Briefs are back this week after a couple of weeks off for the ASCO meeting, and we review research that finds small liver mets don’t affect survival after treatment for peritoneal carcinomatosis.  A gene has been found  that’s necessary for Celebrex to control new colon polyps.

In other headlines, chimps don’t get cancer but aren’t as smart as humans, a new clinical trial is underway for people with KRAS mutant tumors, and a subcommittee of the House Veterans Affairs Committee will be holding hearings to investigate infections from poorly sanitized colonoscopes in VA medical centers.

Two helpful publications are available online:  One provides help understanding medical abstracts; the other is an advocate’s guide to negotiating Medicare Part D appeals. Read the rest of this entry »

We have learned that we can prevent colon cancer by taking aspirin. However because of the significant side effects such as gastric ulcer, bleeding complications and kidney problems, aspirin is not recommended for the public to prevent colon cancer.

In an effort to prevent colon cancer but avoid the side effects of aspirin, COX-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex® (celecoxib) was developed and tested to see if they could prevent colon cancer without the side effects of aspirin. Unfortunately, we have witnessed that high doses of Celebrex can cause heart attacks which put a significant hold on the development of these drugs as chemopreventative agents. Read the rest of this entry »