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Upswing in skin cancer costs
JAMA
The cost of treating skin cancer outpaced treatment costs for all other cancers combined by five-fold from 2002 to 2011, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. The average annual treatment cost for skin cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States, increased 126.2 percent, from $3.6 billion during 2002 to 2006 to $8.1 billion during 2007 to 2011.
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New study helps physicians and patients determine prostate cancer risk
Oncology Nurse Advisor
Looking at whether a man's uncles and great-grandparents, among other second- and third-degree relatives, had prostate cancer could be as important as looking at whether his father had prostate cancer. A more complete family history would give physicians a new tool to decide whether or not a prostate-specific antigen test was appropriate, according to this new study published in Prostate.
Register now for Accreditation 101: Learning the Basics of CoC Accreditation and Standards
ACS
The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a Quality Program of the American College of Surgeons, encourages you to attend Accreditation 101: Learning the Basics of CoC Accreditation and Standards in Chicago on February 27, 2015. This program provides practical information on how to achieve compliance and discusses your role as a member of a patient-centered, multidisciplinary cancer care team. This is the only education program that is developed and taught by CoC surveyors and staff. Learn how to turn theory into reality and see how the CoC standards can be used as a guide for the development of a high-quality program that treats patients with cancer.
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PDE5 use and prostate cancer, H&N, cervical cancer
MedPage Today
Men who used phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors after radical prostatectomy had a significantly greater risk of PSA recurrence of prostate cancer compared with nonusers, German investigators reported.
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Safety concerns cloud early promise of powerful new cancer drugs
Reuters
A new wave of experimental cancer drugs that directly recruit the immune system's powerful T cells are proving to be immensely effective weapons against tumors, potentially transforming the $100 billion global market for drugs that fight the disease.
But top oncology researchers are concerned about the two emerging technologies, citing dangers seen repeatedly in clinical trials including the potentially fatal buildup of toxic debris from killed tumor cells and damage to healthy tissue.
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New model better predicts breast cancer risk in African American women
Medical Xpress
Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center have developed a breast cancer risk prediction model for African-American women that found greater accuracy in predicting risk for the disease. The use of this model could result in increased eligibility of African Americans in breast cancer prevention trials.
Preparing for January's NCDB Call for Data: Pre-edit now
ACS
The annual National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) Call for Data opened Jan. 1. Submissions received after midnight CT Jan. 31 will be considered "late" for Standard 5.5. Under very unusual circumstances, the CoC grants short extensions. Please email Kathleen Thoburn at kthoburn@facs.org for extension requests, identifying the reason for the request, how long you expect the problem to last, and the Facility Identification Number (FIN) for the program requesting the extension. Thoburn will inform you of whether the extension has been granted and for how long.
The edits are ready for preediting data for submissions to the NCDB and the Rapid Quality Reporting System (RQRS) in 2015. For registries whose software is using layout 14, information needed for editing is posted. For registries that will upgrade to layout 15 before submission, equivalent information will be available when the conversion program is made available to software providers.
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Breast cancer patients lack knowledge of their tumors
Reuters
Women with breast cancer often don't know what kind of tumors they have, a new study found.
Not knowing one's tumor features isn't necessarily tied to worse outcomes, but better knowledge might help women understand treatment decisions and take medications as directed, said Dr. Rachel Freedman, the study's lead author from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
Also, she said, cancer patients who understand the basis for their treatment are generally more satisfied with that treatment.
Daniel McKellar, MD, FACS, CoC chair, speaking at the SSO Pre-Meeting
The Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) is offering a half-day Pre-Meeting "Update Course in Surgical Oncology for the Practicing Surgeon" from 1-6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25 in Houston at the Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel. This session brings together a number of the most influential thought leaders in surgical oncology speaking about controversies, changing standards of care, and practical information for the management of common malignancies and more. CoC Chair Daniel McKellar, MD, FACS, will address "How the Commission on Cancer Serves the Needs of Surgical Oncologists and Patients with Cancer." In addition, the following individuals will be sharing their expertise: Armando Guiliano, MD (axilla), Monica Morrow, MD (breast cancer margins), Barbara Lynn Smith, MD, PhD (nipple-sparing mastectomy), Merrick Ross, MD (melanoma), Ashok Shaha, MD (thyroid cancer), Kelly Hunt, MD (clinical trials), José G. Guillem, MD, MPH (colorectal cancer), and Harald Hoekstra, MD, PhD (global issues). Time will be available for questions and discussions. Save the date now, and plan to arrive a day early in Houston to attend this special course. For further information, visit the SSO 2015 schedule.
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Patients dismissing 'trivial' symptoms could delay cancer diagnosis
Cancer Research UK
People who dismiss their symptoms as trivial or worry about wasting the doctor's time may decide against going to their general practitioner with red-flag cancer warning symptoms, according to a Cancer Research UK study published in the British Journal of General Practice recently. Others might decide not to get possible cancer symptoms checked out because they fear a cancer diagnosis, they adopt a stiff upper lip, they lack confidence in the healthcare system, or they think their problem is down to ageing.
Thymic carcinoma recurrence can be determined with existing uterine cervix pathology test
Oncology Nurse Advisor
Partnering with head and neck surgeons, pathologists developed a new use for an old test to determine if a patient's cancer is recurrent or if the biopsy shows benign inflammation of mucosal tissues.
The research team, led by Candice C. Black, DO, of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center's Norris Cotton Cancer Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, confirmed the utility of ProExC, an existing antibody cocktail commonly used for pathology tests of the uterine cervix.
NCDB to accept PUF applications January 2015
ACS
The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) is pleased to announce it will now be accepting applications on a semi-annual basis.
From Jan. 5 through Jan. 31, the NCDB will accept applications for organ site-specific files, including cases diagnosed between 1998 and 2012. In July 2015, the NCDB will begin accepting applications for organ site-specific files, including cases diagnosed between 1998 and 2013.
Does virus diversity drive bowel diseases?
Futurity
In addition to less diversity of bacteria in the gut, inflammatory bowel diseases are also associated with a greater diversity of viruses, report researchers.
A new study finds that patients with inflammatory bowel diseases had a greater variety of viruses in their digestive systems than did healthy volunteers, which suggests that viruses likely play a role in the diseases.
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The CoC Brief
Colby Horton, Vice President of Publishing, 469.420.2601 Download media kit
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Disclaimer: The CoC Brief is a digest of the most important news selected for the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer from thousands of sources by the editors of MultiBriefs, an independent organization that also manages and sells advertising. The Commission on Cancer does not endorse any of the advertised products and services. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the author and not of the American College of Surgeons and the Commission on Cancer.
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