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Unfertilized Female Eggs May Be an Alternative Source of Stem Cells SUMMARY: According to a study by researchers at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, cells derived from an unfertilized female egg may prove to be a new source of multi-purpose stem cells through parthogenesis—the ability to create cloned embryos from an egg that has not been fertilized by sperm. Stem cells created through parthenogeneis do not require human embryonic tissues and offer the same kind of treatment potential as human embryonic stem cells. Program Book Page 214 Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Is Safe and Effective in High-Risk Patients SUMMARY: A study conducted at the University of Hawaii shows that "off-pump" revascularization may benefit patients at high risk for postoperative complications following heart surgery. Researchers have found that the off-pump method lowered mortality and increased overall positive outcomes. Program Book Page 219 Theodore J. Dubuque Jr., MD, FACS, Receives 2004 Surgical Volunteerism Award SUMMARY: Theodore J. Dubuque, Jr, MD, FACS, a general surgeon from St. Louis, MO, has been named the 2004 recipient of the "Surgical Volunteerism Award" of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Dr. Dubuque, President of the CRUDEM Foundation, was recognized for his longstanding humanitarian efforts and surgical leadership in providing much needed surgical services to patients who live in and near the town of Milot, in northern Haiti. Program Book Page 25 Simple Blood Test Could One Day Determine Breast Cancer Prognosis and Treatment SUMMARY: Measuring the amount of interleukin-2 in the blood may allow breast cancer to be distinguished from benign breast disease, while differentiating node-positive and node-negative breast cancer, according to researchers from the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA. If validated through a larger study, the end result could bring a new method of determining the best course of treatment for breast cancer patients. Program Book Page 212 Surgeons Identify Possible Mechanism for Cancer Metastasis to the Liver SUMMARY: John Wayne Cancer Institute (Santa Monica, CA) researchers have been studying what may be a key mechanism by which cancer metastasizes to the liver. Determining why or how cancer spreads to specific organ targets could lead to the development of drugs that target and treat cancers that metastasize to the liver. Program Book Page 213 Edward R. Laws is Installed as 85th President of the American College of Surgeons Program Book Page 25 Blood Test for Inflammation May Change the Way Patients Are Evaluated for Carotid Artery Disease SUMMARY: Surgeons from Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, WA, are researching a link between a common blood test for inflammation and carotid stenosis, which can lead to stroke. The researchers believe that monitoring CRP levels could possibly lead to a new way of identifying patients who may need treatment to prevent brain attack. Program Book Page 231 Robotic-Assisted Surgery Improves Outcomes for Radical Prostatectomy Patients SUMMARY: Surgeons at Urology Centers of Alabama, Birmingham, have found that using a surgical robot to perform radical prostatectomy resulted in patients having better outcomes—when compared with the open method. According to the researchers, the use of robotic assistance in prostate cancer surgery has helped to decrease patient morbidity without sacrificing oncologic outcomes and has the potential to become a standard of care in the future. Program Book Page 215 Commonly Prescribed Anti-Inflammatory Drug Effectively Treats Men with Recurrent Prostate Cancer SUMMARY: In a study by researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, a commonly prescribed anti-inflammatory drug slowed the progression of recurrent prostate cancer. Researchers also intend to conduct a study of the drug as adjuvant therapy in men with advanced disease, as well as in those at high risk for recurrence immediately after operation. The surgeons who conducted the study believe that there is potential for anti-inflammatory medicines to have an antitumor effect. Program Book Page 215 Surgeons Develop Genetic Profiles for Head and Neck and Lung Cancer in Smokers SUMMARY: In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, surgeons were able to predict precisely if patients with lung masses had developed lung cancer or metastases from another source. Such predictions can help physicians decide whether an individual patient has advanced cancer that spread from the head and neck to the lung, or whether the patient has other metastatic sources that may be treated individually. Knowing the source of a patient's cancer may one day lead to the customization of cancer treatment. Program Book Page 238 ### |
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