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Renowned surgeons to discuss latest advances in laparoscopic surgery at upcoming MISS meeting

The upcoming prestigious Minimally Invasive Surgery Symposium (MISS) will include discussion of advances in metabolic surgery, a robotic approach to colon surgery, single-port bariatric surgery, transoral gastroplasty, and other "frontier" topics.

28 Oct 2009

Hope for lung cancer patients

Lung cancer is the world's most common cancer, and an estimated 219,440 Americans are expected to be diagnosed this year. It is also estimated that lung cancer will cause 159,000 deaths in the United States this year - more than the total number of deaths resulting from breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.

27 Oct 2009

New study reveals the importance of bowel preparation prior to procedure

While there is little doubt concerning the effectiveness of colonoscopy procedures to detect colon cancer, a new study presented at the American College of Gastroenterology's 74th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego places new emphasis on the importance of adequate bowel preparation prior to procedure.

27 Oct 2009

Studies highlight race- and gender-specific disparities in gastrointestinal disease

Three studies presented this week at the American College of Gastroenterology's 74th Annual Scientific meeting in San Diego underscore the growing disparities in gastrointestinal disease, particularly colon cancer and Barrett's Esophagus, among certain ethnic and gender populations, including African Americans, Latinos and women. These race- and gender-specific disparities underscore the need for education and vigilance among these populations and perhaps more aggressive screening tactics than the population in general.

27 Oct 2009

Colonoscopy recommended as primary screening method for colorectal cancer, researchers report

Researchers from Taiwan report in a new study that unsedated colonoscopy for primary colorectal cancer screening is well accepted in a majority of patients. Sedation is typically used for colonoscopy to make the patient feel comfortable during the procedure.

27 Oct 2009

Some colonoscopic technologies better at improving detection of adenomas

Recent advances in colonoscopic technology are featured in a number of studies presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology this week. In this research some technologies fare better than others at improving detection of potentially pre-cancerous growths in the colon known as adenomas.

27 Oct 2009

Video capsule endoscopy is safe for patients with heart devices

A new Mayo Clinic study suggests that video capsule endoscopy (CE), a procedure that uses wireless technology in diagnosing intestinal disease, is safe for patients with heart devices. Wireless electrical gadgets, such as cell phones, have been shown to interfere with implanted heart devices, including pacemakers and defibrillators. This risk has led medical experts to speculate that capsule endoscopy could similarly cause heart devices to fail.

27 Oct 2009

Patients with diverticulosis have lower incidence of polyps, says new study

A Henry Ford Hospital study questions the need for aggressive screening for colonic polyps in patients with diverticulosis.

27 Oct 2009

Stomach infection on the rise in outpatient settings; symptoms can range from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that a sometimes deadly stomach bug, Clostridium difficile, (http://www.mayoclinic.org/c-difficile/) is on the rise in outpatient settings.

27 Oct 2009

Researchers show link between alcohol and cancer

Alcohol consumption has long been linked to cancer and its spread, but the underlying mechanism has never been clear.

27 Oct 2009

Probiotic therapy can be effective for treating intestinal disorders

The probiotic, Bacillus polyfermenticus, can help mice recover from colitis, a new study has found. Mice treated with B. polyfermenticus during the non-inflammatory period of the disease had reduced rectal bleeding, their tissues were less inflamed and they gained more weight than mice that did not receive the treatment.

26 Oct 2009

Vision loss after non-ocular surgery is rare but potentially devastating

Vision loss after non-ocular surgery is a rare but potentially devastating surgical complication that is usually the result of cortical blindness, ischemic optic neuropathy or retinal vascular occlusion. Due to its rare and unexpected occurrence, the origin of perioperative vision loss (POVL) is poorly understood.

26 Oct 2009

African Americans face higher risk of colorectal cancer

African Americans are at significantly higher risk of developing colorectal cancer, and being diagnosed with the disease at a later stage, than other ethnic groups. That's the finding of a paper being presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in San Diego.

26 Oct 2009

2009 Inspiration Gala raises $1.27 million for BC Cancer Foundation

The 2009 Inspiration Gala raised $1.27 million for the BC Cancer Foundation and colorectal cancer research at the BC Cancer Agency last night, as nearly 400 guests dined and donated during the emotion-filled, sold-out event.

24 Oct 2009

Quality of U.S. health care was virtually stagnant in 2008, says NCQA report

A report released today by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) finds that the quality of U.S. health care was virtually stagnant in 2008, a disturbing slowdown after a decade of improvements. The across-the-board trend was seen in care provided to people with private insurance coverage as well as in Medicare and Medicaid.

23 Oct 2009

Report: Quality of care for insured Americans slipped in 2008

CNNMoney reports that for the first time in more than 10 years, the "overall quality of health care" for Americans insured through commercial and public plans appears to have slipped.

23 Oct 2009

Eat healthy food to keep bacteria in the gut healthy

Healthy eating, not supplements, is the best way to keep the good bacteria in your gut healthy, says a dietitian and researcher.

22 Oct 2009

New health initiative focuses on environmentally-associated cancers

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, in cooperation with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), will launch a targeted health initiative in January 2010 focused on environmentally-associated cancers.

22 Oct 2009

GE and Eli Lilly develop tissue-based biomarker technology for cancer therapy

Scientists at GE Global Research, and researchers at Eli Lilly and Company today announced a significant advancement in cancer research resulting from the two companies’ collaboration formed in October 2007.

22 Oct 2009

New tools needed to identify men and women at risk for the most aggressive cancers

Twenty years of screening for breast and prostate cancer - the most diagnosed cancer for women and men - have not brought the anticipated decline in deaths from these diseases, argue experts from the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in an opinion piece published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association."

21 Oct 2009