Most cancers are related to lifestyle factors, Elizabeth M. Whelan of the American Council on Science and Health reported. Tobacco use, poor diet, alcohol abuse, ionizing radiation (x-rays, for example), certain sexually transmitted diseases, certain reproductive patterns, and sunlight are among the proven causes of cancer. Therefore healthy lifestyle is a major key to prevent it. Of course, with the Global Cancer Report which said that cancer rates could increase by 50% to 15 millions by 2020, a cure is still needed.

There have been many efforts, but what HopeLab has recently announced is absolutely something different. It has released “Re-Mission”, the first PC-based video game scientifically shown to improve health-related outcomes for young people with cancer. The nonprofit organization is committed to help young people to deal with chronic illness; and the game is developed through a scientific study involving 375 young adults at 43 medical centers in the three countries—those are United States, Canada and Australia. They were helped by researchers, medical experts and game developers.

The game’s main character is Roxxi—a well-armed Nanobot. Its task is to destroy cancer cells throughout the human body, battling cancer and its life-threatening effects. Through 20 different levels of game play, Re-Mission illustrates what occurs inside the bodies of young cancer patients and how they can most effectively fight their disease. The study has proven that the participants who played Re-Mission maintained high levels of adherence to their prescribed medication regimens. They also maintained higher levels of chemotherapy in their blood and took their antibiotics more consistently than those in the control group who did not receive Re-Mission.

Saif Azar, a patient with Hodgkin’s lymphomas said, “It was perfect, actually. It helped me understand the things that were going on in my body.”

The president of HopeLab, Pat Christen, said, “Re-Mission works. It gives teens and young adults a sense of power and control over their cancer. Research on Re-Mission was conducted in much the same way research into a new drug is conducted, with rigorous testing based on scientific principles. Our study findings clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the game in improving health-related outcomes for these kids. It’s great news.”

“We approached the study in the same way and with the same rigor that we would with a new drug,” she added.

The game will be available in English, French and Spanish and free to download through www.remission.net starting on May 1.