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A laser microscope that could speed up skin cancer diagnosis and reduce the need for biopsies may soon become reality.

The hand-held microscope could help doctors decide if a biopsy is absolutely necessary, cutting down on the number carried out and streamlining the diagnostic process.

Chris Arrasmith, a researcher working on the development of the microscope at Montana State University, said: "Any combination of tools we can provide to enable early detection of any kind of disease is a good thing."

Diagnosis of skin cancer currently requires confirmation with a potentially painful biopsy, where doctors remove a sample of the suspected area of skin for analysis.

Unlike regular microscopes, the proposed device uses lasers to look at the cellular structure of a patient’s skin, allowing doctors to look for tell-tale chemical signs of cancer.

Approximately 1,500 people die each year in England and Wales from malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with cancer.

A single pill that contains five drugs could protect against heart attacks and stroke, a study suggests.

It is thought the polypill could reduce heart disease by 62 per cent and stroke by 48 per cent, according to the study published in the Lancet this week.

The pill tested is called Polycap and contains a cocktail of a statin, aspirin and three blood pressure drugs usually prescribed individually to people with, or at risk of, heart disease.

Principal investigator Dr Salim Yusuf, from McMaster University in Ontario, said: "The thought that people might be able to take a single pill to reduce multiple cardiovascular risk factors has generated a lot of excitement; it would certainly revolutionise heart disease prevention as we know it."

A previous study suggested that if everyone over the age of 55 and everyone with cardiovascular disease took such a pill, it would reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease by over 80 per cent, and largely prevent heart attacks and stroke.

However, opposition to a ‘one-pill-fits-all’ strategy has come from critics, who disagree with the idea of taking drugs to prevent heart conditions over maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

One in three adults in the UK has high blood pressure, according to the charity Blood Pressure UK, which is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with cancer.

A typical Western diet, rich in meat and fats and low in complex carbohydrates, is a recipe for colon cancer, according to a leading professor.

Increasingly, evidence shows that the composition of diet directly affects the diversity of gut microbes, which may be important in protecting against colonic disease and colon cancer.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in Western adults, said Professor Stephen O’Keefe, from the University of Pittsburgh, as he addressed the Society for General Microbiology in Harrogate today (March 31st).

"A diet rich in fibre and resistant starch encourages the growth of good bacteria and increases production of short chain fatty acids which lessen the risk of cancer, while a high meat and fat diet reduces the numbers of these good bacteria," he added.

Studies have shown that people with a healthy diet have significant populations of micro-organisms called Firmicutes in their digestive tracts.

It is thought that red meat could be turned into toxic products such as sulphur by these bacteria, which leads to the production of hydrogen sulphide and other possible carcinogens.

Several other stories linking red and processed meat to cancer and heart disease appeared in the news last week.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with cancer.

Statins can significantly reduce the risk of a potentially fatal blood clot, research suggests.

In a study of 17,802 people, the drug Crestor (rosuvastatin), already used by millions of people to combat high cholesterol, cut the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) by 43 per cent.

Pulmonary embolism, a common form of VTE that occurs when part of a clot breaks off and lodges in the lungs, is the single most preventable cause of death in hospital patients.

Lead researcher Dr Paul Ridker, from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said: "In addition to reducing risks of heart attack and stroke, we now have hard evidence that aggressive statin therapy reduces life-threatening blood clots in the veins."

He added that in contrast to other drugs such as warfarin and heparin, there was no risk of excessive bleeding to the patient.

Full results of the study appear in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with heart conditions.

Health ‘MOTs’ that could save hundreds of lives a year will be offered to all over 40s in the UK from this week.

The national programme of NHS health checks should reduce heart attacks, strokes and diabetes as part of a drive towards a more preventative health service.

Everyone aged 40 to 74 will be invited for the check-up, which was announced by the health secretary Alan Johnson over the weekend.

Speaking about the programme, Mr Johnson said: "The national programme of Health Checks could save 650 lives a year and reduce the health inequalities that blight the lives of the country’s most deprived families."

The checks will include asking general questions about the patient’s lifestyle, taking height and weight measurements and a blood sample.

Doctors will then make recommendations to the patient on what can be done to reduce their risk of a number of diseases.

Mostly the checks will be run from GP surgeries, pharmacies and walk-in health centres but could also be offered in supermarkets.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions.

Scientists have discovered two new genes that alter a woman’s chances of developing breast cancer.

One of the genes actually lowers the risk of getting the disease by about four per cent with one faulty copy and by 11 per cent with two faulty copies, according to the study published in Nature Genetics.

The other gene increases the risk by 12 per cent for one faulty copy and 23 per cent for women who carry two copies.

A powerful genetic test for breast cancer could be a step closer following this discovery, said Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK.

He added: "If we can identify women who are more likely to get the disease and if we can work out how high this risk is, doctors can make informed decisions about how to stop them getting breast cancer in the first place."

This new research could also be good news for women trying to obtain breast cancer insurance.

Women can reduce their risk of developing breast cancer by making lifestyle changes, such as stopping smoking, drinking less alcohol and taking more exercise.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with breast cancer.

A leading charity has launched a new tool to help GPs diagnose depression in older people.

‘Take the Challenge’ is an interactive programme designed by Age Concern, in collaboration with the Royal College of GPs, which aims to improve the diagnosis and treatment of depression in older patients.

Depression is very common in later life according to Gordon Lishman‚ director general of Age Concern.

He said: "Older people with depression often don’t see it as a real illness that is worth bothering their doctor about and are usually reluctant to talk about their feelings."

Episodes of depression can be triggered by stressful events such as loss, which older people are quite likely to suffer from.

The programme follows a fictional 84-year-old patient who visits his GP with leg pain and participants are asked to look for clues that he may be depressed and barriers that may stand in the way of his diagnosis.

It is hoped that GPs across the country will use the tool to test their current knowledge and assumptions about depression in later life.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with depression.

diabetes/” target=”_self”>Diabetes life insurance could soon become easier to obtain if a new recommended three-point plan to help patients improve self-care is implemented.

Financial worries, a high-risk lifestyle and eating out at restaurants are just some of the barriers preventing patients with type-2 diabetes from controlling their condition, according to a study published in the Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness.

Co-author Professor Vivien Coates, from the Institute of Nursing Research at the University of Ulster, said that barriers stem from limitations within the healthcare team, ineffective communication between providers and patients, and the patient’s lack of empowerment, motivation and involvement in their treatment.

"Nurses need to address a number of key questions like what is important to the patient in terms of lifestyle changes and status quo and what patients would expect from the healthcare team," she added.

If implemented, the three-point plan would involve providing patients with adequate information about their condition, motivating them to better manage their diabetes and approaching patient care in a more holistic way.

Type-2 diabetes is more commonly seen in people over 40 and in most cases is linked to being overweight.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with diabetes.

Proteins found in common garden peas could help in the fight against high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease, according to a new study.

Researchers observed a 20 per cent reduction in blood pressure in rats with polycystic kidney disease that were fed with the protein extracted from yellow garden peas.

"In people with high blood pressure, our protein could potentially delay or prevent the onset of kidney damage," says study presenter Dr Rotimi Aluko, a food chemist at the University of Manitoba in Canada.

High blood pressure is also a major risk factor for other conditions such as heart attack or stroke.

More effective control of hypertension could help people seeking to obtain high blood pressure life insurance.

Scientists do not know exactly how the protein works, but it is thought to boost production of another protein that increases kidney function.

The team plan to test the pea extract in humans with mild hypertension within the next year at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with hypertension.

Four out of five nurses believe the needs of people living with or after cancer are not being met by the NHS, according to a survey.

A lack of services and advice make it difficult for the majority of patients to get their lives back on track after treatment, said the nurses surveyed by Macmillan Cancer Support and the Nursing Times.

In addition, only 63 per cent of the nurses who had received training to help care for patients after a diagnosis said they had an adequate understanding and knowledge of the needs of cancer survivors.

Jessica Corner, chief clinician at Macmillan Cancer Support, said it is shocking that so many nurses believe the NHS is failing cancer survivors.

"Two million people are currently living with a cancer diagnosis and yet our survey shows not all nurses have access to training or can find the services to help these people, many of whom are in desperate need," she added.

Macmillan is a charity organisation offering practical, emotional and financial support to people suffering from cancer.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with cancer.