“This is the first time that HE4 has ever been evaluated in a primary care setting, so it will be exciting to see larger-scale studies implemented to further assess its effectiveness as a diagnostic aid. Earlier diagnosis will have important implications for women’s treatment, care and ultimately, survival.”
Category: Uncategorized
People diagnosed with Lynch syndrome have an increased risk for colorectal, endometrial and other cancers.
If you have been diagnosed with Lynch syndrome, you have may questions about your medical care. This page from the USA has information on cancer risk, screening, prevention and treatment for people with an inherited mutation in a Lynch syndrome gene.
Outdated medical language that casts doubt, belittles, or blames patients jeopardises the therapeutic relationship and is overdue for change?
https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj-2021-066720
Key messages
- Some commonly used language in healthcare confers petulance on patients, renders them passive, or blames them for poor outcomes
- Such language negatively affects patient-provider relationships and is outdated
- Research is needed to explore the impact that such language could have on patient outcomes
- Clinicians should consider how their language affects attitudes and change as necessary
Uptake of hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in carriers of pathogenic mismatch repair variants: a Prospective Lynch Syndrome Database report
Highlights
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Premenopausal oophorectomies in patients not at increased risk of ovarian cancer.•
Uptake of risk-reducing surgery (RRS) in Lynch syndrome aligns poorly with cancer risk and mortality.•
Uptake of RRS does not correspond well with current clinical guidelines.•
There is an unmet need for multidisciplinary planning to avoid repeated surgery.
Ovarian Cancer UK Statistics
These upcoming cancer vaccines may prevent tumors before they appear
A vaccine against cancers caused by Lynch syndrome — an inherited disorder — will be among the first to test if a vaccine can stop nonviral cancers from appearing. The Lynch trial is among several looking to test a new generation of preventative cancer vaccines.
Recently, scientists have discovered that a type of immune cell known as a T cell is capable of recognizing the unique signatures of a tumor cell — and giving them the business.
Therapies designed to increase T cell’s killing power and ability to target cancer after it appears have already been approved, and they can be quite successful at treating some cancers. (More recent work is recruiting another type of immune cell, the awesomely named natural killer cells, to fight cancer.)
https://www.freethink.com/health/preventative-cancer-vaccines
Endometrial cancer
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer in high-income countries and incidence is rising globally.
Navigating Cancer Test Results Is Challenging for Patients and Their Caregivers
Medical literacy is important, but not everybody is medically educated. Sometimes it is hard for the patient to know every detail and to know what is significant and potentially life-threatening and what isn’t and what questions to ask. It should be the duty of the doctors and the labs to explicitly, and in simple terms, explain what a positive or out-of-range test might mean for the patient – and sometimes even relatives.
https://www.curetoday.com/view/inclusion-in-cancer-care-takes-an-effort-on-all-fronts
Colonoscopy Q&A for Lynch Syndrome Patients:
“…the ability to prevent colon cancer…”
Experiences of living with Lynch Syndrome: A reflexive thematic analysis
Highlights
- Lynch Syndrome is a hereditary cancer condition, mainly impacting colon cancer.
- Being identified as having Lynch Syndrome can be distressing.
- Those with Lynch Syndrome find difficulty in navigating the health care system.
- There is a perceived lack of knowledge in the medical field about Lynch Syndrome.
- A model of care for people with Lynch Syndrome could assist with the distress felt.
https://www.ejoncologynursing.com/article/S1462-3889(22)00025-4/fulltext#main-menu
