by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

The New England Journal of Medicine published a study last week that found virtual colonoscopy is almost as accurate as the standard one in detecting polyps that can lead to colorectal cancer.

A virtual colonoscopy, called a computerized tomographic (CT) colonography in medicalese, is a fancy CAT scan that uses X-rays to look for polyps in your colon.  A regular colonoscopy (the gold standard of colorectal cancer screening) requires a long tube, with a camera on the end, inserted in the rectum, and snaked through your entire colon to look directly for abnormalities.  You remember Katie Couric’s live colonoscopy on Today, don’t you? (See video below.)

A polyp is a small stalk, usually less than 1/2 inch in diameter, growing from the lining of your intestine, that can progress to a cancerous polyp (usually takes five to 10 years for the progression).  Removing the polyps can prevent as many as 75 percent of colorectal cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The problem is that people are not getting their screening colonoscopies.  What good is a test you if don’t get it? Physicians have been trying to find an alternative.  Will the virtual colonoscopy be it?

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Christina Applegate, age 36, is a role model for women regarding breast cancer detection. Although details are not available, she apparently caught it at an early stage. Therefore her prospects of full recovery are good. She probably had the lump removed and may have a few rounds of chemotherapy. If not detected early, the prognosis would have be much more dire.

So how did she find it so early? Was it just good luck, or did her regular checkups pay off? From early news reports it was the latter. Here is why I believe that.

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I’ve asked ob-gyn Susan Warhus, M.D., one of our editorial-board members, to comment on whether women should still be doing breast exams, and she’s kindly obliged. She’s author of Fertility Demystified, Countdown to Baby and Darn Good Advice—Pregnancy.
—James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

One of my managing editor’s Twitter friends, “autismfamily,” asked a very relevant question after reading yesterday’s blog: With knowledge from recent publicized studies, should women still do breast self-exams?

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Over-the-counter lidocaine gel, a topical anesthetic (numbs up your skin) applied to the breasts and chest about an hour before a mammogram reduce discomfort and pain, according to a study published online at Radiology.

Some women won’t get a mammogram due to this discomfort. The breast has to be somewhat compressed in order for the test to be effective. This study showed that lidocaine gel be worth a try.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

The FDA has joined with other organizations to remind us about the increased risks of medical radiation on children. The Image Gently campaign cautions the public and health-care professionals to be careful when giving kids CT (CAT) scans.

CT scans can be lifesaving diagnostic tools and experts don’t think the radiation dosage significantly increases cancer risk. However, it can accumulate in the body over time. They believe children are more sensitive to this because they usually have a longer lifetime ahead of them for accumulation. Also , their cells divide more rapidly so DNA has more of a change for damage.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Melanoma (mole cancer) kills–way too often. It doesn’t have to.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in America. Melanoma is a deadly form of it if not detected early. But your doctor can catch it!

Remember “ABCD” for possible signs of melanoma.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

You must have seen it by now. It’s been on cable, Yahoo! News and multiple newspaper front pages. … The story, that is.

The study the story’s about, however, is a bit harder to find.

What happened was, Canadian researchers reported a link between weight-loss surgery and decreased cancer risk at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery. Media outlets seemingly picked up the story and ran with it.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Companies that market fake cures for cancer are unbelievable. They take hope and money from people at their most vulnerable. In addition, they take away valuable time that these people don’t have. Some cures actually do direct harm.

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