The Cancer Project has filed suit against five hot dog makers to require them to put cancer-risk warning labels on hot dog packages. The labels would read “Warning: Consuming hot dogs and other processed meats increases the risk of cancer.”

The suit, filed on behalf of three New Jersey residents, is a class action consumer fraud action, saying that Nathan’s Famous, Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer, Sara Lee, Con Agra Foods, and Marathon Enterprises knew that eating processed meats increased cancer risk but didn’t warn consumers. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite recommendations from two of its advisory committees for a phased withdrawal of propoxyphene-containing products, the Food and Drug Administration won’t be taking them off the market.  Instead they’ll require a black box warning on the label and a medication guide for patients letting them know of the serious risks of death from effects on the heart or overdose.

Best known by brand names Darvon® and Darvocet®, the pain medicines have a high risk for fatal overdose when not used as prescribed.  Opiates, they are prescribed for mild to moderate pain.  However, the FDA says that benefits of the medicines when taken at recommended doses outweigh risks at this time. Read the rest of this entry »

Research has found aspirin or resistant starch doesn’t help people with Lynch syndrome avoid new polyps.  While almost all people had seen a cancer-related ad, very few actually got a prescription for the advertised drug. People who followed a low-fat, high-fiber diet most carefully had fewer new polyps.

A Johns Hopkins team has developed SUDS — a device for cleaning ER equipment that wipes out dangerous bacteria and keeps it from returning for several days.  The Caring Connection will help you find advance directive forms and instructions for your state. Read the rest of this entry »

Patients with advanced colorectal cancer whose tumors have gotten smaller six weeks after starting treatment with Erbitux had a much longer time before their cancer got worse and almost twice the overall survival as patients whose tumors didn’t shrink.

Patients in the BOND study had already gotten worse on standard chemotherapy and were receiving either Erbitux® (cetuximab) alone or in combination with irinotecan.  CT scans  for about a third of them showed at least a 10 percent decrease in the size of their tumors six weeks into treatment. Read the rest of this entry »

Not having insurance reduces the chance that someone with colorectal cancer will live a year after their diagnosis.  Even when patients from 18 to 64 have other illnesses, their insurance status makes a difference in survival.

Risk of dying during that first year was 50 to 90 percent higher among the uninsured.  They were more likely to diagnosed at an advanced stage and live in poor neighborhoods.

Other illness (comorbidities) was lowest in privately insured patients and highest in patients under 65 on Medicare, who were likely to have Medicare because of a disability. Read the rest of this entry »