A new appliance that eliminates the need for ostomates to wear an external pouch has received pre-marketing approval by the FDA.

Expected to be on the US market in the next few months. the Vitala™ device, seals the stoma, preventing stool from leaving the body for up to 8 hours.  Intestinal gas is filtered and vented to prevent odor.

An external pouch will still be needed for wear longer than 8 hours. Read the rest of this entry »

Use this handy calculator to find out what preventive tests you need at your age.

Answer five simple questions online and get a list of screenings and medical counseling recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), along with information about the preventive service recommendation.

Enter your age, sex, whether you are pregnant, use tobacco, or are sexually active.  Click on get recommendations for your personal preventive services profile. Read the rest of this entry »

First results from the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program in the United Kingdom found significantly more colorectal cancers in early, curable stages than in the years before the program began.

Nearly half of the cancers found during screening were stage I (Dukes A), while previously only 1 in 10 were diagnosed at that earliest stage.

However, in another analysis of the pilot NHS NBCSP efforts, a significant percentage of patients who had cancer found on screening, believed to be without symptoms of colon or rectal cancer, recognized and reported symptoms when asked before their follow-up colonoscopies. Read the rest of this entry »

African Americans get more colorectal cancer than whites and die more often.

Whether this is because of different biology or lack of access to high-quality medical care has long been debated.

In a new study, blacks had very similar rates of polyps found during a screening flexible sigmoidoscopy.  But they were less likely to get a recommended follow-up colonoscopy.

While about 1 in 4 people had polyps discovered during their sigmoidoscopy, nearly identical percentages for blacks and whites, blacks got colonoscopy follow-up about 12 percent less often than whites. Read the rest of this entry »

Put on those sneakers and take a walk!

Today is National Start Walking Day.  Not only can regular walking reduce risk for heart disease, it can be part of an exercise program to prevent colorectal cancer and support survivorship.

Thirty minutes of walking at a moderate pace has been shown to reduce risk of getting colorectal cancer.  Plus exercise after surgery for stage III colon cancer reduced the chances of its coming back. Read the rest of this entry »