Cancer treatments
Two more studies are reported this week continue to show the inability of oncologists to consider the pain and adverse effects on quality of life from both a cancer and the treatment of that cancer. One study was on the value of dual radiotherapy for the poor risk esophageal cancer. The other was on combined therapies for treatment of prostatic cancer. In both these studies so-called significant improvements led to only a few weeks of extended life while no data was provided on the resulting quality of that life. It certainly makes money for the pharmaceutical companies whose products were used in these studies and...
Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG - February 1, 2013 Category: Epidemiologists Authors: cbuttery Tags: Chronic Disease epidemiology policy research Technology Source Type: blogs
What’s the Diagnosis #16 — Mmmmm, Eggs
This is an interesting case for a number of reasons.
First, it shows how a little testing can turn into a lot of testing to “rule out” diseases in the emergency department.
Second, it hopefully provides some good teaching points.
Third, the comment from the attending physician gave me the giggles. That will explain the title. But you have to read through the case to understand the comment.
I’m not going to discuss all the minute details of the case, only the major findings that contribute to the flow of the case.
A patient got sent in from the nursing home because her gastrostomy tube was leaking blood an...
Source: WhiteCoat's Call Room - January 25, 2013 Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: WhiteCoat Tags: Medical Topics Patient Encounters Source Type: blogs
Bisphosphonates Have Been Linked To Esophageal Cancer Adding to the List of Possible Problems They Can Cause
Once again, bisphosphonates are in the news, this time being linked to esophageal cancer. Bisphosphonates are a common treatment used for osteoporosis.
We have written about it on our site before for the damage they can cause to bones.
Bisphosphonates, especially in the case of osteoporosis, cause the bones to have constant turnover, and inhibits the digestion of bone by osteoclasts. Bisphosphonates actually create an abnormal bone, which is relatively fine for about seven years and then becomes more prone to breaking. It’s also noted that prolonged treatment, while it can decrease the number of fractures, can actually ...
Source: Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog - January 24, 2013 Category: Physicians With Health Advice Authors: admin Source Type: blogs
Doctors Prescribe, Pharmacists Dispense, Patients Suffer
Spotted in LKS’ blog
by Product Of The System
Real Life Scenario
Madam Ong is a 52-year-old lady with a twelve-year-history of hypertension and diabetes. She complained of generalised lethargy, lower limb weakness, swelling and pain. She brought along her cocktail of medications for my scrutiny. Her regular medications included the oral antidiabetics metformin and glicazide and the antihypertensives amlodipine and irbesatan. Madam Ong also had a few episodes of joint pains three months ago for which she had seen two other different doctors. The first doctor suspected rheumatoid arthritis and started her on a short co...
Source: Malaysian Medical Resources - January 4, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: palmdoc Tags: - Ethics - Guest - Nation Dispensing doctors MOH Pharmacists Source Type: blogs
Snuffing Out Snuff: Baseball Restricts Smokeless Tobacco Use
Who will be this year’s “Mr. October”? The onset of the playoffs has SBB thinking about all things baseball—home runs, hot dogs, and strikeouts. Another common image: baseball players chewing and spitting smokeless tobacco.
But that image might be fading. For the 2012 season, Major League Baseball (MLB) banned players, managers, and coaches from carrying smokeless tobacco tins or packages whenever fans are in the park.
They also aren’t supposed to use smokeless tobacco during televised interviews, team-sponsored appearances, autograph signings, and other events where fans are present—and can even be reported fo...
Source: NIDA Drugs and Health Blog - October 11, 2012 Category: Addiction Authors: Sara Bellum Source Type: blogs
With Announcement on Giving Up "Dip," Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg's Pitches Hit Home
After major league Hall of Famer Tony Gwynne of the San Diego Padres was diagnosed with parotid cancer, or cancer of the salivary gland, Washington Nationals’ pitcher Stephen Strasburg announced his decision to give up smokeless tobacco, or “dip.” Gwynne was Strasburg’s hero growing up—and he made a conscious decision to copy his hero’s every move as an aspiring professional baseball player, even the “dip” habit.
Just like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco contains nicotine, a highly addictive substance. Whether you smoke or chew it, tobacco has been proven to cause cancer.
Use of dip can lead to mouth cancer a...
Source: NIDA Drugs and Health Blog - June 14, 2011 Category: Addiction Authors: Sara Bellum Source Type: blogs
Work up of Carcinoma of Unknown Primary (CUP)
It is often important to determine the site of origin of a metastatic carcinoma of unknown primary site, particularly because this may affect the choice of the treatment. Determination of the primary site may take several steps.Clinical features, such as age, sex, and site of metastases may give a first indication.A detailed pathologic examination of the most accessible biopsied tissue specimen is mandatory in CUP cases. Pathologic evaluation typically consists of hematoxylin-and-eosin stains and immunohistochemical tests.Electron microscopy is rarely used currently, although it may beselectively useful when making treatme...
Source: Oncopathology - May 4, 2009 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Work up of Carcinoma of Unknown Primary (CUP) Source Type: blogs
Esophageal Therapy You Can Stomach
Doctors can sometimes see esophageal cancer coming in a condition called Barrett's esophagus. A new outpatient procedure that lets doctors zap Barrett's tissue with radiofrequency ablation is showing promise. Video (Source: WSJ.com: Health Journal)
Source: WSJ.com: Health Journal - May 20, 2008 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: PAID Source Type: blogs
