Flexible sigmoidoscopy, which has fewer side effects, requires less bowel preparation, and presents a lower risk of bowel perforation than colonoscopy, is effective in decreasing the rates of new colorectal cancer cases and deaths, according to results from a study that spanned almost 20 years. The study is published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.
For privately insured Americans in 2010, rising care prices were the primary driver of healthcare costs, according to the first report from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI).
According to a recent study, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), or sleep apnea, is associated with an increased cancer mortality risk.
For women who have ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast, breast brachytherapy with a strut-based applicator appears to be an effective treatment, according to a groundbreaking multisite study. This form of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) is a 5-day therapy that follows lumpectomy surgery.
Recent studies have shown that addressing patients’ emotional, spiritual, and social needs through palliative care interventions has a substantial influence on cancer patients’ quality of life. In fact, the interventions may even improve patients’ overall survival.
In a study of more than 20,000 patients 65 and older with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), treatment rates declined more in relation with increasing age than with the worsening of other illnesses.
The study, led by a team at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) and University of California San Francisco (UCSF), found that for all stages of cancer, younger patients were more apt to receive treatment than older patients, regardless of general health and prognosis.
In recent years, researchers have considered a potential link between beta-blockers and a decreased risk of cancer. This theory stems from the fact that beta-blockers inhibit the actions of the stress hormone norepinephrine. This, along with studies that found norepinephrine can promote the growth and spread of cancer cells, led researchers to reason that the beta-blockers could have anticancer properties.
However, a recent study published early online in Cancer revealed that the use of beta-blockers showed no reduction of colorectal cancer risk.
Beta-carotene, selenium, and folic acid taken at high levels, as some supplement manufacturers suggest, are now proven to increase the risk of developing various cancers.
“It’s not that these nutrients are toxic – they’re essential and we need them, but we need them in a certain balance,” says Tim Byers, MD, MPH, professor of epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health and associate director for prevention and control at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.
According to a landmark study published recently in The Lancet Oncology, 2 million (16.1%) of the worldwide 12.7 million new cancer cases in 2008 were attributable to infections. This percentage was higher in less developed countries (22.9%) compared with more developed countries (7.4%). The numbers also varied 10-fold by region, from 3.3% in Australia and New Zealand to 32.7% in sub-Saharan Africa.
Since many cancer patients receive therapies known to cause allergic reactions or hypersensitivity, oncology nurses in the outpatient setting handle constant challenges as they manage patient care. When faced with emergency challenges, oncology nurses need to quickly, competently, and safely manage specific patient needs.
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