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Ethnic differences in sleep quality and blood pressure

In the United States, African Americans have higher blood pressure and are at greater risk of hypertension than whites.

29 Oct 2007

Which lung volumes to use for radiotherapy planning of lung cancer

A new method to standardize the reporting of radiation dose volumes in the use of four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) can lead to a more accurate radiation dose to the lungs in lung cancers, thereby lowering the risk of lung injury, according to a study presented at the Plenary I session on October 29, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

29 Oct 2007

Radiation plus chemo quadruples survival time for fatal brain cancer

Over four times as many patients with a rapidly fatal type of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), who are treated with the chemotherapy drug temozolomide (TMZ) and radiation therapy, can live for four years after diagnosis, compared to those who receive only radiation treatment, according to updated results of a large, international trial presented at the Plenary I session on October 29, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

29 Oct 2007

Study examines burden of epilepsy on quality of life

A new study published in Epilepsia is the first to assess the prevalence of self-reported active epilepsy and health-related quality of life among adults with epilepsy in California.

29 Oct 2007

Preventing lung scarring may extend lives of lung cancer patients

Researchers have found that using a special type of drug called a pharmaceutical monoclonal antibody to block the integrin beta6-TGF-beta pathway prevents a serious side effect of radiation therapy for lung cancer patients – pulmonary fibrosis (scarring of the lungs), thereby extending patients' lives and improving their quality of life, according to a study presented at the Plenary I session on October 29, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

29 Oct 2007

Knowing risk can determine what kind of colon cancer screening is best

While colonoscopy has become widely used for colorectal cancer screening, nearly two-thirds of screening colonoscopies show no cancer or pre-cancerous polyps.

29 Oct 2007

New treatment option studied for bladder cancer

A chemotherapy regimen for patients with advanced bladder cancer who aren't eligible for standard treatment is under study at the Medical College of Georgia.

29 Oct 2007

Low-dose CT scanning detects cancers long before symptoms ever appear

Early screening for lung cancer using non-invasive, low-dose CT scanning detects early stage cancers long before symptoms ever appear, according to results of a clinical study with 1,000 high-risk Canadian smokers.

29 Oct 2007

Do statins make radiation more effective at curing prostate cancer?

Patients with prostate cancer who receive high-dose radiation treatment and also take statin drugs commonly used to lower cholesterol have a 10 percent higher chance of being cured of their cancer at 10 years after diagnosis (76 percent), compared to those who don't take these medications (66 percent), according to a study presented at a scientific session October 31, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

29 Oct 2007

Scientists use shared genome data to confirm SORL1 gene linked to Alzheimer's

Until recently, only one of the approximately 30,000 genes in the human genome has been linked to risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD).

29 Oct 2007

Deep brain stimulation to treat Parkinson's makes some act irrationally

An implantable brain device meant to help Parkinson's disease patients better control their movements, has been found to have some worrying side-effects.

29 Oct 2007

Organic food a far better health option

The study involved researchers growing fruits and vegetables on a 725 acre area where fields were split into two so that conventional and organic produce could be grown side by side.

29 Oct 2007

What is a critical lab value? it depends, Hopkins researchers find

When it comes to lab tests, interpreting the clinical importance of an out-of-range result depends on how much experience a physician has, suggests research from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

28 Oct 2007

Positioning pelvic cancer patients on stomachs for radiation yields better results

Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers have found that positioning pelvic cancer patients on their stomachs rather than their backs is a better method for delivering radiation therapy.

28 Oct 2007

PET scans track small tumors after stereotactic body radiotherapy

Readily available CT screening for lung cancer is increasing the discovery of small, primary lung cancers.

28 Oct 2007

Patient navigators help minority, low-income cancer patients get life-saving treatments

Volunteers who guide low-income and minority cancer patients through cancer treatment, called lay patient navigators (LPN), help them to overcome major obstacles that prevent them from receiving quality care and achieving better outcomes, according to a study presented October 28, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

28 Oct 2007

Surgery, radiation gives early survival advantage in bile duct cancer

Oregon Health & Science University researchers are reporting the discovery of an early survival advantage when a combination of surgery and radiation therapy is used for patients with a rare but deadly bile duct cancer.

28 Oct 2007

Obesity-related hormone is higher in children with Down syndrome

Children with Down syndrome are more likely than their unaffected siblings to have higher levels of a hormone associated with obesity, according to pediatric researchers.

28 Oct 2007

Advancement in radiation oncology treatment called IMRT improves care, avoids healthy tissue

New advancements in a radiation oncology treatment called IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy) are proving far superior to standard radiation procedures used today in safeguarding the healthy tissues surrounding cancerous tumors, and thus improving patient care.

28 Oct 2007

Men with bladder exstrophy report robust sex lives, but women fare worse

Adult men born with a severe urological anomaly in which the bladder forms outside of the abdomen report much more robust sexual lives than women born with the same condition, according to a small study led by urologists at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

28 Oct 2007