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Radiation therapy prior to HCT improves outcomes in older patients with hematologic malignancies

Older patients with advanced hematologic malignancies, such as leukemia and lymphoma, who received a conditioning regimen that included minimal-intensity radiation therapy prior to allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation had survival and progression-free survival outcomes suggesting that this treatment approach may be a viable option for older patients with these malignancies, according to a study in the November 2 issue of JAMA.

2 Nov 2011

Solid organ transplant may increase risk of cancer

Patients who have received a solid organ transplant, such as kidney, liver, heart or lung, have an overall cancer risk that is double that of the general population, with an increased risk for many different types of malignancies, according to a study in the November 2 issue of JAMA.

2 Nov 2011

Age is no longer a barrier to allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Age alone no longer should be considered a defining factor when determining whether an older patient with blood cancer is a candidate for stem cell transplantation. That's the conclusion of the first study summarizing long-term outcomes from a series of prospective clinical trials of patients age 60 and over who were treated with the mini-transplant, a "kinder, gentler" form of allogeneic (donor cell) stem cell transplantation developed at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

2 Nov 2011

Johns Hopkins breast cancer researcher wins BioMaryland LIFE Prize

A Johns Hopkins breast cancer researcher is the recipient of a $50,000 award designed to encourage rapid translation of her basic research on biomarkers into a commercially available test that could predict the best treatment options for some women with breast cancer.

2 Nov 2011

Young microenvironment rejuvenates old stem cells

Old stem cells can be rejuvenated by being placed in a young microenvironment, research from The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio shows. This raises the possibility that patients' own stem cells may one day be rescued and banked to treat their age-related diseases.

2 Nov 2011

No link between anti-clotting drugs and increased risk of bleeding in GI procedure

Patients with recent use of aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), or anti-clotting drugs such as clopidogreal (Plavix) do not appear to have an increased risk of bleeding during or after removal of precancerous lesions in the digestive tract, according to results of a Mayo Clinic study.

2 Nov 2011

Penn surgeons perform first bilateral hand transplantation

For the first time in the Delaware Valley Region, a patient has undergone a complex and intricate bilateral hand transplant that could significantly enhance the quality-of-life for persons with multiple limb loss.

2 Nov 2011

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital surgeons successfully separate conjoined twins

Formerly conjoined twins Angelica and Angelina Sabuco have been successfully separated, physicians at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital announced late this afternoon.

2 Nov 2011

LDR's ROI-A Oblique ALIF cage receives FDA marketing clearance

LDR, a privately held medical device company offering innovative spinal implants for both non-fusion and fusion applications, announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration to market the ROI-A Oblique ALIF cage. The oblique cage complements its forerunner, the ROI-A ALIF cage, which is designed for direct anterior insertion.

1 Nov 2011

ECMO and heart procedures performed as a bridge to lung transplantation

Surgeons at UK HealthCare recently became the first ever to perform two specific procedures together as a bridge to lung transplantation. Wanda Craig, of Lexington, Ky., is the first patient in history to receive these procedures, and at the age of 68, she is also the oldest living human to be bridged to transplant using an artificial lung device, also known as an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

1 Nov 2011

Multi-centre phase II trial for new brain tumor surgical technique starts in the UK

A multi-centre phase II clinical trial for a pioneering new surgical technique has started in the UK, jointly funded by Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust and Cancer Research UK.

1 Nov 2011

Non-invasive rtACS treatment can reduce partial blindness

It has long been thought that blindness after brain lesions is irreversible and that damage to the optic nerves leads to permanent impairments in everyday activities such as reading, driving, and spatial orientation. A new study published in Elsevier's Brain Stimulation suggests that treating such patients with low levels of non-invasive, repetitive, transorbital alternating current stimulation (rtACS) for 10 days significantly reduces visual impairment and markedly improves vision-related quality of life.

1 Nov 2011

New method can reduce intrusive thoughts in men with prostate cancer

Men with prostate cancer are twice as likely to commit suicide, but a method where they put intrusive thoughts into words may reduce this risk, reveals research at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

1 Nov 2011

Stanford Hospital uses new device to treat brain aneurysm

If Barbara Maluo's brain aneurysm had been discovered a few months ago, she would have had few viable treatment options. She was one of the 10 to 15 percent of brain aneurysm patients diagnosed each year with aneurysms so large and wide that they cannot be reliably treated using conventional methods of treatment.

1 Nov 2011

'Mozart Effect' may increase detection rates of precancerous polyps

Physicians who listen to Mozart while performing colonoscopy may increase their detection rates of precancerous polyps, according to the results of a new study unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 76th Annual Scientific meeting in Washington, DC.

1 Nov 2011

Gender not an independent predictor of mortality post-PCI

New research shows that women undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as angioplasty, exhibit more co-morbidities and cardiovascular risk factors than men. Risk-adjusted analyses have now indicated that, in the contemporary era, gender is not an independent mortality predictor following PCI according to the study now available in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.

1 Nov 2011

Colonoscopic FMT effective in treating IBD, C.difficile-associated diarrhea

Growing evidence for the effectiveness of fecal microbiota transplants as a treatment for patients with recurrent bouts of Clostridium difficile (C.difficile) associated diarrhea is presented in three studies -- including a long-term follow-up of colonoscopic fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) for recurrent C. difficile Infection that included 77 patients from five different states-- unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 76th Annual Scientific meeting in Washington, DC.

1 Nov 2011

Tregs expansion can help prevent graft-versus-host disease

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a serious risk in many kinds of cell transplants, including for stem cell transplants carried out when stem cells are partially depleted of conventional T cells, which play an important role in the immune system. Now, researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have tested a process by which T regulatory cells (Tregs) can be "expanded" to help prevent GVHD.

1 Nov 2011

NCI awards ImaginAb $2.3M grant to develop PET diagnostic imaging agents

ImaginAb, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a total of $2.3 million in funding from the National Cancer Institute's Small Business Innovation Research program to help further develop diagnostic imaging agents for Positron Emission Tomography.

1 Nov 2011

FDA approves Medtronic's Assurant Cobalt stent to treat narrowed iliac arteries

Advancing the treatment of peripheral artery disease, Medtronic, Inc. today announced approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Assurant Cobalt Iliac Balloon-Expandable Stent System.

From Medtronic 1 Nov 2011