Research has found aspirin or resistant starch doesn’t help people with Lynch syndrome avoid new polyps.  While almost all people had seen a cancer-related ad, very few actually got a prescription for the advertised drug. People who followed a low-fat, high-fiber diet most carefully had fewer new polyps.

A Johns Hopkins team has developed SUDS — a device for cleaning ER equipment that wipes out dangerous bacteria and keeps it from returning for several days.  The Caring Connection will help you find advance directive forms and instructions for your state. Read the rest of this entry »

Get help managing the financial costs of your cancer care from an ASCO booklet or figure out how to deal with the Medicare prescription doughnut hole using an AARP online calculator.

In research, Lynch syndrome women have excellent survival after ovarian cancer, older patients have similar effectiveness and side effects from Avastin, and parents with advanced cancer often underestimate how upset their children are.  Long-term cancer survivors have no more depression than people without cancer. Read the rest of this entry »

Selena Martinez ran the Santa Cruz Half Marathon on April 19th to raise awareness of Lynch syndrome, or hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC), a genetic condition that greatly increases risk for colorectal and other cancers.

The Santa Cruz was the third of eight half marathons, Martinez plans to run to honor of eight members of her family diagnosed with Lynch syndrome cancers.  Sunday’s race was for her sister Noemi Garza who survived colon and endometrial cancer.

Martinez’ website Detect the Mutation provides information about recognizing and testing for Lynch syndrome. She is also raising funds for the University of California at San Francisco’s Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention Program, which offers screenings to those in need. Read the rest of this entry »

In inherited medical conditions, anticipation refers to situations where children develop inherited diseases earlier than their parents.  Anticipation appears to be at work in Lynch syndrome with children being diagnosed with cancer an average of 10 years earlier than their affected parent. Read the rest of this entry »

Neither daily aspirin or undigestible starch supplements reduced the risk for polyps and cancer for people with Lynch syndrome (also known as hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer or HNPCC.)

Nearly 850 patients with identified Lynch syndrome were randomly assigned to receive aspirin, resistant starch, or placebos for up to four years.  After an average of two years, 141 developed either precancerous polyps or cancer (neoplasia). There was no difference in either overall neoplasia or advanced neoplasia whether patients took aspirin or resistant starch or received a placebo. Read the rest of this entry »