A recent study suggests that people who donate blood regularly may have genetic changes in their blood that could in fact reduce the risk of developing cancer. It is conducted by the researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, and the study has now provided new insights into how and why blood cancers develop. The study is published in the journal Blood and was conducted by the scientists from Heidelberg and the German Red Cross blood donation center. There is yet a need for further research to confirm these findings.

What Did The Study Find?

The researchers examined the blood of two groups of healthy male donors in their 60s:

• One group had donated blood three times a year for 40 years.
• The other group had donated only about five times in total.

The goal was to analyze genetic mutations in their blood and assess whether frequent donation had any impact on their genetic makeup.

How Can Blood Donation Affect Stem Cells?

As and when people age, their blood and other cells naturally develop mutations and some of them can also increase the risk of cancer. When anyone donates blood, his or her body compensates by producing new blood cells, which can influence the genetic diversity of stem cells in the bone marrow. The study also found that both groups had a similar number of mutations. For instance the frequent donors had 217 mutations, while the irregular donors had 212 mutations.

However, the nature of these mutations differed. In the frequent donors, 50% of the mutations were of a type not associated with a high risk of blood cancers, compared to only 30% in the irregular donors.

Further laboratory analysis showed that these specific mutations behaved differently from those linked to leukemia, a type of blood cancer. When human blood stem cells with these mutations were injected into mice, they were found to be highly effective at producing red blood cells, which is considered a positive outcome.

Dr. Hector Huerga Encabo, one of the study authors, emphasized that these mutations do not indicate an increased risk of leukemia. The findings suggest that regular blood donation may influence how stem cells evolve, but whether this translates into a lower cancer risk remains uncertain.

Read More: Who Can Donate Blood To Whom?

Limitations

One notable disadvantage is the "healthy-donor effect"—because blood donors are often healthier than the general population, their lower cancer risk could be unrelated to blood donation.

Dominique Bonnet, senior researcher and head of a stem-cell laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute, stressed the need for larger studies with female volunteers to confirm the findings.

Despite ongoing research into potential health benefits for donors, the primary goal of blood donation remains saving lives. NHS Blood and Transplant emphasized that while the study is interesting, further research is required to draw firm conclusions. The organization also noted that blood supplies are currently critically low and encouraged eligible individuals to donate.

Also Read: How Long After a Tattoo or Piercing Can I Donate Blood?

NHS has now issued a "flu jab SOS" as fears grow that the flu cases will add up to a brutal winter. While it is every winter that the flu strikes, this year, there is something different. A seasonal flu usually mutates in the summer and thus evade some of our immunity, which may have kicked in early flu season before. A seasonal flu is thus a type that has a history of being more severe.

All thanks to flu staying all round the year, flu experts have now said that they won't be shocked if this flu season becomes the worst flu season for a decade.

Professor Nicola Lewis, the director of the World Influenza Center at the Francis Crick Institute told BBC, "We haven't seen a virus like this for a while, these dynamics are unusual. It does concern me, absolutely. I'm not panicking, but I am worried."

What Is Happening To Flu Season This Year?

Scientists have been able to track the evolution of influenza viruses because they mutate constantly, and thus the flu vaccines have to be updated every year to keep up. The evolution happens in a rhythm which is known as the "shift and drift". Most of the time the virus undergoes a minor change, however, every often there is also a sudden attempt for an abrupt shift as the virus keeps mutating.

Prof Derek Smith, who heads the Centre for Pathogen Evolution at the University of Cambridge, says seven mutations in a strain of the H3N2 seasonal flu have caused a rapid rise in cases involving this altered version of the virus.

Unusually, this spike happened outside the typical flu season, right in the middle of the northern hemisphere’s summer. “It will almost certainly spread worldwide, and quickly,” says Prof Smith. By September, once schools reopened and temperatures began to fall, cases started rising again.

Experts are still studying the exact impact of the mutations, but they likely help the virus slip past some of the immunity people have developed from past infections and vaccines. This makes it easier for the virus to infect and spread, which is why flu season has arrived early in the UK and countries like Japan.

If the virus spreads more easily, it doesn’t need to wait for cold winter conditions, when people stay indoors with closed windows, to trigger flu season. “We’re already far ahead,” says Prof Lewis. “This is likely to be a strong flu season.”

Using R numbers as a guide, the new mutated strain appears to have an advantage. Seasonal flu normally has an R value of about 1.2, but this year’s early estimates put it closer to 1.4. That means if 100 people were infected, they would typically spread it to 120 others, but this year that number could be around 140.

Could This Be The Worst Flu Season?

Professor Christophe Fraser, from the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford told BBC, "It's highly likely it's going to be a bad flu season and it's going to happen quite soon, we're already well into it. There are indicators that this could be worse than some of the flu seasons we've seen in the last 10 years."

In a normal flu season, about one in five people get infected, but that number could be higher this year, he warns. Still, there’s a lot of uncertainty around these predictions.

Many look to Australia for hints, since it saw its worst flu season on record, although it was dealing with a different H3N2 strain than the one spreading now.

Right now, the virus is circulating rapidly among children, especially in schools where germs spread easily. But the immunity of a 10-year-old is very different from that of an older adult, who has lived through many more flu seasons and carries different immune memory.

Because of this, experts will be watching closely as infections begin to move into older age groups in the coming weeks.

Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US, nearly 9 in 10 lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking, furthermore, the American Lung Association also suggests that 85 to 90% of all lung cancer cases happen due to smoking. However, recent cases have seen a rise in lung cancer even in those who do not smoke. This is such a case of a 31-year-old woman from Ghaziabad, who never smoked in her life, and then she coughed up blood.

While initially she was given some drugs which had given her some relief, she was soon complaining of a chest pain. She feared she had a lung infection and went to clinic of Dr Arvind Kumar, chairman, Lung Transplant, Chest Surgery and Oncosurgery at Medanta, Gurugram, as reported by The Indian Express.

“An X-ray showed a mass in the upper part of her left lung. A biopsy confirmed stage 2 lung cancer, a treatable window. She is disease-free and has returned to work but her case shows a disturbing trend,” said the doctor.

Lung Cancer Is No Longer A Smoker's But A Breather's Disease

"Younger non-smokers are being diagnosed. And there are as many women as men. This indicates that lung cancer is no longer a smoker’s but a breather’s disease. While we talk of particulate matter, the ambient air in the urban environment is full of carcinogenic gases. And this is emerging as a real threat to everybody," the doctor said. The doctor also pointed out that especially in non-smokers the diagnosis may come even at a later stage as they usually never think of cancer because they have never smoked. "Luckily my patient had made the right call at the first stop. Most patients don't," he said.

Is Pollution The Reason For Cancer In Non Smokers?

People talk about prevention and wearing masks in public places. We breathe 25,000 times a day, which makes it difficult to wear a mask all day. Besides, a mask only stops particulate matter, which is minor protection considering that carcinogens come in gaseous form. Be it benzene, ethylene oxide, radon, ozone, all are triggers,” explained Dr Kumar. He also highlighted that Ghaziabad is in fact one of India's most polluted cities and this could be linked to cancer.

Studies show that PM2.5 — the tiny particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers — can carry harmful substances like sulphates, organic chemicals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals. These toxins are known carcinogens, and long-term exposure to them can significantly increase the risk of lung cancer.

Back To The Patient

The doctor revealed that one of her lobes was affected and localized, thus the doctors chose minimally invasive methods. "Her biopsy revealed her cancer to be moderately aggressive, so we followed it up with chemotherapy, which kills any hidden and remnant cancer cells. She was given up to six cycles. Over the years, data has shown that about 30 to 55 per cent of lung cancer patients die because of recurrence post-surgery. That’s why now we consider lung cancer to be a widespread disease from Day 1. And recommend post-surgery chemotherapy," he explained.

The woman was able to go to work after three to four weeks and physiotherapy, a high-calorie, high-protein diet also helped her recover fast. Her breath holding time too exceeded 40 seconds and tests showed that all her six lymph nodes were safe and that cancer had not spread there.

India is facing a worrying rise in cancer cases, and top oncologists Dr. Gopal Sharma and Dr. Rakesh Kumar Agarwal, as reported in Times Of India have shred shedding light on the key problems. As per the doctors, factors like pollution, poor diet, obesity, and delayed diagnosis are the main drivers behind this surge, especially outside major cities. The battle against cancer, they stress, requires a holistic approach combining modern oncology, traditional medicine, and preventive care.

Pollution: The Silent Carcinogen

Air pollution is a major contributor to the rise in cancer. Dr. Gopal Sharma explains that fine particles like PM2.5 and PM10 cause chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, which slowly damages our DNA and can trigger tumor growth.

Dr. Rakesh Kumar Agarwal adds that the toxic mix of chemicals in polluted air, such as nitrogen oxides and benzene, acts as a silent carcinogen. These toxins don't just affect the lungs; they are linked to rising cases of breast, bladder, throat, and gastrointestinal cancers. Alarmingly, many of these new cases are appearing in non-smokers and at younger ages. The danger isn't limited to urban smog; indoor cooking smoke in rural households also poses a significant risk.

The Accessibility Gap Between Rural And Urban Areas

In rural India, cancer is often found too late, leading to much lower survival rates. Dr. Gopal Sharma points out that limited access to screening services, low awareness, and financial constraints prevent many people from getting checked until it’s too late. Cancers like breast and cervical, which are highly treatable when caught early, often go undetected until they are advanced.

Dr. Rakesh Kumar Agarwal highlights that many villagers first seek help from local healers or untrained providers, dismissing early symptoms as minor. Precious months pass during these delays, resulting in a flood of late-stage cases where curative options are limited. The clear solution, both doctors stress, is to take healthcare to the people using mobile screening vans and teleconsultations to bring care closer to communities.

Diet, Diabetes, and Cultural Barriers

Dietary habits play a significant role in cancer risk. Diets heavy in fried foods, processed snacks, and high salt can fuel metabolic and gastrointestinal cancers. Conversely, a traditional Indian diet rich in lentils, whole grains, and vegetables can help protect the body. The surge in obesity and diabetes further fuels cancer risk (like breast, pancreatic, and liver cancers) by creating metabolic imbalances and persistent inflammation. Tackling these metabolic conditions early is a powerful preventive tool.

Cultural taboos and stigma also lead to delayed diagnosis, particularly among Indian women. Fear of social stigma, family pressure, or concerns about marriage and infertility cause women to delay seeking help for breast and reproductive health issues. Oncologists believe that open dialogue, normalized through collaboration with schools and the media, is essential for timely detection.

For advanced treatment like immunotherapy and precision oncology, the main barriers are high cost, poor insurance reimbursement, and lack of infrastructure in Tier II and III cities. Broader insurance inclusion and government-funded programs are needed to make these treatments accessible.

The experts agree that cancer care should be a three-pronged approach: awareness, accessibility, and accountability. They propose integrating traditional modalities like Ayurveda, yoga, and mindful eating with evidence-based oncology to enhance patient compliance, reduce stress, and promote holistic recovery. Ultimately, the war against cancer will be won not just in labs and hospitals, but through better daily choices, cleaner air, healthier food, and smarter public policies.