national cancer institute news from FierceHealthcare
NewsResearchers caution against screening for lung cancer without symptoms
Despite the well-established link between lung cancer and smoking, a new study reveals that CT scans in asymptomatic smokers may be more harmful than helpful. According to new research by the Read more...
Cancer deaths not reduced by prostate screenings
A decade-long study by the National Cancer Institute on the affects of prostate cancer screenings recently determined that the number of deaths from the illness essentially stayed the same, even for Read more...
Critics want to shut down NIH center for alternative medicine
As federal bureaucrats and legislators debate methods for reforming the healthcare system, a once-untouchable institution seems to have suddenly ended up in jeopardy. The NIH's National Center for Read more...
SPOTLIGHT: Melanoma increase in young women
Over the last thirty years, melanoma has increased in white women aged 15-39 at a significantly higher rate than in white men of the same age group. The report from the National Cancer Institute says Read more...
Study: Formula underestimates blacks' breast cancer danger
New research suggests that a formula currently used to calculate women's risk of breast cancer understates the risk for most black women, particularly those over age 50. That's a troubling failing, Read more...
Minorities seek aggressive end-of-life careMinorities continue to seek aggressive end-of-life treatment options and turn away alternatives like hospice care, research increasingly suggests. Only 7.5 percent of hospice patients are African-American, and only 4.8 percent are Hispanic--less than half of their percentage of the general population. An ongoing Harvard study funded by the National Cancer Institute involving about 800 terminally ill cancer patients is already finding that African Americans are two to three times as likely … Read more...Can routine CT scans save smokers?Dr. Claudia Henschke is deeply convinced that all smokers and former smokers should get routine CT scans. In a recent paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Henschke estimated that routine CTs could prevent as many as 80 percent of the nation's 160,000 annual deaths from lung cancer. For her study, Dr. Henschke scanned 31,567 people at more than 30 hospitals around the world. The scans found cancer in 484, with 85 percent were at Stage I. The … Read more...Chemo test offers clues for patientsA new genetic test could help identify patients who would benefit from chemotherapy and those who would not. The National Cancer Institute is enrolling women in a major new clinical trial designed to study the effectiveness of the test for women with breast cancer. This is good news for oncologists who have argued for years that chemotherapy can be counterproductive in some cases. The test, known as the Oncotype DX test, looks at 21 different genes that can offer a good indication … Read more...NCI chief steps downNational Cancer Institute head Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach is leaving his job at the agency to concentrate on his role at the FDA. Critics have argued that it was inappropriate for von Eschenbach to hold the top jobs at both agencies given the potential conflicts of interest involved. Dr. John Niederhuber moves into the top spot at NCI. Washington observers doubt that von Eschenbach will be formally confirmed in his FDA role any time soon since Democrats have vowed to place a hold on his … Read more...Funding inspires healthcare start-upsDoes government spending on healthcare R&D drive economic growth? A new study out this week argues that it does. Researchers at Indiana University and the Max Planck Institute for Economic analysis in Germany looked at the impact of grant giving by the National Cancer Institute, tracing what happened after researchers got their hands on government funding. The result, the report concludes, is far more start-up activity than had been expected. One quarter of the 1,700 researchers the … Read more... | Press ReleasesThe UNC Health Care System Receives CEO Cancer Gold StandardTM AccreditationCARY, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The UNC Health Care System is leading by example when it comes to promoting workplace wellness and encouraging healthier behavior. The CEO Roundtable on Cancer recently Read more >> Mayo Clinic Studies Identify Risk Factors in Rising Trend of Liver CancerROCHESTER, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Doctors have known for years that the incidence of deadly liver cancer is on the rise, but what is causing that trend has remained a mystery. Two recent Mayo Read more >> Mayo Clinic Surgeons Advance Esophagectomy TreatmentSCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Surgeons at Mayo Clinic in Arizona have perfected a new procedure that offers a less invasive option in the treatment of one of the most severe cancers. A Read more >> Obesity Linked to Higher Five-Year Death Rate After Esophageal Cancer SurgeryROCHESTER, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Obesity doubles the risk of cancer recurrence and cancer-related death in patients with esophageal cancer who have been treated with surgery, researchers at Mayo Read more >> Scientists Develop Vaccine That Successfully Attacks Breast Cancer in MiceVaccine may have implications for treating ovarian, colorectal and pancreatic cancer SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and the University of Georgia (UGA) Read more >> |
