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Dr. Roach writes: As I write this, another gun tragedy has taken place in the United States. By the time it gets published, about 1,500 more people are likely to have been killed by guns, many accidentally.

I hope my columns during 2017 have helped readers live longer and healthier. So which of the following are true or false? 1. There’s evidence that regular activity lowers the risk of dementia.

Dear Dr. Roach: I’m writing to you regarding my husband’s cancer. He has thymic carcinoma, diagnosed January 2014. It was stage 4.

Dear Dr. Roach: I have read in your previous columns that you have expressed caution about taking medications like Fosamax. I hope you can help me with my situation. I am 76 years old. I took Fosamax for 13 years, stopping in 2010.

Dear Dr. Roach: I had a CT scan in July as part of my follow-up care for grade 1 chondrosarcoma. My scans were good, showing no cancer issues; however, one item that was noted said “scattered areas of benign mucus plugging.

Dear Dr. Roach: I have some questions about hepatitis vaccines. I live in Los Angeles, and have recently seen a few articles in the local paper about an outbreak of hepatitis A in the area. I went to my hospital and requested the hepatitis A vaccine.

This is the season to be jolly, and the last thing I want to do is spoil the holiday festivities. But unfortunately, the office parties, family dinners, excess wine and fellowship of singing Auld Lang Syne all take a toll on one’s stomach.

Dear Dr. Roach: I would like your opinion about staying on blood thinners for the rest of my life. In July 2017, a CT scan showed a small blood clot in my lower-left lung.

Dear Dr. Roach: In a recent column, you said that red yeast rice acts as a kind of natural statin. Can natural and synthetic statins be used together? M.P.A. Red yeast rice is a traditional Chinese food and medicine used for circulation.

Where is the common sense and compassion in this country for cancer patients who suffer in agony? I write this because drug addicts, who largely seek pleasure from opioid drugs, are now getting better pain control than cancer victims.