Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Hematology & Oncology for November 2011. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
3-D MRI Differentiates Benign, Malignant Lesions Accurately
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Use of three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopic imaging at 3 tesla (3T) provides high sensitivity and specificity for discriminating benign and malignant breast lesions, according to a study published in the December issue of Radiology.
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U.S. Patients Highly Satisfied With Outpatient Medical Care
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Patients in the United States are, in general, highly satisfied with their outpatient medical care, according to a study published online Oct. 3 in Health Outcomes Research in Medicine.
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Risk Factors ID'd for Radiation-Induced Hypothyroidism
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Factors associated with an increased risk of radiation-induced hypothyroidism (RIHT) include female gender and surgery involving the thyroid gland or other neck surgery, with Caucasians at increased risk compared with African-Americans, according to a meta-analysis published in the Dec. 1 issue of Cancer.
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Bone Suppression Imaging Ups Small Lung Cancer Detection
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Accuracy of small lung cancer detection on chest radiographs is higher when using bone suppression (BS) imaging with a standard radiograph, and the accuracy improves when using dual-energy subtraction (DES) radiography, according to a study published in the December issue of Radiology.
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Prediagnosis BMI Predicts Mortality in Patients With CRC
TUESDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with nonmetastatic colorectal cancer (CRC), prediagnosis, but not postdiagnosis, body mass index (BMI) is an important predictor of all-cause and cause-specific mortality; and patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have a higher risk of mortality, according to two studies published online Nov. 28 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Intensified Immunochemotherapy Benefits B-Cell Lymphoma
TUESDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, intensified immunochemotherapy with rituximab, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vindesine, bleomycin, and prednisone (R-ACVBP) is associated with improved survival compared to standard therapy with rituximab, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP), according to a study published in the Nov. 26 issue of The Lancet.
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New Treatment for Radiation Toxicities May Be Feasible
MONDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- In mice with extensive radiation exposure, a combination of a fluoroquinolone antibiotic and recombinant bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein fragment (rBPI21) improves survival, speeds up hematopoietic recovery, and promotes expansion of stem and progenitor cells, according to an experimental study published in the Nov. 23 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
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High-Performing Docs Learn Equally From Success, Failure
MONDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Among physicians making decisions in a medically-framed learning task, high and low performers show distinct behavioral and neural patterns of learning, according to a study published online Nov. 23 in PLoS One.
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Small Cell Carcinoma of Urinary Bladder Incidence Up
MONDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder (SCCB) increased from 1991 to 2005, with elderly Caucasian men being the most commonly affected, according to a study published in the Dec. 1 issue of Cancer.
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Everolimus Ups Survival in Carcinoid Syndrome
MONDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with low- or intermediate-grade advanced neuroendocrine tumors (carcinoids), everolimus plus octreotide long-acting repeatable (LAR) improves progression-free survival versus placebo plus octreotide LAR, according to a study published online Nov. 25 in The Lancet.
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Pathologist Case Volume Affects Thyroid FNA Reading
MONDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Case volume significantly affects pathologic interpretation of thyroid fine needle aspiration (FNA), but does not impact diagnostic yield, according to a study published in the November issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
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Autoimmune Disorders Tied to Pulmonary Embolism Risk
MONDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Autoimmune disorders are associated with an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, particularly during the first year after hospitalization, according to a study published online Nov. 26 in The Lancet.
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Stem-Cell-Seeded Bioartificial Tracheal Transplant Feasible
THURSDAY, Nov. 24 (HealthDay News) -- A stem-cell-seeded bioartificial nanocomposite tracheobronchial scaffold can be used successfully to replace a complex airway defect, according to a proof-of-concept study published online Nov. 24 in The Lancet.
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Dabigatran Poses Challenge in Treating Injured Patients
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Dabigatran etexilate, a new oral direct thrombin inhibitor, should be used with caution due to a lack of readily available methods to assess the degree of anticoagulation or reverse its effects, posing a threat of fatal bleeding complications for injured patients, according to a letter published in the Nov. 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Long-Term Survival Factors ID'd for Head, Neck Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Older age, advanced stage, pain, poor quality of life, and smoking are risk factors associated with poorer survival among two-year survivors of head and neck cancer, according to a study published in the November issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
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Adjuvant Capecitabine Does Not Improve Breast Cancer Survival
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The addition of capecitabine to a regimen with docetaxel, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide does not significantly improve recurrence-free survival (RFS) in women with early breast cancer, according to a study published online Nov. 21 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Recent Drop Seen in Oral, Pharyngeal Cancer Mortality
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- From 1993 to 2007, mortality rates decreased for black and white men and women with oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer, with a significant decline seen among those with more than 12 years of education, according to a study published in the November issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
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Breast CA, Tenderness Linked in Women on Combo HRT
TUESDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- For women, use of conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) and medroxyprogesterone (MPA) is associated with new-onset breast tenderness, which correlates with increased breast cancer risk, according to a study published online Nov. 1 in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.
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Higher Coffee Consumption May Lower Endometrial Cancer Risk
TUESDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Consumption of four or more cups of coffee per day is associated with a 25 percent reduced risk of endometrial cancer, according to a study published online Nov. 22 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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Decision Aids Help Caregivers Discuss Terminal Illness
TUESDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- A decision aid, consisting of a video and an accompanying workbook, can help family caregivers discuss terminal disease status with a family member with cancer, according to a study published online Nov. 21 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Similar Specific Survival for Unilateral, Bilateral Breast CA
TUESDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The 10-year breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) of patients with synchronous bilateral breast cancer (SBBC) and high-risk matches with unilateral breast cancer is not significantly different, according to a study published online Nov. 21 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Plasma MicroRNA Panel ID'd for Diagnosing Hepatocellular Cancer
TUESDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be diagnosed with high accuracy using a microRNA panel, according to a study published online Nov. 21 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Adverse Effects of Pediatric Acupuncture Usually Mild
MONDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The majority of adverse effects (AEs) associated with pediatric acupuncture are mild in severity, according to a review published online Nov. 21 in Pediatrics.
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Canadian Task Force Issues Breast CA Screening Guidelines
MONDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- For women at average risk of breast cancer, routine mammography screening is not recommended for 40- to 49-year-olds, and is recommended every two to three years for 50- to 74-year-olds, according to the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care's screening guidelines published in the Nov. 22 issue of CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
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Nonpunitive Method Improves Medical Error Reporting
MONDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Medical error reporting in an academic pediatric ambulatory practice can be improved by a voluntary, nonpunitive, error-reporting system, according to a study published online Nov. 21 in Pediatrics.
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Grape Seed Extract Lowers Squamous Cell Carcinoma Risk
MONDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Use of grape seed extract is associated with a reduced risk of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
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Restrictive Policies Push Gene Influence on Smoking Behavior
MONDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Compared to dizygotic twins, monozygotic twins are more likely to quit smoking during a similar time frame, and the influence of genetic factors was more pronounced in 1975 to 1980 than in 1960 to 1974, coincident with the implententation of restrictive smoking legislation, according to a study published in the November issue of Demography.
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FDA Revokes Avastin Breast Cancer Indication
FRIDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is revoking its accelerated approval of Avastin for the treatment of breast cancer after finding the drug neither safe nor effective for that indication, according to a Nov. 18 press release from the agency.
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Erwinaze Approved for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
FRIDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Erwinaze (asparaginase Erwinia chrysanthemi) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) among people who have developed an allergy to more standard treatments.
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Tyrosine Isoforms Involved in Concomitant Tumor Resistance
FRIDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- The ortho- and meta-isoforms of tyrosine are associated with concomitant tumor resistance (CR), according to an experimental study published in the Nov. 15 issue of Cancer Research.
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Hyperglycemia, Mortality Linked in Pulmonary Embolism
THURSDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Elevated glucose levels are common among patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE), and are independently associated with increased 30-day mortality, according to a study published online Nov. 10 in Diabetes Care.
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Tamoxifen Discontinuation Rate High in Male Breast Cancer
THURSDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Male patients with breast cancer have a high rate of tamoxifen discontinuation due to drug-related side effects, according to a study published online Nov. 15 in the Annals of Oncology.
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AURKA, MYCN Overexpressed in Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer
THURSDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- AURKA and MYCN are overexpressed in patients with neuroendocrine prostate cancers (NEPC) and cooperate to produce a neuroendocrine phenotype, according to a study published in the November issue of Cancer Discovery.
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Ovary Sparing Hysterectomy Tied to Early Ovarian Failure
THURSDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Women undergoing hysterectomy without bilateral oophorectomy have an almost two-fold increased risk of developing early ovarian failure than women of a similar age with intact uteri, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Jakafi Approved for Rare Bone-Marrow Disease
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Jakafi (ruxolitinib) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as the first drug to treat myelofibrosis, a rare disease of the bone marrow, the agency said Wednesday.
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Breast Cancer Survivors Have Impaired Neurological Function
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer (BC) survivors have significantly reduced activation of the prefrontal cortex, with additional reductions in prefrontal function and poorer executive functioning for women treated with chemotherapy, according to a study published in the November issue of the Archives of Neurology.
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Team Approach Improves Retinoblastoma Management
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Genetic testing can be integrated into the management plan of retinoblastoma (RB) using a multidisciplinary approach, according to a study published in the November issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
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Denosumab Improves Bone-Metastasis-Free Survival
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- For men with high-risk castration-resistant prostate cancer, treatment with a fully human anti-receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) monoclonal antibody, denosumab, significantly improves bone-metastasis-free survival, according to a study published online Nov. 16 in The Lancet.
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Delayed Cord Clamping Tied to Improved Neonatal Iron Status
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Delayed cord clamping is associated with improved iron status and reduced prevalence of iron deficiency at 4 months of age, according to a study published online Nov. 15 in BMJ.
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U.S. Oncologists Rate Selves Highly in Pain Management
TUESDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Although U.S oncologists rate their specialty highly in terms of pain management, they acknowledge treatment barriers to optimal care, and consider their training to be poor, according to a study published online Nov. 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Global Oral Contraceptive Use Tied to Prostate Cancer Incidence
TUESDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Population-based use of oral contraceptives (OC) is significantly associated with increased prostate cancer incidence and mortality, according to a study published online Nov. 14 in BMJ Open.
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Extended TNM Colon Cancer Staging Ups Prognostic Accuracy
TUESDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- The prognostic accuracy and sensitivity of the seventh edition American Joint Committee on Cancer's (AJCC's) tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) staging for colon cancer is improved by inclusion of routinely available demographic and pathologic data, according to a study published online Nov. 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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CRC Screening Participation Up With CT Colonography
TUESDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Participation rates for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening are significantly higher with computed-tomography (CT) colonography, but the diagnostic yield for advanced neoplasia among participants is higher in those who undergo colonoscopy, according to a study published online Nov. 15 in The Lancet Oncology.
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Patients Without Insurance Have Shorter Hospital Stays
TUESDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Patients without Medicaid or any other insurance, with ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) or non-ACSCs, have shorter lengths of stay in hospitals than patients with insurance, according to a study published in the November/December issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Twelve-Week Warfarin Dose Test Noninferior to Four-Week
TUESDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Assessing warfarin dosing every 12 weeks is noninferior to assessment every four weeks, according to a study published in the Nov. 15 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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U.S. Teen Vaccination Coverage Up From 2006 to 2009
MONDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescent vaccination coverage in the United States increased from 2006 to 2009, and could be further improved, according to a study published online Nov. 14 in Pediatrics.
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Family History, Alcohol Tied to Benign Breast Disease Risk
MONDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Consumption of seven alcoholic drinks per week during adolescence more than doubles the risk for benign breast disease (BBD) for those with a family history of breast cancer (BC) or BBD, according to a study published online Nov. 14 in Cancer.
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FDA Approves First Umbilical Cord Blood Product
FRIDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The first product in the United States that uses human umbilical cord stem cells to treat disorders of the hematopoietic system has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
National Institutes of Health
Evidence Shows Certain Dietary Fiber Intake Lowers CRC Risk
FRIDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) -- High intake of dietary fibers, in particular cereals and whole grains, is associated with a small reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer, according to a meta-analysis published online Nov. 10 in the BMJ.
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Half of U.S. Adult Smokers Tried to Quit Last Year
THURSDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The majority of adults who smoke would like to quit, but only about a third of them seek medical help and/or support to do so, according to research published in the Nov. 11 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.
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Computer Prognostic Model Predicts Breast Cancer Survival
THURSDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- A computational system-based prognostic model incorporating breast cancer stromal and epithelial features can be used as a strong predictor of breast cancer survival, with stromal features more predictive of survival than epithelial ones, according to a study published in the Nov. 9 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
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Epigenetic Therapy Shows Promise in Progressive NSCLC
THURSDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Epigenetic therapy combined with low-dose azacitidine and entinostat is well-tolerated and provides an improvement in median survival similar to existing therapies for patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a study published online Nov. 9 in Cancer Discovery.
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Glove Use Linked to Reduced Hand Hygiene Compliance
THURSDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Glove usage among healthcare workers is often inappropriate, and hand hygiene compliance is worse when gloves are worn, according to a study published online Oct. 17 in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
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Minimally Invasive Osteoid Osteoma Surgery Viable Option
THURSDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Minimally invasive excision of osteoid osteoma in the mobile spine is emerging as an alternative method to conventional surgery, according to a study published in the Nov. 15 issue of Spine.
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Maternal DNA Analysis IDs Fetal Gene Microdeletions
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Fetal chromosomal microdeletion can be identified by noninvasive analysis of maternal plasma DNA, according to a letter published in the Nov. 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Improved Breast CA Outcomes Affect Older Women Less
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- The impact of improvements in breast cancer outcomes has been less for women age 75 years or older than for women younger than 75, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Adjuvant Bevacizumab Feasible in Ovarian Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Addition of bevacizumab to first-line intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy is feasible in ovarian cancer but increases the risk of bowel obstruction/perforation, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Hemodialysis Preferred Therapy in End-Stage Lupus Nephritis
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Most patients with lupus nephritis (LN) end stage renal disease (ESRD) undergo hemodialysis (HD), and few receive peritoneal dialysis (PD) or pre-emptive kidney transplantation, according to a study published online Nov. 4 in Arthritis Care & Research.
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HPV-16/18 Efficacious Against CIN3+, Adenocarcinoma in Situ
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- The human papillomavirus (HPV)-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine shows excellent efficacy against CIN3+ and adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), and cross-protective efficacy against four oncogenic non-vaccine HPV types, according to two studies published online Nov. 9 in The Lancet Oncology.
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Wait-and-See Policy Feasible for Some With Rectal Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- For patients who have complete clinical response (cCR) following chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer, a wait-and-see-policy is feasible and promising if strict selection criteria and follow-up are implemented, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Indoor Air Laws Up Adoption of Smokefree-Home Policy
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Clean indoor air laws are associated with increased adoption of smokefree-home policies; and complete home smoking bans more than tripled among U.S. households from 1992/1993 to 2006/2007, according to two studies published online Nov. 8 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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Poxviral Vaccine Benefits Some With Ovarian, Breast Cancer
TUESDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Use of the recombinant poxviral vaccine (PANVAC) may be beneficial for some patients with metastatic breast and ovarian cancers with limited tumor burden and minimal exposure to chemotherapy, according to a study published online Nov. 8 in Clinical Cancer Research.
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Ridaforolimus Promising for Treating Advanced Sarcomas
TUESDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Ridaforolimus treatment is associated with promising clinical benefit response (CBR) and progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with advanced sarcomas, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Evidence Suggests Less Frequent Follow-Up OK for Melanoma
TUESDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Implementation of a less frequent monitoring schedule for follow-up after treatment of localized melanoma, requiring fewer clinic visits, results in a small difference in the modeled delay of diagnosis of recurrence or new primaries, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Erbitux Approval Expanded to Include Head and Neck Cancer
MONDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of Erbitux (cetuximab) has been expanded to include late-stage (metastatic) head and neck cancer, the agency announced Monday.
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Great Achievement at Young Age Function of Time, Not Field
MONDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The frequency of great scientific achievements at young age is a function of time, and not related to the field, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Novel Signaling Mechanism Mediates UV Phototransduction
MONDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Immediate pigment darkening (IPD) may occur via a novel ultraviolet (UV) A signaling pathway involving calcium mobilization and early melanin synthesis in human epidermal melanocytes (HEMs), with the photopigment rhodopsin, which is expressed in HEMs, contributing to phototransduction, according to a study published online Nov. 3 in Current Biology.
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Evidence Shows Robot-Assisted Cystectomy Safe, Effective
MONDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Robotic-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) appears to be a safe and effective alternative to open radical cystectomy (ORC) for management of muscle-invasive bladder cancer, according to a review published in the November issue of Urology.
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FDA Enhancing Surveillance for Anti-TNF Malignancy
FRIDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is stepping up their safety surveillance of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, such as infliximab and adalimumab, amidst ongoing reports of hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma in children and young adults, according to a safety alert issued Nov. 4 by the agency.
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Receptionists Contribute to Safety of Repeat Prescriptions
FRIDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Receptionists and administrative staff of general practices in the United Kingdom make important contributions to quality and safety in repeat prescribing, which are often unknown to clinicians, according to a study published online Nov. 3 in BMJ.
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Immune Response, Antibody Titers Seen Prior to Clinical RA
FRIDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) spreading starts several years prior to the onset of clinical rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with a marked increase in ACPA titers seen approximately two to four years before RA diagnosis, according to a study published in the November issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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EGFR Level Predicts Survival Benefit of Cetuximab in NSCLC
FRIDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), high epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression can predict the survival benefit for the addition of cetuximab to first-line chemotherapy, according to a study published online Nov. 4 in The Lancet Oncology.
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Adoption of English Diet Could Reduce U.K. Mortality
FRIDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Following a diet with nutritional quality equivalent to the English diet would substantially reduce mortality in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, according to a study published online Nov. 2 in BMJ Open.
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Rooms of Patients With A. baumannii Often Contaminated
FRIDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- A considerable proportion of rooms of patients colonized or infected with multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) (MDR-AB) have surfaces which are positive for A. baumannii, even in patients with a remote history of infection, according to a study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
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Carisoprodol-Related Emergency Visits Up in United States
THURSDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Carisoprodol misuse- or abuse-related emergency department visits increased in the United States between 2004 and 2009, with the majority of visits involving other pharmaceuticals, according to a report published online Nov. 3 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
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MelaFind Device Approved to Detect Melanoma
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- MelaFind -- a device that creates digital images of suspicious skin growths and compares them to a database of thousands of scans to analyze for signs of melanoma skin cancer -- has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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ZDN/IFN-α Ups Survival in T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma
THURSDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Use of zidovudine (ZDN) and interferon alfa (IFN-α) with chemotherapy (combined first-line therapy) prolongs survival in patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), according to a study published online Oct. 31 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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ADT Plus Radiotherapy Tied to Improved Prostate CA Survival
THURSDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- The addition of radiotherapy (RT) to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is associated with improved overall survival in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer, according to a study published online Nov. 3 in The Lancet.
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Risks for C. difficile Infection, Colonization Identified
THURSDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Health care-associated Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection and colonization are differentially associated with defined host and pathogen variables, according to a study published in the Nov. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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No Medicare Savings From Disease-Management Hotline
THURSDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Commercial disease-management companies using nurse-based call centers modestly improve quality-of-care measures in Medicare fee-for-service programs with no evident reduction in costs of care or acute care utilization, according to a study published in the Nov. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Rectal CA Radiotherapy Tied to Lower Testosterone Levels
THURSDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Men who are exposed to long-course radiotherapy for rectal cancer have significantly lower serum testosterone levels compared to pretreatment, according to a review published in the November issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
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Caspase 9-Induced Apoptosis Shows Promise for Cell Therapy
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Incorporation of inducible caspase 9 (iCasp9) into a transgene facilitates rapid induction of apoptosis of cells expressing the transgene with use of a dimerizing drug (AP1903), according to a study published in the Nov. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Prophylactic Therapy Reduces Bleeding in Hemophilia A
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with severe hemophilia A, anti-inhibitor coagulant complex (AICC) prophylaxis is safe and significantly reduces bleeding episodes compared with on-demand therapy, according to a study published in the Nov. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Radiation Dose Predicts Growth Hormone Deficit
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- For children with brain tumors, growth hormone deficiency (GHD) can be predicted by the time after conformal radiation therapy (CRT) and the mean radiation dose to the hypothalamus, according to a study published online Oct. 31 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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HPV Testing in Self-Collected Samples Has High Sensitivity
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing of self-collected vaginal specimens is more sensitive than clinic-based cervical cytology for detection of cervical cancer and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 2 or worse, but has lower positive predictive value, according to a study published online Nov. 3 in The Lancet.
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CDC: Opioid Overdoses Have Reached Epidemic Proportions
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Opioid pain relievers (OPR) are involved in most drug overdose deaths; and OPR-related deaths, sales, and treatment admissions have increased in the last decade, according to a report published in the Nov. 1 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Low Levels of Alcohol During Adulthood Ups Breast Cancer Risk
TUESDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking low levels of alcohol during adult life is associated with a small but significant increase in breast cancer risk, according to a study published in the Nov. 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Over 30 Percent Survival With Allogeneic Cell Transplant
TUESDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- For older patients with advanced hematologic malignancies, treatment with minimally toxic nonmyeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is associated with five-year overall and progression-free survival of more than 30 percent, and age does not worsen outcomes, according to a study published in the Nov. 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Solid Organ Transplantation Tied to Increased Risk of Cancer
TUESDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Recipients of kidney, liver, heart, or lung transplants are at an increased risk for both infection-related and unrelated cancers, according to a study published in the Nov. 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Omental Adipocytes Play Key Role in Ovarian CA Metastasis
TUESDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Primary human omental adipocytes promote homing, migration, and invasion of ovarian cancer cells to the omentum, and fatty-acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) seems to have a role in metastatic ovarian tumor growth, according to a letter published online Oct. 30 in Nature Medicine.
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