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

Metal-on-metal hip replacement patients at no more risk of developing cancer

Longer term studies are required to assess risks after longer periods

2012-04-04
(Press-News.org) Research: The risk of cancer in the first seven years after metal-on-metal hip replacement compared with other bearings and the general population: a linkage study between the National Joint Registry of England and Wales and Hospital Episode Statistics

Patients who have had metal-on-metal hip replacements are no more likely to develop cancer in the first seven years after surgery than the general population, although a longer-term study is required, a study published on bmj.com today claims.

A recent BMJ and BBC Newsnight investigation looked into the potentially high level of toxic metals from failing hip implants which may, in future, affect thousands of people around the world. The investigation also looked at why these hip replacements were allowed despite the risks being known and documented for decades. The BMJ has a large collection of articles about the safety of medical devices which can be found here: http://www.bmj.com/article-clusters.

This study, commissioned by the National Joint Registry of England and Wales and carried out by authors from the Universities of Bristol and Exeter, looks at whether these concerns are valid. The registry contains records of over one million procedures from at least 97% of orthopaedic units. Every year registry data and hospital episode statistics are linked up to check how patients who have had joint replacements are faring.

In this study cancer rates in patients with metal-on-metal hip replacements were compared with both a group of patients who had other hip bearing surfaces implanted and the general population. Overall, 14% (40 576) of registered patients had some type of metal-on-metal bearing surface: 7% (21 264) had a stemmed metal-on-metal prosthesis and 7% (19 312) had a resurfacing procedure. The researchers compared patients' outcomes using mathematical modelling. The models included the age and sex of the patient as well as three measures of general health at the time of hip surgery (the American Society of Anaesthesiologists grade that scores the patient's other serious illnesses, the number of distinct diagnostic codes recorded at time of surgery, and the number of NHS funded admissions to hospital in the previous five years). The authors do say, however, that comparison with the general population is not straightforward as hip replacement patients "tend to be healthier than others of the same gender and age group".

Results show that the chance of a 60 year old man with moderate health and a metal-on-metal stemmed hip replacement being diagnosed with cancer in the five years following surgery is 6.2%, compared to 6.7% chance with hip replacement using other bearing surfaces. For women, these figures were 4.0% for metal-on-metal stemmed hip replacement and 4.4% for other bearing surfaces. Further results show that the incidence of cancer diagnosis is low after hip replacement and lower than that predicted for the age and sex matched general population.

The authors hope that this study will help clinicians reassure patients that the "risk of cancer for hip replacement patients is relatively low" with no evidence of an increase in cancer associated with metal-on-metal hips. They add though that this only shows results for up to seven years following surgery and the analysis of long-term data is required over the next few decades as some cancers take many years to develop.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Significant improvement in neonatal care in England over 10 years

2012-04-04
Neonatal services in England have seen a considerable improvement since the introduction of new guidelines in 2003, a study published on bmj.com claims. The new guidelines were set out to help increase the proportion of premature babies born in a specialist care unit and reduce the amount of acute (within 24 hours of birth) postnatal transfers from one hospital to another. The specialised delivery and management of premature babies is associated with improved outcomes while acute postnatal transfer is associated with adverse outcomes. Researchers from the Imperial ...

New biomarker to identify hepatitis B-infected patients at risk for liver cancer

2012-04-04
CHICAGO— Hepatitis B-infected patients with significantly longer telomeres—the caps on the end of chromosomes that protect our genetic data— were found to have an increased risk of getting liver cancer compared to those with shorter ones, according to findings presented by researchers at Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2012. The relative telomere length in hepatitis B-infected cases with liver cancer was about 50 percent longer than the telomere length of the cancer-free hepatitis B-infected controls. A ...

Mayo Clinic: Nutritional supplement works against some pancreatic cancer cells in mice

2012-04-04
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- The dietary supplement gamma-linoleic acid can inhibit the growth of a subset of pancreatic cancer cells and selectively promote cancer cell death in mice, a Mayo Clinic study has found. The supplement, a fatty acid also known as GLA, worked particularly well when combined with the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine, the researchers say. The findings were presented today by Mayo Clinic pathologist Ruth Lupu, Ph.D., at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2012. "One of the most devastating facts about pancreatic cancer is the ...

Four New Sonic Games Available Now for Free at Sonic Games 365

2012-04-04
Sonic Games 365, a big player in the free gaming universe is now offering even more Adobe Flash games that incorporate beloved Sega characters such as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and more. Sonic Games 365 has these added four brand new titles to its line-up: Sonic Spin Break, Sonic's Crazy Coin Collect, Sonic Rolling Ball, and Super Mario Save Sonic. These four games are all about promoting the true meaning of Sonic Games 365, which has been from day one to always have the largest selection of games featuring, feature everybody's favorite blue hedgehog, and never charge ...

Mayo Clinic study identifies optimal gene targets for new colon cancer test

2012-04-04
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A study presented today by Mayo Clinic researchers at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2012 in Chicago identified two genes that are optimal targets to be analyzed in a new noninvasive test for colorectal cancer developed by Mayo Clinic, in collaboration with Exact Sciences Corporation. The test uses a small sample of a patient's stool to check for specific DNA changes, known as gene methylation, that occur as cancer develops. The test can quickly detect both early stage cancer and precancerous polyps. "This study ...

Changes in asthma treatment improve wait time and patient care in Emergency

2012-04-04
OTTAWA, Canada -- Dr. Roger Zemek, Director of Emergency Research at the CHEO Research Institute and ED physician, and assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa, has overseen the creation and implementation of a Medical Directive that now empowers nurses to administer an oral steroid treatment, which has reduced wait time and improved patient care. This research is published today in Pediatrics. Asthma is the most common chronic illness in children requiring a visit to Emergency. Every year, the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) ...

New drug prevents spread of human prostate cancer cells

2012-04-04
CHICAGO --- A new drug developed by Northwestern Medicine scientists prevented human prostate cancer cells from spreading to other tissues without any toxic effects to normal cells or tissues. The drug turns off the "go" switch in the cancer cells and immobilizes them. Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in North American males. Death is mainly caused by metastasis, prostate cancer cells moving out of prostate tissue and spreading to other organs. "This is an extremely promising new therapeutic that locks down aggressive prostate cancer cells ...

Gladstone scientists find increased ApoE protein levels may promote Alzheimer's disease

2012-04-04
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—April 3, 2012—Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have enhanced our understanding of how a protein linked to Alzheimer's disease keeps young brains healthy, but can damage them later in life—suggesting new research avenues for treating this devastating disease. In the Journal of Neuroscience, available online today, researchers in the laboratory of Yadong Huang, MD, PhD, have uncovered the distinct roles that the apoE protein plays in young vs. aging brains. These findings, which could inform the future of Alzheimer's drug development, come at a time ...

Pollen can protect mahogany from extinction

2012-04-04
New research from the University of Adelaide could help protect one of the world's most globally threatened tree species - the big leaf mahogany - from extinction. Big leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) is the most prized mahogany timber around the world. It is at risk of extinction in its native habitats because of the timber trade, particularly in Central and South America. To better understand how such a threatened species can be brought back from the brink of extinction, scientists from the University of Adelaide's Environment Institute have studied the important ...

Stomata development in plants unraveled -- a valuable discovery for environmental research

2012-04-04
Plants breathe through stomata Plant leaves are protected from drying out by an airtight wax layer. They breathe and release water through microscopic pores called stomata. Every year 40% of atmospheric CO2 and twice the volume of water found in our atmosphere pass through these pores. This means that stomata are not only important for plant development but also for our climate! It's no surprise then that these pores appear to be strictly regulated by plants. Stomata react extremely fast to internal plant signals and changes in the environment. When rain is scarce, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

UBC enzyme technology clears first human test toward universal donor organs for transplantation

Birds’ vocal warnings provide new insight into the origins of language

Breakthrough results from elephant herpesvirus trial find vaccine to be safe

Final step in the biosynthesis of iridoids elucidated

New antibiotic targets IBD — and AI predicted how it would work before scientists could prove it

Glioblastomas affect much more than just the brain

Researchers uncover why mental maps fade with age

New mechanism revealed: How leukemia cells trick the immune system

Genetic map reveals influence of DNA on metabolism

Researchers use ultrasound holograms to influence brain networks

Unique videos show how trawling restrictions brings back life to the sea

Whooping cough can be fatal in young infants, experts warn

Knee-d for excellence: New regional training hub keeps surgeons sharp for ageing population

The Lancet: Billions lack access to healthy diets as food systems drive climate and health crises, but sustainable, equitable solutions are within reach, says new EAT-Lancet report

Countries with highest reported levels of hearing loss have lowest use of hearing aids

Early medical abortion at home up to 12 weeks is safe, effective, and comparable to hospital care

New approach to gravitational wave detection opens the Milli-Hz Frontier

Rice membrane extracts lithium from brines with greater speed, less waste

Exercise lowers disease risk. This researcher wants to understand how

Hurricane evacuation patterns differ based on where the storm hits

Stem Cell Reports welcomes new members to its Editorial Board

Researchers develop molecular qubits that communicate at telecom frequencies

Mayo Clinic awarded up to $40 million by ARPA-H for pioneering air safety research

People with Down syndrome have early neuroinflammation

CNIO researchers create the “human repairome”, a catalogue of DNA “scars” that will help define personalized cancer treatments

Strengthening biosecurity screening for genes that encode proteins of concern

Global wildfire disasters are growing in frequency and cost

Wildfire management: Reactive response and recovery, or proactive mitigation and prevention

Phosphine detected in the atmosphere of a low-temperature brown dwarf

Scientists develop rapid and scalable platform for in planta directed evolution

[Press-News.org] Metal-on-metal hip replacement patients at no more risk of developing cancer
Longer term studies are required to assess risks after longer periods