Articles related to CANCER SCREENING

A group of UK researchers has created a novel prostate cancer (PaC) screening test (EpiSwitch) that, when combined with the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, has a high degree of accuracy for detecting the cancer. The test is based on measurement of five chromosome conformations that were first discovered in association with advanced PaC. The EpiSwitch test has a high positive predictive value for the diagnosis of PaC (92%) and a high negative predictive value (94%) when used in conjunction with the PSA level as a continuous variable, according to the researchers. The study’s authors advocated for additional research to investigate the test’s efficacy in larger patient samples, even though it was based on a scant number of patient samples.

In this cohort analysis, which included male patients examined at 128 US Veterans Health Administration facilities between 2005 (n = 4,678,412) and 2019 (n = 5,371,701), facilities with greater rates of prostate-specific antigen screening showed lower rates of eventual metastatic prostate cancer incidence.

Offering 0.25 credits, this 30-minute CME program discusses the new cervical cancer screening guidelines recently published by both the American Society for Colonoscopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) and the American Cancer Society (ACS).

This is a 1.75-hour credit expert round-table featuring members of UPMC faculty. The group dialogue together on the state-of the art in pancreatic cancer and their experience in biliary stenting including advantages of metal versus plastic stenting, and their experience in recent advances in molecular testing of pancreatic cysts, identifying those patients that will benefit from targeted surveillance of pancreatic cancer, and methods of performing PDAC surveillance and their outcomes. They also discuss prevention and management of post-op complications, and pain control in this population.

In March 2021, the US Preventive Services Task Force expanded the eligibility for lung cancer screening by setting the benchmark at a 20 pack-year smoking history for those ages 50 to 80 years who are current smokers or former smokers who have quit within the past 15 years. The new criteria will boost the number of eligible adults by 87% overall, according to a modeling analysis. It also could reduce lung cancer deaths by 13% versus 10% previously.

Of the nearly 83,000 mammograms taken among nearly 36,000 women screened, 1 in 7 cases was determined to be overdiagnosed. The information revealed in this Annals of Internal Medicine study clarifies the risk for breast cancer overdiagnosis in contemporary screening practice and should facilitate shared and informed decision making about mammography screening.