Connections in News, Media, and Research: World Cancer Day Edition

In observance of World Cancer Day, February 4, we have gathered together some interesting studies, news, and media that have to do with child health and cancer.

• A 2012 study looked at how young adult cancer survivors used a video-sharing program to cope and share experiences and found that teens were more likely to use it if they did not have similar outlets in their offline lives.
• Bestselling YA author John Green's latest novel, The Fault in Our Stars, is about teens dealing with friends, family, and crushes, just like anyone else. But they also have cancer. And Green is not the only author providing real life teens with fictional counterparts to stand in for themselves, their friends, or their family; other recent novels for and about teens with cancer include Tiffany Schmidt's Send Me A Sign, Sarah Wylie's All These Lives, Janet Gurtler'sI'm Not Her, and Francisco X. Stork's The Last Summer of the Death Warriors.These novels might be useful for bibliotherapy, book clubs, or family reading.
• Researchers in Israel investigated the proposed link between cell phone usage and cancer. They found that there was a statistically significant decrease in low-grade gliomas over the past 30 years.
• It is now well documented that many things in the environment lead to increased cancer risk. This new report from the EPA looks at contaminants, biomonitoring, and health outcomes.
• In 2010, researchers looked at whether adolescent cancer patients would learn more about their health from a CD-ROM than a traditional book. They found that there was some more adherence to guidelines and treatments when patients used this method.
• What do you get when you cross mommy blogs, childhood cancer, and country-popstar Taylor Swift? In this case, a heartwarming story about a songSwift wrote in honor of a mother who lost her child to cancer. Swift also donated proceeds of the song sales to various cancer charities.
• If bibliotherapy is not for you, consider music therapy. Take a look at this 2002 study that looked at the effects of interactive music therapy on child cancer patients.