Older Australians should have regular skin checks, suggests research that found the elderly account for almost three quarters of non-melanoma skin cancer deaths.

Women with untreated cervical problems are up to 50 per cent more likely to develop vaginal cancer, revealed findings that highlight the importance of pap smears.

A study has revealed that many workers thought to have been exposed to dioxin have an average level of the carcinogen in their blood and a normal life expectancy.

'Micro-technology' has led to the development of hypodermic needles that can be seen by ultrasound, making nerve-block anaesthesia simpler and safer, writes David Horwood.

Molecules from cone snail venom and certain African plants have been combined to create new drugs for reducing previously hard to treat chronic pain.

Despite its sinister reputation, electric shock therapy can safely treat severe depression more quickly than anti-depressants, clinical research has found.

More than half of Australian men are overweight or obese, yet only a third believe they are, a denial that could lead to health problems, new research has found.

New research has shown that cholesterol is essential to healthy lung function, findings that could assist premature babies with breathing problems.

More than one Australian woman a fortnight dies as a result of childbirth, often from preventable complications, a study has revealed.

Having a child diagnosed with cancer is most parent's worst nightmare, but survival rates have drastically improved over the past decades. Now information technology researchers are working with years of data and research in order to predict how children will respond to the disease and which treatments will work best on individual patients. Jo Chipperfield reports.

A gene associated with breast cancer alters its shape according to whether it is switched on or off and whether it is in a cancerous cell, research has found.

Immunotherapy can prime the body to attack HIV more strongly, keeping the immune system in better shape to fight off AIDS, according to new research.

Finger wagging about what to eat is easy, but it's totally out of touch with reality, according to Susan Anderson.

Australian scientists have discovered a cell stimulant that makes the existing tuberculosis vaccine much more effective in both infants and adults.

Research has found that two common drugs for lowering blood pressure, ARBs and ACE inhibitors, don't provide additional benefits when combined, as thought.