Minnesota - September 2015 Archives

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Low-risk cancers that do not have any symptoms and presumably will not cause problems in the future are responsible for the rapid increase in the number of new cases of thyroid cancer diagnosed over the past decade, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the journal Thyroid. According to the study authors, nearly one-third of these recent cases were diagnosed when clinicians used high-tech imaging even when no symptoms of thyroid disease were present. “We are spotting more cancers, but they are cancers that are not likely to cause harm,” says the study's lead author, Juan Brito Campana, M.B.B.S., an assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic. “Their treatment, however, is likely to cause harm, as most thyroid cancers are treated by surgically removing all or part of the thyroid gland. This is a risky procedure that can damage a patient’s vocal cords or leave them with lifelong calcium deficiencies.” MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Imetelstat, a novel drug that targets telomerase, has demonstrated potential value in treating patients with myelofibrosis, according to the results of a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. "We observed that Imetelstat was active and induced morphologic and molecular remissions in some patients with myelofibrosis," says Ayalew Tefferi, M.D., a hematologist at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study. "We also observed that Imtelstat demonstrated selective anti-clonal activity, inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, which we had not previously documented with other drugs." MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu Journalists: Sounds bites with Dr. Tefferi are available in the downloads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaIviVtiaAA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=14&v=RDIOc6Mt7pU Certificate program to offer best practices on using social media tools effectively VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, and BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA  — Hootsuite, the most widely used platform for managing social media, and the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media (MCCSM) today announced an industry-leading social media credential for medical and health care professionals. This joint initiative is being launched at the first-international Healthcare and Social Media Summit presented by Mayo Clinic in Brisbane, Australia, Sept. 1-2. Social media has become a vital communications tool in the health care industry. More than 40 percent of consumers say that information on social media affects the way they deal with their health, and another 41 percent of people said social media would affect their choice of doctor, hospital or medical facility. The training program developed by Hootsuite and Mayo Clinic will teach medical and health care communications professionals how to effectively use social media technologies within the health care industry. “It’s important for physicians and other health care professionals to understand how online social networks matter to them,” says Farris Timimi, M.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and medical director for the MCCSM. “Even if they’re not yet active online — or maybe even particularly if they’re not involved — what others say about them affects their practices.” Media Contacts: Julie Huang, @juliewh11, Hootsuite Corporate Communications media@hootsuite.com Rhoda Madson, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu