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

'Older people denied proper access to cancer care' according to Queen's study

2014-03-10
(Press-News.org) Older people globally are being denied proper access to cancer care, according to an editorial by Queen's University Belfast academic, Professor Mark Lawler of the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology.

In an editorial in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) Professor Lawler said: "there is increasing evidence from around the world that elderly patients are being 'undertreated', leading to a 'survival gap' between older and younger patients.

"We need a fundamental change in cancer policy for the elderly patient. Our current practices are essentially ageist, as we are making judgements based on how old the patient is rather than on their capacity to be entered into clinical trials or to receive potentially curative therapy. It is disappointing that we see different principles being applied for older patients when compared to younger patients, with these differences leading to poorer outcomes in the elderly patient population."

Professor Lawler's findings are published in an editorial in the BMJ entitled, 'Ageism In Cancer Care: We Need to Change The Mindset'. It states the need to redress the disparities in the policy on cancer for older patients, citing a recent position paper from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology and the International Society of Geriatric Oncology recommending that clinical trials should be without an upper age limit.

A high proportion of older women with a certain form of breast cancer ('triple negative') receive less chemotherapy than their younger counterparts - despite evidence of the treatment's efficacy in this patient cohort, the authors claim.

They also point out that more than 70 per cent of deaths caused by prostate cancer occur in men aged over 75 years, who usually have more aggressive disease. Few older patients, however, receive treatment for localised prostate cancer, and in most cases they are denied access to chemotherapy for advanced disease, they add.

"Colorectal cancer is another disease of older people, yet the evidence again suggests that optimal treatment is not being provided to this patient cohort," Professor Lawler continues.

The paper sets its argument within the context of an ageing society – both locally and globally. Estimates for the UK suggest that 76 per cent of cancers in men and 70 per cent of cancers in women will occur in the over-65 population by 2030.

In the US, the number of over-65s is set to double at least, from around 40 million in 2009 to 89 million in 2050. Cancer is mainly a disease of the elderly. Given our ageing demographic, the paper argues, this will lead to an exponential increase in the number of cancer deaths unless we change our approach towards the elderly cancer patient.

The International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership – a collaboration that compares clinical outcomes between Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, Northern Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Wales – has indicated decreased survival for patients older than 65 years. A EUROCARE 5 study confirmed this trend, suggesting that the survival gap was widening between older and younger patients in Europe.

The evidence provided highlights the 'urgent need' for a 'geriacentric' strategy that maximises clinical trial activity in older patients, makes existing treatments more available and develops new approaches that are well tolerated in older people, the paper says in its closing comments.

Professor Lawler concludes: "Such a strategy will also have to ensure that the principle of early diagnosis (underpinning more effective and less aggressive treatment) is applied in older patients as well as in their younger counterparts. Only then can we truly deliver a comprehensive cancer service to the elderly population in our society."

INFORMATION: The editorial is by Professor Mark Lawler and two UK cancer experts, Professor Peter Selby and Sean Duffy (National Cancer Director NHS England), and Swiss oncologist and member of the executive of the International Society for Geriatric Oncology, Matti Aapro. It is available at http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g1614

For media inquiries please contact Queen's Communications Office on Tel. + 44 (0)28 9097 3087 or email comms.office@qub.ac.uk

Notes to Editors:

1. Professor Mark Lawler is available for interview.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Diagnosing diseases with smartphones

Diagnosing diseases with smartphones
2014-03-10
Smartphones are capable of giving us directions when we're lost, sending photos and videos to our friends in mere seconds, and even helping us find the best burger joint in a three-mile radius. But University of Houston researchers are using smartphones for another very important function: diagnosing diseases in real time. The researchers are developing a disease diagnostic system that offers results that could be read using only a smartphone and a $20 lens attachment. The system is the brainchild of Jiming Bao, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, ...

Loss of antioxidant protein Nrf2 represses regeneration of muscle lost to aging

2014-03-10
(SALT LAKE CITY)—Good news for lifelong exercisers: Along with its salutary effects on the heart, weight, and other facets of health, physical activity also helps to regenerate muscle mass, which tends to diminish as people age. In a study published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, researchers from the University of Utah and other institutions found that aged mice lacking Nrf2 that underwent two weeks of endurance exercise stress on treadmills showed poor stem cell regeneration, which is likely to hinder the recovery of lost muscle mass. Nrf2 is protein ...

Scents and sustainability

Scents and sustainability
2014-03-10
Fresh banana, a waft of flowers, blueberry: the scents in Shota Atsumi's laboratory in the UC Davis Department of Chemistry are a little sweeter than most. That's because Atsumi and his team are engineering bacteria to make esters -- molecules widely used as scents and flavorings, and also as basic feedstock for chemical processes from paints to fuels. Their latest work is published March 9 in the journal Nature Chemical Biology. Nearly all industrial chemicals, from artificial flavorings to paint, are derived from oil or gas, Atsumi said. "Our motivation is to ...

Blind can 'hear' colors and shapes, show Hebrew U. researchers

Blind can hear colors and shapes, show Hebrew U. researchers
2014-03-10
Jerusalem, March 9, 2014 -- What if you could "hear" colors? Or shapes? These features are normally perceived visually, but using sensory substitution devices (SSDs) they can now be conveyed to the brain noninvasively through other senses. At the Center for Human Perception and Cognition, headed by Prof. Amir Amedi of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences and the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Medicine, the blind and visually impaired are being offered tools, via training with SSDs, to receive ...

Biomolecular tweezers facilitate study of mechanical force effects on cells and proteins

Biomolecular tweezers facilitate study of mechanical force effects on cells and proteins
2014-03-10
A new type of biomolecular tweezers could help researchers study how mechanical forces affect the biochemical activity of cells and proteins. The devices – too small to see without a microscope – use opposing magnetic and electrophoretic forces to precisely stretch the cells and molecules, holding them in position so that the activity of receptors and other biochemical activity can be studied. Arrays of the tweezers could be combined to study multiple molecules and cells simultaneously, providing a high-throughput capability for assessing the effects of mechanical forces ...

These aren't the voids you're looking for

These arent the voids youre looking for
2014-03-10
Australian astronomers have shown galaxies in the vast empty regions of the Universe are actually aligned into delicate strings in research published today in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. A team of astronomers based at The University of Western Australia node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) has found short strings of faint galaxies in what were previously thought to be extremely empty parts of space. The Universe is full of vast collections of galaxies that are arranged into an intricate web of clusters and ...

A tricky balancing act: Antibiotics versus the gut microbiota

2014-03-10
(March 10, 2014) Antibiotics are valuable, potentially life-saving tools that have significantly reduced human morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, antibiotics may also have unintended consequences from their off-target effects that may increase the risk of many long-term conditions. Recent epidemiologic studies have detected a possible link between antibiotic use in childhood and weight gain1 — with disruption to the normal gut microbiota considered the most likely cause. "Infancy is an important time in the development of the human microbiota and these studies provide ...

Feeding gut microbiota: Nutrition & probiotics are key factors for digestive health

2014-03-10
(March 10, 2014) A healthy and balanced diet, as well as probiotics, have been known to be helpful in preserving gastrointestinal health for quite a long time. But it is only recently that the underlying mechanisms have become somewhat clearer. A rapidly increasing body of knowledge promises to further clarify the effects of our daily food on the gut microbiota and to indicate more targeted applications of probiotics in the near future. This was one of the topics presented at the Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit in Miami, FL, USA. On March 8-9, 2014, internationally ...

Lower IQ in teen years increase risk of early-onset dementia

Lower IQ in teen years increase risk of early-onset dementia
2014-03-10
Men who at the age of 18 years have poorer cardiovascular fitness and/or a lower IQ more often suffer from dementia before the age of 60. This is shown in a recent study encompassing more than one million Swedish men. In several extensive studies, researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy of Gothenburg University have previously analyzed Swedish men's conscription results and were able to show a correlation between cardiovascular fitness as a teenager and health problems in later life. Increased risk for early-onset dementia In their latest study, based on data from 1.1 ...

Healthy eating may reduce the risk of preterm delivery

Healthy eating may reduce the risk of preterm delivery
2014-03-10
In the study, which was conducted by researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, the participants completed a scientifically evaluated questionnaire about what they had been eating and drinking since becoming pregnant. The researchers also had access to information about the women's general lifestyle e.g. level of education, living conditions, income, weight, physical activity, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, number of children and medical factors such as history of preterm delivery. 15 ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

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

New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’

Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants

Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths

Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change

Researchers discover new way cells protect themselves from damage

Rivers choose their path based on erosion — a discovery that could transform flood planning and restoration

New discovery reveals dopamine operates with surgical precision, not as a broad signal

New AI tool gives a helping hand to x ray diagnosis

New Leicester study reveals hidden heart risks in women with Type 2 Diabetes

Over 400 different types of nerve cell have been grown – far more than ever before

Newly discovered molecule may explain reduced muscle mass in type 2 diabetes

Rheumatoid arthritis and muscle wasting: New review points to overlooked complications

Overcoming intrinsic dispersion locking by misaligned bilayer metagratings

Vaccines work: Cohort data from Denmark show real-world evidence of stable protection against HPV-related cervical cancer

Underwater shaped charge explosions: a comprehensive experimental study on coupling dynamics

Wristband sensor provides all-in-one monitoring for diabetes and cardiovascular care

Unveiling the spatiotemporal landscape of Ganoderma lingzhi: insights into ganoderic acid distribution and biosynthesis

Quality and antibiotic resistance risks in livestock probiotics in China

Genomic study reveals deep roots of human survival and adaptation in Himalayas

Differential obesity trends in Asian and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander US adults

Cumulative anticholinergic exposure and change in gait speed and grip strength in older adults

Study suggests lemurs age differently than humans

Hypothermia alters glucose metabolism and may reveal mechanisms of metabolic disease

Content or form? The two possible paths of our memories

Research team produces low-loss spin waveguide network

PolyU-led research reveals that sensory and motor inputs help large language models represent complex concepts

Premature babies should have early skin-to-skin contact with their mother

New research in JNCCN offers reassurance about localized prostate cancer prognosis

[Press-News.org] 'Older people denied proper access to cancer care' according to Queen's study