The Greatest Gift for Mom: Health and Wellness

Now more than ever, we are reminded that health and wellness should always be a top priority. National Women’s Health Month and Mother’s Day, both celebrated in May, are important reminders that women can take control of their health by making feasible lifestyle choices and focusing on preventive care to lower the risk of certain cancers.

Cervical Cancer Testing Tech Could Replace Pap Smears, Save Lives

Emerging technologies can screen for cervical cancer better than Pap smears and, if widely used, could save lives in areas where access to health care may be limited. In Biophysics Reviews, scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital write advances in nanotechnology and computer learning are among the technologies helping develop HPV screening that take the guesswork out of the precancer tests. That could mean better screening in places that lack highly trained doctors and advanced laboratories.

Leading Cancer Organizations Warn Cancer Doesn’t Stop for COVID-19 and Neither Should You

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) are teaming up with leading cancer organizations across the country to endorse prioritizing the safe resumption of cancer screening and treatment during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition of 76 organizations is releasing an open letter about the threat cancer still poses to people’s health and a reminder that acting as soon as is safely possible can lead to much better outcomes in the future.

New Research in JNCCN Highlights Dangerous Disparities for Life-Saving Cancer Screening

New research in the January 2021 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network finds more than a third of eligible people miss timely screening tests for colorectal cancer and at least a quarter appear to miss timely screening tests for breast and cervical cancers.

Ovarian Cancer Screening Study Focuses on Early Detection in Women at Low Risk

Atlantic Health System is enrolling women in a landmark study that uses a simple blood test for the CA-125 protein to screen women who are at low risk for ovarian cancer. The purpose of the clinical trial is to help determine whether this test can catch ovarian cancer early in women who would not normally be screened for it. Atlantic Health System hospitals are the only centers in the New York metro region to participate in the study, and have the third highest enrollment numbers in the nation.

Road Map to Reducing Colorectal Cancer Deaths

According to the American Gastroenterological Association’s recently published “Roadmap for the Future of Colorectal Cancer Screening in the United States, ” fewer people would die of colorectal cancer if health care providers adopted a new model of screening that combines better risk assessment, more options for noninvasive testing and more targeted referrals for colonoscopies. Rush University Medical Center’s Joshua Melson, MD is lead author.

Managing Abnormal Results on Cervical Cancer Screening: ASCCP Issues Updated Guidelines

Replacing guidelines for managing women with abnormal results on cervical cancer screening test from 2012, new recommendations from ASCCP emphasize more precise management based on estimates of the patient’s risk – enabling more personalized recommendations for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The revised guidelines with updated recommendations are now available in the Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease (JLGTD), official journal of ASCCP. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

MSK: Cancer Isn’t Sheltering in Place

As the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City and the Tri-State area begins to subside, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center oncologists are urging patients to schedule cancer screenings and treatments now – as the long-term toll of missed diagnoses and delayed treatments could be devastating for patients and their loved ones across the region and the country.

Research News Tip Sheet: Story Ideas From Johns Hopkins

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every Tuesday, throughout the duration of the outbreak.

Medicaid expansion doubled access to primary care, increased attention to health risks in Michigan enrollees

When Michigan expanded its Medicaid program to cover more low-income residents, its leaders built in special features to encourage enrollees to understand their health risks, and incentivize them to prevent future health problems, or find them early. According to two new studies, that effort has paid off.

Updated Genetic Screening Guidelines Published by National Comprehensive Cancer Network Feature Emerging Evidence on Personalized Medicine

NCCN Guidelines for Genetic/Familial Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic updated with new and expanded sections on risk assessment and management related to three major cancer types.

New $5.7 Million Grant Aims to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening, Follow-Up Care in Appalachia

Cancer-control researchers at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center and The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) aim to increase colorectal cancer screening and follow-up care among underserved individuals in Appalachia through a $5.7 million grant from the National Cancer Institute.

Microbiome Provides New Clues to Determining Development of Colon Cancer

Findings showcasing a connection between bacteria in the microbiome and colon cancer, which may be used to screen younger populations at risk, were published in the journal Gastroenterology by researchers from the George Washington University.

Study: Biomarker in Urine May Offer Non-invasive Detection of Prostate Cancer

A research study published in the journal Neoplasia and led by principal investigator Nallasivam Palanisamy, Ph.D., associate scientist in the Vattikuti Urology Institute at Henry Ford Health System, has identified a novel prostate cancer gene fusion involving the KLK4 protein coding gene and KLKP1 pseudogene. This unique biomarker can be detected in the urine samples of patients with prostate cancer, offering a non-invasive means of detection.

Huntsman Cancer Institute Introduces Cancer Screening and Education Bus to the Community

Today Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah unveiled the Cancer Screening and Education bus. This new, state-of-the-art mobile outreach clinic brings HCI’s clinical and educational expertise and the latest screening technology to residents across Utah, including those who live in distant geographic areas and rural communities.