Tagged with “colonoscopy”

Colorectal Cancer News in Brief: August 21

In research this week Japanese surgeons report very good outcomes when lung tumors from colorectal cancer tumors can be completely removed, colonoscopies done in the morning find more polyps, and high levels of vitamin D in the blood predict better survival after colorectal cancer diagnosis.

US life expectancy reached a record high in 2007 according to the CDC. A veteran treated at the Miami VA Health Center is suing the US government because of HIV infection allegedly contracted during a colonoscopy. Continue reading…

Posted by Kate Murphy on August 21st, 2009
Posted in: Research & Treatment News | 1 Comment »
Tags: colonoscopy, life expectancy, lung metastases, vitamin D

Two Colonoscopies Better at Predicting Future Polyp Risk

Results from two colonoscopies three years apart gave better information about whether a high-risk polyp would be found on a third exam than results from the second test alone.

Even if a second colonoscopy, done three years after the first, showed no adenomas at all, 8 in 100 study participants with high-risk polyps on their first exam had developed a high-risk polyp by six years when they had a third colonoscopy. Continue reading…

Posted by Kate Murphy on July 28th, 2009
Posted in: Research & Treatment News | No Comments »
Tags: adenomas, colonoscopy, colorectal cancer prevention

New Report Reveals Widespread Problems with Endoscopy Cleaning Procedures at VA

Even after problems were found with how endoscopes were cleaned at three Veterans Administration medical centers earlier this year, surprise inspections found that over half additional VA medical facilities visited could not demonstrate compliance with proper procedures for safely cleaning endoscopes after each use.

A report revealing the extent of problems from the VA Office of the Inspector General was discussed during a hearing of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation on July 16, 2009.

Congress member Steven Buyer, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, who requested the meeting to review the report said:

I asked for the InspectorGeneral to become involved after the Miami incident, because I suspected the problem was systemic. Now that we know it is, I am deeply concerned that this problem is expansive and it goes well beyond VA. What is happening at HHS and the Department of Defense? What is happening in our greater health system?

Posted by Kate Murphy on June 18th, 2009
Posted in: Research & Treatment News | 3 Comments »
Tags: colonoscopy, Veterans Administration

Colonoscopy Misses Cancers in Medicare Patients

Almost six percent of Medicare patients needed surgery for colon cancer within three years after a negative colonoscopy.

A sample of five percent of Medicare enrollees identified 1,567 patients with colon cancer. Of those 89 or 5.7 percent had had a negative colonoscopy more than six months but less than three years previously. All 89 were of average risk for colorectal cancer.

Posted by Kate Murphy on June 5th, 2009
Posted in: Research & Treatment News | No Comments »
Tags: colonoscopy

VA Colonoscopy Infection Update: Tennessee Patients Have Hepatitis

Just reported by the Associated Press: The Veterans Administration has confirmed 10 cases of liver infections among patients who had colonoscopies at the Murfreesboro, TN campus of the Veterans Administration Healthcare System.

VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts said Friday that four Tennessee patients have tested positive for hepatitis B. Six have tested positive for hepatitis C, a potentially life-threatening form of the viral infection that can cause permanent liver damage.

The Veterans Administration says that patients will get care for hepatitis even though it is not known whether the infections came from the colonoscopies or the VA facilities.

Previously 6,000 patients in the Tennessee Valley VA Healthcare System were warned that they might be at risk for hepatitis B or C or HIV infection because of improperly cleaned colonoscopy equipment.

Posted by Kate Murphy on March 27th, 2009
Posted in: Research & Treatment News | 2 Comments »
Tags: colonoscopy, hepatitis, VA