Colon News and Research

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New study shows older patients get unnecessary colonoscopy screening

Colonoscopy is one of the most effective cancer screening procedures available. Colon cancer grows very slowly and can be treated if caught early through screening. But, perhaps because of this success, older Americans are undergoing screening colonoscopies despite recommendations against screening in adults aged 76 and older.

14 Mar 2013

Maintaining high-quality CT colonography while reducing radiation dose is possible, finds study

A new study by a Rhode Island Hospital researcher has found it's possible to maintain high-quality CT colonography diagnostic images while reducing the radiation dose.

13 Mar 2013

NCI-sponsored study to evaluate rosuvastatin for prevention of colon cancer

With March designated as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the North Shore-LIJ Cancer Institute is enrolling people who were recently treated for colon cancer in a polyp prevention study. This National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored study evaluates the cholesterol drug, rosuvastatin (Crestor), as a treatment to reduce the risk of colon cancer.

11 Mar 2013

Investigational treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) has Marketing Authorisation Application submitted

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) today announced that a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) has been submitted to The European Medicines Agency (EMA) for vedolizumab, an investigational, gut-selective humanized monoclonal antibody for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), the two most common types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

8 Mar 2013

Researchers explore genetic testing to identify people at high risk for preventable disease

In ten years time, routine preventive health care for adults may include genetic testing alongside the now familiar tests for cholesterol levels, mammography and colonoscopy.

8 Mar 2013

Visceral fat directly linked to increased risk for colon cancer, study reveals

Visceral fat, or fat stored deep in the abdominal cavity, is directly linked to an increased risk for colon cancer, according to data from a mouse study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

6 Mar 2013

Screening healthy adults could potentially prevent rare genetic disorders

Millions of people unknowingly carry rare gene mutations that put them at high risk of developing preventable diseases such as colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and several catastrophic blood vessel disorders.

6 Mar 2013

Ten tips to reduce risk of colorectal cancer

With colorectal cancer the second leading cause of cancer death, it's a great time to take a look at the health of your colon. "Colorectal cancer surpasses breast and prostate cancers as a leading cause of cancer death in men and women," said Dr. James Yoo, assistant professor of surgery and chief of the colon & rectal surgery program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "It is largely preventable with early screening and detection."

5 Mar 2013

Screening colonoscopy associated with reduced advanced colorectal cancer diagnoses

A new study led by a researcher at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania adds support to current medical recommendations stating that screening colonoscopy substantially reduces an average-risk adult's likelihood of being diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) in either the right or left side of the colon.

4 Mar 2013

Electronic health records increase colorectal cancer screening rates

Researchers used electronic health records to identify Group Health patients who weren't screened regularly for cancer of the colon and rectum-and to encourage them to be screened. This centralized, automated approach doubled these patients' rates of on-time screening-and saved health costs-over two years.

4 Mar 2013

Colonoscopy is also safe, confirms German Cancer Research Center study

Colon cancer develops slowly. Precancerous lesions usually need many years to turn into a dangerous carcinoma. They are well detectable in an endoscopic examination of the colon called colonoscopy and can be removed during the same examination. Therefore, regular screening can prevent colon cancer much better than other types of cancer.

3 Mar 2013

Weekend reading: Navigating treatment; Can a robot replace your doctor?

Your pathology report indicates that you have stomach cancer. Hearing those words conveying yet another cancer-related diagnosis-;my fourth since the age of 20-;I felt, at the age of 57, as though I had been airdropped into a foreign country.

1 Mar 2013

Elevated cell sugar concentrations increase hyaluronan production and promote cancer growth

According to a recent University of Eastern Finland (UEF) study, elevated cell sugar concentrations increase the production of hyaluronan which, in turn, promotes cancer growth. Regulating the production of hyaluronan may be a way to prevent the spreading of cancer.

28 Feb 2013

Novel immunotherapy could potentially work like a vaccine against metastatic cancers

Preclinical, laboratory studies suggest a novel immunotherapy could potentially work like a vaccine against metastatic cancers, according to scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center.

28 Feb 2013

IFR, PBL to further develop Dynamic Gastric Model

The Dynamic Gastric Model, developed from years of research at the Institute of Food Research, has taken significant steps towards improving its commercial use by food and drug companies worldwide.

26 Feb 2013

Societies advocate some change for colonoscopy patients with Medicare

The federal government has issued an important clarification on preventive screening benefits under the Affordable Care Act. Patients with private insurance will no longer be liable for cost sharing when a pre-cancerous colon polyp is removed during screening colonoscopy.

26 Feb 2013

Wnt-induced Lgr5 expression marks stem cell production in the liver

For decades scientists around the world have attempted to regenerate primary liver cells known as hepatocytes because of their numerous biomedical applications, including hepatitis research, drug metabolism and toxicity studies, as well as transplantation for cirrhosis and other chronic liver conditions. But no lab in the world has been successful in identifying and growing liver stem cells in culture -- using any available technique - until now.

26 Feb 2013

Research roundup: Patients hesitant to focus on costs; Increase in primary care demand is uneven

One way to contain health care spending is to get patients involved in weighing costs of treatment options with their doctors. Researchers recruited 211 medically insured participants to assess their willingness to consider costs when choosing treatments. The authors found that participants generally "preferred better care, even when the relative benefit it offered was marginal, and even when told that the second-best choice still met the threshold of 'good enough' care from a clinician's perspective.

26 Feb 2013

Avaxia initiates AVX-470 Phase 1b clinical study in ulcerative colitis

Avaxia Biologics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing gut-targeted therapeutics, announced today that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1b clinical study of AVX-470, an oral anti-TNF antibody, for the treatment of ulcerative colitis.

25 Feb 2013

Feds outline what insurers must cover

The final rule on essential health benefits, issued yesterday, defines what must be covered in health plans sold in online marketplaces beginning this fall, including prescription benefits and mental health services, and prohibits discrimination based on age or pre-existing medical conditions.

22 Feb 2013