Good news for stage II colon cancer patients on Medicare.  Oncotype DX® colon test is now covered.

Palmetto GBA, the designated national contractor for Oncotype DX Colon Cancer Assay, has determined that the test

Meets criteria for analytical and clinical validity and clinical utility as a reasonable and necessary Medicare benefit. Effective September 18, 2011, Palmetto GBA will reimburse Oncotype DX® Colon Cancer Assay services for patients diagnosed with Stage II colon cancer.

The Oncotype DX Colon Cancer Assay indicates how likely it is that stage II colon cancer will return (recur).  It tests tumor tissue for twelve genes to develop a recurrence score that patients and their doctors can use in combination with other clinical information to make decisions about having chemotherapy after surgery.

The test does not predict whether or not chemotherapy will reduce risk of recurrence, but it does indicate risk for recurrence. Read the rest of this entry »

Patients who go to the doctor prepared with the questions they want answered get better care, according to the federal government’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

They have a new website that can help you start the communication with your doctor, even before you get to your appointment.

AHRQ says,

Asking questions and providing information to your doctor and other care providers can improve your care. Talking with your doctor builds trust and leads to better results, quality, safety, and satisfaction.

Read the rest of this entry »

New labels for Extra Strength Tylenol® will reduce the maximum daily dose from 8 pills (4000 mg) to 6 pills (3000 mg).

The interval for taking the medicine will also change from 2 pills every 4 to 6 hours to 2 pills every 6 hours.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the makers Tylenol of announced the change to help prevent overdoses of acetaminophen.

Although acetaminophen is safe when used as directed, it is part of over 600 over-the-counter and prescribed medicines.  Maximum doses can be exceeded when people take several different medications at the same time, and too much acetaminophen can cause liver damage. Read the rest of this entry »

Although chemotherapy hasn’t been shown to benefit people with stage II colon cancer as a group, doctors have assumed those patients whose tumors had high risk features for poor survival might live longer if they did get chemo after surgery.

Now, a new study that looked at nearly 44,000  Medicare patients is challenging that assumption.

Medicare patients 66 and older with high risk stage II colon cancer didn’t do better when they received chemotherapy according to an analysis of information in the SEER-Medicare database.   Whether or not they had chemo, their chance of being alive five years after diagnosis was about 56%. Read the rest of this entry »

In 2010, 28,748 people died from colon and rectal cancer amounting to $21 billion in lost productivity.

Had optimal prevention and treatment strategies available in 2005 been used, 3,586 of those deaths could have been avoided saving $1.4 billion.

Based on a computer model, reducing risk factors, improving screening, and using optimal treatment could reduce deaths between 2005 and 2020 by 101,353 and save $33.9 billion. Read the rest of this entry »