Identifying colorectal cancer patients with Lynch syndrome (also known as hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer or HNPCC) makes an important difference  in preventing further cancers for them and also for their family members.  However, family or personal medical histories don’t always find everyone at risk.

One of every 35 patients with colorectal cancer has Lynch syndrome, and each one has at least three family members who carry a Lynch gene and will need more intensive polyp and cancer surveillance beginning when they are young adults.

Researchers at Ohio State University compared methods of testing colon tumors to screen for Lynch syndrome and predict those patients who need further genetic testing.  They also looked at more traditional ways of finding potential Lynch syndrome, including family histories and age at diagnosis. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Max Baucus (D-Montana), unveiled his “Call to Action” for healthcare reform in 2009. Read the rest of this entry »

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Research to Practice has a few openings left for stage II and III colon cancer patients to take part in a study of patient perspectives on treatment decision-making. If you’ve had surgery within the past three months and talked to a medical oncologist, your point of view can help other patients facing similar situations.

Payments up to $250 will be made for completed surveys and for evaluating educational materials. Read the rest of this entry »

ETHEX Corporation has recalled more lots of generic medicines because some pills may be oversized.  In addition to previous recalls of morphine sulfate and dextroamphetamine, the new recall includes two cardiac drugs and additional lots and dosages of morphine and dextroamphetamine.

There is a possibility that some tablets may be oversized and contain up to double the amount of active medicine.  Overdoses can cause serious medical problems including difficulty breathing and low blood pressure for morphine and rapid heart beat and high blood pressure for dextroamphetamine.

If you or the patient you are caring for has difficulty breathing, faints, becomes unresponsive, or has other signs of morphine overdose, call 911 and get medical help. Read the rest of this entry »

Both surgery and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are used to destroy liver tumors that have spread from colorectal cancer, but which approach is better?

Surgeons at the University of Louisville School of Medicine reviewed all the cases where patients received either surgery only or RFA only in their hospital over the past twelve years.  They had over 1,100 cases involving liver tumors during that time, and 192 involved either a single liver surgery or only radiofrequency ablation.

They found the time before cancer came back was considerably shorter for RFA.  In addition, cancer returned at the RFA or surgical site more often for RFA, and also recurred more often elsewhere in the liver. Read the rest of this entry »