Cancer risk may be higher for people with one particular type of job

People who fly for a living could face a higher risk of certain types of cancers, a new Harvard study suggests.

Flight attendants and pilots in the U.S. face the highest risk of radiation-related cancer deaths out of a list of more than 500 occupations, the researchers concluded.

"As you get high up in the atmosphere, you're exposed to ionizing radiation from the sun. It's called cosmic radiation," study author Anupam B. Jena, M.D., Ph.D., told Fox News Digital.

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The finding was based on analysis of data from the National Vital Statistics System, specifically, nearly 13 million U.S. death certificates between 2020 and 2024. Out of those records, 14,000 were pilots and 7,000 were flight attendants.

Across all occupations, the team analyzed mortality from radiation-related cancers, including breast cancer, multiple myeloma, leukemia (except chronic lymphocytic leukemia), lymphoma, central nervous system cancers, thyroid cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.

They did not include lung cancer to prevent confounding the results with any smoking-related risk.

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Pilots and flight attendants were found to have "statistically significantly" higher mortality rates linked to breast cancer, central nervous system cancers, prostate cancers and melanoma. Pilots were also more likely to die from leukemia.

Among all flight attendant deaths, 6.9% were linked to radiation-related cancers, as were 6.7% of pilots’ deaths. This was higher than the rates for any other occupations, the researchers found.

For cancers not related to radiation, the rates were comparable to other occupations.

"It's not just lifestyle factors or factors about these individuals that are making them more likely to develop cancer at large," Jena added.

The study was published Aug. 17 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

"The risk increase is meaningful enough for the group," Jena said. "Our study doesn't speak to the individual pilot or flight attendant, but more so to the two groups as a whole."

Each year, airline workers receive about 3 to 6 millisieverts of cosmic radiation, compared to 0.4 millisieverts for someone who takes 10 round-trip cross-country flights, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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That means airline workers may receive roughly eight to 15 times the annual cosmic radiation exposure of someone taking 10 cross-country round trips.

"It is thought that this would be a cumulative risk, so the more time that you're exposed to that cosmic radiation, the greater the increase in risk that you might experience," Jena pointed out.

The findings could also raise questions about whether U.S. pilots and flight attendants should receive additional or earlier cancer screenings.

"I think the level of screening may need to be higher," Jena said, noting that approaches differ between the U.S. and other countries.

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"Just making sure that these individuals are screened regularly, that they may be screened earlier in life than other folks — I think that's totally on the table."

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For people who fly frequently for business or pleasure, Jena said the findings should be less concerning, noting that very few passengers accumulate flight time comparable to pilots and flight attendants.

He added, "This is really sort of a consideration for people who spend their life in the air."

The study has several limitations. Because it was observational, the findings cannot establish that cosmic radiation caused the elevated cancer mortality among pilots and flight attendants, only that the two were associated.

The researchers also did not have access to data on individual workers’ radiation exposure, which means they could not determine whether those with greater exposure faced greater risks.

Other occupational or lifestyle factors could also potentially contribute to the findings.

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Parkinson’s patient’s yearslong tremor vanishes within minutes of new ultrasound treatment

Bud Leavell, 72, suffered from severe tremors for years after his Parkinson's diagnosis, making it impossible for him to enjoy his favorite pastime of repairing radios in his garage.

But within minutes of receiving a newly approved ultrasound treatment, his tremor was completely gone.

Leavell, a retired salesman and Air Force veteran in Arlington, Texas, experienced the dramatic before-and-after result at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

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The focused ultrasound targeted precise areas deep in Leavell’s brain. Unlike deep brain stimulation, which requires opening the skull, this new treatment is non-invasive.

At his latest follow-up, Leavell's tremor remained as well-controlled as it was immediately after the procedure, according to his doctor. When asked how the tremor was doing, Leavell responded with, "What tremor?"

Leavell was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2017, immediately following surgery for thyroid cancer.

"My voice was weak and gravelly, and within a few days, a tremor set into my right hand," he shared with Fox News Digital. "Before this time, I was experiencing a slow loss of my sense of smell."

The tremors made it "frustratingly difficult" for Leavell to perform certain functions, especially anything that required fine motor skills in his dominant hand, such as using his binoculars or clicking a computer mouse.

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Dr. Bhavya Shah, a neuroradiologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, introduced Leavell to the option of a focused ultrasound treatment that was approved by the FDA in January 2026 to treat the primary motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, including stiffness and slowness.

"High-energy ultrasound waves are focused across the skull onto discrete brain targets," Shah told Fox News Digital. "The ultrasound energy heats up these nuclei, or nerve bundles, and removes them. This stops the pathologic transmission of electrical activity causing tremors or other symptoms."

Patients who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease are typically treated with medications, the doctor noted.

"Interventional options are discussed when the medications become less effective or patients develop side effects," he said. "These options include deep brain stimulation and now, focused ultrasound."

Parkinson's disease can affect patients differently, Shah pointed out.

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"The beauty of focused ultrasound is that before we permanently remove the tissue, we can use low-energy ultrasound waves to see if the patient's symptoms respond to the particular target," he said. "This is very important, as the optimal target may vary in patients."

UT Southwestern also uses advanced imaging to map a patient's brain before the procedure, which gives doctors a clearer picture of the ultrasound’s intended target, according to Shah.

In Leavell's case, his tremor responded strongly even to the initial low-energy ultrasound, giving the team confidence that they had identified the right target.

"Although the cardinal symptoms of Parkinson's disease are slowness and stiffness, Bud’s most bothersome symptom was tremor, so getting rid of the shaking was our primary goal," Shah added, noting that doctors can select different brain targets based on which symptoms are most troublesome.

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Leavell was eager to try the new therapy – but he did have some concerns about what the outcome would be.

"The entire team working this procedure was very professional and demonstrated considerable flexibility in making sure this was an easy process for me," he told Fox News Digital.

Immediately after receiving the ultrasound therapy on April 13, Leavell said his tremor was gone.

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"I can hold my hand still with or without a tool in my hand or while working on a project," he said. "I can also get a fork or spoon with food on it into my mouth with ease. But, this may turn into another problem, as I love to eat!"

Leavell has also been able to return to his hobby of repairing antique radios.

There are some potential risks associated with the treatment, Shah noted. Those include numbness and tingling around the mouth and fingertips, trouble walking, talking or swallowing, sometimes weakness in the upper or lower extremity, balance issues or struggles with episodic memory.

"Side effects occur approximately 20% to 30% of the time and generally improve over time," the doctor added.

There is also one key tradeoff compared with deep brain stimulation, he noted – DBS can be adjusted if symptoms return or worsen, but with focused ultrasound, there is no device that can be reprogrammed.

That means if symptoms return after the focused ultrasound, the patient could potentially require another treatment.

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Although the therapy has shown short-term effectiveness, because it is a newer technology, there is not yet long-term data available.

"For patients seeking an alternative to an implantable device, focused ultrasound represents a promising alternative," Shah said. "A patient considering these options should have a thorough discussion with their movement disorder neurologist to really understand the pros and cons of each treatment."

Shah expressed optimism for the future of Parkinson’s disease therapies, with the potential for other applications of focused ultrasound.

While he expressed appreciation for the procedure, Leavell emphasized that "God is in control of the circumstances in my life and will continue to be."

"However, anytime an opportunity comes along like this one, I will jump on it to see if I can experience an improvement in my circumstances."

To anyone who may be a candidate for the focused ultrasound, Leavell recommends getting an appointment with a specialist.

"Don’t let any grass grow under your feet," he advised. "While this is not a panacea for Parkinson’s, it is a dramatic and life-changing procedure."

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Cancer treatment delays surge across US as doctor warns system ‘needs fixing immediately’

Wait times between a cancer diagnosis and the start of treatment grew by nearly two weeks over the past decade in the U.S., according to a recent study published in JAMA Surgery.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles and Massachusetts General Hospital analyzed national data from more than two million patients diagnosed between January 2012 and December 2023.

The study tracked adults with early to locally advanced stages of six common cancers (breast, colon, lung, pancreatic, stomach and esophageal) who received surgery as part of their initial care.

WHERE YOU LIVE COULD SHAPE YOUR RISK OF CANCER MORTALITY, STUDY SUGGESTS

Researchers measured wait times from the day of the diagnosis to the first treatment, whether that was a surgery or pre-surgical therapy designed to shrink a tumor.

Across all six cancer types, median wait times grew by more than 10 days over the study period, regardless of whether surgery came first or followed other treatments.

The longest increases occurred in stomach cancer, where wait times rose from 35 days to 49 days, and lung cancer, which increased from 41 days to 53 days. Breast cancer wait times grew from 34 to 45 days, while colon cancer delays increased from 20 to 31 days.

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Pancreatic cancer waits climbed from 23 to 32 days, and esophageal cancer delays grew from 38 to 48 days. The researchers also found that a growing share of patients waited 60 days or longer to begin treatment.

"This is part of our healthcare system that needs fixing immediately," Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, told Fox News Digital.

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The delays were even seen at high-volume academic medical centers, noted Siegel, who was not involved in the study.

"The waiting times for basic cancer operations in non-metastatic diseases is high and increasing since 2012," he added.

After adjusting for factors like age and underlying health, researchers found the delays did not affect all groups in the same way.

Longer wait times were seen for Black patients, people on Medicaid, individuals in lower-income areas, patients traveling longer distances for care, and those treated at academic medical centers or high-volume hospitals.

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The West experienced longer delays than other regions, and for non-breast cancers, the use of robotic surgery was linked to longer wait times.

The study authors cautioned that delays in surgical treatment have been tied to higher death rates and worse long-term survival in previous medical research.

In supporting commentary published along with the study, Lia D. Delaney, M.D., and Sherry M. Wren, M.D., both of the Stanford School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, emphasized that cancer care has become increasingly sophisticated over the last two decades.

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However, "as cancer care continues to regionalize, efforts to improve quality may inadvertently create barriers to timely treatment unless capacity and coordination evolve in parallel," they wrote.

The authors noted several limitations to their study. Because the analysis relied on retrospective data from the National Cancer Database, it could not determine the exact reasons behind individual treatment delays, such as scheduling issues, logistical hurdles or personal patient preferences.

The database also lacked information on when patients first developed symptoms or sought medical advice prior to diagnosis.

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Brad Pitt says he can drink in ‘restrained manner’ after 7 sober years, but expert raises red flag

After seven years of sobriety, Brad Pitt has revealed that he resumed drinking alcohol in moderation — an approach that has raised concerns among some addiction experts.

In an Esquire interview published on Aug. 10, the actor said, "I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon."

Pitt shared that he now drinks "in a more restrained manner," saying that he doesn’t consume "big quantities" of alcohol.

BRAD PITT ADMITS HE BEGAN DRINKING AGAIN AFTER YEARS OF SOBRIETY

"I got overconfident a couple times, went, ‘Yep, nope, not good for me,’" he acknowledged. "I have to be professional about it."

Pitt once spoke about his sobriety in a 2019 New York Times interview, disclosing that he’d spent 18 months in Alcoholics Anonymous. "I had taken things as far as I could take it, so I removed my drinking privileges," he said.

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Jessica Steinman, a Los Angeles addiction specialist and chief clinical officer for No Matter What Recovery, generally advises against people returning to alcohol after a problematic relationship with it, warning that "testing the waters" can potentially be "dangerous."

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines alcohol use disorder (AUD) as an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational or health consequences. The condition can range from mild to severe.

"There are people who struggle with substances and take a very large break, have a long period of sobriety and recovery, and they may choose to integrate it back into their lives," Steinman, who was not diagnosing Pitt with AUD, told Fox News Digital.

"As an addiction professional, as someone who's been in this field for a very long time, I don’t see a whole lot of success with that."

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Although some people do successfully return to substances after needing to stop, Steinman considers them "anomalies and exceptions to the rule."

"People think, ‘Oh, I've gone this long. I think I'm going to be able to manage it – I have the skills now. I have tools,’" she said.

Addiction can alter the brain’s reward system, she said, making it highly responsive to the dopamine release associated with drinking or substance use.

"And that doesn't go away – it lays dormant," Steinman said, comparing it to a bear in hibernation. "If you wake that bear … life can quickly become unmanageable. So they want to be very mindful of that happening."

The NIAAA notes that alcohol addiction involves changes across multiple brain systems related to rewards, stress, decision-making and learned responses to alcohol-related cues, and that some of those changes can continue even after drinking stops.

For those struggling with substance use issues and mental health issues, it's a "lifelong issue" that must be managed like any other chronic illness, according to Steinman.

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"I liken it to diabetes or heart disease – you have to manage this health issue," she said. "And it's the same thing for alcoholism and substance use issues."

While NIAAA acknowledges that alcohol addiction can leave some people vulnerable to relapse, the agency notes that each recovery trajectory is unique.

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For someone who has returned to drinking after a period of sobriety, Steinman said there are certain warning signs that can indicate the return of problematic patterns. Those might include escalating consumption, erratic behavior, drinking alone, secretly drinking and drinking during the day.

Moderation can also mean different things to different people, she noted.

"Is it one drink a day? Is it a drink at dinner only? I've had people try out moderation by not having liquor at all and just sticking to beer and wine," Steinman said. "So it's all these different trials that they're doing when someone starts seeing an escalation."

Anyone who is noticing problematic behaviors with alcohol or drug consumption should speak with an addiction counselor, she advised.

For people with alcohol use disorder, the NIAAA says it is generally recommended to abstain from drinking for the "greatest chance of long-term success."

However, the agency also notes that some people can return to occasional drinking without resuming problematic use, and says specific treatment goals should be decided between the patient and a doctor or addiction specialist.

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Your waistline could reveal a hidden heart risk your BMI misses, major study finds

A person's waist size may reveal more about their heart health than the number on the scale, according to new research.

A study found that waist measurements can identify potential cardiovascular risks that may be missed when doctors rely on body mass index (BMI) alone.

Researchers from the Cross-Cohort Collaboration analyzed data from nearly 260,000 adults enrolled in 15 long-term health studies, following participants for about 20 years.

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The findings, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, showed that some people considered a normal weight based on BMI still carried higher levels of fat around their midsection.

Among participants in the normal and overweight BMI ranges, those with larger waist measurements or higher waist-to-hip ratios generally faced a 15% to 50% greater risk of several heart-related problems and death during the study period, according to the study.

The results suggest that looking at how weight is distributed across the body may provide a more complete picture than BMI alone.

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"BMI only tells us weight relative to height, it doesn't tell us where fat is stored, and that matters," Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator and author of the book "The Sleepdemic Solution," told Fox News Digital.

Fat carried around the abdomen can pose different health concerns than fat stored elsewhere on the body, said Palinski-Wade, who was not involved in the study.

"Where you carry fat matters more than how much you carry, because visceral fat, the fat wrapped around abdominal organs, is metabolically active tissue that drives inflammation, insulin resistance, and artery damage in a way that fat under the skin elsewhere on the body doesn't," she said.

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Palinski-Wade said the research highlights why BMI alone may not provide a complete picture of a person's heart health.

"BMI doesn't tell the whole story, where you carry fat may matter more than the number on the scale," she said.

Researchers examined several health outcomes over the course of the study, including heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular-related deaths.

In addition, the researchers noted several limitations of the study, including that they did not have information on participants' physical activity, diets or genetic risk for obesity, all of which can play a role in cardiovascular disease.

The study also measured waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio only once, limiting researchers' ability to determine how changes in abdominal fat over time may affect heart disease risk.

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1 in 6 adults plagued by loneliness as researchers reveal lasting impact of COVID pandemic

A study of over 135,000 adults found that a surprising number of individuals feel lonely often — and that some of the loneliest people live in urban areas, shocking the researchers. Not only that — but the COVID pandemic made it worse. 

Professors at Imperial College London conducted the study. They recruited a total of 135,725 volunteers aged 16 and older to complete an online survey in England throughout a five-month period in 2023.

Almost one in six adults reported feeling lonely "often or always" — and more than one in five people frequently felt a lack of companionship or had feelings of being left out or isolated, news agency SWNS reported.

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The findings of the study, called INTERACT, surprised those involved.

When the researchers dug deeper into the data, they found that some of the loneliest people were clustered in urban environments and cities, including London, Birmingham and Manchester.

Austen El-Osta, Ph.D., public health researcher and study lead for INTERACT, said, "The key message is not simply that many people feel lonely, but that loneliness is strongly influenced by people’s surroundings, social network and their environment."

This reflected the "urban paradox" theory, the study said — where those in major cities that offer greater economic, cultural and social advantages often report lower life satisfaction, connectivity and happiness, compared to people in rural areas.

The team also found a significant lasting effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nearly 44% of respondents said the pandemic increased their feelings of loneliness — while 48.2% reported increased feelings of isolation.

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Senior author of the study, Dr. Azeem Majeed of the National Health Service, said, "As an NHS GP, I see how loneliness affects both the mental and physical health of my patients. It contributes to problems such as anxiety and depression, increases the risk of long-term conditions, and often leads to more frequent GP consultations."

He said that "by strengthening community connections and social capital, we can help prevent loneliness and enable people to live healthier, happier and more connected lives."

Whether people were in relationships or not didn’t seem to impact their loneliness levels.

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The research found that 45% of respondents were married or in a civil partnership — while almost 20% were single.

El-Osta said, "Loneliness is often treated as a private experience, but our findings reinforce that it is also a public health and community issue."

He added that "public health responses need to look beyond individual resilience and consider the environments, services and community assets that help people feel connected, supported and able to participate."

The team believes that this is "one of the world’s largest dedicated studies of loneliness and the largest of its kind conducted in a single country," according to Imperial College London. 

The group also cautioned that while the findings offer an important snapshot, "the study cannot be used to estimate the scale of the problem at the population level."

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In addition, the researchers noted several limitations of their study, including that it overrepresented highly educated individuals and underrepresented minority ethnic groups. 

They also highlighted the "inherent self-selection bias of this type of online survey, where those more interested or affected by an issue are more likely to take part." 

Recently, another study found that feeling lonely may take a toll on older adults' memory — though it may not speed up cognitive decline.

Researchers from Colombia, Spain and Sweden analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults ages 65 to 94 across 12 European countries. 

They found those who reported higher levels of loneliness did worse on memory tests at the start of the study, according to research published in the spring in the journal Aging & Mental Health.

The researchers also suggested that screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging.

Deirdre Bardolf of Fox News Digital contributed reporting. 

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Nearly 1 in 3 married Americans aren't having sex — expert reveals how to bring back the spark

Physical intimacy isn’t a regular occurrence for every married couple in America, research suggests.

Recent data from the General Social Survey, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, shows that 32.5% of married adult respondents said they have not had sex "at all" during the last 12 months. Just 4.1% reported that they have sex more than three times a week.

Dr. Anna Elton, a licensed marriage and family therapist and clinical sexologist in Massachusetts, told Fox News Digital that although sexual frequency varies by couple, the national standard is about once a week. The expert defined a "sexless marriage" as being physically intimate 10 or fewer times per year.

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Decline in intimacy can be caused by a variety of factors, from juggling busy families to hormone imbalances, she noted. In most cases, however, the original relationship spark has faded.

Elton, author of the book "The Formula of Desire," shared some tips and exercises for livening up a relationship, with the goal of reigniting intimacy in the bedroom.

For couples who may be struggling with their marriage or sex life, Elton suggested that the first step should be to focus on what is going well.

"If there are too many resentments built up, the wall is too high," she said. "And then partners can't just be intimate. They need to start with emotional connection."

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For one week, Elton recommended focusing on the positive aspects of the relationship, making mental notes and sharing them with your partner. This exercise can "shift the whole relationship," she said.

"A lot of conversations in long-term relationships end up being just logistics," she said. "So, think about [avoiding] the neutral conversations or negative conversations."

In her own practice, Elton said she’s seen many women who lack any desire to be intimate due to stress and a lost connection to their partner.

"When they started checking in, expressing gratitude, it actually shifted the climate of the relationship," she said.

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"You need to find time, you need to be intentional, because unfortunately, we always find time to be on our phones, to play little games, to scroll on social media, but we don't find time to be with our partners."

Choosing one night as a "tech-free" night can be a great way to re-connect with your partner, Elton recommended.

Couples struggling with intimacy often have one thing in common, according to Elton’s experience with clients.

When they were asked what they had at the beginning of their relationship that was now missing, the answer was unanimous: fun.

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"If we don't have fun, what's the point?" Elton asked. "We need to bring fun back into the relationship."

The sexologist recommended another exercise — A-to-Z date nights, where couples choose an activity that starts with a different letter of the alphabet for each date.

For example, the letter A might be axe-throwing or an art gallery, while B could be bowling or the beach.

"M is my favorite – movie and massage," Elton said. "My husband picks a movie; I get a massage. I pick a movie and still get a massage ... This definitely helps to bring back that connection, and also novelty brings desire back to couples."

With fun comes flirting, Elton added, which typically fades as a relationship ages.

"When couples have been together for a long time, I ask them, ‘So, how do you flirt with your partner? How do you let them know about your erotic intentions?’ And they say, ‘Oh, we don’t flirt.’"

Oftentimes, an attempt at flirting gets lost in translation, the expert noted, so creating a "new language of flirting" can help spice up the relationship and spark moments of intimacy.

A lack of self-desire as people age can also get in the way of accepting advances for intimacy from partners.

"With women, [with] changing bodies and aging and stress, sometimes we don't feel our best and we may think, ‘I don't know why my partner wants me. I don't want myself,’" Elton said.

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The expert shared small steps that can help produce the love and bonding hormone oxytocin, boosting connection both personally and between partners.

This includes intimate physical contact with your partner, such as a 20-second hug or a six-second kiss. 

Similarly, small acts of self-care, such as applying lotion or following a skincare routine, can help people "feel more connected with themselves," according to Elton.

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