A new study has shown that magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRIs) were more effective at detecting early stages of breast cancer than traditional mammograms.

The research, published in the Lancet medical journal, found that 92 per cent of cases of early breast cancer were detected by the MRI scan, whereas only 56 per cent of cases were detected by the mammogram.

At a national breast centre in Germany, the researchers analysed MRIs carried out for women who were at an increased risk of breast cancer, had an abnormal mammogram, or had a normal mammogram but were particularly concerned about breast cancer.

Cancer Research UK’s professor of screening Stephen Duffy welcomed the research: “The results are interesting and add weight to the findings of a UK study published in 2005 which found MRI to be more sensitive than mammography to invasive cancers in women at high genetic risk.”

However, he called for further studies to be conducted before conclusive results could be drawn: “While this study provides further evidence of the benefit of MRI examinations in high-risk women, none of these studies has concluded that MRI should replace mammography. The consensus is that they should be used in tandem for high-risk women.”

The drug sildenafil, better known as Viagra has been shown in mice to support the immune system’s response to cancer cells. Mice with colon and breast tumors showed that the tumor size decreased two and threefold when treated with sildenafil compared with the mice that did not receive the drug. The researchers also believe that they have evidence that sildenafil is effective on the immune system because in mice engineered to lack an immune system the tumors were unaffected. Tissue samples taken from head and neck cancer and multiple myeloma patients showed similar results.Viagra is a class of drugs used to treat impotence. It is known to stimulate nitric oxide which hinder the effects of a specialized cell that can divert the immune system away from the tumor. The researchers are trying to figure out how cancer cells can avoid detection by the immune system. T-cells that mount the attack on cancer cells are manipulated by the cancer cells and prevent them from being seen by the immune system. Viagra can unmask the cancer cells and let the immune system recognize and attack them.

A study conducted by the Cancer Research U.K. has found that the number of young British men, who have their testicles checked for signs of cancer, has tripled in the last decade.

In 1990 only 10 percent of men checked their testicles, but this increased to more than 36 percent by 2000.

Cancer Research UK scientists quizzed 17,000 students in 21 European countries in year 1990 and later on they surveyed another 19,000 10 years later. The examination rate in British men in 2000 was double the European average. Across Europe the number of students who checked their testicles increased from 13 percent to 18 percent.

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A new technique has been developed at Singapore’s National University Hospital to detect cancer in its earliest stages, a team of researchers said on Saturday.

Called an “optical biopsy,” the technique can detect so-called pre-cancers – collections of a few hundred malignant cells lurking among millions of healthy cells – that usually fly under the radar of standard cancer screenings.  

By using near-infrared fluorescence imaging, doctors may spot cancer risk before any physical signs appear.

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EarthLink President and CEO Garry Betty was diagnosed just days ago with a serious form of cancer, and he will take a medical leave of absence in order to tackle the disease head on.

“Garry is a fierce competitor and has the determination to beat this disease,” said EarthLink founder Sky Dayton.

Betty, at one time the New York Stock Exchange’s youngest listed CEO, joined the EarthLink team in 1996 and has earned tremendous respect and recognition among the Internet, financial, and business communities. He is now earning support as he takes on his newest challenge — cancer.

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Capsule endoscopy can aid in the identification and management of small bowel tumors. Capsule endoscopy lets the doctor examine the lining of the middle part of the gastrointestinal tract. The doctor will be using a pill sized video capsule in the procedure called an endoscope, which has its own lens and light source and will view the images on a video monitor.

Capsule endoscopy helps your doctor evaluate the small intestine. This part of the bowel cannot be reached by traditional upper endoscopy or by colonoscopy. The most common reason for having this procedure is to search for cause of bleeding from the intestine. It may also be used to detect polyps, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcers and tumors of the small intestine.

Dr. Adam Bailey from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney says “Capsule endoscopy has the potential to achieve earlier diagnosis of small bowel malignancies offering a greater chance of cure. It should be used early in the course of investigation of suspected small bowel disease, avoiding the delay that has let too many patients having advanced disease at diagnoses.”

As per a report in the October issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology

Women whose breast cancer is detected by mammography have a lower risk of the cancer recurring after treatment compared to those who discover a tumor by other means, a Finnish study said.

Women with cancerous tumors detected outside of the mammography screening process — usually a manual breast exam — had a 90 percent higher risk of the disease recurring elsewhere in their bodies within a decade, compared to women whose tumors were detected by mammography, study author Dr. Heikki Joensuu of Helsinki University Central Hospital said.

More breast cancers are being detected by mammography screening as the procedure is becoming more common, and the tumors found are often smaller, the study said.

A woman’s choice of treatment — or whether to skip treatment altogether depending on the patients age and the cancer’s aggressiveness — is based on the risk of the cancer metastasizing, so a correct diagnosis is essential, said the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study included 2,842 women identified from the Finnish Cancer Registry as having breast cancer in 1991 or 1992 who were followed for an average of nearly 10 years.

A new blood test for prostate cancer could change the way the disease is diagnosed and treated, it has been revealed.

Not only is it far more accurate than the standard PSA test, but it can also detect cancers that have started to spread.

Researchers in the US hope the test will be available to patients in 18 months.

Protein specific antigen or PSA is released into the blood by prostate cells.

For years, it has been relied upon as the first indicator of prostate cancer but some patients with abnormal levels are cancer-free, while others have cancers that are missed because of low readings.

The new test, developed at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland, US, looks for a different protein called early prostate cancer antigen-2, or EPCA-2.

Patients with an EPCA-2 cut-off level of 30 nanograms per millilitre (ngml) of blood or higher are considered to be at risk of prostate cancer.

Tests on 330 patients including some with prostate cancer showed that the test was negative for 97% of patients who did not have the disease.

EPCA-2 levels at or above the cut-off point were detected in 90% of men with cancer confined to the prostate, and 98% of those with cancer that had spread beyond the gland.

Overall, the test identified prostate cancer patients with 94% accuracy. In contrast, PSA levels of between four and 10 ngml detected only 85% of patients with prostate cancer.

ALTOONA, P.A. : A jury has awarded $895,000 in damages to a woman whose doctor was accused of failing to diagnose her with breast cancer when the disease was at an early stage, forcing her to undergo surgery and chemotherapy.The Blair County civil court jury found Dr. Debra S. Pike of Roaring Spring negligent in treating 39-year-old Cynthia Storm of Hollidaysburg, who went to Pike in January 2002 after discovering a lump in her breast.

The doctor conducted mammogram and ultrasound tests, which did not detect a tumor. Storm continued to say she felt the lump during doctor visits in February and April 2002.

In October 2002, Pike said she felt a lump and sent Storm to a surgeon for a biopsy, which confirmed the mass was cancerous. It was determined the cancer had spread, prompting an operation and chemotherapy.

Medical experts testifying for Storm said she would not have needed the treatments if the cancer had been detected when she first visited Pike.

They said the delay in conducting a biopsy led to the radical surgery and chemotherapy, which dramatically affected Storm’s life. She was given drugs so strong they damaged her heart, they said.

The experts indicated there was a 50-50 chance the cancer will return within a 10-year period.

Experts for the defense, however, said Pike followed proper medical procedure by not referring Storm to a surgeon when mammogram and ultrasound tests did not show a tumor.

They also argued that the lump found in October was not the problem that prompted Storm to visit the doctor in January 2002.

The jury of seven women and five men took about four hours Friday to find that Pike was negligent and had caused harm to Storm.

It awarded Storm $770,000, including $250,000 for pain and suffering; $150,000 for loss of life’s pleasures; $100,000 for disfigurement; $50,000 for embarrassment; $20,000 for unpaid medical expenses and $200,000 for loss of earnings.

Storm’s husband, Christopher, was awarded $125,000 for loss of consortium.

The award was the third-largest in Blair County’s civil court in the past two years.

Source: Centre Daily

Four years ago, former Royal Army guardsman John Ford had his stomach removed after being misdiagnosed with stomach cancer. It was only after the operation that it was revealed the pathologist at Walsall Manor Hospital had misdiagnosed the tests; Ford’s tumor was actually benign.

“I now have no stomach and am in constant pain and discomfort,” said Ford. “I am either constipated or have diarrhea and am afraid to leave the house in case I need a bathroom. I do not absorb food, so I have very little energy and find everyday tasks hard work.”

Ford and his wife, Joan, were awarded an undisclosed six-figure compensation payout when Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust accepted liability for the mistake, but it’s been of little comfort to the couple.

“My wife and I had recently retired and we were looking forward to spending quality time together traveling,” Ford said. “However, the operation has seriously limited what I can do. We have no social life any more, and fear all our retirement plans have completely gone out the window.”

“I wish with all my heart that on the morning of his operation John had walked out, which he wanted to do,” Joan added.

Unfortunately, Ford is not alone in his personal tragedy. According to Gary Null, PhD., in his book “Death by Medicine,” it is estimated that 7.5 million unnecessary medical and surgical procedures are performed annually.

“The number of misdiagnosed and mistreated cancer cases is far larger than most people suspect,” said Mike Adams, a consumer health advocate and critic of the for-profit cancer industry. “Very few cancer mistakes ever come to light. Most victims just live out their lives without their stomach, colon or breasts, believing their cancer surgeries were justified when, in fact, they were not.”

Adams recommends that patients get a second or third opinion on any cancer diagnosis before submitting to radical treatments that cause permanent damage such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiation.

Source: News Target