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Breast implant rupture risk scrutinized and assessed in depth

According to Tim Goodacre, one of the members of the government-commissioned panel investigating the PIP breast implant scandal, the rupture rates found by the country’s biggest cosmetic surgery company were ‘unacceptable’. Mr. Goodacre, president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) and an Oxford University lecturer, said that if the panel confirmed the findings – in which almost one in 14 implants had leaked – then they should all be taken out in every case.

2 Jan 2012

Study finds risk factors associated with exfoliation syndrome

When it comes to whether or not you will develop exfoliation syndrome (ES) -- an eye condition that is a leading cause of secondary open-angle glaucoma and increased risk of cataract as well as cataract surgery complications -- age, gender and where you live does matter.

2 Jan 2012

CHEST Foundation awards $100,000 for development of blood test for lung cancer

Lung cancer takes a heavy toll, contributing to more cancer deaths in the United States each year than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined. Contributing to this poor prognosis is the fact that lung cancer often goes undetected until the disease has reached an advanced and more difficult-to-treat stage.

31 Dec 2011

Meditation, yoga and physical awareness benefit breast cancer survivors

Women recently diagnosed with breast cancer have higher survival rates than those diagnosed in previous decades, according to the American Cancer Society. However, survivors continue to face health challenges after their treatments end. Previous research reports as many as 50 percent of breast cancer survivors are depressed.

30 Dec 2011

Three successful full face transplants: Brigham and Women’s report

A team of Brigham and Women’s surgeons performed three full face transplants at the hospital this year and have published a detailed account of the procedures in the New England Journal of Medicine. The authors outline the three cases with before and after photos and explanations of how the patients - Dallas Wiens, Mitch Hunter, and Charla Nash - fared in the aftermath of surgery. While all three had infections and two had episodes of rejection, all were successfully treated.

29 Dec 2011

Avastin fails to live up to expectations for extending survival in ovarian cancer

Cancer drug Avastin has been found to add about four months to the time it takes for the cancer to worsen for women with advanced cases of ovarian cancer says a new report. However it may not extend survival significantly.

29 Dec 2011

Venezuela offers to pay for removal of faulty breast implants

Venezuela's government has offered to pay for the removal of PIP breast implants feared to be at risk of rupture. They would cover the cost of the surgery for Venezuelan women but would not pay for replacement implants, Health Minister Eugenia Sader said. Ms Sader said many implants made by French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) had been imported illegally.

29 Dec 2011

Free, low-cost strategies to maintain good health in the new year

With the start of a new year, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute experts are encouraging people to ring in new healthy habits and offer a number of free and low-cost strategies to help people maintain good health and possibly reduce various cancer risks.

29 Dec 2011

FDA intiates measures to reduce risks from inadequate 'reprocessing' of reusable medical devices

Some medical devices are reused many times in surgical and exploratory procedures. They include instruments used in surgery (like clamps and forceps), and endoscopes (like bronchoscopes and colonoscopes) used to visualize areas inside the body.

29 Dec 2011

GOG targeted therapy phase 3 clinical trial delays progression of advanced ovarian cancer

Targeted drugs, which block or disrupt particular molecules involved in the growth of tumors, have been shown to be effective treatments against many types of cancer.

29 Dec 2011

New form of esophagectomy for treatment of severe cancer

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.

29 Dec 2011

New initiative to detect cancers in earliest stages inside cells

A team of cancer imaging experts at Johns Hopkins has embarked on a five-year research initiative to speed development of early diagnostic tests and new treatments for breast, prostate and other common cancers.

29 Dec 2011

Faulty PIP breast implant fears deepen

After the scare that some French breast implants may be faulty and may need removal at the government's expense the national health insurance agency will file a criminal complaint. The implants, made by now-defunct French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), were pulled from the market last year in countries around Europe and South America amid fears they could rupture and leak silicone into the body.

28 Dec 2011

Vejthani Hospital Bangkok offers High Tibial Osteotomy Surgery for osteoarthritis

Vejthani Hospital Bangkok offers a High Tibial Osteotomy Surgery for osteoarthritis at TJR Center. The procedure prolongs the life of a damaged knee, helps relieve pain in the knee and delays the need for a total knee replacement.

28 Dec 2011

CEL-SCI to expand Multikine Phase III trial in head and neck cancer

CEL-SCI Corporation is in the process of expanding its Phase III clinical trial of the investigational therapy Multikine (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection) to 4 additional European countries - Spain, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Croatia.

27 Dec 2011

PMC receives $100,000 donation for new mesothelioma research laboratory

Pacific Meso Center (PMC) at the Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (PHLBI) announces a generous donation of $100,000 from Roger and Ann Worthington.

26 Dec 2011

Roundup: HIV staff to be cut in Ga.; Abortion news in N.J., Mo.; Wis. Medicaid coverage in limbo

A loss of $3.7 million in federal funds is forcing Georgia to reduce its workforce for HIV prevention. After an inquiry by Georgia Health News, the Department of Public Health this week acknowledged that 20 people in state health districts have been notified they will probably lose their jobs in January, and that an unspecified number of staffers at the department level have received the same notification.

23 Dec 2011

Graphitic carbon plays key role as lubricating layer on metal-on-metal hip implants

A team of engineers and physicians have made a surprising discovery that offers a target for designing new materials for hip implants that are less susceptible to the joint's normal wear and tear.

23 Dec 2011

UC San Diego surgeon removes diseased gallbladder through belly button

On Tuesday, December 20th, Santiago Horgan, MD, chief of minimally invasive surgery at UC San Diego Health System was the first surgeon in the United States to remove a diseased gallbladder through a patient's belly button with the aid of a new FDA-approved da Vinci Si Surgical System.

23 Dec 2011

Surprising finding about implants used in hip replacement surgery

A new study, bringing together an interdisciplinary team of physicians and engineers from the United States and Germany, made a surprising finding about implants used in hip replacement surgery: Graphite carbon is a key element in the lubricating layer that forms on metal-on-metal hip implants. The lubricant has more in common with the lubrication of a combustion engine than that of a natural joint.

23 Dec 2011