A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine reported that colonoscopy risks may outweigh the benefits for some patients over the age of 85. Elderly patients with a medical history of stroke, diabetes, heart failure and atrial fibrillation are encouraged to consider alternatives such as the fecal occult blood test. These less invasive [...]
A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine indicates that important test results including cholesterol blood work, mammograms, Pap smears and screening tests for colon cancer are not always shared with patients. According to an Associated Press report, “the first study of its kind finds doctors failed to inform patients of abnormal cancer [...]
At least 50% of the Western population develops a colorectal tumor by the age of 70, and about 1 in 10 of these individuals, progress to malignancy. As a result, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States and first when smoking-related cancers are excluded (1).
A recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Health found that older adults who get higher levels of calcium through food or supplements have a lower risk of colorectal cancer. WebMD Health News reports that participants in the study who indicated that they had a calcium rich diet showed a decreased risk for all [...]
Researchers led by Drs. Lillian Maggio-Price and Brian Iritani at The University of Washington found that mice that lack the immune inhibitory molecule Smad3 are acutely sensitive to both bacterially-induced inflammation and cancer. They report these findings in the January 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. Bacteria contribute to the development of certain cancers, in some measure, by stimulating chronic inflammation. Absence of a molecule that inhibits inflammation, Smad3, may therefore increase susceptibility to colon cancer.
