceutical industry, where price hikes have been sought due to higher raw material costs.