Most-Clicked Blogs of the Year: What Patients and Caregivers Want to Know.
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New prostate cancer screening tests. Foods to eat — and avoid — if you have diabetes. When to worry about blood in your urine. The troubling rise in cancer among young adults. The risks of traveling abroad for a “miracle cure” for cancer.
These topics, and more, topped the list of the 10 most-viewed Hope Matters blogs this year, reflecting the top-of-mind issues for patients, doctors and caregivers in 2025.
In this article, we’ll take a deeper look at these topics, including:
- When to worry about a PIRADS score after a prostate MRI
- Non-starchy vegetables: Which to eat for diabetes
- What is FOLFOX chemo, and how does it work?
- Foods to avoid while taking common diabetes drugs
- Anal cancer or hemorrhoids: How to know the difference
- What are eosinophils? Do high levels indicate cancer?
- Scar healing stages: What to look for after cancer surgery
- Is blood in the urine a sign of cancer?
- Stomach cancer on the rise in young adults, especially women
- Stem cell tourism: The dangers of traveling for a “miracle cure”
If you or a loved one is concerned about possible signs or symptoms of cancer and would like an initial appointment or a second opinion, call us 24/7 at 877-460-4673.
When to Worry About a PIRADS Score After a Prostate MRI
One way doctors may help diagnose prostate cancer, the second-most common cancer in men, is by performing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which may include what’s called a PIRADS score.
A PIRADS (prostate imaging reporting and data system) score helps turn the information gathered in an MRI into an overall score that explains how likely it is that the patient may have prostate cancer.
After a prostate MRI, the patient receives a report that includes a PIRADS score from 1 to 5, indicating how suspicious a spot on a prostate MRI looks for cancer. A high PIRADS score on its own does not necessarily mean prostate cancer, but patients with a score of 3 or above often undergo additional tests to check for signs of cancer.
Learn more about when to worry about a PIRADS score after a prostate MRI
Non-Starchy Vegetables: Which to Eat for Diabetes
If you have diabetes, you may be following a diabetes diet plan that includes monitoring how many carbohydrates you eat every day because too many carbs can cause blood sugar levels to spike.
But it’s still important to eat a balanced diet that includes healthy vegetables — and the best kind for people with type 2 diabetes are non-starchy vegetables, which have lower levels of carbs than starchy veggies.
Starchy vegetables to avoid include potatoes, peas, corn and yams. Some non-starchy veggies to consider incorporating include spinach, artichokes, asparagus, Brussels sprouts and broccoli.
Read more about non-starchy vegetables to eat for diabetes
What Is FOLFOX Chemo, and How Does It Work?
Chemotherapy is among the most commonly used cancer treatments, and FOLFOX is a combination of chemo drugs used to treat some gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, such as advanced colorectal cancer.
FOLFOX is an acronym based on the names of the three drugs in this chemotherapy combo — folinic acid, also called leucovorin calcium (FOL); fluorouracil, sometimes referred to as 5-FU (F); and oxaliplatin, a common chemotherapy medication (OX).
Like other chemotherapy treatments, FOLFOX is administered intravenously (delivered into a vein using a small, thin tube, usually at a cancer hospital or outpatient clinic) and reportedly cause side effects in 10% of patients who receive it.
Find out more about FOLFOX chemo and how it works
Foods to Avoid While Taking Common Diabetes Drugs
If you’re taking diabetes medications, you may need to avoid certain foods that may affect the efficacy of some of the most common diabetes drugs.
For instance, doctors recommend limiting consumption of alcohol, high-fat foods, refined carbohydrates and added sugars if they are taking any of the diabetes med called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists. These include semaglutide (Ozempic®, Wegovy®), tirzepatide (Mounjaro® and Zepbound®) and dulaglutide (Trulicity®).
If you’re taking one of these drugs, doctors advise eating more lean proteins (chicken, fish, lentils and beans), whole grains (oats, quinoa, wheat and barley), fruit and non-starchy vegetables.
Check out this list of foods to avoid while taking common diabetes drugs
Anal Cancer or Hemorrhoids: How to Know the Difference
It can be challenging to tell the difference between symptoms of anal cancer and hemorrhoids, both of which may cause pain, irritation and bleeding. In fact, studies have found that primary care doctors misdiagnose anal cancer as hemorrhoids during 27% of first visits.
But while hemorrhoids are relatively harmless, anal cancer is serious — which is why it’s important to know the difference. Hemorrhoids are swollen veins that develop around the anus or inside the rectum, affecting 1 in 20 Americans. Anal cancer is a gastrointestinal cancer that develops when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably in the anus, affecting 1 in 500 people.
Even though anal cancer is rare, it’s important to know the signs, symptoms and risk factors because it is often curable, with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, when diagnosed early.
Learn more about how to know the difference between anal cancer and hemorrhoids
What Are Eosinophils? Do High Levels Indicate Cancer?
Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell — also known as leukocytes — that play an important role in fighting infections and mediate the immune system’s response to allergic disorders.
But high levels of eosinophils in a blood test — more than 500 eosinophils per microliter of blood — may be the result of allergic disorders, autoimmune diseases, parasitic infections or certain types of cancer, such as myeloid neoplasms and lymphomas.
Doctors say even a slightly elevated eosinophil level may require a closer look by your care team. But significantly higher results (over 5,000 eosinophils per microliter of blood) should prompt immediate medical attention.
Read more about whether high levels of eosinophils may indicate cancer
Scar Healing Stages: What to Look for After Cancer Surgery
Surgery is a front-line treatment for many cancer patients, and regardless of the type of procedure, most surgeries leave a wound that takes time to heal and then scar over. Two questions many patients ask after surgery: How long does a surgical wound take to heal, and how quickly will a scar form?
Wound healing generally takes place over four stages: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodeling (also called scar maturation).
Knowing how wounds repair themselves across these four stages may help patients know what to look out for during the healing process and determine whether the scar needs attention because it is not healing properly.
Here’s what to know about scar healing stages and what to look for after cancer surgery
Is Blood in the Urine a Sign of Cancer?
Seeing blood in your urine is enough to cause a jolt of fear. But while bloody urine may be the result of a minor infection, it should never be ignored because it could be caused by a serious condition, such as cancer.
In fact, blood in the urine — clinically known as hematuria — is one of the most common symptoms of urologic cancers. It typically occurs when red blood cells from the kidneys, ureters, bladder or urethra enter the urine stream.
Other medical conditions and factors that may cause blood in the urine include an enlarged prostate (known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH); an infection in the bladder, kidneys, urethra or prostate; kidney disease; bladder or kidney stones; certain medications, such as blood thinners; endometriosis; trauma, such as an injury to the kidneys; and vigorous physical activity.
If you have hematuria, it’s important to consult your doctor to determine the source of the blood.
Learn more about whether blood in your urine may be a sign of cancer
Stomach Cancer on the Rise in Young Adults, Especially Women
Stomach cancer, the leading cancer killer in America a century ago, has dropped precipitously in terms of incidence rates since then. But the disease, also called gastric cancer, still has a low survival rate nationally — and an increasing number of cases are being diagnosed in young adults, particularly women and certain minority groups.
In the United States, for instance, the disease is more common among African Americans, Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders and Native Americans than it is among non-Hispanic white people.
If you are in a high-risk group, early diagnosis — and knowing how to lower your risk through lifestyle changes — may make a world of difference. The relative five-year survival rate for Americans diagnosed with stomach cancer was 36.4% in 2024, but for those diagnosed during the earliest stage, before the cancer had a chance to spread, the survival rate was 75.4%.
Learn why stomach cancer is on the rise in young adults, especially women
Stem Cell Tourism: The Dangers of Traveling for a ‘Miracle Cure’
Studies have shown stem cell transplantation can be a safe and effective treatment for blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, as well as certain non-cancerous blood disorders.
But an increasing number of clinics worldwide are advertising stem cell transplants as a way to treat, or even cure, a wide range of health conditions, including cancer — without any science to back up these claims.
The influx of patients traveling to receive these unregulated and often dangerous procedures is sometimes referred to as “stem cell tourism.” A better option: Go with a reputable cancer treatment center in the United States with doctors who are skilled, trained and specialized in conducting these procedures.
Here’s what to know about stem cell tourism and the dangers of traveling for a “miracle cure”
If you or a loved one is concerned about possible signs or symptoms of cancer and would like an initial appointment or a second opinion, call us 24/7 at 877-460-4673.