Ovarian Cancer Screenings Show Low Positivity Rate
Obstet Gynecol. 2009;113:775-782. [April 2009]
In older women, regular screening for ovarian cancer has a low positivity rate, suggesting that existing technology is not
beneficial in the detection of early cancer, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of
Medicine. The researchers found that positivity results of tests were low: 0.12% at year one, 0.08% at years two and three,
0.05% at year four. During the study, 89 patients were diagnosed with invasive cancer, but only 60 (67%) of the cases were
screen-detected. Seventy-two percent of the screen-detected cancers were stage III or IV, indicating that the screening effort
did not change the expected stage distribution from that of a normal unscreened population.
Heart Failure Before 50 More Common in Blacks Than WhitesN Engl J Med. 360:1179-1190. [March 19, 2009]
In a cohort of young black and white adults followed for two decades, the likelihood of heart failure before the age of 50
was 20 times higher in blacks than whites, according to researchers from the University of California, San Francisco. In blacks,
the cumulative incidence of heart failure before the age of 50 was 0.9% for men and 1.1% for women, compared with 0% for white
men and 0.08% for white women. Seventy-five percent who went on to develop heart failure had hypertension by the age of 40.
Aspirin Guidelines Updated by U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Ann Intern Med. 2009;150:396-404. [March 17, 2009]
Before deciding whether to use aspirin to prevent heart attacks or strokes, clinicians should compare risk factors such as
age, gender, diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and smoking against the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, according
researchers from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Among their recommendations: Men aged 45 to 79 should be encouraged
to use aspirin when the potential benefit of a reduction in heart attacks outweighs the potential harm of an increase in gastrointestinal
bleeding and that women aged 55 to 79 should use aspirin when the potential benefit of a reduction in ischemic strokes outweighs
the potential harm of an increase in gastrointestinal bleeding. The Task Force concluded that there isn't enough evidence
to assess the balance of benefits and risks of aspirin for cardiovascular disease prevention in men and women ages 80 and
older, and that the evidence discourages the use of aspirin in women younger than 55.
Dyspepsia May Improve With Dietary Changes
Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009;7:317-322. [March 2009]
An Australian study found that patients with functional dyspepsia may have improved symptoms when they eat smaller meals with
lower fat content. Although the researchers found that patients tended to eat a smaller number of full meals and had a smaller
total consumption of calories and total fat than healthy subjects, they determined that fullness and bloating were directly
related to fat intake and inversely related to carbohydrate intake.
Smoking Linked to Risk of Acute, Chronic Pancreatitis
Arch Intern Med. 2009;169:603-609. [March 23, 2009]
A Danish study determined that smoking is independently associated with an increased risk of pancreatitis. In subjects who
smoked 15 to 24 grams of tobacco per day, the investigators found a significantly increased risk of pancreatitis. They also
found that increased alcohol intake was associated with an increased risk, but that the risk of pancreatitis associated with
smoking was independent of both alcohol and gallstone disease. About 46% of the pancreatitis cases in the study were attributable
to smoking.
