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Hepatitis C Patients at Risk of Prostate and Renal Cancers and non-Hodgkin's ... - Maine News Online |
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It is already known that hepatitis C can cause liver cancer, especially if left untreated. Now, a novel study has unveiled that those having hepatitis C are also at the risk of prostate and renal cancers, as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
These people are at increased risk to face these problems than the general population who do not have the disease. The researchers have gone through the medical records of cancer diagnosis for patients above 18 year old between 2008 and 2012.
Initially, it was considered that these people were affected by hepatitis C or not. In the same period, at least 145,000 men and women had hepatitis C and more than 13 million people did not. Of the ones who were having the disease, more than 2,000 cancer cases were reported within 5 years. It was equivalent to more than 1,500 per 100,000 people.
If the liver cancer diagnoses are not included then the number reduced to 1,139 per 100,000. As per researchers, the number was still high when compared to non-hepatitis C population. Overall, the risk of develop cancer for those having the virus was at least 2.5 times higher than the general population if liver cancer is included.
If it is not included than at least 2 times. When other factors were included like smoking and alcohol then the risk increased. Hepatitis C is caused by a virus that causes severe inflammation of the liver. Infected blood spreads the disease and there is no known cure for the problem. But there are certain drugs that can delay the advancement.
"The results suggest that cancer rates are increased in the cohort of hepatitis C patients versus the non-hepatitis C patients, both including and excluding liver cancers", said senior study author Lisa Nyberg from the Kaiser Permanente, Southern California.
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Renal Tumor Biopsy Urged for Small Renal Masses - Renal and Urology News |
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April 27, 2015
In a study, treatment could have been avoided in at least 26% of cases because a biopsy revealed a benign lesion, researchers reported.
Renal tumor biopsy (RTB) for the characterization of small renal masses (SRMs) is safe and reliable and avoids unnecessary treatment, according to a new study.
A team led by Antonio Finelli, MD, of the University of Toronto, retrospectively studied 509 patients who underwent 529 biopsies for solid SRMs 4 cm or less in diameter. RTBs yielded an overall diagnostic rate of 94%. Following RTB, treatment could have been avoided in at least 26% of cases because the lesion was benign, the researchers reported online ahead of print in European Urology.
“Routine RTB should be considered in all patients with an indeterminate SRM for which treatment is being considered,” the investigators concluded.
Study results showed that 175 patients underwent surgery following RTB. Surgical pathology was unavailable in 3 cases. RTB histology and nuclear grade were concordant with final pathology findings in 93% and 94%, respectively.
Of the masses not initially treated with surgery, 230 were managed with active surveillance and 94 underwent thermal ablation. Fifteen patients were referred to an oncologist for systemic therapies. Adverse events (AEs) occurred in 8.5% of cases; in all cases except 1, the AEs were self-limited.
Despite their potential benefits, RTBs have not been widely adopted in the management of RTBs, Dr. Finelli and his colleagues stated. “The lag in uptake is likely due to concerns regarding the lack of sufficient tissue for diagnosis, discordance with final pathology, safety, and, most importantly, the lack of perceived impact on clinical management,” they wrote.
They noted that their results demonstrate that these concerns are exaggerated. “In view of our results, it seems difficult to continue to justify a timid uptake of routine SRM biopsies and the use of this information to implement treatment strategies. … Given the current evidence, it is our strong belief that it is now time to shift the clinical paradigm. We believe that RTB should be considered the initial step in the management of patients with radiographically indeterminate SRMs in whom a therapeutic approach is being considered.”
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Dr. Chesney, pediatric nephrology pioneer - AAP News |
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- Copyright © 2015 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
A distinguished pediatric nephrologist dedicated to slowing the progression of kidney disease in children, Russell W. Chesney, M.D., A.B., FAAP, of Memphis, Tenn., died April 2 at age 72.
Dr. Chesney
Dr. Chesney received the Henry L. Barnett Award in 2004 from the AAP Section on Nephrology for lifetime achievement and the Nutrition Award from the Committee on Nutrition in 1996 for research on taurine in human and animal nutrition. A strong child health advocate, Dr. Chesney also was a key AAP ally in promoting the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act, which was passed into law in 2002.
Dr. Chesney was among the first group to sit for the pediatric nephrology subspecialty examination in 1974. Extensive research in the field ensued. He was interested in investigating the transport of amino acids, particularly taurine, by the kidney. He also published studies on vitamin D’s role in preventing kidney failure and heart complications and provided evidence for pediatric nephrology therapies now used worldwide.
He was president of the American Pediatric Society, Society for Pediatric Research, Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs and the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology. He also was chair of the American Board of Pediatrics Board of Directors and served on numerous other boards and committees.
Within the Academy, Dr. Chesney was vice chair of the task force of the Future of Pediatric Education II. He was a member of the AAP Section on Nephrology, Committees on Nutrition and Federal Government Affairs, and chair of the Committees on Pediatric Research and Pediatric Education. He also served as Tennessee Chapter president.
Among honors, he received the American Pediatric Society’s John Howland Award, the Federation of Pediatric Organizations’ Joseph W. St. Geme Jr. Leadership Award, Society for Pediatric Research E. Mead Johnson Award, American Society of Pediatric Nephrology Founder’s Award, the International Pediatric Nephrology Association’s Ira Greifer Award and the Tennessee Chapter’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2012, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center established the annual Russell W. Chesney Excellence in Pediatrics Award to honor the top graduating student.
Dr. Chesney earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester (1968), completed his internship and residency at The Harriet Lane Service at Johns Hopkins University, and fellowships in nephrology and biochemical genetics at McGill University in Montreal. A founder of the LeBonheur’s Children’s Foundation Research Center, he was chair, pediatrics, at University of Tennessee and LeBonheur Children’s Hospital for more than 23 years. Most recently, he served as professor of pediatrics and physiology.
He is survived by his wife, P. Joan Chesney, M.D., FAAP, three children and two grandchildren.
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Motor Vehicle Program Signs Up Additional Organ Donors - Renal and Urology News |
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April 27, 2015
A brief web-based program increased the likelihood of motor vehicle customers registering as organ donors.
(HealthDay News) -- A brief, web-based training program for department of motor vehicles (DMV) employees that educates them about organ and tissue donation can increase the likelihood of customers registering as organ donors, according to research published in the American Journal of Transplantation.
Howard Degenholtz, Ph.D., from the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues assessed a brief, web-based training program for DMV staff that included education about organ and tissue donation and modeled the correct way to interact with customers. Extensive input and active participation from DMV staff were utilized in developing the intervention. Following a small-scale pilot test, all DMV offices in West Virginia were randomly allocated to either receive the training or not.
The researchers found that the likelihood of registering as organ donors was 7.5% higher for customers of trained DMV staff. In conservative estimates, this could result in about 800 additional donor designations per month. Once the training has been deployed it can be used continually without incurring additional cost. The state of West Virginia has implemented the training for all new employees.
"We demonstrated that a brief, web-based training system for DMV staff can have a lasting impact on donor designation rates," the authors write. "We used a statewide randomized design to establish the causal connection between training and designation rates."
Source
- Degenholtz, HB, et al. American Journal of Transplantation; doi: 10.1111/ajt.13117.
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