Doctors over-estimate survival of terminally ill patients
Doctors tend to over-estimate the survival of terminally ill cancer patients, but become more accurate closer to the date of death, finds a study in this week's BMJ. Accurate prognoses are important so patients can plan for death. Researchers reviewed eight studies involving more than 1,500 patients over 30 years to assess the accuracy of... view more... (2003-07-23)
Doctors tend to over-estimate the survival of terminally ill cancer patients, but become more accurate closer ... assess the accuracy of doctors' survival predictions. They found that doctors' survival predictions are frequently inaccurate and usually over-optimistic, being out by ... being closely correlated with actual survival. This suggests that doctors are able to sense when things ... of their tendency to over-estimate survival ...
Tackling depression in cancer patients can extend life
A study recommended by David Spiegel of Faculty of 1000 Medicine, looks at the relationship between depression care management and survival rates in older patients. view more (2008-04-11)
... between depression care management and survival rates in older patients. He identifies it as "an important ... of treatment of depression on survival in a primary care setting"
A leading authority on mind-body interactions ... finding that "Comorbid depression shortens survival time with cancer, and intervention with medication and psychotherapy can ... and psychotherapy can therefore extend survival among cancer patients."
The better survival rates ...
Shorter ambulance response times would cut heart attack deaths
Reducing ambulance response times to 5 minutes could almost double the survival rate for cardiac arrests not witnessed by ambulance crews, finds a study in this week's BMJ. All out of hospital cardiopulmonary arrests due to cardiac disease attended by the Scottish Ambulance Service during May 1991 to March 1998 were analysed to determine the... view more... (2001-06-06)
... minutes could almost double the survival rate for cardiac arrests not witnessed by ambulance crews, finds ... between ambulance response times and survival from cardiac arrest in the community. Two predictive models were ... assess the potential impact on survival of reducing response times. The team found that ambulance response ... restore a normal heartbeat) and survival. Currently, ambulances in the United Kingdom ...
Survival Benefit For Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Treated With Methotrexate (p 1173)
The anticancer drug methotrexate could have a substantial survival benefit among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, conclude authors of a prospective US study in this week's issue of THE LANCET. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease which results in reduced life-expectancy and is associated with cardiovascular disease, infection,... view more... (2002-04-04)
... methotrexate could have a substantial survival benefit among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, conclude authors of a ... found to have a 60% survival benefit for all-cause mortality compared with those who did not ... use methotrexate, and a 70% survival benefit for cardiovascular death. Hyon Choi comments: "Our data indicate ... methotrexate may provide a substantial survival benefit, largely by reducing cardiovascular mortality. ...
Cancer Survival Rates Higher Than Previously Assumed
Conventional estimates for life expectancy after cancer diagnosis have been too pessimistic, suggests a study in this week's issue of THE LANCET. There are two main ways of quantifying survival estimates after cancer diagnosis. The conventional method, known as the cohort method, is based on the survival experience of cancer patients whose... view more... (2002-10-09)
... two main ways of quantifying survival estimates after cancer diagnosis. The conventional method, known as the ... method, is based on the survival experience of cancer patients whose diagnosis occurred many years ago. ... treatment. A recently developed alternative survival assessment-called period analysis-provides more up-to-date estimates of cancer survival, as it exclusively uses survival data from a specific time period, such as ...
What affects the survival of patients with tuberculosis?
As the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in Canada declines, so too does the experience of physicians with this disease. What impact will this have on patient survival? view more (2006-09-26)
... will this have on patient survival?
Khan and colleagues looked at cases of active (showing clinical signs) ... 2 modifiable factors positively influenced survival: use of directly observed therapy (in this study, patients were ... given their medication during home visits by public health staff) and physician experience with TB.
In a related commentary, Long points out the many challenges that TB treatment presents ...
Longer Delays Associated With Better Survival
Patients who experience the longest delay in treatment are more likely to survive, despite the popular assumption that delay has a significant and harmful impact on survival, finds a study in this week's BMJ. Researchers collected data from the case notes of 703 women resident in Scotland who were diagnosed between 1 January 1996 and 31 December... view more... (2002-07-24)
... significant and harmful impact on survival, finds a study in this week's BMJ. Researchers collected data ... They found that delay and survival were inversely related: women with the shortest delay had more ... had more advanced disease and survival was least likely for these patients. The traditional view is ... on the disease: this influences survival. "Our study suggests that disease influences ...
First worldwide analysis of cancer survival finds wide variation between countries
Cancer survival varies widely between countries according to a worldwide study published online today in Lancet Oncology.* More than 100 investigators contributed to the study. view more (2008-07-17)
... and women have substantially lower survival than white men and women in the United States, but ... but US has the highest survival for prostate cancer of all 31 countries included
Cancer survival varies widely between countries according to a worldwide study published ... USA has the highest 5-year survival rate for prostate cancer than any of the 31 countries ... the 31 countries ...
Benefit of public defibrillators is marginal
Making defibrillators widely available in public places such as airports and shopping centres is not justified by the marginal improvement in survival, finds a study in this week's BMJ. Researchers in Scotland used records of all out of hospital cardiac arrests due to heart disease from 1991-1998 to estimate the potential impact of public access... view more... (2002-09-04)
... by the marginal improvement in survival, finds a study in this week's BMJ. Researchers in Scotland ... public access defibrillators on overall survival after out of hospital cardiac arrest. Of 15,189 arrests, 79% ... suitable sites would increase the survival rate from 5.0% to 6.3%. If defibrillators were located in ... and possibly suitable sites, the survival rate would increase only slightly further ...
Prostate cancer vaccines more effective with hormone therapy
Among patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer, the addition of hormone therapy following vaccine treatment improved overall survival compared with either treatment alone or when the vaccine followed hormone treatment, according to recent data published in the July 15 Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for... view more... (2008-07-10)
... following vaccine treatment improved overall survival compared with either treatment alone or when the vaccine followed ... be an advantage in overall survival."
Arlen and colleagues enrolled 42 patients who had castration-resistant prostate cancer. ... in the study, the three-year survival probability was 71 percent and the median overall survival was 4.4 years. Patients randomized to the vaccine had a ... the vaccine had ...
Type of lung cancer screening used to detect disease may impact 5-year survival rates
Dr. Hisao Asamura and his team of researchers at The National Cancer Center Hospital in Tokyo, Japan examined the records of 2,281 patients who underwent lung cancer resection surgery between 2000 and 2006. view more (2009-05-05)
... a marked difference in five-year survival rates. Those patients diagnosed using CT scans had a 91.2 ... had a 91.2 percent 5-year survival rate while those diagnosed with x-rays demonstrated a 77.8 percent ... x-rays demonstrated a 77.8 percent survival rate.
The researchers also divided the patients into groups based on ... that demonstrated the highest five-year survival rates were those diagnosed through screening ...
Modest Survival Benefit From Chemotherapy For Patients With Glioma Brain Tumours (p 1011)
Chemotherapy in addition to radiotherapy could have a modest survival benefit for the treatment of high-grade glioma, a severe form of brain cancer, conclude authors of a study in this week's issue of THE LANCET. Malignant gliomas are among the most devastating of cancers. They frequently result in profound and progressive disability, which often... view more... (2002-03-20)
... radiotherapy could have a modest survival benefit for the treatment of high-grade glioma, a severe form ... often leads to death. Average survival time is only around nine months, with a two-year survival of around 5-10%. Conventional treatment includes resection and radiotherapy; previous ... effect of systemic chemotherapy on survival and recurrence in adult patients with high-grade glioma have had ... modest (6%) ...
Climate warming and habitat loss threaten British Butterfly survival
Because butterflies are cold blooded, their growth and development are closely dependent on the weather and climate. When climates change insects can either shift breeding distributions to track it, stay put and adapt, or die out. Since the 1970s, climate warming in Britain has seen almost 20% of butterflies spread their ranges northwards,... view more... (2003-06-05)
... and detrimental influence on butterfly survival is habitat loss. The removal of natural habitats has caused ... consequences for future British butterfly survival and biodiversity. Ends ... ...
Minimizing obesity's impact on ovarian cancer survival
Obesity affects health in several ways, but new research shows obesity can have minimal impact on ovarian cancer survival. A study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center found ovarian cancer survival rates are the same for obese and non-obese women if their chemotherapy doses are closely matched... view more... (2008-12-29)
... non-obese patients have same overall survival
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Obesity affects health in several ways, but new ... minimal impact on ovarian cancer survival. A study by researchers at the University of Alabama at ... Cancer Center found ovarian cancer survival rates are the same for obese and non-obese women if ... women have lower ovarian cancer survival rates compared to non-obese patients. In ...
Cancer survival rates impact type of Web communities used by patients
Online support communities for high survival rate cancers contain a greater amount of emotional support content than online support communities for cancers with low survival rates, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Health System and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. view more (2008-11-19)
... Online support communities for high survival rate cancers contain a greater amount of emotional support content ... communities for cancers with low survival rates, according to a new study from the University of ... that support communities for low survival rate cancers contain a greater amount of informational support content ... online support communities for high survival rate cancers.
"Online communities have become an ... |
