Did Washington Post's Rob Stein exaggerate negative stories about personal genomics? : Genetic Future

Rob Stein needs your positive experiences of personal genomics : Genetic Future

How to read a genome-wide association study « Genomes Unzipped

Green Tea and Cancer

The Benefits of Oncology Massage

full access: Risk Factors for Colorectal Cancer in Patients with Multiple Serrated Polyps: A Cross-Sectional Case Series from Genetics Clinics-multi-national study

 Introduction

Familial non-syndromic colorectal cancer (CRC) constitutes one of the most difficult and diverse patient groups encountered in a genetics clinic, with no apparent germline mutation, an often-indeterminant mode of inheritance, and questions arising as to how to manage the probands, and how to identify which family members are also at risk for CRC........ The clinical significance of HPS is that it is associated with an increased personal and familial risk of CRC , and extra-colonic cancers in the wider family setting .

 Conclusion

A decreased odds for CRC was identified in females with multiple serrated polyps who currently smoke, independent of age and the presence of a traditional adenoma. Investigations into the biological basis for these observations could lead to non-smoking-related therapies being developed to decrease the risk of CRC and colectomy in these patients.

How to Be an Optimist (Without Being an Idiot) OPEN Forum

The authors define disciplined optimism as “faith you will prevail plus discipline to confront the brutal facts.”

Technology Review: Fine-tuning Cancer Treatments

Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital will test 400 compounds, including chemotherapy drugs and molecularly targeted treatments, on 1,000 cancer cell lines containing cancer-related genetic mutations in an effort to advance personalized medicine. The findings are expected to help drugmakers design clinical studies that include only patients who are most likely to benefit from experimental cancer drugs.
 
"...While a number of molecularly targeted cancer drugs, such as gleevec and herceptin, are already on the market, the effectiveness of most of these drugs depends on a single genetic mutation or molecular marker in the tumor. Scientists say that incorporating the diversity of cancer genomics in much greater detail will enable more personalized treatment for a broader number of patients...cont'd

A KRAS-Variant in Ovarian Cancer Acts as a Genetic Marker of Cancer Risk (full access)

Toward Improving the Quality of Cancer Care: Addressing the Interfaces of Primary and Oncology-Related Subspecialty Care

Note: excerpt with numerous related references/$$$ article

The interface of primary and oncology specialty care: from diagnosis through primary treatment.

The interface between primary and oncology specialty care: treatment through survivorship

Interfaces Across the Cancer Continuum Offer Opportunities to Improve the Process of Care -- JNCI (pay-per-view - excerpt only)

Note: comparisons U.S./Canada

Brain tumor headaches: from bedside to bench. (abstract)

Note: abstract gives very limited information while noting 80 years of research on this issue

Comparative effectiveness of screening and prevention strategies among BRCA1/2-affected mutation carriers

Conclusion: Our analysis suggested that among BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, prophylactic surgery would dominate or be cost effective compared to chemoprevention and screening. Annual screening with MRI and mammography was the most effective strategy because it was associated with the longest quality-adjusted survival, but it was also very expensive.

Duke researcher suspended, accused of lying about credentials (genetics research)

"The studies used a prediction model for genetic analysis to determine which chemotherapy drugs would work best for particular cancer patients."