PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Diagnosis and management of pancreatic cancer: A review for physicians

2013-04-22
(Press-News.org) Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of death from cancer, and while family physicians in Canada only see 1 cases a year, the number of cases is expected to increase as the population ages. A review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) provides an evidence-based overview of diagnosis and treatment of the disease for general physicians.

The main risk factor for pancreatic cancer is smoking, although about 20% of patients have a family history of the disease. Symptoms usually manifest 10 years after the start of the disease, which means screening has theoretical benefits although there are no evidence-based standardized screening protocols. For people with hereditary pancreatic cancer, screening on a limited investigational protocol begins 10 years before the youngest relative was diagnosed or at age 40, whichever comes first. Diagnostic tests include abdominal ultrasounds and CT scans, the latter being used to diagnose the stage of cancer and the location of the position of the tumour in relation to vessels and other organs.

Surgery can be successful for cancers that have not spread beyond the pancreas, with a 5-year survival of 15%, but higher in some cases (25󈞔%). Adjuvant chemotherapy, especially with gemcitabine, which has lower toxicity than some treatments, is recommended for all patients. The benefits of radiation therapy are uncertain according to the evidence.

"Surgery…remains the only therapy with curative potential," write Drs. Steven Gallinger, and Zaheer Kanji, Department of Surgery, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario. "Accelerated progress in understanding pancreatic cancer relies on robust partnerships between clinicians and basic scientists, such as the current global effort to develop more integrated translational pancreatic cancer programs. Next-generation sequencing has revolutionized the field of pancreatic cancer genetics," the authors write.

The sequencing of genomes of 750 pancreatic specimens will help in understanding the disease and ultimately lead to "personalized" treatment.

### END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New agent might control breast-cancer growth and spread

2013-04-22
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) suggests that an unusual experimental drug can reduce breast-cancer aggressiveness, reverse resistance to the drug fulvestrant and perhaps improve the effectiveness of other breast-cancer drugs. The findings of the laboratory and animal study, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggest a new strategy for treating breast cancer, the researchers say. The drug, ...

Cutting back on sleep harms blood vessel function and breathing control

2013-04-22
BOSTON—With work and entertainment operating around the clock in our modern society, sleep is often a casualty. A bevy of research has shown a link between sleep deprivation and cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and obesity. However, it's been unclear why sleep loss might lead to these effects. Several studies have tested the effects of total sleep deprivation, but this model isn't a good fit for the way most people lose sleep, with a few hours here and there. In a new study by Keith Pugh, Shahrad Taheri, and George Balanos, all of the University of Birmingham ...

Nearly half of veterans found with blast concussions might have hormone deficiencies

2013-04-22
BOSTON—Up to 20 percent of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have experienced at least one blast concussion. New research suggests that nearly half these veterans may have a problem so under-recognized that even military physicians may fail to look for it. A new study conducted by Charles W. Wilkinson, Elizabeth A. Colasurdo, Kathleen F. Pagulayan, Jane. B. Shofer, and Elaine R. Peskind, all of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System and the University of Washington in Seattle, has found that about 42 percent of screened veterans with blast injuries have irregular ...

Rare condition implicated in pregnant women infected with malaria

2013-04-22
BOSTON — A passing remark launched the project that will be described at the Experimental Biology 2013 conference in Boston on Monday. A poster, presented by undergraduate Ashley McMichael from Albany State University, has preliminary data that hint that there is an association between a rare pregnancy condition and malaria. The remark that launched the project was made by a collaborator of Julie Moore, a malaria expert at the University of Georgia. Moore was visiting her collaborator, pediatric pathologist Carlos Abramowsky at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (affiliated ...

Study: Mushrooms provide as much vitamin D as supplements

2013-04-22
BOSTON — Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have discovered that eating mushrooms containing vitamin D2 can be as effective at increasing and maintaining vitamin D levels (25–hydroxyvitamin D) as taking supplemental vitamin D2 or vitamin D3. These findings will be presented Monday, April 22, at the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, which is being held in conjunction with the Experimental Biology 2013 meeting in Boston. The findings also will appear concurrently as an open-access article in the journal Dermato-Endocrinology. ...

The human immune system in space

2013-04-22
BOSTON — When the space shuttle Atlantis touched down in the summer of 2011 at Cape Canaveral, closing the book on the U.S. shuttle program, a team of U.S. Army researchers stood at the ready, eager to get their gloved hands on a small device in the payload that housed a set of biological samples. On Monday, April 22, at the Experimental Biology 2013 conference in Boston, the team will present the results of nearly two years' worth of study on those samples, results that shed light on how the human immune system responds to stress and assaults while in space – and maybe ...

New studies examine caffeine's effect on cognitive tasks, food pairing

2013-04-22
Boston, MA—Since 1977, there has been a 70% increase in caffeine consumption among children and adolescents. Whether it is coffee, tea, soda, or energy drinks, our children are consuming more of it. One well documented effect of caffeine is improved cognitive performance on certain tasks. However, scientists also hypothesize that habitual caffeine use may lead to greater neural rewards if the caffeine drinker were to consume illicit drugs. To add more to the research base regarding caffeine's effect on cognition in children and teens, Jennifer Temple, PhD, University ...

Anatomist is fleshing out dinosaur heads, reaching people about science

2013-04-22
Boston, MA—Accurately depicting dinosaur anatomy has come a long way since the science fiction films of the 1960s. In celebration of the American Association of Anatomists' (AAA) 125th anniversary, renowned dinosaur anatomy expert Dr. Lawrence Witmer will deliver a lecture reflecting on the AAA's first President Joseph Leidy, also a preeminent American dinosaur paleontologist, and the modernizing of prehistoric bones. Witmer will show how the Visible Interactive Dinosaur (VID) project recreates soft-tissue systems within a 3D digital environment. VID, funded by the National ...

Cocktail of multiple pressures combine to threaten the world's pollinating insects

2013-04-22
A new review of insect pollinators of crops and wild plants has concluded they are under threat globally from a cocktail of multiple pressures, and their decline or loss could have profound environmental, human health and economic consequences. Globally, insects provide pollination services to about 75% of crop species and enable reproduction in up to 94% of wild flowering plants. Pollination services provided by insects each year worldwide are valued at over US$200 billion. The review, published today (22 April 2013) in the scientific journal 'Frontiers in Ecology ...

3 new studies reveal added fiber's impact on various health indices

2013-04-22
Chicago — (April 22, 2013) – The health benefits of fibre are relatively well known yet average fibre intake around the world continues to be inadequate (1,2). Many diets continue to lack recommended servings of foods naturally high in fibre like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains resulting in low fibre intake (3). Three new studies contribute to the growing body of evidence for the health benefits of added fibres in the diet. These types of fibre can be added to a wide range of foods and contribute similar health benefits as "intact" fibres, providing a ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Premenstrual symptoms linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease

Newly discovered remains of ancient river landscapes control ice flow in East Antarctica

Newly discovered interstellar object 'may be oldest comet ever seen'

Animal-inspired AI robot learns to navigate unfamiliar terrain

Underserved youth less likely to visit emergency department for concussion in Ontario, study finds

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

[Press-News.org] Diagnosis and management of pancreatic cancer: A review for physicians