Best Ways to Avoid Cancer by Rebecca Ruiz

Forget fad diets or avoiding food additives.

Experts say neither will do much good in the battle to prevent cancer, the nation's second leading cause of death. The disease is expected to claim the lives of 559,650 Americans this year, according to the American Cancer Society. A sobering statistic, no doubt. Still, the good news is that cancer-related deaths are decreasing annually at 2.1%, doubling the rate of years previous. Researchers attribute the decline to improved methods of detection, increased levels of screening and changes in lifestyle.

But while the list of such preventive measures can be overwhelming, there are very basic steps, including regular screenings and positive habits, that can both lead to a healthier body and minimize one's risk of cancer.. Vilma Cokkinides, program director for Risk Factor Surveillance at the American Cancer Society, suggests a simple approach. "Don't think of it as following guidelines," she says, "think of it as a lifestyle."

Screening And Detection
If you fear exams or postpone checkups for months, wait no longer to march over to the doctor's office and discuss cancer risks and detection techniques. Research has shown that screening drastically improves the chances of preventing cancer and cancer-related deaths, especially those due to colorectal, breast and cervical cancers, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Regular screening begins at different points depending on age, gender, medical and family histories, and the type of cancer. Cokkinides recommends that adults discuss testing for breast, cervical, prostate, endometrium, colon and skin cancers with a physician. There are myriad screening techniques, so be inquisitive with a physician or specialist about which might elicit the clearest results.

Lifestyle Lessons
There are good habits, like regular checkups and screening, and bad ones, like smoking, drinking, eating poorly and exercising infrequently. To many cancer experts, the scourge of high-risk behavior is smoking, followed by obesity. Half of smokers will die from tobacco-related diseases, and tobacco use is responsible for 30% of all cancer-related deaths each year, according to the American Cancer Society.

The obesity epidemic similarly worries researchers.

"The underlying mechanisms implicating weight are very complex," says Cokkinides, "but it's thought that it has to do with fat and sugar metabolism, immune function, hormone levels and cell growth."

Obesity and being overweight have been linked to an increased risk for breast, colon, endometrium, esophagal, kidney and pancreatic cancers, among others. Roughly two-thirds of all Americans are considered overweight or obese.

In combating weight issues, Cokkinides says, people can also cultivate better eating and exercise habits, which have been shown to positively affect cancer risk. Instead of trying to find the next miracle food, consistently eat a diet rich in fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains, and minimize foods high in fat and refined sugar as well as consumption of red and processed meats and alcoholic beverages. Regular exercise -- at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week -- can also decrease the risk of developing certain cancers.

The Future of Prevention
Dr. William Nelson, a medical oncologist and the director of translational research at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, envisions a future of "personalized medicine" in which current preventive measures are combined with cutting-edge technology to provide patients with precise indications of their risk factors.

This includes preventive drugs and genetic testing, which are both currently available to the public, but benefit a small fraction.

"Our tools for informing people about their risks," he says of preventive drugs and genetic testing, "have the promise to describe risk for a disease and risk for treatment side effects."

Those with high risk for breast, prostate and colorectal cancers should consult a physician about preventive drugs. Anu Chittenden, a genetic counselor at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, recommends genetic counseling for those with a strong family history of cancer. Though the procedure is available for different cancers, it is largely known for detecting genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer. About 10% of women with breast cancer will have a gene mutation. Chittenden urges patients to first have a relative with the cancer tested to yield important genetic information, and to consult a genetic counselor trained to interpret the results.

Though Nelson anticipates that new technologies will have a profound impact on how cancer is diagnosed and treated, he still believes the best prevention is done daily.

"Cancer is giant risk-benefit analysis," he says. "Go after the broad lifestyle changes."

Copyrighted, Forbes.com. All rights reserved.

Time to refinance is now LizPulliamWeston

Rates on 2 million mortgages are scheduled to rise by the end of 2008. If yours is one of them, consider refinancing now -- if you can.

Falling home values are eroding people's equity rapidly enough that some who can refinance today might not be able to do so in a year, notes mortgage expert Dick Lepre. Even those who have plenty of equity now may face more limited options and higher costs in a few months.

That's because much of the refinance math lenders do depends on how much equity you have in your home:

• If your mortgage and other home loans equal 80% or less of your home's worth, you'll typically have the most choices and be offered the best rates, contingent on your credit scores.

• As your equity shrinks, though, rates tend to get higher and terms get stricter, said Lepre, a California loan officer who writes a weekly newsletter on the mortgage business. Every time you slip over an equity benchmark -- 85%, 90% and 95% -- rates tick up and your options decrease.

• Once you owe more on your house than it's worth, your alternatives pretty much decline to none, at least in today's mortgage market. Lenders who were once eager to make 100% or more loan-to-value mortgages have either gone out of business or turned away from these high-risk loans.

Risk is in waiting, not acting

What a difference a few months makes. In the recent past, the only folks who had to worry about not having enough equity to refinance were those who had already gobbled it up with home-equity borrowing. Even that was a temporary situation, as ever-rising home values continued to supply more equity.

Now that home prices are dropping in many areas, the easy equity gains have turned into equity erosion. Someone with a $200,000 mortgage would have an 80% loan-to-value on a home worth $250,000, but if that home drops 10% in value, to $225,000, the same loan now represents 89% of the home's worth.

When Will Housing Hit Bottom? by Rex Nutting

The housing market is just getting worse. Home resales tumbled 8% in September to the lowest levels in this decade, prompting the obvious question: When will it all end?

The honest answer is no one knows. Optimists have been saying for more than a year that the worst is behind us, while the pessimists have been saying recovery is still a year, or years, away.

So far, the pessimists have been right about the weakness in the housing market, but their forecast that the collapse in housing would lead to a general economic malaise has, at least so far, failed to pan out. The economy has slowed, but has not fallen into recession, as consumers and investors adjust to a world in which home prices don't automatically rise 5% or 10% a year.

The only thing that's clear now is that the housing market has gotten worse since the spring. The market was in a free fall in September. Sales of existing home fell 8%, while inventories of unsold homes rose to a 10.5-month supply. It could take 320 days for a home to sell.

Sales of existing single-family homes are down 20% in the past year, the fastest decline in 16 years.

Median prices have dropped 4% in the past year, in part because fewer expensive homes are being sold, but also because the typical home is worth less than it was a year ago.

Homes are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them, and right now, most homes on the market have no buyer in sight. Prices may have to fall much more to bring supply and demand back into balance, economists say.

Builders have almost no confidence. The home builders' index fell to a record low in October (the index dates back to 1985). New construction on single-family homes has plunged 31% in the past year, but still the inventory of new homes on the market, after adjusting for cancellations, is at the highest level since the early 1990s.

As if the fundamental sickness in the housing market weren't enough, a secondary infection has developed. The credit crisis in the mortgage market that erupted in the summer has left huge numbers of potential buyers without any access to mortgages.

The subprime sector has essentially died, with the newly reinvigorated Federal Housing Administration able to replace only a tiny segment of what was once a huge market of home buyers.

The top end of the market was also frozen out, as jumbo loans (those with mortgages above the conforming level of $417,000) became more expensive or completely unavailable.

The jumbo freeze-out devastated sales in pricey areas such as the San Francisco Bay area, where jumbo loans had accounted for about 52% of purchases in August, but just 39% in September.

There's some evidence that the jumbo market is slowly returning, but it's not functioning normally yet.

So where does the market stand now?

"We are seeing the first buds of spring" in the recovery of the jumbo market, said Stephen Stanley, chief economist for RBS Greenwich Capital. "It's a slow, glacial recovery."

Stanley believes home sales will be "really bad" for two or three more months, before the credit markets begin to function more normally. "It won't return to where we were six or 12 months ago."

At that point, the secondary infection would be gone, but the underlying illness would still be there. The market will really begin to recover only after sellers capitulate on prices.

And then home sales might level out, Stanley said, acknowledging that he's one of the more optimistic analysts.

Historically, housing corrections take a long time. After the market softened in the late 1980s, sales fell for five years, then took three more years to return to the peak level. Prices took just as long to recover.

Some analysts say the fundamentals will worsen in coming months. The main problem is that so many adjustable-rate mortgages will reset to a higher interest rate. The typical family with an ARM will see mortgage payments rise by $10,000 a year, according to Andrew Jakabovics of the Center for American Progress, a progressive Washington think tank.

Millions of these home owners will be unable to refinance their current loan and will either have to scrounge to make the payments, or lose their home through a fire sale or foreclosure. That would throw even more supply onto a saturated market.

"The mortgage crisis is neither wholly contained nor likely to abate in the near future," said Jakabovics. "Default and foreclosure loom ever more menacingly as borrowers are unable to find a reasonable payment option and unable to sell their homes."

Copyrighted, MarketWatch. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of MarketWatch content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of MarketWatch. MarketWatch shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

NBA season preview: Northwest Division

By Johnny Ludden, Yahoo! Sports

Seattle sent Ray Allen to Boston. Kevin Garnett soon followed. Portland shipped Zach Randolph to New York. Rashard Lewis found a $118 million contract in Orlando and Andrei Kirilenko offered $63 million to get out of Utah.

Then there's the entire SuperSonics franchise, which might be headed to Oklahoma City by season's end.

Welcome to the Northwest Division, the NBA's Grand Central Station. Looking for greener pastures? Just take the No. 9 out of town.

Keeping track of the Northwest's daily transaction report this summer became quite the chore. Greg Oden, the league's top draft pick, didn't even make it to training camp before Portland shelved him for microfracture surgery. Which, of course, is why the two teams with the smallest turnover are the two most likely to contend for the division title.

Predicted order of finish within division:

1. Utah Jazz

Allow us to introduce: Jason Hart, Ronnie Price, Morris Almond, Kyrylo Fesenko

Dearly departed: Derek Fisher, Dee Brown, Rafael Araujo

Is that confetti in your hair? After an impressive run to the Western Conference finals, the Jazz made only a couple of minor tweaks to their roster. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, quickly resembling another formidable Utah pick-and-roll combo, anchor the team's impressive core. Mehmet Okur is coming off an All-Star season and second-year guard Ronnie Brewer is making a strong bid to start.

How's Cancun in June? Shortly before camp opened, Kirilenko announced he no longer wanted to play for the Jazz. He didn't find much sympathy from his teammates. Williams criticized Kirilenko's work ethic and shot selection on a local radio show. And that came after both Williams and Boozer seemed to complain about the performance of some of their international teammates during the conference finals.

In the crosshairs: Since a trade that would have sent him to Phoenix for Shawn Marion failed to materialize, Kirilenko has been on his best behavior. The Jazz now hope former guard Jeff Hornacek can fix not only Kirilenko's shot, but also his confidence.

2. Denver Nuggets

Allow us to introduce: Chucky Atkins, Stacey Augmon, Steven Hunter, Bobby Jones

Dearly departed: Steve Blake, Reggie Evans, DerMarr Johnson

Is that confetti in your hair? Allen Iverson didn't appear to have much trouble playing alongside Carmelo Anthony by the end of the regular season. The Nuggets went 10-1 in April and gave the Spurs a scare in the first round before losing in five games. Anthony has continued to steadily improve each season and Denver also hopes Kenyon Martin is ready to contribute again.

How's Cancun in June? Blake's departure to Portland could end up hurting the Nuggets. He's not in Atkins' class as a scorer, but he proved to be a willing distributor and an active defender – a good fit for a team that rarely lacked for points. Marcus Camby returns as the Defensive Player of the Year, but staying healthy always seems to be a problem. J.R. Smith, meanwhile, has worn on coach George Karl with his immaturity – the same way he earned a ticket out of New Orleans.

In the crosshairs: After undergoing microfracture surgery on both knees – procedures that have limited him to 58 total games the past two seasons – Martin now claims to be pain free. His minutes have been limited during the preseason, but any court time for the bruising forward figures to be a plus for the Nuggets, who could use his toughness.

3. Portland Trail Blazers

Allow us to introduce: Greg Oden, Steve Blake, Channing Frye, James Jones, Taurean Green, Josh McRoberts

Dearly departed: Zach Randolph, Ime Udoka, Jamaal Magloire, Fred Jones, Dan Dickau

Is that confetti in your hair? Losing Oden for the season certainly didn't help the Trail Blazers' playoff chances, but they have another talented young big man poised for a breakout season. LaMarcus Aldridge, whose development made it easier for Portland to part with Randolph, has frustrated opponents with his inside play. With Brandon Roy, last season's Rookie of the Year, quickly growing into a leader, Portland's young roster could contend for a playoff berth sans Oden.

How's Cancun in June? Roy has already been slowed by a sore left heel – the same injury that caused him to miss 20 of Portland's first 25 games last season. And among all those young legs, the Trail Blazers have just two true veterans: Joel Przybilla and Raef LaFrentz, the latter of whom played in only 27 games last season.

In the crosshairs: Given a $12 million contract and an opportunity to start, Travis Outlaw showed up at training camp and promptly failed the team's conditioning test. Even worse: Outlaw's greatest basketball skill, allegedly, is his athleticism. He also arrived late for the Blazers' first preseason game, quickly earning him another meeting with coach Nate McMillan and general manager Kevin Pritchard.

4. Seattle SuperSonics

Allow us to introduce: Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Kurt Thomas, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West

Dearly departed: Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, Andre Brown, Mike Wilks, Danny Fortson

Is that confetti in your hair? New Sonics GM Sam Presti quickly made Durant the team's new cornerstone by shipping out Allen on draft night. With Lewis leaving for Orlando, Presti and fellow Spurs alum, P.J. Carlesimo, are building for the future. But the team isn't devoid of talent. Depending on how quickly Durant and Green develop – and whether Carlesimo can get consistent production from at least one of his three young big men – the Sonics could spoil someone else's playoff chances even if their own don't look too good.

How's Cancun in June? Cancun? Try Oklahoma City. The Sonics aren't generating much positive press while trying to wrestle their way out of KeyArena. For now, the only win-loss that seems to matter is the team's impending arbitration battle with the city of Seattle.

In the crosshairs: Szczerbiak is due $26.6 million over the next two seasons. That's a lot of change for someone who has missed at least 30 games in three of the previous five seasons.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

Allow us to introduce: Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, Juwan Howard, Corey Brewer, Greg Buckner

Dearly departed: Kevin Garnett, Mike James, Trenton Hassell, Troy Hudson, Justin Reed

Is that confetti in your hair? This figures to be the first time in four seasons the Timberwolves don't fail to meet their fans' expectations. Of course, few people are expecting much of anything from the team this season. Trading Garnett to Boston left Minnesota with a promising young forward in Jefferson and a lot of question marks.

How's Cancun in June? Minnesota likely will use the season to evaluate and develop its younger players. Jefferson could become a franchise cornerstone, but Telfair and Green have yet to show much. If nothing else, the Timberwolves should be able to position themselves for a high lottery pick.

In the crosshairs: Unable to surround Garnett with enough talent to make the Timberwolves a legitimate contender, GM Kevin McHale will now try to rebuild them from the ground up. Most Minnesota fans don't have faith he'll succeed.

Loan Modification, Part Two: Benefits of Shared Price Appreciation

The first article in this series pointed out that, when a mortgage borrower is unable to make the required payments, the servicing agent has an obligation to the owner of the mortgage to resolve the problem in the way that is least costly to the owner. The usual method is foreclosure, but an alternative is to modify the loan contract to make the payment more affordable.

In making their decisions, loan servicers usually ignore an asset possessed by the borrower that could shift it from foreclosure to modification. This asset is the right to a share of the future appreciation in the value of the borrower's house.

Comparing the Costs

To make the decision process easier, I have designed a new calculator, numbered 7e on my Web site. The calculator compares the cost of a subsidy provided under a contract modification to the estimated value of a share of the appreciation, over any future period up to 10 years. Because costs are incurred monthly while appreciation is realized at the end of a period, all figures are translated into present values to make them comparable.

For example, in 2005, John Subprime took out a two-year adjustable-rate mortgage for $100,000 at 5 percent. It was a 100 percent loan, but the balance had been paid down to $97,237. The initial payment of $537 was affordable but lasts for only two years.

The interest rate will be reset in two months to equal the value of the rate index, currently 5 percent, plus a margin of 3 percent. If the index stays where it is now, the rate will go to 8 percent, and the payment to $724. John cannot afford this payment.

Using the formula developed in the first article of this series, John convinces the servicer that he can afford no more than $580 a month for the next three years. The modification keeps the rate at 5 percent and adjusts the payment to $580. Over three years, the difference between the affordable payment and the scheduled payments with an 8 percent rate sums to $5,190, which at 6 percent has a present value of $4,739. This is the cost of the payment subsidy to the owner of the mortgage.

In addition to the payment subsidy, there is a balance subsidy because keeping the loan at 5 percent allows a more rapid pay-down of the balance. The subsidy is equal to the difference between what the balance would have been at the end of the contract period had there been no modification and what it will be with the modification.

Over the three years, the balance subsidy amounts to $3,670 with a present value of $3,067. The present value of both the payment and balance subsidies is $7,806. This is the cost of contract modification to the investor.

The net cost of foreclosure to the investor is the estimated expense of foreclosure less the equity in the borrower's house, which is available to offset foreclosure expenses. Equity is the difference between the estimated proceeds from a foreclosure sale and the mortgage balance. For example, if foreclosure expenses are $5,000 and net equity is $2,000, the net cost of foreclosure is $3,000.

If net equity is zero in my example, foreclosure costs at $5,000 are lower than the $7,806 cost of modification, and the servicer will opt for foreclosure. But factoring a share of future appreciation into the equation can change the result.

Suppose the servicer estimates that John's house may increase in value by 2 percent, 3 percent, and 4 percent over the next three years. On these assumptions, the appreciation will be $9,262, with a present value of $7,740. Using this number, a 50 percent share of the appreciation would reduce the net cost of modification to $3,936, which is lower than the cost of foreclosure.

Borrowers with payment problems who have a lot of equity in their homes have the most to gain from pledging a share in future appreciation. Such borrowers are otherwise unlikely to qualify for a contract modification because foreclosure will be less costly to the investor.

Providing Support for Your Case

Borrowers in trouble, however, can't assume that the servicer will take the initiative in proposing any modification deal, let alone a more complex variety that includes a pledge of future appreciation. The culture of loan servicing discourages such initiatives because they raise costs and do not generate any additional revenue.

Troubled borrowers with the best chances of negotiating a contract modification are those who are persistent and who provide the information required to support their case. If they have significant equity in their home, this should include a proposal to share future appreciation with the investor, including reasonable estimates of what that might be worth. The more of the servicer's job they do, the better their chances are of success.

Loan Modification: What You Should Know, Part One

A loan modification is a change in the loan contract agreed to by the lender and the borrower. The modifications of major concern today are those designed to reduce the payment burden on borrowers faced with impending rate increases that will make the mortgage payment unaffordable to them. Many are subprime borrowers.

Home owners faced with this prospect, whether they are already delinquent or not, should request a modification. They are very unlikely to get one if they don't ask, and they should make the investment required to make their case. The stakes are very high: They can save their house and their credit.

The Decision Process

In most cases, the decision on a modification is not made by the firm that owns the loan. It is made by a firm servicing the loan under contract to the owner. The owner could be a single lender, or it could be a group of investors who own pieces of a mortgage-backed security collateralized by a pool of loans.

Whoever the owner, the servicing firm is contractually obligated to find the solution to payment problems that will minimize loss to the owner. If the lowest-cost solution is a contract modification, great -- everyone involved prefers a modification to a foreclosure. But if a foreclosure would generate lower costs for the owner, the decision will be to foreclose. The cost of foreclosure to the borrower does not enter the decision.

Yet the decision is far from cut and dried, and it can be materially affected by whether and how the borrower presents his case. On this issue, I have benefited from an exchange with Warren Brasch, an attorney who represents borrowers seeking loan modifications.

The Equity Factor

Perhaps the most important factor affecting the modification decision is the amount of equity the borrower has in his property. If the borrower has enough equity in the property to pay any deferred interest plus foreclosure expenses, foreclosure is usually the lower-cost solution.

Equity depends on property value, which the borrower is much better positioned to know than the servicer. The borrower knows or can easily find out how many houses in the neighborhood are for sale and what the trend has been in recent sale prices. In a weakening market, it is easy for the lender to overestimate value, and the borrower must prevent that.

The Moral Hazard

Servicers fear that, if they are liberal in granting modifications, borrowers who don't need a modification will seek one anyway. They protect themselves against this by entertaining modification proposals on a case-by-case basis, while placing the burden of proof on the borrower.

Borrowers must accept the burden of proof. In addition to the data on property value, they need to document that they cannot afford the payment increase that is pending, and they must document exactly what they can afford.

For this purpose, borrowers should calculate their total debt ratio: the sum of mortgage payment, other debt payments, property taxes, and homeowners insurance as a percent of their gross (before tax) income. This number should be calculated for what it is now, what it will be after the rate adjustment, and what they will be able to afford. On the last, Brasch suggests that a servicer may be willing to accept 45 percent as a reasonable maximum.

The Servicing Cost

Servicers have a self-interest in minimizing modifications, because they add to costs. They try to minimize costs by computerizing the servicing process to the maximum degree possible and standardizing customer-support procedures so that low-paid and easily trained employees can perform them.

Modifications must be handled by a special group that is more highly trained and better paid, and the increased costs from expanding their number cuts into the bottom line. Hence, there is a tendency to be non-responsive in the hope that the borrower will go away.

Borrowers have to be persistent. According to Brasch, "If a servicer says they will call you back...forget about it. You need to call them and call them constantly. They will lose your paper-work, fail to return calls, put you on hold, and then hang up. It's what they do. Keep fighting, calling, faxing. This does work!"

In making their decisions about whether a modification would be less costly than a foreclosure, servicers usually ignore an asset possessed by the borrower that could tilt the balance toward modification. This is the right to future appreciation in the value of the borrower's house. In exchange for a modification that might otherwise be more costly to the owner than a foreclosure, the borrower could pledge a percent of the future appreciation, which could shift the balance to modification. This will be discussed in the second article in this series.

Borrow From a Bank, Credit Union, or Finance Company

Banks and credit unions usually offer set, nonnegotiable rates, often less expensive than dealer financing. (They are also less likely to push the unnecessary expense of credit life insurance, which ensures that the loan will be paid off if you die prematurely.) Membership credit unions that offer auto loans typically offer lower rates than banks and finance companies. But finance companies -- often the most expensive of all -- may accept borrowers who are greater credit risks.

In 1991, the IRS eliminated the income tax deduction for interest on most personal loans. The major exception is interest on a home equity loan, which is tax deductible on principal up to $100,000 no matter how you spend the money.

Some banks now offer "tax-smart" loans to give back the car-loan deduction to consumers. A tax-smart loan combines the ease of a regular auto loan with the tax deductibility of a home equity loan. With a tax-smart loan, you do not have to go through the closing procedures and expense required by a regular home equity loan. And you can usually borrow up to 100% of the equity in your home. Unlike a regular home equity loan, the primary collateral on a tax-smart loan is the automobile. To earn the tax benefit, a lien is placed on the home as well.

While tax-smart loans may be smart for the bank that offers them, they may not be such a great deal for the borrower. A tax-smart loan is safe for a bank to make: it has the security collateral of both your car and your house. The bank usually charges the same interest rate on a tax-smart loan as on a regular auto loan, which could be significantly more than the rate charged on a home equity loan.

Not only are you tying up the equity in your car and home for this loan, the savings you realize on the tax deduction may be less than the money you save with a lower-rate loan.