Tag Archives: states

Phase II trial of Bevacizumab (Svastin) in locally advanced cervical cancer found ‘promising’

"Cervical cancer is a huge problem worldwide, but isn’t as big a problem in the United States. So in many ways it tends to become a somewhat overlooked and under-studied disease," says Tracey Schefter, MD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, director of the Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and the study’s lead author…

Costs for complications from cancer surgical care extremely high

The authors’ findings come against the backdrop of rising cancer care costs in the United States, which were estimated at $124.6 billion in 2010 and could rise by 66 percent to $207 billion by 2020. "It is widely known that outcomes after cancer surgery vary widely, depending on interactions between patient, tumor, neoadjuvant therapy and provider factors," said Marah Short, a senior research analyst for the Baker Institute’s Health Policy Forum. "An area of cancer care that has received little attention is the influence of complications on medical outcomes and costs of care…

Cervical cancer screenings overused in some groups of women

“Almost two-thirds (64.5%) of women who have had hysterectomies reported having recent Pap tests,” said Deanna Kepka, PhD, MPH, co-author of the study, a Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) investigator, and assistant professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Utah. “And half (50.4%) of women over 65 who have no cervical cancer history also reported a recent Pap test. This represents 14 million women in the United States receiving an unnecessary procedure.” Because the risk of developing this slow-growing cancer is very small at such a late stage in life, Pap tests do not benefit women over age 65 who have no history of cervical cancer or pre-cancerous conditions…

Tobacco myths persist 50 years after US Surgeon General warned Americans of smoking dangers

"Since 1964, smoking rates have dropped by more than half as a result of successful education, legislative and smoking cessation efforts," said Lewis Foxhall, M.D., vice president for health policy at MD Anderson. "Still, lung cancer remains the number one cancer killer and the leading preventable cause of death in the United States." With the approaching 50th anniversary of the Surgeon General’s Report, Foxhall and other MD Anderson experts urge the public to take a proactive stance against this pervasive health issue by gaining insight on current tobacco issues including information that disproves the following myths. Tobacco Myth #1: Almost no one smokes any more. …