A new, non-invasive nuclear medicine test can be used to determine whether aromatase inhibitor treatment will be effective for specific cancer patients, according to a recent study. The research shows that a PET scan with the ligand C-11-vorozole reliably detects aromatase in all body organs
A technique that removes blood clots from large brain blood vessels reduced disability after stroke in a trial conducted in Catalonia, Spain, and co-led by an expert from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
The results of the trial, known as REVASCAT, echo findings from other recent large studies that were stopped early when the technique, called endovascular therapy or stent retriever thrombectomy, appeared to be highly effective, said co-principal investigator Tudor Jovin, M.D., associate professor of neurology and neurological surgery, and director of the UPMC Stroke Institute. Originally, the REVASCAT trial expected to enroll nearly 700 participants.
Patients whose colorectal cancer (CRC) is detected during a screening colonoscopy are likely to survive longer than those who wait until they have symptoms before having the test, according to a study.
The study looked at 312 patients in 10 gastroenterology practices in Germany, all aged 55 or older, who were diagnosed with CRC in 2003-2005. Of those, 60 patients were diagnosed during a screening colonoscopy, meaning they had no symptoms and/or only a negative faecal occult blood test (FOBT). The other 252 patients had their cancers detected during a diagnostic colonoscopy,
following a positive FOBT and/or symptoms including abdominal pain, iron deficiency anaemia, weight loss, changes in bowel habits, or rectal bleeding. None of the patients had had a previous colonoscopy, and all received endoscopic follow-up care. The patients were followed for as long as 10 years after diagnosis.
Patients whose cancer was detected during screening colonoscopy lived 20.2 months longer, on average, than those who had the test after noticing symptoms or having a positive FOBT (diagnostic colonoscopy). The latter group tended to have more advanced stage tumors; as expected, those whose cancer was in a more advanced stage had shorter survival times. About 55 percent of the patients with diagnostic colonoscopy, and about 77 percent of the screening
colonoscopy patients, survived beyond the time period of the study.
According to the lead author, Kilian Friedrich, MD,
The Danish nasal filter is similar in size to a pair of contact lenses and it is placed in both nostrils. The nasal filter prevents inhalation of allergens
Patients with worsening chronic obstructive pulmonary disease spend less time in hospital when their doctors manage their care by using a checklist of steps called order sets.
Order sets help doctors and other clinicians choose the most appropriate care for a patient and can help improve care across several diseases. A new study is the first to examine the impact of order sets on patients with worsening COPD.
COPD, a lung disease that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is the fourth leading cause of death globally and is the leading cause of hospitalisation in Canada.
Patients who use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) often believe that it makes them less sexually attractive, according to researchers at Rosalind Franklin University. A new study abstract released shows that they do not need to worry.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is common in sleep apnea patients, but studies have shown that the use of CPAP improves ED. However, patients using CPAP may believe that the use of CPAP will have a negative influence on sexual quality, which can in turn make them less likely to use CPAP. Researchers conducted a survey to determine if sexual quality of life (SQOL) differs between CPAP-compliant and noncompliant patients. Patients were deemed to be compliant if they used CPAP more than 4 hours per night for 70% of days.
In this study, 52 patients with OSA on CPAP answered 10 questions pertaining to physical and emotional aspects of lovemaking. Of the 52 patients, 27 were compliant with CPAP, 25 were not. Both groups were similar in age, body mass index, ED, use of medication to treat erectile dysfunction, and presence of depression. Results showed that, when adjusting for all confounding variables, CPAP compliance does not predict sexual quality of life.
Patients undergoing colorectal operations who participated in an enhanced recovery program left the hospital sooner and had significantly lower hospital costs than patients who had the traditional approach to their care, according to a new study, which also found further postoperative improvements after adding an infection prevention protocol.
A research paper confirms earlier findings that a procedure called endovascular therapy (ET) for ischemic stroke is the best treatment option for many patients by reducing the incidence of disability. This is the fourth research paper published this year that confirms the efficacy of the treatment.
Collectively, such diseases of the airways as emphysema, bronchitis, asthma and cystic fibrosis are the second leading cause of death worldwide. More than 35 million Americans alone suffer from chronic respiratory disease. Weizmann Institute scientists have now proposed a new direction that could, in the future, lead to the development of a method for alleviating some of their suffering. The study
Endometrial cancer (EC) can spread by several routes, including the lymph system, blood vessels, through the uterine wall, as well as through the fallopian tubes into the peritoneal cavity, but the association of transtubal dissemination of EC with cancer stage, histological type, and mortality is unknown. However, according to a study women who have undergone a tubal ligation (TL) and develop more aggressive types of EC may have lower mortality. The authors postulate that women who have had TL have reduced passage of cancer cells through the fallopian tubes, thus lowering disease stage, which is a strong prognostic factor.
To investigate the possible relationship between TL and EC outcomes, Ashley Felix, Ph.D., of the Hormonal and Reproductive Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics and Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program, Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, and colleagues analyzed data from the multi-institutional NRG Oncology/Gynecologic Oncology Group 210 trial conducted between September 2003 and December 2011. They assessed the history and outcomes for 4489 women diagnosed with EC, including TL, stage, metastasis, and mortality.
About 28% of the women reported having TL at a median age of 32 years. The researchers found that EC patients who also had TL were less likely to have stage III or IV EC across all subtypes of the disease. They were also less likely to have peritoneal metastasis, even if they had more aggressive EC types (high-grade endometrial or serous carcinoma). Metastases to the fallopian tubes, ovaries, parametrium, and bladder/bowel were also inversely associated with TL. However, when adjusted for stage, TL was not associated with disease-specific or overall mortality, except for clear cell EC. This suggests that the mortality benefit was related to inhibiting dissemination of cancer cells through the fallopian tubes.
A limitation of the study, Felix et al. note, is lack of information on types of TL procedures, which have changed over time. Newer methods such as mechanical clips or tubal implants may have a different effect from older ones such as partial excision of tubal segments. However, the authors write that ‘…our study provides evidence that transtubal spread is an important mechanism of metastasis for aggressive histological types of endometrial carcinoma and that this process can be inhibited by TL.’ EurekAlert
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