Vienna, Austria: Foods should be investigated as a potential source of spread of Clostridium difficile, according to research presented at the 27th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) causes gut infections and can be particularly dangerous for elderly patients. Because it is resistant to commonly used antibiotics it […]
2017
The cost of Clostridium difficile infections: thousands of hospital beds occupied a year and patients at higher risk of death if infection recurs
Vienna, Austria: Repeated infection with the bacterium Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), which causes stomach upsets and diarrhoea, is linked to higher death rates, as well as having a significant impact on health services in terms of cost and hospital beds occupied. In the first of two presentations at the 27th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology […]
Cardiac arrest patients do better if taken immediately to a specialist heart centre – regardless of how far away it is
People who suffer cardiac arrest outside of hospital have a better chance of survival if they are taken immediately to a specialist heart centre rather than to the nearest general hospital, according to research published in the European Heart Journal [1]. The study found that distance needed to travel to a specialist heart centre was […]
WHO report is ‘major step forward’ in fight against drug-resistant bacteria
A new report by the World Health Organization lays out, for the first time, which antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose the greatest risk to global health and urgently need new effective treatments. The report was chaired by Prof. Evelina Tacconelli, executive committee member of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) in collaboration with […]
Death rates from cancer will fall faster in men than in women in Europe in 2017
Death rates from cancer in the European Union (EU) are falling faster in men than in women, according to the latest predictions for European cancer deaths in 2017, published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1]. Researchers in Italy, Switzerland and the USA, led by Carlo La Vecchia (MD), Professor at the Faculty […]
Breath test could help detect stomach and oesophageal cancers
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: A test that measures the levels of five chemicals in the breath has shown promising results for the detection of cancers of the oesophagus and stomach in a large patient trial presented at the European Cancer Congress 2017 [1]. Together, stomach and oesophageal cancer account for around 1.4 million new cancer diagnoses […]
Some early stage breast cancer patients may benefit more from breast conserving therapy than from mastectomy
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Breast conserving therapy (BCT, breast conserving surgery combined with radiation therapy) is superior to mastectomy in certain types of breast cancer patients, according to results from the largest study to date, presented at the European Cancer Congress 2017 [1]. Professor Sabine Siesling, from the Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation (IKNL) and University of […]
Diabetes or its rapid deterioration can be an early warning sign for pancreatic cancer
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Patients and their doctors should be aware that the onset of diabetes, or a rapid deterioration in existing diabetes that requires more aggressive treatment, could be a sign of early, hidden pancreatic cancer, according to research presented at the European Cancer Congress 2017 [1]. Ms Alice Koechlin, from the International Prevention Research […]
Experts predict melanoma death rates will fall by 2050, but numbers of deaths will increase unless effective treatments are developed
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: By 2050 the death rates from malignant melanoma will have decreased from their current levels but the numbers of people dying from the disease will have increased due to the aging of populations. However, if new treatments for the deadly skin cancer prove to be effective, the numbers of deaths could fall […]
The immunotherapy, pembrolizumab, is active against mucosal melanoma tumours and prolongs survival for patients with bladder cancer
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Clinical trials of a new immunotherapy, pembrolizumab, have shown that it prolongs life significantly for patients with bladder cancer and is active against a rare sub-type of melanoma, called mucosal melanoma. The findings were presented in two presentations at the European Cancer Congress 2017 [1]. Until now, mucosal melanoma has often been […]