Category: news-perspectives

Several doctor groups and advocacy groups publish their own guidelines for cancer screening. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force also issues guidelines. Last week, the task force changed its advice about breast cancer screening. Right away, some experts and groups disagreed. But experts don’t always agree on screening for other types of cancer either, the Associated Press reported November 20. Group guidelines may differ on who should be tested and how often. The AP story summarized guidelines for breast, cervical, prostate and colon cancer.

U.S. cases of diabetes will nearly double in the next 25 years, a study predicts. Spending to treat people with the disease will triple, researchers estimated. They previous estimates have been too low. About 23.7 million people in the United States today have diabetes. The study predicts there will be 44.1 million by 2034. By then, spending will hit $336 billion a year, researchers said. About half of this total will be paid by Medicare, they said. The study appeared in the journal Diabetes Care. HealthDay News wrote about it November 27.

People should avoid some imaging tests unless they’re absolutely needed, the American Heart Association says. That’s because the tests use radiation. The levels are low, but still could increase the risk of cancer. The group urged caution for X-ray tests and nuclear medicine studies. X-rays are used in computed tomography (CT) scans and fluoroscope (video) tests such as angiograms. These tests should be used only after a close look at their potential benefits. Certain tests should not be used in people at low risk of heart disease who don’t have symptoms. The new statement was published in the journal Circulation. HealthDay News wrote about it February 2.

U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has been diagnosed with the worst form of brain cancer, experts told the Associated Press (AP). Kennedy has a glioma in the left parietal lobe. This is in the upper part of the brain. It plays a role in sensation, speech, vision and movement on the right side of the body. Survival with gliomas usually is less than three years. For some types, it is less than a year. Treatments include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. However, Kennedy’s doctors did not mention surgery. Survival odds are reduced if surgery is not an option. AP wrote about Kennedy’s case May 21.

Children who don’t get vaccinated are 23 times more likely to get whooping cough, a study has found. Researchers looked at medical records for 156 children who got whooping cough and 595 who did not. About 1 in 20 kids whose parents refused the vaccine got whooping cough. About 1 in 500 kids who had their shots got the disease. Whooping cough also is called pertussis. Some parents have safety concerns about the vaccine. But doctors say the current vaccine, developed in the 1990s, is very safe. Refusing the vaccine increases the number of whooping cough cases. This can endanger babies too young to get their shots, experts say. The study appeared in the journal Pediatrics. The New York Times News Service wrote about it May 26.

The herbal supplement Ginkgo biloba does not prevent heart attacks or stroke, a new study finds. But it might reduce the risk of peripheral artery disease, study results suggest. This condition causes clogged leg arteries. The study included 3,069 people, age 75 or older. They were randomly assigned to two groups. One group received ginkgo twice a day. The other received placebo (fake) pills. Researchers kept track of both groups for six years. In that time, there was no difference between groups in the rates of death, stroke or heart attack. But there was a difference in peripheral artery disease rates. People taking ginkgo were only half as likely to develop this disease as people taking placebos. The study was released online by the journal Circulation. HealthDay News wrote about it November 24.

U.S. officials may take steps to help prevent cases of liver damage from a popular painkiller. Acetaminophen is sold with or without a prescription. Tylenol is the best known brand, but generics also are on the market. Large doses can cause liver damage. But a May 28 report says people may not be aware of the risk. A working group within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the report. It supports a stronger warning label and a lower maximum dose, the Associated Press said. The current adult maximum is 4,000 milligrams a day. That would be reduced to 3,250. Outside advisers to the agency will discuss the report at a meeting in June.

Pushing blood sugar below current goals does not help the heart for diabetics, a study has found. The study is from Australia. One group got standard treatment. The other took extra medicine to lower blood sugar more. There was no difference between the groups in heart attacks, strokes or heart-related deaths. But the group with lower blood sugar had one-fifth fewer cases of kidney disease. In February, a U.S. study reported more deaths in people who were treated to push blood sugar below current goals. The Associated Press wrote about the new study June 9. It was published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

Doctors often don’t treat back pain in the way that guidelines recommend. That’s what researchers found in a study of medical practice in Australia. The study looked at the treatment of 3,533 patients. Researchers compared their care with standard guidelines. For example, the guidelines say that few people need an MRI, X-ray or other imaging study. But 1 out of 4 patients received one. The guidelines say that acetaminophen is the best drug to try first. But doctors more often prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or opioid pain relievers. Doctors are urged to educate patients about back pain. Only 1 out of 5 received such advice. The study results appeared in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Many Americans who have an invasive test called an angiogram turn out to have no significant heart disease, a new study finds. Researchers say this suggests that doctors need better ways to decide who should have the test. During an angiogram, doctors insert a tube into an artery and thread it up to the heart. Dye is injected into the tube. This allows any artery blockages around the heart to show up on X-rays. Researchers looked at records for nearly 2 million angiograms. The study focused on about 400,000 patients. They had some symptoms or other test results that made doctors suspect heart disease. But they did not have known heart disease and weren’t getting emergency heart treatment. The angiogram found no major artery blockages in 62% of this group. The Associated Press wrote about the study March 11. Results appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.