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

Significant gaps in testing for genetic cancer risk, study finds

2025-06-09
(Press-News.org) Patients with womb cancer are not being tested for a genetic condition that increases their chance of developing further cancers, a study has found.

Despite NHS guidance, less than half of those eligible received a blood test for Lynch syndrome, an inherited condition that leaves individuals more susceptible to womb and bowel cancer.

Diagnosis of Lynch syndrome is important as it enables patients to take action to reduce their cancer risk, improving outcomes and reducing NHS costs, experts say.

Lynch syndrome affects one in 300 people, but as little as five per cent are aware they have it.

The condition is caused by genetic variants - small changes in DNA - similar to the BRCA genetic variants that increase breast cancer risk. Those with Lynch syndrome have a 50 per cent chance of developing womb cancer in their lifetime, compared to a general population risk of three per cent.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that all patients diagnosed with womb or bowel cancer have tumours tested for markers of Lynch syndrome. If identified, they should be referred for genetic counselling to access support and advice and a simple blood test to confirm the diagnosis.

A University of Edinburgh-led study looked at more than 2500 womb cancer cases across the UK and Ireland between 2022 and 2023.

While 91 per cent of tumours were tested for markers of Lynch syndrome, test results were not routinely communicated to the wider clinical team, meaning follow-up genetic counselling and blood tests were not arranged. Two-thirds of the patients eligible for genetic counselling were referred for appointments.

Those who were referred faced long waiting lists, resulting in high drop-out rates. Only 48 per cent of womb cancer patients who should have had further testing ultimately received a blood test.

Gaps in testing mean that many womb cancer patients with Lynch syndrome go undetected, leaving them at risk of developing bowel cancer. Family members are also left vulnerable to cancer risk, unaware they may have the condition.

Early detection would allow the use of preventative measures to reduce the risk of future cancers, such as taking aspirin and having regular colonoscopies to prevent bowel cancer, or hysterectomies to prevent womb cancer, experts say.

The study is published in the journal BMJ Oncology: doi.org/10.1136/bmjonc-2024-000688 [URL will become active after embargo lifts].

The study was coordinated by the UK Audit and Research Collaborative in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (UK ARCOG) and led by Dr Neil Ryan from the University of Edinburgh.

UK ARCOG is a trainee-led national organisation comprising doctors in specialty training in obstetrics and gynaecology across the UK. It conducts large-scale audits to identify opportunities to enhance the quality, safety, and equity of care provided to patients.

Dr Neil Ryan, overall study lead and clinical lecturer at the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Reproductive Health, said: “Despite clear guidance and excellent rates of tumour testing, too many women with Lynch syndrome are still being missed because they’re not referred for definitive blood testing in a timely way. This not only denies them the chance to reduce their future cancer risk but also prevents their relatives from being tested and protected. Tumour testing is only cost-effective if it leads to diagnosis — we urgently need to make mainstream testing truly mainstream.”

For further information, please contact: Jess Conway, Press and PR Office, 07979 446 209, jess.conway@ed.ac.uk  

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Payment source shift for surgical care among veterans enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans

2025-06-09
About The Study: The findings of this cross-sectional study suggest substantial cost shifting in veterans’ surgical care from Medicare Advantage to Veterans Health Administration among high-veteran Medicare Advantage plans, underscoring the urgent need for policy reforms to improve the efficiency of veterans’ care. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Jose F. Figueroa, MD, MPH, email jfigueroa@hsph.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media ...

Study reveals how fatal school shootings disrupt local economies

2025-06-09
A new multi-university study co-authored by Texas A&M University’s Dr. Shrihari Sridhar and alumnus Dr. Muzeeb Shaik of Indiana University reveals that fatal school shootings have far-reaching consequences beyond the immediate tragedy, altering daily life and disrupting economies in affected communities for months. The research, published in the Journal of Marketing Research, provides the first large-scale empirical evidence that fatal school shootings are linked to a measurable decline in consumer activity, especially in public spaces like grocery stores and restaurants. The study found that in the months following a fatal school shooting, grocery spending declines ...

American Psychological Association 2025 Convention, Aug. 7-9, Denver

2025-06-09
APA 2025, the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, will be held Aug. 7-9 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The meeting will feature hundreds of sessions – including main stage events, keynote lectures, symposia and posters – and will have a limited virtual component. Media registration is now open and complimentary for credentialed reporters. Sessions will cover such topics as: Potential for psychedelic drugs for clinical therapy and fighting addiction Systems-level strategies for addressing the youth mental health crisis The role of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of work, education and autonomous technologies The ...

Appendix cancer incidence has quadrupled in older millennials

2025-06-09
Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 9 June 2025    Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, threads, and LinkedIn         Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.    ----------------------------       1. ...

Even bumble bee queens need personal days, too

2025-06-09
Some queens don’t rule nonstop. A new study from the University of California, Riverside shows that even bumble bee queens, the sole founders of their colonies, take regular breaks from reproduction—likely to avoid burning out before their first workers arrive. In the early stages of colony building, bumblebee queens shoulder the entire workload. They forage for food, incubate their developing brood by heating them with their wing muscles, maintain the nest, and lay eggs. It’s a high-stakes balancing act: without the queen, ...

Carbon capture method mines cement ingredients from the air

2025-06-09
University of Michigan researchers have helped develop a method to take carbon dioxide, an industrial waste product that pollutes the atmosphere and turn it into something useful: precursors to make cement.   U-M chemist Charles McCrory and his research group, along with Jesús Velázquez's lab at the University of California, Davis and Anastassia Alexandrova's lab at the University of California, Los Angeles, have developed a method to capture carbon dioxide and turn it into metal oxalates, which then can be used as precursors for ...

Fostering Integration: SELINA’s 5th project Workshop on the Azores unites partners to strengthen collaboration

2025-06-09
Between 12–15 May 2025, the SELINA partners, including scientists, decision-makers, and ecosystem service experts, gathered in Ponta Delgada, Azores for the 5th SELINA thematic Workshop, hosted at the University of the Azores. The event brought together approximately 80 in-person attendees and 10 online participants, marking the first in-person SELINA Consortium meeting in nearly a year, a timely and welcome opportunity to reconnect and refocus the project’s collaborative efforts. The central theme of the ...

Reelin marks cocaine-activated brain neurons and regulates cocaine reward

2025-06-09
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Cocaine, a drug of abuse, activates just a portion — 10 to 20 percent — of the neurons in the brain’s nucleus accumbens, a critical region linked to motivation and addiction. Though small in numbers, this activated neuronal population strongly controls drug-related behavior through downstream changes in gene expression, nerve synapses, neural circuitry and neural function that lead to behavioral change, including addiction. In a study published in Science Advances, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers led by Kasey Brida and Jeremy Day, Ph.D., report that the secreted glycoprotein reelin is a marker for those nucleus accumbens neurons ...

Creatine is safe, effective and important for everyone, longtime researcher says

2025-06-09
Creatine, the supplement popular with athletes for its ability to help build strength and power, is increasingly being recognized for its broad health benefits. The compound’s usefulness extends well beyond the gym, according to Dr. Richard Kreider, professor and director of the Exercise & Sport Nutrition Lab at Texas A&M University. Kreider has spent more than 30 years investigating the effects of creatine, a naturally occurring compound stored in the muscle that combines with phosphate to form creatine phosphate, which ...

Robots made of linked particle chains

2025-06-09
Coordinated behaviors like swarming – from ant colonies to schools of fish – are found everywhere in nature. Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have given a nod to nature with a next-generation robot system that’s capable of movement, exploration, transport and cooperation. A study in Science Advances describing the new soft robotic system was co-led by L. Mahadevan, the Lola England de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics, Physics, and Organismic and Evolutionary Biology ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

From blood sugar to brain relief: GLP-1 therapy slashes migraine frequency

Variability in heart rate during sleep may reveal early signs of stroke, depression or cognitive dysfunction, new study shows

New method to study catalysts could lead to better batteries

Current Molecular Pharmacology impact factor rises to 2.9, achieving Q2 ranking in the Pharmacology & Pharmacy category in 2024 JCR

More time with loved ones for cancer patients spared radiation treatment

New methods speed diagnosis of rare genetic disease

Genetics of cardiomyopathy risk in cancer survivors differ by age of onset

Autism inpatient collection releases genetic, phenotypic data for more than 1,500 children with autism

Targeting fusion protein’s role in childhood leukemia produces striking results

Clear understanding of social connections propels strivers up the social ladder

New research reveals why acute and chronic pain are so different – and what might make pain last

Stable cooling fostered life, rapid warming brought death: scientists use high-resolution fusuline data reveal evolutionary responses to cooling and warming

New research casts doubt on ancient drying of northern Africa’s climate

Study identifies umbilical cord blood biomarkers of early onset sepsis in preterm newborns

AI development: seeking consistency in logical structures

Want better sleep for your tween? Start with their screens

Cancer burden in neighborhoods with greater racial diversity and environmental burden

Alzheimer disease in breast cancer survivors

New method revolutionizes beta-blocker production process

Mechanism behind life-threatening cancer drug side-effect revealed

Weighted vests might help older adults meet weight loss goals, but solution for corresponding bone loss still elusive

Scientists find new way to predict how bowel cancer drugs will stop working – paving the way for smarter treatments

Breast cancer patients’ microbiome may hold key to avoiding damaging heart side-effects of cancer therapies

Exercise-induced protein revives aging muscles and bones

American College of Cardiology issues guidance on weight management drugs

Understanding the effect of bedding on thermal insulation during sleep

Cosmic signal from the very early universe will help astronomers detect the first stars

With AI, researchers find increasing immune evasion in H5N1

Study finds hidden effects of wildfires on water systems

Airborne fungal spores may help predict COVID-19 & flu surges

[Press-News.org] Significant gaps in testing for genetic cancer risk, study finds