Even after eliminating known pancreatic cancer risk factors, such as smoking and obesity, blacks still had a 42 percent higher risk of dying from the disease than their white counterparts, according to a WUSTL-led study, which appears online in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

References:

1. Sept. 2, 2009 — Pancreatic Cancer Deaths Higher for Blacks in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 9 others.

A study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found after-hours orthopaedic surgeries risk a slightly higher rate of necessary follow-up surgeries. WUSTL orthopaedic surgron and lead author William Ricci comments.

References:

1. Sept. 2, 2009 — After-hours bone surgery slightly riskier in the United Press International

and 3 others.

Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave from Apple Inc. since January to treat an undisclosed medical condition, received a controversial liver transplant in Tennessee about two months ago. The chief executive has been recovering well and is expected to return to work on schedule later this month, though he may work part-time initially. WUSTL pancreatic and gastrointestinal surgery professor William Hawkins and surgery professor William Chapman both comment.

References:

1. June 20, 2009 — Jobs Had Liver Transplant in the The Wall Street Journal

Doctors are testing a new kind of obesity surgery without any cuts through the abdomen, snaking a tube down the throat to snap staples into the stomach. The experimental, scar-free procedure creates a narrow passage that slows the food as it moves from the upper stomach into the lower stomach, helping patients feel full more quickly and eat less. The first U.S. procedure was done at WUSTL. WUSTL surgery professor Chris Eagon comments.

References:

1. June 2, 2009 — No scars: New obesity surgery goes through mouth in the Associated Press

and 52 others.

A drug already sold for other prostate problems significantly cut the chances of prostate cancer being found in men with an increased risk of the disease, doctors reported Monday. The U.S. study was led by WUSTL urologic surgeon Gerald Andriole, who comments.

References:

1. April 27, 2009 — Study: Drug lowers risk of getting prostate cancer in the Associated Press

and 52 others.

Richard Knox reports on the results of two prostate cancer screening studies that were designed to answer the question: Would men who got regular PSA tests have less risk of dying from prostate cancer? The answer — maybe. The author of the new U.S. study, WUSTL urologic surgery professor Gerald Andriole, comments.

References:

1. March 18, 2009 — No Clear Answer In Studies of Prostate-Cancer Test in the NPR All Things Considered

The PSA blood test, used to screen for prostate cancer, saves few lives and leads to risky and unnecessary treatments for large numbers of men, two large studies have found. The findings, the first based on rigorous, randomized studies, confirm some longstanding concerns about the wisdom of widespread prostate cancer screening. Includes comments by WUSTL urologic surgery professor Gerald Andriole, lead author of the U.S. study.

References:

1. March 19, 2009 — Studies Show Prostate Test Saves Few Lives in the The New York Times

and 1 others.

Science is not shy about ambiguity, never more so than when it comes to medical advice. New research has found seemingly contradictory conclusions of prostate cancer screenings. WUSTL urologic surgery professor Gerald Andriole, who participated in one of the studies, comments.

References:

1. March 19, 2009 — Prostate Exams: When Are They Necessary? in the Time

Some doctors say they're disappointed that experts are offering men relatively little guidance about whether to be screened for prostate cancer and shifting the decision onto men who may have trouble making sense of such complicated research. Lead author of the U.S. study, WUSTL urologic surgery professor Gerald Andriole, comments.

References:

1. March 19, 2009 — Studies cast doubt on leading prostate cancer test in the USA Today

Some genetic traits are easier to defy than others. Others, such as cancer or diabetes, are not so simple to escape. Advice on how you can reduce your risk with proven tips for protecting your health from head to toe. WUSTL surgery professor Ming You, director of the Chemoprevention Program at WUSTL's Siteman Cancer Center, comments on the role heredity plays in asthma, allergies and lung cancer.

References:

1. March 12, 2009 — Control your DNA destiny in the MSNBC.com

More than 100,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer in the U.S. each year. Researchers at WUSTL and Harvard University have found that regular exercise cut people's risk of developing colon cancer by 24 percent.

References:

1. Feb. 13, 2009 — Another Good Reason to Exercise in the The Washington Post blog

A new study led by cancer prevention specialist and lead author Kathleen Wolin at WUSTL, showed that being physically active can reduce the risk of colon cancer by a quarter.

References:

1. Feb. 12, 2009 — Being physically active can reduce the risk of colon cancer by a quarter, a review of research has found in the Telegraph.co.uk (UK)

The largest prostate cancer screening program in U.S. history is showing high compliance and consistent results. The authors, led by Dr. Gerald L. Andriole at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, found that after the third annual follow-up round, compliance with screening had decreased only slightly, to 85%, from 89% at baseline.

References:

1. Jan. 1, 2009 — With annual prostate cancer screening, new cases are less advanced in the Reuters Health Medical News

Advanced donor age, per se, does not adversely affect the transplant recipient or the survival of the organ after liver transplantation, according to a report in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. WUSTL surgery professor William Chapman and colleagues found there was no significant difference in the number of second transplants performed or signs that another transplant was going to be needed between patients who received organs from younger and older donors.

References:

1. Dec. 30, 2008 — Liver transplants from elderly donors are safe in the Reuters Health

and 6 others.

A narrow region on chromosome 15 contains genetic variations strongly associated with familial lung cancer, says a study conducted by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom.

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2008 — Genetic Region Linked To Five Times Higher Lung Cancer Risk in the ScienceDaily.com

and 11 others.

Liver transplant patients who receive an organ from a donor age 60 or older do just as well as patients getting a liver from a younger donor, U.S. researchers said. A WUSTL medical school team, led by surgeon William Chapman, analyzed data and said the results should inspire some confidence about donated livers from older donors.

References:

1. July 21, 2008 — Livers from older donors work well in transplants in the Reuters

and 13 others.

A recent conference brought together many of the most committed breast cancer activists with some of the nation's top cancer scientists. The conference's directive is to push researchers to think "out of the box" for potential treatments, methods of detection and prevention in new ways. WUSTL surgeon Graham Colditz comments.

References:

1. July 1, 2008 — Commentary: Improving breast cancer treatment in the MSNBC.com

New research shows exercise during the teen years — starting as young as age 12 — can help protect girls from breast cancer when they're grown. "This really points to the benefit of sustained physical activity from adolescence through the adult years, to get the maximum benefit," said WUSTL surgery professor Graham Colditz, the study's lead author.

References:

1. May 13, 2008 — Exercise may protect girls from future breast cancer in the Associated Press

and 206 others.

Some of the best things you can do for your heart do not involve deprivation or medication. Simple and even pleasurable changes in the foods you eat can rival medication in terms of the benefit to your heart.
WUSTL epidemiology professor Graham Colditz comments on why many people are not getting the message.

References:

1. May 13, 2008 — Eating Your Way to a Sturdy Heart in the The New York Times

Article on anesthesia awareness.
Patients say they wake up during surgery, unable to move or scream.
Some experts have said special brain-wave monitors were the best way to prevent anesthesia awareness. Now, in a big setback for efforts to prevent it, the first large, independent test of the monitors shows they are no better than older technology.
WUSTL medical school researchers led by anesthesiology professor Michael Avidan comments.
The study was published in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

References:

1. March 12, 2008 — Monitors Don't Stop Patients From Waking in the Associated Press

and 138 others.