Colitis, Constipation, Crohn's, Colon cancer & other IBD's

waltky · Dec 24, 2012

Bowel cancer genes found...

Two bowel cancer genes discovered
23 December 2012 - UK researchers believe they have explained why some families are incredibly vulnerable to bowel cancer.

They have found two genes, which are passed from parent to child, that greatly increase the risk of a tumour forming. The study, published in Nature Genetics, analysed DNA from 20 people with a strong family history. The findings could be used to develop a test to judge someone's risk of the disease.

One of the people who took part in the study, Joe Wiegand from Hampshire, was diagnosed with bowel cancer when he was 28. Most of his colon had to be removed. "There's a very strong history of bowel cancer in my family - my dad's mother and sister both had it, my dad was diagnosed with it at 43 and a few cousins have had bowel cancers and brain tumours. "It's clear that something's going on in our family." The researchers looked at the genetic code of 20 people and found faults in two genes could increase the chance of developing the cancer.

Prevention

Lead researcher, Prof Ian Tomlinson from the University of Oxford, said: "There are some families where large numbers of relatives develop bowel cancer, but who don't have any of the known gene faults that raise the risk of developing the disease. "These two faults are rare, but if you inherit them your chance of bowel cancer is high." He said that, in the short-term, the findings could be used to work out which people had a high risk of developing bowel cancer and, in families with a high incidence of the cancer, to work out which people were at risk and needed more regular screening. He said it was "conceivable" that specific therapies could be designed to overcome these mutations in the future.

Prof Richard Houlston, from the Institute of Cancer Research, said the finding was "one of the most important discoveries in bowel cancer genetics in years". Dr Julie Sharp, from Cancer Research UK, said the research was "another piece of the puzzle" for at-risk families. She said the findings mean, "doctors can help families with a strong family history by preventing cancer from developing or diagnosing it earlier to help more people survive".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20810849
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Richard Powell · Jan 4, 2013

There are numerous diseases in society which might effect badly. It is good that people are making discovery of it.

OldManOnFire · Jan 4, 2013

waltky said: ↑

Bowel cancer genes found...

Two bowel cancer genes discovered
23 December 2012 - UK researchers believe they have explained why some families are incredibly vulnerable to bowel cancer.
Click to expand...

I wish the federal government would wake up and encourage gene therapy research including some heavy funding. Forget for a moment all the fears about gene manipulation to create perfect little humans and instead let's fully understand gene therapy in order to provide a better quality of life to millions of Earthlings...not to mention saving trillion$ on health care costs and lost productivity.

http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/therapy?show=all

waltky · Feb 25, 2013

Drug for colo-rectal cancer expanded for use with gastro-intestinal tumors...

FDA expands approval of Bayer cancer drug
Feb 25,`13 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration on Monday expanded approval of a Bayer cancer pill to treat tumors of the intestinal tract that don't respond to other treatments.

The drug is called Stivarga and regulators approved it to treat gastrointestinal stromal tumors that cannot be surgically removed and no longer respond to other FDA-approved drugs. The FDA previously approved Stivarga to treat colorectal cancer. It works by blocking several enzymes that promote cancer growth.

The FDA approved the drug for the new use based on a study of nearly 200 patients who were randomly assigned to take Stivarga or a placebo pill. Patients taking the drug experienced a nearly four month delay in the growth of their tumors compared to taking placebo.

The most common side effects of Stivarga in clinical trials included liver damage, severe bleeding, blistering and peeling of skin, high blood pressure, heart attacks and perforations.

Other drugs approved to treat intestinal tumors include Gleevec, from Novartis, and Sutent, made by Pfizer Inc. Bayer HealthCare is a subsidiary of Germany's Bayer AG

Source
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waltky · Mar 6, 2013

Earlier diagnosis and treatment could save more lives...

Stomach cancer 'spotted by breath test'
5 March 2013 - A quick and simple breath test can diagnose stomach cancer, study findings reveal.

Scientists from Israel and China found the test was 90% accurate at detecting and distinguishing cancers from other stomach complaints in 130 patients. The British Journal of Cancer says the test could revolutionise and speed up the way this cancer is diagnosed. About 7,000 UK people develop stomach cancer each year and most have an advanced stage of the disease.

Two-fifths of patients survive for at least a year, but only a fifth are still alive after five years, despite treatment. Currently doctors diagnose stomach cancer by taking a biopsy of the stomach lining using a probe and a flexible camera passed via mouth and down the gullet. The new test looks for chemical profiles in exhaled breath that are unique to patients with stomach cancer.

Volatile organic compounds

Cancer appears to give off a signature smell of volatile organic compounds that can be detected using the right technical medical kit - and perhaps even dogs. The science behind the test itself is not new - many researchers have been working on the possibility of breath tests for a number of cancers, including lung. But the work by Prof Hossam Haick, of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, suggests it is a good way to spot stomach cancer. In the study, 37 of the patients had stomach cancer, 32 had stomach ulcers and 61 had other stomach complaints. As well as accurately distinguishing between these conditions 90% of the time, the breath test could tell the difference between early and late-stage stomach cancers.

The team are now running a bigger study in more patients to validate their test. Kate Law, director of clinical research at Cancer Research UK, said: "The results of this latest study are promising - although large scale trials will now be needed to confirm these findings. "Only one in five people are able to have surgery as part of their treatment as most stomach cancers are diagnosed at stages that are too advanced for surgery. Any test that could help diagnose stomach cancers earlier would make a difference to patients' long-term survival."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21671455
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OldManOnFire · Mar 6, 2013

waltky said: ↑

Earlier diagnosis and treatment could save more lives...

Stomach cancer 'spotted by breath test'
5 March 2013 - A quick and simple breath test can diagnose stomach cancer, study findings reveal.
Click to expand...

There are also studies underway to analyze gum disease and how it might be linked to other internal diseases. Our human bodies have external openings at the ears, the eyes, the nose, the mouth, the vagina, and the pee and poo holes; seems to me that any weirdness going on in these systems could be captured at these various ports?? The fluids, solids and vapors that evacuate themselves from these ports surely can tell a story...

waltky · Mar 7, 2013

Research into gut bacteria...

Scientists Explore Gut Reaction to Disease
March 06, 2013 — The human body harbors 100 trillion microbes, naturally occurring bacteria that can be helpful, even essential to our health. The microbes in our gut, or gastro-intestinal tract, help us digest our food and keep disease-causing bacteria at bay.

University of Colorado scientist Rob Knight is trying to learn what nutrients promote the beneficial ones, and understand how they interact. “What this research could ultimately lead to is a world where no infectious disease goes undiagnosed,” he says. To achieve that goal, Knight needs lots of microbes, from lots of people. To collect them, he’s launched an online campaign called the American Gut project. People around the world are invited to take part. They are sent a questionnaire about their diet, their health and their use of antibiotics, along with sterile cotton swabs to rub on their tongue, or their hands or their forehead. Subjects even run the swabs over their used toilet paper so Knight can obtain samples of their personal microbes. Then, they return the packet to Knight’s lab.

Lab director, Chris Lauber, who says that most studies of the human microbiome focus on lab animals or people with a specific illness, is confident the open-ended nature of the American Gut Project will reveal new information. "Anybody can enroll, and we don’t care what their disease state is and whether they’re on antibiotics," Lauber says. "We just want to know about them. And what microbes are in their gut.” A growing body of research indicates it’s easy to kill off these gut microbes, through malnutrition, overuse of antibiotics, junk food and pollution. For example, in countries with traditional diets and less antibiotic use, allergies, asthma and autoimmune disease are less common than they are in Western countries.

Changes to gut microbes may even contribute to the worldwide epidemic of obesity and diabetes, which is why Second Genome CEO Peter DiLaura says his company is sponsoring sampling kits for 100 Type 2 diabetics. “We’re really focused on working with Rob and the team at American Gut to understand in detail the microbial communities and the microbiome for this epidemic,” DiLaura says. Second Genome hopes to develop pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals for diabetes treatment based on what is discovered about the microbes in our guts.

But Knight says the immediate goal is to continue gathering important data, and he encourages everyone to participate in the sampling: “You should participate if you have a fundamental interest in what microbes are living on and inside of your body," he says. "And also if you want to contribute to medical research that might someday provide useful information to you or to other people.” Everyone who participates in the American Gut project will receive a summary of the microbes in their sample plus feedback about their foodlog and their health questionnaire. They can also donate scholarships to sample the microbes of people in developing nations, and volunteer to be part of future research.

Source
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waltky · Aug 15, 2013

Gene mutations cause cancer...

Gene Study Uncovers Origins of Many Common Cancers
August 14, 2013 — Researchers in Britain have set out the first comprehensive map of mutational processes behind the development of tumors — work that should in future lead to better ways to treat and prevent a wide range of cancers.

In a study published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, researchers who analyzed more than 7,000 genomes, or genetic codes, of common forms of cancer uncovered 21 so-called "signatures" of processes that mutate DNA. "[This] is an important step to discovering the processes that drive cancer formation," said Serena Nik-Zainal of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute who worked on the research. "Through detailed analysis, we can start to use the overwhelming amounts of information buried deep in the DNA of cancers to our advantage in terms of understanding how and why cancers arise." All cancers are caused by mutations in DNA occurring in cells of the body during someone's lifetime.

Scientists are clear about some things, such as that chemicals in tobacco smoke cause mutations in lung cells that lead to lung cancers, or that ultraviolet light triggers mutations in skin cells that lead to skin cancers. But they have yet to figure out the biological processes that cause mutations behind most common cancers. "We're beginning to know quite a lot about what the consequences of those mutations are. But actually we have a really rudimentary understanding of what is causing the mutations in the first place," said Mike Stratton, the Sanger Institute's director and the lead researcher on this study. "And after all, the things that are causing those mutations are the causes of cancer."

Lab officer cuts DNA fragment under UV light from an agarose gel for DNA sequencing as part of research to determine genetic mutation in a blood cancer patient

The team analyzed the genetic codes of 7,042 cases of cancer in people from around the world, covering 30 different types of the disease, to see if they could find patterns, or signatures, of mutational processes. They discovered that all the cancers contained two or more signatures — a finding that shows the variety of processes that work together when a cancer develops. They also found that different cancers have different numbers of mutational processes. While two mutational processes underlie the development of ovarian cancer, there are six behind the development of liver cancer, the researchers said. And some signatures are found in multiple cancer types, while others are only found in one type. Out of the 30 cancers, 25 had signatures from mutational processes linked to aging.

In a suggestion of what might be behind many common cancers, the team also discovered that a family of enzymes called APOBECs, known to mutate DNA, was linked to more than half of the cancer types studied. APOBECs can be activated when the body is responding to a viral infection. The researchers said it may be that the resulting “signatures” are collateral damage on the human genome caused by the enzymes acting to protect cells from viruses. Stratton described the results as like uncovering the "archeological traces" of the many mutational processes that lead to most cancers. "This compendium of mutational signatures and the consequent insights into the mutational processes underlying them has profound implications for the understanding of cancer."

http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-gene-study-uncovers-origins-of-many-common-cancers/1729926.html
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OldManOnFire · Aug 15, 2013

waltky said: ↑

Gene mutations cause cancer...

Gene Study Uncovers Origins of Many Common Cancers
August 14, 2013 — Researchers in Britain have set out the first comprehensive map of mutational processes behind the development of tumors — work that should in future lead to better ways to treat and prevent a wide range of cancers.
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How long does it take for a gene to mutate?

I wonder if research is being done in which test candidates, both healthy and diseased, their daily behavior is collected and in parallel DNA tests are done...on a daily or weekly or monthly basis or ever how long it takes for a gene to mutate? I'm assuming computers can quickly review this data and determine any mutations? Are these mutations always caused by external events...which I assume the answer is no.

wyly · Aug 15, 2013

OldManOnFire said: ↑

How long does it take for a gene to mutate?

I wonder if research is being done in which test candidates, both healthy and diseased, their daily behavior is collected and in parallel DNA tests are done...on a daily or weekly or monthly basis or ever how long it takes for a gene to mutate? I'm assuming computers can quickly review this data and determine any mutations? Are these mutations always caused by external events...which I assume the answer is no.
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and mutations are absolutely normal, they're what drives evolution...unfortunately what's good for the species doesn't always go good for the individual...

OldManOnFire · Aug 16, 2013

wyly said: ↑

and mutations are absolutely normal, they're what drives evolution...unfortunately what's good for the species doesn't always go good for the individual...
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So they need to figure out how to UN-mutate the unwanted mutations or mess with the timing mechanism so the unwanted mutations never develop. Since some mutations are passed from parents at birth, I suppose they would need to be identified and altered while in fetus or immediately after birth? I'm assuming if a person develops cancer, that altering genes to remove this mutation won't terminate the existing cancer. Seems simple from a novice and macro level in which I reside that DNA is checked while in fetus and all nasty mutations altered as soon as medically possible.

Separately, if longevity were improved, there would need to be another discussion to review what happens to Earth and society when billions more people live longer lives? Earth and it's nations and societies currently are a mess so ridding humans of disease while wonderful in it's own perspective has some downside issues...

wyly · Aug 16, 2013

OldManOnFire said: ↑

So they need to figure out how to UN-mutate the unwanted mutations or mess with the timing mechanism so the unwanted mutations never develop. Since some mutations are passed from parents at birth, I suppose they would need to be identified and altered while in fetus or immediately after birth? I'm assuming if a person develops cancer, that altering genes to remove this mutation won't terminate the existing cancer. Seems simple from a novice and macro level in which I reside that DNA is checked while in fetus and all nasty mutations altered as soon as medically possible.
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great ideas but exceedingly complex...

Separately, if longevity were improved, there would need to be another discussion to review what happens to Earth and society when billions more people live longer lives? Earth and it's nations and societies currently are a mess so ridding humans of disease while wonderful in it's own perspective has some downside issues...
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I would imagine if we longer improved lives population would drop...

OldManOnFire · Aug 17, 2013

wyly said: ↑

great ideas but exceedingly complex...

I would imagine if we longer improved lives population would drop...
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We need to stay slightly above population replacement rates in order to sustain humans...this means population increase.

The complexity of gene research should be made simple with all the work being done by computers...extract some DNA and give it to a computer which does all the work. I don't know the process how technicians can manipulate the mutations? To me this sounds a lot more simple than chronic health issues and major invasive surgeries, etc...

waltky · Aug 17, 2013

Old Man wrote: We need to stay slightly above population replacement rates in order to sustain humans...this means population increase.

True, but the key phrase is 'slightly above'...

... the current world's rate of population increase is nowhere near 'slightly above'...

... and is the source of many of the world's woes.

OldManOnFire · Aug 17, 2013

waltky said: ↑

Old Man wrote: We need to stay slightly above population replacement rates in order to sustain humans...this means population increase.

True, but the key phrase is 'slightly above'...

... the current world's rate of population increase is nowhere near 'slightly above'...

... and is the source of many of the world's woes.
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I think the world replacement rate is around 2.6 compared to 2.1 in the USA. Just looked at some data which shows every minute 24/7/365 the world has 252 births and 107 deaths for a net gain of ~145 humans per minute. With ~525,600 minutes per year, we can assume world population growth of about 76.2 million per year. Can't know the birth rate ten years from now but we can roughly assume we're adding about 1 billion more humans every 10-11 years. By 2050 assuming the status quo the world might have a population around 11 billion...a 57% growth rate over today.

In CA this means we grow from 39 million to 61.2 million. It is difficult to fathom in CA that we will be proactive and/or have the money to increase the infrastructure (roads, bridges, airports, rail, schools, government) by 57%. IMO it's impossible to increase current 10 lane freeways to 16 lane freeways! We can't build a parallel Golden Gate Bridge. We already have potable water shortages in many areas so what happens when this is exacerbated by 57%?

Regarding jobs and the economy, the US population today is 315 million so a 57% increase gives us about 495 million. If 46% of the population currently works, by 2050 this will equate to about 228 million workers or about 83 million more than we have today. Using today's rate, approximately each $100K of GDP equals one job, so adding 83 million new workers requires that we grow GDP by about $8.3 trillion. This requires a minimum of 190,000 'new' jobs created every single month until 2050 just to sustain the tentative economy we have today...and more if we desire a more robust economy.

Population growth IMO is similar to global climate change and an oil crisis; all can have horrific consequences, we will not be proactive, and they will suddenly sneak up on us...

wyly · Aug 19, 2013

OldManOnFire said: ↑

We need to stay slightly above population replacement rates in order to sustain humans...this means population increase.
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it won't end death only delay it, slowing the death rate for 10yrs or so but then those people will die regardless...
educated populations have smaller families so that won't change, biggest change would come in third world countries where if the technology were accessible/inexpensive family size would also decrease as the poor have families as children are substitute as retirement/pension plan

The complexity of gene research should be made simple with all the work being done by computers...extract some DNA and give it to a computer which does all the work. I don't know the process how technicians can manipulate the mutations? To me this sounds a lot more simple than chronic health issues and major invasive surgeries, etc...
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a much more appealing option for sure but I think the level of technology required is a few decades away....

waltky · Oct 4, 2013

Well now, ain't dat a turn of events - Eat sh*t an' live...

Pills made from poop cure serious gut infections
3 Oct.`13 ~ Hold your nose and don't spit out your coffee: Doctors have found a way to put healthy people's poop into pills that can cure serious gut infections a less yucky way to do "fecal transplants." Canadian researchers tried this on 27 patients and cured them all after strong antibiotics failed to help.

It's a gross topic but a serious problem. Half a million Americans get Clostridium difficile, or C-diff, infections each year, and about 14,000 die. The germ causes nausea, cramping and diarrhea so bad it is often disabling. A very potent and pricey antibiotic can kill C-diff but also destroys good bacteria that live in the gut, leaving it more susceptible to future infections. Recently, studies have shown that fecal transplants giving infected people stool from a healthy donor can restore that balance. But they're given through expensive, invasive procedures like colonoscopies or throat tubes. Doctors also have tried giving the stool through enemas but the treatment doesn't always take hold. There even are YouTube videos on how to do a similar treatment at home via an enema. A study in a medical journal of a small number of these "do-it-yourself" cases suggests the approach is safe and effective.

Dr. Thomas Louie, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Calgary, devised a better way a one-time treatment custom-made for each patient. Donor stool, usually from a relative, is processed in the lab to take out food and extract the bacteria and clean it. It is packed into triple-coated gel capsules so they won't dissolve until they reach the intestines. "There's no stool left just stool bugs. These people are not eating poop," and there are no smelly burps because the contents aren't released until they're well past the stomach, Louie said. Days before starting the treatment, patients are given an antibiotic to kill the C-diff. On the morning of the treatment, they have an enema so "the new bacteria coming in have a clean slate," Louie said.

It takes 24 to 34 capsules to fit the bacteria needed for a treatment, and patients down them in one sitting. The pills make their way to the colon and seed it with the normal variety of bacteria. Louie described 27 patients treated this way on Thursday at IDWeek, an infectious diseases conference in San Francisco. All had suffered at least four C-diff infections and relapses, but none had a recurrence after taking the poop pills. Margaret Corbin, 69, a retired nurse's aide from Calgary, told of the misery of C-diff. "It lasted for two years. It was horrible. I thought I was dying. I couldn't eat. Every time I ate anything or drank water I was into the bathroom," she said. "I never went anywhere, I stayed home all the time." With her daughter as the donor, she took pills made by Louie two years ago, and "I've been perfectly fine since," Corbin said.

Dr. Curtis Donskey of the Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, who has done fecal transplants through colonoscopies, praised the work. "The approach that Dr. Louie has is completely novel no one else has done this," he said. "I am optimistic that this type of preparation will make these procedures much easier for patients and for physicians." The treatment now must be made fresh for each patient so the pills don't start to dissolve at room temperature, because their water content would break down the gel coating. Minnesota doctors are testing freezing stool, which doesn't kill the bacteria, so it could be stored and shipped anywhere a patient needed it. "You could have a universal donor in Minnesota provide a transplant for someone in Florida. That's where we're heading," Donskey said.

MORE
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waltky · Mar 21, 2014

New non-invasive test has been developed that is as good as a colonoscopy...

Non-Invasive Test Detects 94% of Cancers
March 20, 2014 A noninvasive test has been developed that is as good as a colonoscopy at detecting both precancerous and cancerous changes in the colon and rectum. This is welcome news for people age 50 and over who dread undergoing routine colonoscopies, which require bowel preparation and fasting.

Colonoscopies are used to detect colon and rectal cancers, as well as precancerous lesions, known as polyps. More importantly, the new test eliminates serious risk, including perforation. Using this stool test, a single stool sample can be collected and mailed from home without any dietary changes or medication restrictions as is required with some of the currently available in-home fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) for occult (hidden) blood.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute. The National Cancer Institute estimates more than 50,000 people in the U.S. died of colon and rectal cancer in 2013 with more than 1.1 million living with the disease in 2010. In 2008, only about 63% of people in the U.S. between the age of 50 years and 75 years were screened for colorectal cancer, despite the fact that colorectal cancer is preventable from removal of polyps and considered curable at early cancer stages.

The new test, named Cologuard, was developed by researchers at the Mayo Clinic and Exact Sciences. A multicenter trial of 10,000 individuals at 90 centers in the U.S. and Canada age 50 and older compared Cologuard to FIT and colonoscopy. Study participants, who were at average risk of colorectal cancer, underwent all three tests. Use of Colorguard detected 92% of cancers compared with FIT at 74%. It also detected 42% of advanced precancerous lesions, compared with FIT's 24%, and detected polyps with high-grade dysplasia at 69% compared with FIT's 46% rate of detection. However, the new test by Exact Sciences produced more false positive results than FIT.

MORE
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OldManOnFire · Mar 21, 2014

waltky said: ↑

New non-invasive test has been developed that is as good as a colonoscopy...

Non-Invasive Test Detects 94% of Cancers
March 20, 2014 — A noninvasive test has been developed that is as good as a colonoscopy at detecting both precancerous and cancerous changes in the colon and rectum. This is welcome news for people age 50 and over who dread undergoing routine colonoscopies, which require bowel preparation and fasting.
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Seems to me this makes perfect sense, after all, we should be able to test everything that naturally exits the body to determine appropriate metrics, like tear drops, ear wax, hair, saliva, snot, urine, feces, sweat, nails, and skin...plus the obligatory blood...

waltky · Apr 18, 2014

Granny cuttin' possum back on his balogna sammiches...

Study: Processed Meat Raises Colorectal Cancer Risk
April 17, 2014 ~ Many studies have shown that eating too much red meat is bad for your health; but, a new study has found that eating processed meat significantly increases the risk of colorectal cancer in some people.

Eating five or more servings per week of processed meat more than doubles the risk of colorectal cancer in people who have certain variants of a specific gene, according to Jane Figueiredo of the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine. Colorectal cancer is a leading form of cancer disease and death worldwide. The findings are based on a meta-analysis of 10 earlier studies involving 18,000 people in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe, which looked at the health effects of eating meats that contain nitrates as preservatives. "It's anything that is cured, dried, smoked, cooked [or] packaged. And so the most common items around the countries we were studying would include bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausages, pate, cold cuts," said Figueiredo.

The scientists compared the blood samples of some 9,000 people with colorectal cancer to 9,000 people without the disease, looking at one particular region of the genome. Colorectal cancer is a complex illness with some 30 genetic variations tied to an increased risk of developing it. The researchers found the people with two of the genetic variants that were the focus of the study, and who ate processed meats almost every day, had the highest risk for colorectal cancer. Figueiredo says the potentially harmful alleles - or changes in a specific gene - are extremely common. It happens in one in three individuals; that these individuals are actually at even at higher risk of the carcinogenic effects in processed meat," she said.

Does that mean that people with two copies of the genetic variants can eat more bacon and ham than those at the highest cancer risk? People have asked me that and I think that we should also limit our consumption of processed meat. It still more modestly increases risk at least in individuals that dont have this variant allele. But it still is a small effect. It's just a much larger effect in individuals that carry certain genetic changes," said Figueiredo.

Her team systematically sifted through millions of genetic variants of the study participants, identifying those that are associated with the effects of meat, fiber, fruit and vegetable consumption. Figueiredo says the investigation is the first to look at whether genes modify the impact of food on health. The study by Jane Figueiredo and colleagues is published in the journal PLoS Genetics.

http://www.voanews.com/content/study-processed-meat-raises-colorectal-cancer-risk/1895891.html
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waltky · Oct 26, 2014

Uncle Ferd don't wanna get poop on his finger...

New home test shakes up colon cancer screening
26 Oct.`14 ~ Starting Monday, millions of people who have avoided colon cancer screening can get a new home test that's noninvasive and doesn't require the icky preparation most other methods do.

The test is the first to look for cancer-related DNA in stool. But deciding whether to get it is a more complex choice than ads for "the breakthrough test ... that's as easy as going to the bathroom" make it seem. On one hand, the test could greatly boost screening for a deadly disease that too few people get checked for now. On the other hand, it could lure people away from colonoscopies and other tests that, unlike the new one, have been shown to save lives. It might even do both. "It looks promising," but its impact on cancer risk and survival isn't known, said Dr. Barnett Kramer, a National Cancer Institute screening expert.

David Smith, 67, a retired teacher from Northfield, Minnesota, shows the test's potential. He has never been screened for colon cancer and his doctor ran through the options, including a barium enema or a scope exam. "He pulled out one of those really colorful brochures they have for all those procedures," Smith said, but he had suffered an infection from a prostate biopsy years ago and didn't want another invasive test. When the doctor mentioned the new DNA test, "I said, well, sign me up." The test was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last month and will be offered by prescription at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where it was developed, and soon nationwide. It's called Cologuard and is sold by Exact Sciences Corp. of Madison, Wisconsin. Mayo Clinic and one of its doctors get royalties from the test. Here are some things to know about it:

HOW IT WORKS

Many current stool tests look for blood that could suggest a tumor. Cologuard does this plus detects DNA that could be a sign of cancer or precancerous growths called polyps. People send a stool sample to a lab where it is tested. If the test is positive, the next step is a diagnostic colonoscopy. A thin tube with a tiny camera is passed through the large intestine and growths can be removed and checked for cancer. When this is done for screening and precancerous polyps are removed, it can prevent cancer, not just detect it. It requires drinking laxatives the day before to clean out the bowel. A sigmoidoscopy is a similar scope exam but only looks at the lower portion of the bowel and does not require full sedation.

ADVERTISED BUT NOT ENDORSED

The best measure of a screening test's worth is whether it lowers the risk of death from a disease, and it's too soon to know whether Cologuard will. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which sets widely followed screening advice, has not yet considered it. For healthy adults age 50 to 75 at average risk for colon cancer, the task force backs three methods: annual stool blood tests, a sigmoidoscopy every five years plus stool tests every three years, or a colonoscopy once a decade.

ACCURACY
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OldManOnFire · Oct 27, 2014

waltky said: ↑

Uncle Ferd don't wanna get poop on his finger...

New home test shakes up colon cancer screening
26 Oct.`14 ~ Starting Monday, millions of people who have avoided colon cancer screening can get a new home test that's noninvasive and doesn't require the icky preparation most other methods do.
Click to expand...

Someone will invent a colander that fits nicely into the porcelain throne to catch the poop and whatever else we consume which will not digest within a month or so...like the house key, false teeth, and those nasty hair balls...next they will sell a kit (electric drill not included) with parabolic mirror for home removal of those benign polyps...

waltky · Sep 30, 2015

Torpedo for colitis and other GI disorders...

Smart capsule to target colon diseases
30 Sept.`15 - A new electronic drug capsule engineered to deliver medications directly to the colon could potentially offer a more effective and cheaper option for treating people with gastrointestinal conditions, according to researchers at Purdue University in Indiana.

The device is comprised of two parts, one carrying a drug payload and the other housing electronics designed on the same principles used to trigger a torpedo. "There is a magnetic switch and so when it gets close to the magnetic marker that can be worn outside (the body) or can be implanted close to where you want to release it," said lead researcher Babak Ziaie. "When it gets there it will trigger the magnetic switch and it will discharge the capacitor and you have a fuse that basically blows up," he added. That reaction triggers a spring-loaded mechanism that separates the capsule and releases the medication.

The medication is released after the capsule makes its eight hour journey through the harsh acidity of the stomach and 20 feet of small intestine, ensuring its drug payload reaches the colon intact. The device tackles the complex problem of drug delivery to the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract. The researchers designed the magnetic switch to ensure that electromagnetic signals such as those emitted by cell phones do not trigger capsule separation. Ziaie adds that the decision to wear or implant a magnet depends on a patient's weight. "You have to be close. You have to be within a couple of centimeters. So for a lean person you can wear the magnet outside. But if someone is very obese it actually wont trigger from outside so you probably have to implant," he said.

This targeted drug delivery system could potentially make drug treatment for a variety of gastrointestinal disorders, including bacterial infections, Crohn's disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, more efficient and cheaper, according to Ziaie. He estimates his capsules could be manufactured "for cents" once scaled up to commercial levels. The team is currently working with a private biomedical company in an effort to start clinical trials. More than 20 percent of the people globally suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, according to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders.

http://news.yahoo.com/smart-capsule-target-colon-diseases-145840116.html
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waltky · Oct 26, 2015

Processed meats bad fer ya...

Data Visualizations: Red Meat and Colon Cancer
26 Oct.`15 - The World Health Organization reported today that processed and red meat consumption can lead to colon cancer. The new report places processed meat in the highest category of agents classified as carcinogenic to humans, alongside cigarettes, alcohol and asbestos. Red meat is classified in the second-highest category of known carcinogens. The WHO's study was published in the UK Medical Journal The Lancet.[/i]

Below you'll find visualizations that chart red meat consumption and the incidence and mortality of colon cancer over the years. Also included is a list detailing the nutritional content of the unhealthiest red meats.

Data is curated by HealthGrove.com and sourced from the National Chicken Council, the National Cancer Institute, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Bureau for Labor Statistics and ESHA Research.

Charts
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OldManOnFire · Oct 27, 2015

Hopefully the hot dog eating champion is thinking about a new career...

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...d=0CDcQMygFMAVqFQoTCNTTpr-p48gCFQn2YwodY_UH8g

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