› $150,000,000 verdict in personal injury case
People who suffer from acute kidney injury (AKI), a sudden loss of kidney function, are more likely to die prematurely after leaving the hospital even after their kidney function has recovered, according to a study conducted by researchers with the Center for Health Quality, Outcomes, and Economic Research. The data will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).
Yet another biotech company is diligently working to find a safer, less invasive test besides a colonoscopy to detect cancers of the colon and rectum. EDP Biotech Corporation of West Knoxville, Tenn., has announced that it is seeking FDA approval of a blood test to detect colon cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages.
The rate of new colorectal cancer cases and deaths from colorectal cancers has declined, according to a report from leading health and cancer organizations. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.
A Madison, Wis., company is developing a less invasive way of screening for colon cancer that it hopes will take the place of uncomfortable colonoscopies and increase the number of people willing to be screened for colorectal cancers. Exact Sciences Corp., has developed a DNA-based test that can detect colorectal cancer through a stool sample. Even more convenient than a colonoscopy for the patient, the test can be administered at home and sent to a lab for analysis.
One year ago this month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a black box warning on a common type of laxative known as oral sodium phosphate, or OSP, available both over-the-counter and by prescription. After years of investigation, the FDA finally alerted health care providers and the public of the risk of a serious kidney injury known as acute phosphate nephropathy associated with the use of OSPs.
A randomized clinical study evaluating the safety and efficacy of a new, reduced-volume oral sulfate colon-cleansing preparation for colonoscopy has proven well tolerated and effective in bowel preparation, according to the December 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants Patient-Oriented Evidence that Matters report.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government-appointed, independent panel of doctors and scientists, raised quite a ruckus with its recommendations on the frequency of mammograms and pap smears, bucking the American Cancer Society’s recommendations by suggesting that fewer screenings were necessary for otherwise healthy women. But the task force’s opinions on colonoscopies mirror those of ACS with at least one small exception – limiting colorectal exams for patients 75 years and older.
