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Get Screened Earlier For Colorectal Cancer, Urges American Cancer Society

May 30, 2018 10:03 AM ET Heard on   All Things Considered Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States, most frequently diagnosed among adults over 65. To catch those typically slow-growing malignancies early, when they can often be cured, most doctors' groups recommend colorectal cancer screening starting at age 50. But the American Cancer Society this week changed its advice and is  recommending that screening start five years earlier . "There is compelling evidence that the optimum age to start is now 45," says  Dr. Richard Wender , chief cancer control officer of the society, who cites a sharp  increase in deaths  from colon and rectal cancers among men and women under age 50. "People born in the '80s and '90s are at higher risk of developing colon cancer, particularly rectal cancer, than people born when I was born back in the '50s," Wender says. READ MORE
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Prevalence and Spectrum of Germline Cancer Susceptibility Gene Mutations Among Patients With Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer

Key Points Question    What is the frequency and spectrum of cancer susceptibility gene mutations among patients with colorectal cancer diagnosed at younger than 50 years? Findings    In this cohort study of 450 patients with early-onset colorectal cancer, 72 (16%) had a pathogenic mutation. Panel testing identified mutations in patients that may have otherwise been missed; specifically, 24 of 72 patients (33.3%) who were mutation positive did not meet testing criteria for the gene(s) in which they had a mutation. Meaning    Multigene panel testing should be considered for all patients with early-onset colorectal cancer. Read More:   Prevalence and Spectrum of Gene Mutations and Colorectal Cancer

Promising Cancer Break Through Might Stop Cancer In Its Tracks

It's a promising cancer break through  that might be able to stop cancer in its tracks and it was discovered by Michigan State University researchers. It has to do with visceral fat. We have two layers of fat. The outer layer or subcutaneous fat which is the easiest to lose and doesn't pose as much of a health risk. The second layer is visceral fat. That’s the fat that’s tucked deep inside, next to the organs. This fat has been shown to play a very dangerous role in affecting hormones and their function. Those hormones are what trigger the grow of cancers like breast, lung and colon because those cancers are strongly influenced by our hormones. The MSU study is now zoning in on this. Researchers are testing a promising drug called I-BET-762 that is showing signs of delaying the development of existing breast and lung cancer cells by targeting a how a cancerous gene in the visceral fat works. The drug does not allow the gene to express itself, therefore signific...

Study Finds More Young White People Developing & Dying From Colorectal Cancer

ABC News talks about new treatments for colon cancer and how the younger generation has a greater risk of getting the disease. Study finds more young, white people developing and dying from colorectal cancer Death rates from colorectal cancer for adults aged 20 to 54 are increasing by 1 percent each year, according to a new study, a rise that appears to be driven by an increase in the number of younger white adults getting and dying from this disease. Read More:   http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/video/inside-promising-colon-cancer-treatments-54114844

Blood Test Identifies Gene Deformity Known As Lynch Syndrome

MANSFIELD, OH -   A network of 50 hospitals, including OhioHealth MedCentral Mansfield, are joining forces across the Buckeye State, using a blood test to identify those most at risk for a gene deformity known as Lynch Syndrome and to help them avoid a diagnosis of cancer. Lynch Syndrome is a condition that prevents your body from properly repairing damaged D-N-A. When that happens, your risk of getting cancer at some point in your life is very high. The good news is, a simple blood test can tell you if you have Lynch Syndrome. And 50 hospitals across Ohio have joined forces to test for it. In many cases, the tests are free of charge. Experts at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center say if you or a close relative has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer since 2013, you should consider a test for Lynch Syndrome. Read More:   http://www.wmfd.com/news/single.asp?story=70230

Hand Me Down Genes

In 1994, at age 27, Keira Berman became acutely ill with what she thought was the flu. She also had blood in her stool, an issue she had dealt with since childhood and assumed to be a reaction to certain foods. Berman’s physician sent her to a gastroenterologist, who detected thousands of polyps in her colon via colonoscopy. Neither her gastroenterologist nor his pathologist knew what the polyps were, so they sent slides to several universities, Berman recalls. Johns Hopkins University responded that, based on her age and the number of polyps in her colon, the New Jersey resident likely had a relatively rare hereditary syndrome known as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). The impact of the diagnosis was dramatic. Informed that the polyps in her colon would likely become cancerous soon, Berman underwent a total colectomy and ileoanal anastomosis surgery to construct a J pouch for waste elimination. In the years that followed, FAP affected almost every aspect of her life, from the foo...