Patients who are 80 and over are much more likely to have a poor outcome after high-risk cancer surgery than has previously been reported, according to a recent retrospective study by researchers with the University of Michigan Healthcare System. The study appears in the December issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Reuters Health Information
Previous cesarean delivery markedly increases the risk of peripartum hysterectomy, an operation typically performed for life-threatening obstetric hemorrhage, new research shows. Reuters Health Information
Surgical management of pediatric empyema shortens hospital length of stay (LOS) by nearly 5 days, cuts hospital costs by more than $20,000, and is associated with fewer treatment failures than conventional medical management, physicians at the University of California at Davis reports. Reuters Health Information
Valganciclovir is effective for preemptive therapy and treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in solid organ transplant recipients, according to a report in the January 1st Clinical Infectious Diseases. Reuters Health Information
Women who undergo unilateral or bilateral oophorectomy prior to menopause appear to be at increased risk of parkinsonism, investigators at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, report. Reuters Health Information
Patients without health insurance and those on Medicaid are more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer at an advanced stage than Medicare patients and those with private insurance. Medscape Medical News
The novel biomarker CCSA-2 shows high sensitivity and specificity for colorectal cancer and can also accurately indicate the presence of high-risk precancerous lesions. Medscape Medical News
In patients with refractory advanced colorectal cancer, panitumumab monotherapy appears to benefit patients with wild-type KRAS tumors but not those with mutated forms of the gene. Medscape Medical News
Off-label use of biliary stents to treat peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common practice that has been associated with a number of adverse events, according to physicians from the Medical Device Safety Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. However, there is a dearth of clinical trial data, so the relative risks and benefits of this practice have not been well-defined. Reuters Health Information
Chewing gum beginning the day after radical cystectomy with urinary diversion hastens the return of bowel motility by about half a day, researchers report. Reuters Health Information
