Cancer - August 2012 Archives

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — August 29, 2012.  Removing the entire pancreas in patients with cancer or precancerous cysts in part of the organ does not result in unmanageable diabetes — as many physicians previously believed, research at Mayo Clinic in Florida has found. The study, published online Sunday in the journal HPB Surgery, evaluates how well patients who had their entire pancreas removed could control their resulting diabetes. The pancreas produces insulin to remove sugar from the blood, so when the organ is gone, insulin must be replaced, usually through an external pump or with injections. The researchers examined control of insulin over several years in 14 patients whose entire pancreas was removed. They compared their findings with 100 people with type 1 diabetes, and must use insulin replacement. They found both groups had little difficulty controlling their blood sugar, and no complications resulted. The findings should reassure physicians and surgeons that removing the entire pancreas is reasonably safe and effective, says senior investigator Michael B. Wallace, M.D., chair of the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at Mayo Clinic in Florida. "What has confounded surgery for pancreatic cancers and precancerous cysts for a long time is the notion that if the entire organ is removed, patients will have great difficulty in controlling the resulting diabetes," Dr. Wallace says. "Most surgeons try to leave as much of the pancreas as possible". "What we have shown here is that, due to wonderful recent improvements in insulin therapy, patients without a pancreas can control their blood sugar as effectively as type 1 diabetes patients can," he says. Although this study was small, Dr. Wallace says the findings are mirrored in the experiences of patients treated at Mayo Clinic in Florida with total pancreas removal. Even though the approach of preserving as much of the pancreas as possible benefits most patients, leaving part of the pancreas in some patients may put them at risk of developing hard-to-detect cancer in the remaining organ, he says.

Exercise can have a powerful affect on cancer care and recovery. Regular exercise has been found to reduce recurrence of the disease by up to ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — August 28, 2012.  Numerous studies have shown the powerful effect that exercise can have on cancer care and recovery. For patients who have gone through breast or colon cancer treatment, regular exercise has been found to reduce recurrence of the disease by up to 50 percent. But many cancer patients are reluctant to exercise, and few discuss it with their oncologists, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video of Andrea Cheville, M.D., available on the Mayo Clinic News Network. "As doctors, we often tell patients that exercise is important, but to this point, nobody had studied what patients know about exercise, how they feel about it and what tends to get in the way," says lead author Andrea Cheville, M.D., of Mayo Clinic's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The study is part of a series of investigations looking at exercise habits among cancer patients. Researchers found that patients who exercised regularly before their diagnosis were more likely to exercise than those who had not. Many patients considered daily activities, such as gardening, sufficient exercise. "There was a real sense of 'What I do every day, that's my exercise,'" says Dr. Cheville, noting that most patients didn't realize daily activities tend to require minimal effort. "Most were not aware that inactivity can contribute to weakening of the body and greater vulnerability to problems, including symptoms of cancer." In addition, researchers found that patients took exercise advice most seriously when it came directly from their oncologists, but none of those studied had discussed it with them. "Generally, patients are not being given concrete advice about exercise to help them maintain functionality and to improve their outcomes," Dr. Cheville says. Exercise can improve patients' mobility, enable them to enjoy activities and keep them from becoming isolated in their homes. It can contribute to overall feelings of strength and physical safety, ease cancer-related fatigue and improve sleep. The researchers plan to investigate how to make the message about exercise meaningful to patients to optimize symptom relief and enhance recovery.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — August 22, 2012.  One of the most unpleasant aspects of colorectal cancer screening for many patients is the amount of laxative they must drink the night before. Some become so anxious about drinking so much liquid that they avoid the entire procedure, putting them at risk of undiagnosed cancer. Under a new practice at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, four pills replace the multiple liters of laxative for people having a CT colonography also known as a virtual colonoscopy. Colonoscopies, in which a tiny camera is inserted into the body to examine the bowels, and virtual colonoscopies, in which a CT scan is used to provide three-dimensional imaging of the colon and rectum, are commonly performed for early detection of colon cancer in people over 50. Both colon exams require the use of a laxative to empty the colon. In the new Mayo protocol that began this summer, patients having virtual colonoscopies simply take four tablets of the cleansing agent bisacodyl. "Our hope is that this will make people less anxious and more likely to get screened and will ultimately result in fewer deaths from colorectal cancer," says C. Daniel Johnson, M.D., chair of the Department of Radiology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Click here for a video of Dr. Johnson talking about the new protocol. The development of the new protocol was based on a study co-by Dr. Johnson and published in Abdominal Imaging journal last year. The study found that the new four-tablet procedure worked as well as the standard liquid laxative for virtual colonoscopies. The new protocol is not intended for standard colonoscopies because the cleansing requirements between the two procedures differ. Virtual colonoscopy was found to be highly accurate for detection of intermediate (6-9 millimeters) and large (greater than 1 centimeter) polyps. Because the majority of patients will not have a polyp, no further workup is necessary. Only the 12 percent of patients identified with a polyp during a colonography would then need to have a colonoscopy. Because most colon cancer arises from preexisting polyps, detection and removal of these lesions can help eradicate it. Dr. Johnson says that how people get screened should be an individual decision, based on discussions with their medical providers. Virtual colonoscopies may be considered for patients who: Have had a difficult time with previous colonoscopy procedures Are on anti-coagulant drugs Have a colon obstruction Prefer not to have a standard colonoscopy.

One thing that seems to keep people from scheduling a colorectal cancer screening is the task of drinking liters of laxative the night before. Well, there's a ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — August 22, 2012.  People who carry a "G" instead of an "A" at a specific spot in their genetic code have roughly a six-fold higher risk of developing certain types of brain tumors, a Mayo Clinic and University of California, San Francisco study has found. The findings, published online today in the journal Nature Genetics, could help researchers identify people at risk of developing certain subtypes of gliomas which account for about 20 percent of new brain cancers diagnosed annually in the U.S. and may lead to better surveillance, diagnosis and treatment. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video resources are available for journalists at the Mayo Clinic News Network. Researchers still have to confirm whether the spot is the source of tumors, but if it's not, "it is pretty close," says senior author Robert Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D., a pathologist at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. "Based on our findings, we are already starting to think about clinical tests that can tell patients with abnormal brain scans what kind of tumor they have, just by testing their blood." A few years ago, researchers began hunting for regions of the genome that might be associated with the development of gliomas. These groups observed a portion of chromosome 8 that contained single nucleotide polymorphisms or "SNPs" associated with brain tumors. Since then, Dr. Jenkins and Margaret Wrensch, Ph.D., professor of neurological surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, have been using a combination of sophisticated genomic techniques to search for the SNP causing brain tumors to form. They honed in on seven candidates. One — the SNP called rs55705857 — confers a relative risk approaching that is seen with BRCA1, the breast cancer gene. Interestingly, this region was only found through the most laborious method used by the researchers, next generation sequencing, suggesting that experimental and mathematical shortcuts may miss such rare, highly potent gene variants, Dr. Jenkins says. Drs. Jenkins and Wrensch found that having the "G" guanine version of this SNP — rather than the more common "A" adenine version — was strongly associated with slower growing gliomas. "Being able to tell people that the mass in their brain is this type of tumor is actually good news, because it has a much better prognosis than other brain tumors," Dr. Jenkins says. "So what is it that predisposes people to develop less aggressive, but still lethal, gliomas? That makes understanding the function of this variant even more important."

People who carry a "G" instead of an "A" at a specific spot in their genetic code have a  sixfold higher risk of developing certain ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — August 21, 2012.  The Karl R. Potach Foundation held the 15th annual Karl Potach Memorial Golf Tournament on Aug. 20 at Austin Country Club in Austin, Minn. A portion of the proceeds from the event help support pediatric oncology research at Mayo Clinic. "Over the last nine years, the tournament has raised approximately $100,000 to help fund basic, translational and clinical research at Mayo Clinic with the goal of improving treatments for children with cancer " says Richard Bram, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. "Mayo Clinic is very appreciative and is currently planning an event to recognize the foundation as a major benefactor." Karl Potach was 2 when he was diagnosed with Wilms' tumor, a rare kidney cancer. Karl went through multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments at Mayo Clinic. He lost his battle with cancer at age 4. Mayo Clinic researchers are working to find a cure for Wilms' tumor and other pediatric cancers. They are also investigating alternative cancer treatments for pediatric cancers, such as proton beam therapy.

PHOENIX, Arizona — August 20, 2012.  Mayo Clinic has been granted approval for construction of a 217,200 square-foot building on its Phoenix campus, a major expansion that will create a single-site, integrated Cancer Center. Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center with a multi-site, national presence, which allows us to serve a broad and diverse group of patients. The $130 million facility features three additional floors of clinical and office space that will be built above the first level of Mayo Clinic's Proton Beam Therapy Building currently under construction. Proton beam therapy is a precise form of cancer treatment that allows greater control over radiation doses, using pencil-beam scanning. Project design and programming for the new building is expected to take three years, with staged occupancy expected in 2015. The project signals a significant milestone for Mayo Clinic in Arizona in that it creates a consolidated and integrated Cancer Center on one campus, providing enhanced convenience for cancer patients and their families. Pivotal to that consolidation will be the relocation of the Hematology/Oncology Department from its current location on the Scottsdale campus to the new building on the Phoenix campus. Other cancer-related units such as Bone Marrow Transplant, Chemotherapy Infusion and Research will also transfer to the new building. Consolidation to one campus will also include relocation of 32 chemotherapy infusion stations currently located on the Scottsdale campus to the new cancer facility, as well as the planned addition of 18 more infusion stations. The vertical expansion project will also include three outpatient operating rooms, expanded space for Transplant and relocation of some clinical units from the adjacent Mayo Clinic Hospital to create 12 more inpatient hospital beds. Future plans include moving other units from the hospital to create space for 24 additional hospital beds. Exam rooms in the new cancer building will feature a new design concept intended to accommodate the integrated team care concept for the evaluation and treatment of patients. Also planned for the convenience of patients are kiosks that will allow virtual check-in and access to timely information.

Early Signs of Testicular Cancer Often Noticeable August 3, 2012 Dear Mayo Clinic: Are there ever early signs of testicular cancer? If so, what ...