The Colon Club

"The results showed that 82% were initially misdiagnosed, and 73% presented with late-stage disease. Additionally, 71% received a colon cancer diagnosis, 20% received a rectal cancer diagnosis, 67% saw at least two doctors before receiving a cancer diagnosis, 62% had no family history of CRC, and 15% said an ER visit led to a colonoscopy and their CRC diagnosis."

Caitlin Miron has found something huge: A week ago she was honoured for discovering a chemical compound with the ability to prevent cancer growth, but it could also have significant applications in halting the spread of HIV, too. In an exclusive interview with Yahoo Canada News, the Ontario PhD student revealed why her discovery could be more far-reaching — for everything from HIV to Zika — than originally reported.

I consider myself a man of science. I was trained as a scientist, have worked as a science communicator and am now studying to become a doctor.

But at the age of 28, I was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer and told I needed aggressive treatments

C-Scan is an ingestible, ultra-low dose X-ray capsule combined with a wireless tracking system, which generates structural information on the lumen of the colon. It allows physicians to identify pre-cancerous polyps and other abnormalities by helping to create 2D and 3D maps of the colon, according to the press release.

Liquid biopsy that identifies circulating tumor cells in a blood sample has high accuracy for detecting colorectal cancer (CRC), according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, held from January 18 to 20 in San Francisco.

Researchers have developed a blood test that can detect the presence of eight common cancers. Called CancerSEEK, the blood test detects tiny amounts of DNA and proteins released into the blood stream from cancer cells. This can then indicate the presence of ovarian, liver, stomach, pancreatic, oesophageal, bowel, lung or breast cancers.

Salutogenesis ( a word that Antonovsky coined) is the opposite of pathogenesis, in that rather
than asking “what is wrong with this person?”, it approaches health as an issue of what is needed for this person to be more healthy?

...These foods all increase inflammation in your body, and the inflammation they cause is associated with a higher chance of developing colon cancer, according to pooled data from two major health studies... Baxter noted that the people with the highest risk of colon cancer were the outliers in the study — the one-fifth of participants who were consistently eating a lot of foods that promote inflammation.

Abstract / Synopsis:

With increasing cancer survival, fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is becoming a prominent clinical issue. FCR is prevalent, distressing, and long-lasting, and can negatively impact patients’ quality of life, use of health services, and adherence to follow-up recommendations. Novel targeted therapies may increase risk of FCR because of longer treatment duration and follow-up, increased prognostic precision, and omission of treatment based on genomic status. Oncologists can assess and screen for FCR using validated measures; provide adequate information about prognosis, signs and symptoms of recurrence, and behavioral strategies for risk reduction and follow-up; and warn patients and families that FCR may be an issue in survivorship. It is important to normalize FCR and encourage patients to discuss it if it is a concern. Patients with severe FCR should be referred to psycho-oncology staff, who can apply some of the novel psychotherapeutic interventions that have emerged to address this condition.