What’s the best way to get large groups of people screened for colorectal cancer?

Surprisingly it may not be colonoscopy but fecal occult blood testing (FOBT).

A computer model has found annual home testing with a  fecal occult  blood test, either Hemoccult II® or Hemoccult SENSA®,  is more cost-effective than colonoscopy every 10 years to screen people of average risk for colorectal cancer.

The model compared the number of life years saved under several scenarios of costs and  compliance with annual testing and follow-up colonoscopies after positive guaiac tests.  For the same fixed budget, more people could be screened with an FOBT and more life years saved. Read the rest of this entry »

The FDA has warned the public that Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) makes  a dangerous, industrial strength bleach when mixed as directed and can cause serious health problems.

High oral doses of this bleach, such as those recommended in the labeling, can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and symptoms of severe dehydration.

FDA recommends

Consumers who have MMS should stop using it immediately and throw it away. The FDA advises consumers who have experienced any negative side effects from MMS to consult a health care professional as soon as possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Although breast cancer has not traditionally been considered one of the cancers associated with Lynch syndrome, evidence is building that there might be a link.

Breast cancer may actually be with in the spectrum of Lynch cancers.

An Australian team reviewing the pathology of breast cancers in women who carried a mutation for Lynch syndrome ( hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer) found that half of the breast tumors were mismatch repair deficient — a hallmark of Lynch cancers. Read the rest of this entry »

The South Dakota colorectal cancer screening program has gone statewide!

GetScreenedSD has expanded from six pilot clinics to more than 200 clinics across the state of South Dakota.

People age 50 and over are encouraged to be screened for this preventable cancer, either with a take-home test or a colonoscopy. Financial help is available for those who cannot afford it.

Go to the South Dakota Department of Health to find a testing site near you. Read the rest of this entry »

Genetic tests marketed directly to consumers provide conflicting and misleading information that is “of no practical use” according to a new report from the General  Accounting Office.

In their investigation, the GAO purchased the tests, costing from $299 to $999 each, from four different companies.  The same donors submitted two DNA samples to all four companies — one with real and one with fictitious medical information.

Information received from testing was contradictory and didn’t jibe with donors’ real medical conditions.

One man was told that he had below-average, average, and above average risk for hypertension and prostate cancer.  One donor who already had colon cancer was told he was at “average risk” for the disease.

Another donor, who had a heart pacemaker, got a result that said he had a decreased risk for the condition that was being treated with the pacemaker.

The GAO found that advertising for the tests was deceptive and that testing was often used as a basis to sell expensive nutritional supplements. Read the rest of this entry »