Cancer - October 2014 Archives

Tips for seeking second opinion on cancer care A second opinion sheds new light on cancer treatment options and gives you confidence on how to ...

Listening to patients is what medical teams at Mayo Clinic do each day. To honor Mayo's 150th Anniversary, StoryCorps was asked to listen to and record several ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. —  Brian G.M. Durie, M.D., E. Rolland Dickson, M.D., K. Krishnan Unni,  M.D., and Richard Weinshilboum, M.D., have been named recipients of the 2014 Mayo Clinic Distinguished Alumni Award. The award honors individuals who exemplify Mayo Clinic’s ideals and mission. The honorees were recognized at a private event in Rochester recently. The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees established the Mayo Clinic Distinguished Alumni Award in 1981 to show appreciation for the exceptional contributions of Mayo alumni to the field of medicine. Individuals who receive the award have been recognized nationally and often internationally in their fields.

JACKSONVILLE, Flórida, 21 de outubro de 2014 — Depois de acompanhar pacientes de câncer de mama por mais de oito anos, em média, pesquisadores dizem que o acréscimo do trastuzumabe (Herceptin) à quimioterapia melhorou significativamente a sobrevida das pacientes, sem a doença, de mulheres com câncer de mama HER2-positivo em estágio inicial. Os pesquisadores descobriram que o trastuzumabe melhorou em 37% a sobrevida e 40% em redução de risco de reincidência do câncer, em comparação com as pacientes tratadas apenas com a quimioterapia.

ROCHESTER, Minn. ― The International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) today announced that it has updated the criteria for diagnosing multiple myeloma. A paper outlining the new criteria was published in the journal Lancet Oncology. Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. "Our group, which includes more than 180 myeloma researchers worldwide, has updated the definition of multiple myeloma for diagnostic purposes to include validated biomarkers in addition to the current clinical symptoms used for diagnosis which include, elevated blood calcium levels, kidney failure, anemia and bone lesions," said lead author S. Vincent Rajkumar, M.D. a hematologist at Mayo Clinic. http://youtu.be/2btysJElI-A Dr. Rajkumar said multiple myeloma is always preceded sequentially by two asymptomatic conditions, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). However, since MGUS and SMM are both asymptomatic conditions, most myeloma patients are not diagnosed until organ damage occurs. "The new IMWG criteria allow for the diagnosis of myeloma to be made in patients without symptoms and before organ damage occurs, using validated biomarkers that identify patients with SMM who have an “ultra-high” risk of progression to multiple myeloma," Dr. Rajkumar said. "These biomarkers are associated with the near inevitable development of clinical symptoms and are important for early diagnosis and treatment which is very important for patients."

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and on the next Mayo Clinic Radio, Saturday, October 25 at 9 a.m. CT, two Mayo Clinic Breast Clinic physicians will be with us to discuss the latest in research and the ongoing efforts to diagnose, treat and prevent breast cancer. Director of the Breast Clinic Karthik Ghosh, M.D., and practice chair of the Medical Oncology Breast Group Tufia Haddad, M.D., will be ready  to answer your questions. Please join us. Myth or Fact: Breast feeding reduces the risk of breast cancer. Follow #MayoClinicRadio and tweet your questions. To listen to the program on Saturday, click here. Mayo Clinic Radio is available on iHeart Radio. Listen to this week’s Medical News Headlines: News Segment October 25, 2014 (right click MP3)

Stem cell transplant This procedure may help if your bone marrow stops working or if you've had high-dose chemotherapy or radiation therapy for certain ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HjfQUk7D2w A diagnosis of cancer alone is difficult and especially challenging if the disease has spread to other areas of the body. For instance, ...

Years After Treatment for HER2-Positive Early Stage Breast Cancer Trastuzumab Shows Life-Altering Benefit  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After following breast cancer patients for an average of eight-plus years, researchers say that adding trastuzumab (Herceptin) to chemotherapy significantly improved the overall and disease-free survival of women with early stage HER2-positive breast cancer. They found that the use of trastuzumab produced a 37 percent improvement in survival and a 40 percent reduction in risk of cancer occurrence, compared to patients treated with chemotherapy alone. These findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, demonstrate how important trastuzumab has been to the treatment of this form of breast cancer, says the study’s lead author, Edith A. Perez, M.D., deputy director at large, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center and director of the Breast Cancer Translational Genomics Program at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

Miss the show?  Here's the podcast: Mayo Clinic Radio Full Show 10-25-2014 October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and on the next Mayo Clinic Radio, ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLaIlLxTlVQ Research has proven mammograms can detect breast cancer early, when it’s still curable, but they aren't perfect tests.  For instance, some women who ...

The following is a news release issued by Walmart today Contact: Randy Hargrove: 1-800-331-0085 news.walmart.com/reporter BENTONVILLE, Ark., Oct. 7, 2014 – Building on its innovative program that has enhanced the quality of health care for its associates, Walmart announced it is expanding its Centers of Excellence program to include three cancers with Mayo Clinic, one of the nation’s leading health care providers. Effective Jan. 1, 2015, Walmart associates and family members enrolled in the company’s health reimbursement account plans or health savings account plan who are diagnosed with breast, lung or colorectal cancer can obtain a review of their medical records by Mayo Clinic, and when recommended, receive care covered at 100 percent for on-site visits at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center locations in Rochester, Minn., Jacksonville, Fla., or Phoenix, Ariz.