Colorectal cancer screening programs targeted at the pre-Medicare population (ages 54-64) could pay for themselves in avoided future Medicare expenditures, according to a study released last week at the American College of Gastroenterology’s annual meeting.

Using a computer simulation program, researchers estimated the total lifetime costs for screening and any subsequent treatment of colorectal cancer in people over age 50, using three different kinds of testing (fecal occult blood test, or FOBT; a mix of FOBT and colonoscopy; or colonoscopy alone). Read the rest of this entry »

Eighteen lots of Fentanyl transdermal patches distributed in the United States have been recalled by Actavis, Inc.

The 25 mcg/hour patches may have a fold-over defect that allows active drug to be released faster than intended.  In one lot of the recalled patches, one patch was found leaking gel.  The remaining lots are being voluntarily recalled as a precaution.

Fentanyl is a strong opioid.  The patch releases a measured amount of the drug each hour which is absorbed by skin.  Damaged patches may release too much medicine, potentially causing slowed or stopped breathing that can lead to death.

Caregivers who handle damaged patches and get gel on their own skin are also at risk. Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Lenz

The short answer is YES, but obviously this depends on many factors. We usually recommend that patients complete one or two cycles of chemotherapy to see if there are many side effects or not. If patients tolerate the first two cycles well, usually there is no accumulating side effect expected except for neurotoxicity with oxaliplatin down the road.

Personally I think going back to work is important, because it gives the patient some normality and forces him or her to think about something else than the cancer. However this may not apply for everyone, so discussions with your doctor and family are critical. It is important to plan how you will continue to work while you get cancer treatment. I see patients on Mondays and Thursdays, so patients who want to continue to work or may have to continue to work to keep their insurance, usually get treatments on Thursdays, giving them the weekend to recover. Patients who want to spend the weekend with the family choose Monday treatments, giving them time to recover for the weekend. Here are some tips which might help you to better manage your time and work: Read the rest of this entry »

Only one in five primary care doctors in the U.S. follows all the guidelines for colorectal cancer screening, according to a new National Cancer Institute (NCI) study. Of the remaining doctors studied, about 40 percent followed guidelines for some tests; the remaining 40 percent didn’t follow any screening guidelines.

Robin Yabroff, PhD, an NCI epidemiologist, said that the survey of nearly 1,300 primary care physicians showed that many either overuse or underuse screening tests.

Most doctors did recommend initial screening at age 50, and many followed suggested intervals for a specific test. But only 19 percent followed guidelines for every type test.

Read the rest of this entry »

How many more lives could we save if we simply delivered, consistently, the things that work?

That was the challenge that Dr. Arthur Kellerman laid down to people attending the AACR Science of Cancer Health Disparities conference in Miami on September 30.

Dr. Kellerman, an emergency room physician, told a sobering story of his patient Diane, who arrived in the emergency room in pain.  Asked to describe what hurt, she pointed to her right breast.  When her gown was lifted, doctors and nurses could see a huge cancer that had broken through her skin.  Uninsured, she had tried to treat it with over-the-counter salves. She died two months later.

He said that, like Diane, 1000 Americans die every week because they don’t get health care that meets medical standards. Read the rest of this entry »