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The first four sites where colorectal cancer patients can get regorafenib are now open.  Bayer Healthcare expects to open additional sites in the next two or three weeks.

Colorectal cancer patients whose cancer has gotten worse on all standard treatments can now be considered for the Regorafenib Extended Access program.

Bayer Healthcare has applied for FDA approval of regorafenib to treat colorectal cancer, but until it is actually approved and on the market, the expanded access program is the only way patients who might benefit can receive it.

Last fall, early results from the randomized Phase 3 CORRECT clinical trial showed colorectal cancer patients who received regorafenib lived longer than a similar group who got a placebo. Read the rest of this entry »

The FDA reminds patients who use fentanyl patches for pain to take special care storing, using, and discarding them.

Recently the FDA evaluated 26 cases of children’s accidents that involved the patches including 10 deaths and 12 hospitalizations. Sixteen children were under two years of age.

Problems included curious children finding patches in the trash or stored within their reach. In addition, loose patches transferred the potent narcotic medicine to children who were being held or carried. Even used patches can still contain significant amounts of fentanyl, enough to seriously hurt a child.

Before using either the brand name Duragesic® or generic fentanyl transdermal system patches, read the FDA approved Medication Guide. Read the rest of this entry »

Dole Fresh Vegetables is voluntarily recalling over 750 cases of DOLE® Seven Lettuces salad with Use-by Date of April 11, 2012.

While no illness has yet been associated with eating the salads, a random sample collected by the State of New York found contamination with Salmonella.

The recalled packages have a UPC code of 71430 01057 and Product Codes 0577N089112A and 0577N089112B.

Consumers should check the codes and the use-by date and throw out any suspicious salads. Retailers are being told to check shelves for any remaining Dole Seven Lettuce salads and remove them.

If you have questions, you can call the Dole Food Company Consumer Response Center at (800) 356-3111, which is open 8:00 am to 3:00 pm (PDT) Monday – Friday.

People with cancer or who are on chemotherapy should be especially careful to avoid foods that may carry bacteria. They have less healthy immune systems and can become seriously ill from Salmonella infections.  Young children and the elderly are also at risk for severe, sometimes life-threatening infections.

More information about Salmonella from the Centers for Disease Control.

Symptoms of salmonella infection include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps that develop 12 to 72 hours after eating something contaminated by the bacteria. Most healthy adults recover without treatment, but severe cases may require a trip to the hospital and antibiotics.

When patients  were offered a choice of colorectal cancer screening with either FOBT or colonoscopy, they were significantly more likely to complete that screening than when their doctors recommended only FOBT or only colonoscopy.

Nearly 1000 racially and ethnically diverse patients in urban primary care practices were randomly assigned to get colorectal cancer screening via:

• Fecal occult blood testing (FOBT)
• Colonoscopy, or
• Their choice of either FOBT or colonoscopy.

Overall, 58 percent were screened within the next year.  Read the rest of this entry »

How soon should average risk people get another colorectal cancer screening after they have a normal colonoscopy?

No sooner than 10 years, the American Gastroenterological Association recommends as part of the Choosing Wisely campaign.

The AGA’s list of Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question includes:

1. Use the lowest possible effective dose of acid reducing medicines to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
2. After a negative, quality colonoscopy, don’t repeat colorectal cancer screening by any method for 10 years.
3. After removing 1 or 2 small (less than 1 centimeter) adenomatous polyps without signs of cellular change (dysplasia), don’t repeat the colonoscopy for at least 5 years.
4. After two endoscopies without dysplasia, people with Barrett’s esophagus shouldn’t have another upper endoscopy for at least 3 years.
5. Patients with abdominal pain shouldn’t have a repeat CT scan unless there are major changes in symptoms or clinical findings.

AGA’s list is based on current published recommendations for the time between colonoscopy and endoscopy in people with low risks for cancer.

The Choosing Wisely campaign wants doctors and patients to talk together about tests and treatments that are supported by evidence, don’t duplicate other tests or procedures, are free from harm, and are truly necessary.

Ask your doctor, “Do I really need this test?” and “Do I need it now?”