Amsterdam — Although recommendations for screening for colon cancer are
widespread, the method for screening is still under debate.
A study
published in Lancet Oncology suggests that for advanced cancer, computed
tomographic (CT) colonography has a diagnostic rate similar to traditional
colonoscopy. CT colonography is sometimes referred to as virtual colonoscopy.
Researchers in Amsterdam invited members of the general population for
colorectal cancer screening by colonoscopy or noncathartic CT colonography. Of
the 5,924 participants invited for colonoscopy, 1276 (22%) underwent the
procedure, compared with 982 (34%) of the 2920 CT colonography invitees,
according to an article
in Medscape.com that reported the findings.
The researchers report that the diagnostic yield for advanced neoplasia was
8.7 per 100 participants for the colonoscopy group and 6.1 per 100 participants
for the CT colonography group. For lesions 10 mm or greater, the diagnostic
yield for advanced neoplasia was similar for both techniques — 1.5 per 100
invitees for colonoscopy and 2.0 per 100 invitees for CT colonography —
indicating that both procedures can be used successfully for population-based
screening, according to the researchers.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Uninsured Patients Discharged From Hospitals Sooner Than Those With Health Coverage
New York, NY — Discharge rates for patients in hospitals differ between the
insured and uninsured, a study published in
Annals of Family Medicine suggests.
Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina looked at the records of nearly 850,000 adults discharged from U.S. hospitals between 2003 and 2007. They found that uninsured patients had a slightly shorter stay than patients with private insurance or Medicaid. They cautioned, however, that a shorter hospital stay was not necessarily detrimental to the patient’s health.
On average, uninsured patients with potentially preventable hospitalizations — worsening asthma, for example — stayed in the hospital just under 2.8 days. That compared with 2.9 days for patients with insurance and 3.2 days for Medicaid patients, an article from Reuters reports.
Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina looked at the records of nearly 850,000 adults discharged from U.S. hospitals between 2003 and 2007. They found that uninsured patients had a slightly shorter stay than patients with private insurance or Medicaid. They cautioned, however, that a shorter hospital stay was not necessarily detrimental to the patient’s health.
On average, uninsured patients with potentially preventable hospitalizations — worsening asthma, for example — stayed in the hospital just under 2.8 days. That compared with 2.9 days for patients with insurance and 3.2 days for Medicaid patients, an article from Reuters reports.
Medco Says More Than 20 Percent of Adults Use Mental Health Agents
Franklin Lakes, NJ — The pharmacy benefit manager Medco just released results
from a report
indicating that more than 20 percent of Americans take at least one drug to
treat behavioral conditions such as anxiety and depression. Further findings say
that one in four women uses medications to treat mental illness, according to an
Associated Press story.
Use of these agents has risen 22 percent from 2001. The medications are most often prescribed to women age 45 and older, but their use by men and young adults climbed sharply. In adults 20 to 44, use of antipsychotic drugs and treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder more than tripled, and use of antianxiety drugs like Xanax, Valium, and Ativan rose 30 percent from a decade ago.
Use of these agents has risen 22 percent from 2001. The medications are most often prescribed to women age 45 and older, but their use by men and young adults climbed sharply. In adults 20 to 44, use of antipsychotic drugs and treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder more than tripled, and use of antianxiety drugs like Xanax, Valium, and Ativan rose 30 percent from a decade ago.
Panel Votes to Expand Pneumococcal Vaccine Use to Adults
Rockville, MD — A committee that advises the FDA voted 14–1 that the pediatric
vaccine Prevnar 13 could also be effective in adults age 50 and older. The
vaccine fights pneumonia, meningitis, and other diseases caused by the
pneumococcal bacterium.
The FDA usually supports advisory panel recommendations and, in fact, the agency has designated the vaccine for an accelerated approval for this particular indication. A final decision from the agency is expected in January
The vaccine is designed to fight 13 forms of a bacterium called streptococcus pneumoniae, also called pneumococcus.
The FDA usually supports advisory panel recommendations and, in fact, the agency has designated the vaccine for an accelerated approval for this particular indication. A final decision from the agency is expected in January
The vaccine is designed to fight 13 forms of a bacterium called streptococcus pneumoniae, also called pneumococcus.
Ruxolitinib Cleared to Treat Patients with Bone Marrow Disease
Rockville, MD — The FDA cleared for marketing ruxolitinib (brand name Jakafi) to
treat the bone marrow disease myelofibrosis. The condition is characterized by
bone marrow being replaced by scar tissue because of deregulation of two
enzymes, JAK 1 and JAK 2. The enzymes are responsible for blood regulation and
immunologic functions.
Patients complain of fatigue, abdominal discomfort, and pain under the ribs. On physical examination and blood work, they are often found to have an enlarged spleen, anemia, and decreased blood cell and platelet counts.
Patients complain of fatigue, abdominal discomfort, and pain under the ribs. On physical examination and blood work, they are often found to have an enlarged spleen, anemia, and decreased blood cell and platelet counts.
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