For Tuesday, June 6, WGN’s Dina Bair has the latest on new information, including the following:

Growing tumors to treat cancer

The idea is to grow tumors in the lab precisely like the tumor a patient has. Then doctors use various cancer therapies on the 3D mini tumors to determine which will be most effective before subjecting the patient to the sometimes toxic treatments. 

University of California Los Angeles oncologists developed a new method to bioprint miniature tumors in an effort to offer personalized treatments for people with the difficult-to-treat disease.

The mini tumors not only help improve drug modeling but can also test the safety and efficacy of drugs at the earliest stage of cancer treatment. 

Breastfeeding linked to brain boost

Breastfeeding boosts the brains of babies for years. 

The longer a mother breastfeeds her baby, the better they perform academically in their teenage years. 

A study in the British Medical Journal reveals children who are breastfed for longer appear to have a school advantage at 16 years old compared to their peers who were not breastfed. 

The connection holds even when considering the parents’ intelligence and other socio-economic factors.  

Researchers looked at nearly 20,000 children and followed them from age 3 to 22. 

Study: Volunteering helps youth mental health

A positive way to improve mental health — help others. 

In a climate where depression and anxiety are rampant, especially among young people, researchers at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center found children and teens who volunteer flourish mentally and physically. 

Young people who helped others had a more positive outlook on life and were less likely to have anxiety, depression and behavioral problem than their peers who did not volunteer.  

It’s a great example of how serving others can be self-serving.