Research sheds light on prostate cancer

[Posted: Fri 30/07/2010 by Niall Hunter, Editor - www.irishhealth.com]

Scientists have discovered a cell that could be an important link in the development of prostate cancer.Samples of the these particular cells, known as basal cells, taken from healthy human prostate tissue, triggered cancer in mice with suppressed immune systems.The US researchers say their findings suggest that these cells may be a major cause of prostate cancer, which causes over 500 deaths in Irish men each year.Previously it was thought that a different type of cell caused prostate cancer.It is hoped the discovery, reported in the journal Science, will lead to better diagnostic tools and more effective treatments for the disease.The researchers say the discovery will help clinicians understand the sequence of genetic events that causes prostate cancer and will shed new light on how the cancer develops, potentially helping to discover new treatments. The research was published in the journal Science.

New catalogue on health info

[Posted: Fri 30/07/2010 by Niall Hunter, Editor - www.irishhealth.com]

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) today published a comprehensive catalogue of where to access health information.It says the catalogue will increase awareness about the purpose and content of these sources and how data can be accessed. The publication of the catalogue will also identify any gaps or inconsistencies in health information, according to HIQA.The catalogue lists sources such as BreastCheck; the Hospital Inpatient Enquiry system (HIPE); immunisation statistics; the Primary Care Reimbursement Scheme that runs the medical card scheme scheme; the national renal transplant registry and many more. It gives details of each source, including how it publishes its information, whether it is published and where it is published.
Professor Jane Grimson, Director of Health Information with the Authority said it is estimated that up to 30% of the total health budget may be spent one way or another on handling information, collecting it, looking for it, storing it. "It is therefore imperative that information is managed in the most effective way possible in order to ensure a high quality, safe service.”
She pointed out, however, that the current information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure in Ireland’s health and social care sector is highly fragmented, with major gaps which prevent the safe, effective transfer of information.

DACC invite you to read full article by clicking on this link please www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=17673

Drumm defends bed closure policy

[Posted: Thu 29/07/2010 by Niall Hunter, Editor - www.irishhealth.com]

HSE CEO Prof Brendan Drumm has reiterated his view that we have too many hospital beds, despite growing A&E trolley numbers and the slow roll-out of new primary care centres.And he said there will always be some patients on hospital trolleys.Asked about bed closures at his last official function before he steps down - the opening of a primary care centre in Pearse Street, Dublin - Prof Drumm said : “We talk about beds being closed. If we never built a primary care centre, Ireland should still be getting by with far fewer beds.”
The Government’s capital programme published this week revealed that only two of the HSE’s planned new primary care centres were opened last year.
The HSE says eight have been built in the past 12 months, and while there are plans to have 115 primary care centre operational by 2013, this is less than the 200 envisaged by the HSE in 2007 and the 600 planned in the 2001 Government health strategy.
The primary care centres form part of the HSE’s strategy to move care away from hospitals and into the community. Around 1,000 beds have been taken out of the system recently and the HSE plans to close a further 1,100.
Speaking to reporters, Prof Drumm queried why its primary care centre plan was included in the Government capital programme. The HSE’s primary care centres are not being built through its capital plan but through public-private partnership, which was a revenue stream, he said.
TO READ FULL ARTICLE PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=1766

New chair for HSE

[Posted: Wed 28/07/2010 - www.irishhealth.com]

Dr Frank Dolphin has been appointed by Health Minister Mary Harney as the new Chairman of the HSE.A native of Birr, Co Offaly, Dr Frank Dolphin is the chairman of Rigney Dolphin, a services business in Waterford which employs 1,100 staff.He is also chairman of the Children’s University Hospital, Temple St and a member of the board of Governors of the Mater Hospital.Dr Dolphin succeeds Liam Downey as HSE Chairman. Mr Downey has stepped down having served two terms as a HSE board member.

The Irish Times - Tuesday, July 27, 2010 GORDON DEEGAN

HSE managers to deliver plans on job losses today

SENIOR HSE management in the west are expected to deliver their plans today to “maximise” the number of job losses among temporary staff in the area.In response to a projected overspend of €90 million this year in the HSE West area, stretching from Donegal to Limerick, regional director for operations in the west, John Hennessy, has demanded his health managers draw up plans for job losses across the sector for today’s meeting.The Impact trade union said at the weekend that the move would affect up to 300 temporary contract healthcare workers in the midwest alone, where the HSE is facing a projected overspend of €35 million this year.In an internal memo, dated Wednesday, July 21st, Mr Hennessy states “what’s very clear to all of us is that we face a major challenge between now and year-end to achieve the required budget breakeven out-turn”.In his memo to health managers across the west, Mr Hennessy states: “A key component of our breakeven plan will be a substantial reduction in temporary staff.” He states that he has attached a detailed profile of existing temporary staff for area west “which you can filter for your particular area of responsibility”.He goes on: “With immediate effect, I wish you to put an action plan in place to maximise the reduction in your temporary staff numbers in order to achieve your breakeven plan by year-end. Any exception to this directive within your area of responsibility will be subject to my approval following a business case submission to Francis Rogers, assistant national director of HR.” Mr Hennessy said the matter would be a key agenda item at the area west management team meeting today.The HSE met Impact last week to discuss its plans to cut costs in the midwest. At this meeting, plans to reduce temporary staff were outlined. Impact’s assistant general secretary Andy Pike confirmed that the HSE had tabled the closure of the orthopaedic operating theatre and an orthopaedic ward at Croom Orthopaedic hospital, as well as the cutting of 25 inpatient beds at Ennis General and Nenagh General hospitals.Mr Pike said the cost-cutting also included a ward closure at St Joseph’s Hospital in Ennis and a ward closure at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick.Mr Pike said: “Impact members locally are both stunned and deeply angered by the scale of the proposed cuts and the prospect of further cuts to come. There is anger and concern at the implications of these cuts for service users, patients and staff. The chronic underfunding of the health services and the swingeing budget cuts mean that front-line services will be reduced, waiting lists will go up and staff will be dismissed.”Mr Pike confirmed that Impact had referred the issue of the review of temporary contracts to the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) “for urgent conciliation”.“We informed the HSE that if it proceeded with the termination of contracts we would be in a serious industrial dispute very quickly,” he said.

Uncertain future for major health projects

[Posted: Tue 27/07/2010 by Niall Hunter, Editor - www.irishhealth.com]

The Government's revised capital spending plan for health has been criticised for lacking detail on which projects are going ahead and which have been long-fingered.The Government's capital programme for health admits that it will not be possible to procure all hospital and other projects "through planned capital envelopes".

In response to this, it says, the Department of Health has both reprioritised the timing of investment decisions and is exploring the potential for alternative means of funding investments such as leasing and asset disposal. A total of €2.89 billion, including €1.6 billion for acute hospitals, has been allocated for health projects in the Government's revised €39 billion capital programme covering the period to 2016. However, Fine Gael's Dr James Reilly has said there is a lack of detail in the plan about which projects will be funded and which will be dropped. He said the plan would see health capital spending slashed by €90 million in the next year.The health capital programme states that infrastructure deficits persist in acute hospital care and in primary, community and continuing care. It says developing primary and community care can free up capacity in acute care.

To read full article please click on this link www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=17650

Hospital services to be scaled down

[Posted: Mon 26/07/2010 - www.irishhealth.com]

Outgoing HSE CEO Prof Brendan Drumm has said warned that smaller hospitals may have to stop operating on a 24-hour basis.Prof Drumm, who steps down next month, said it would be very difficult to make the expected €600 million in health cuts next year without affecting services but it would be possible if significant changes were made to how services were run.Speaking on This Week on RTÉ Radio yesterday, he said there was no justification for having four hospitals open everynight for 300,000 people in Galway and Roscommon. He said, however, that planned cuts to respite care services would not be introduced.Cathal Magee is due to take over from Prof Drumm as head of the HSE on September 1.The HSE's budget is expected to be cut by around €600 million in 2011, following a cut of €1.2 billion this year, and Health Minister Mary Harney has already warned that this will have serious consequences for services.The planned new national children's hospital at the Mater site in Dublin is not expected face the axe in the Government's revised capital programme, which is is to be published today. However, other health building projects are likely to be hit.

The children's hospital, which is scheduled to open in 2014, will cost €750 million to build.However, only €400 million of this is coming from Exchequer funding, with the remainder being raised through sources such as private/philanthropic donations and revenue from car-parking and commercial and retail outlets in the hospital.Meanwhile, SIPTU has said it will ballot on strike action over a HSE plan to cut hundreds of temporary health service contract jobs in the west.

West already hit by major bed cuts

A total of 114 beds are already closed in Galway and Ballinasloe hpositals, even before new cutbacks are implemented to meet a projected €90 million budget deficit for the HSE west region, new figures reveal.

HSE management told staff unions this week that in the mid-west section of its HSE West area alone, it now plans to implement further bed and theatre closures and has indicated that it will cut back on temporary contract workers.The SIPTU union has claimed that in addition to this, 400 job cuts are being morted for the entire western region. HSE West which is one of the four HSE administrative areas, covers the old western and mid-western health board regions.HSE figures released to Fine Gael TD Ulick Burke show that at present 132 beds are closed at University Hospital and Merlin Park Hospital in Galway and Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, In the mid-west area around 87 beds have been closed to date, according Irish Nurses and Midwives Association (INMO) figures.Meanwhile, Health Minister Mary Harney warned yesterday that there would be substantial cutbacks in the health budget next year. She said every poossible way would be looked at to minimise the impact on services.  [Posted: Fri 23/07/2010 by Niall Hunter, Editor - www.irishhealth.com]

Slow roll-out of new GP centres slammed

[Posted: Fri 23/07/2010 by Niall Hunter, Editor - www.irishhealth.com]

Only eight new primary care centre, designed to provide a "one-stop shop" of medical care for patients and to move treatment away from hospital services have been built under a HSE initiative launched in 2007, according to data from the health executive.The HSE's statistics also show that since the Government's Primary Care Strategy in 2001 promised 600 such "mini-hospital" centres around the country, only 25 have between built under various development initiatives since then.

The HSE has also admitted that there have been difficulties with some of the planned primary care centre projects.Sinn Fein health spokesman Caoimhghin O'Caolain, who was given the figures in a PQ, told irishhealth.com that the development of these centres across the State has been "pathetically slow".Moving services from acute hospitals into the community is a key component of Health Minister Mary Harney and the HSE's reform programme. Hundreds of beds have already been closed and it is planned to close a further 1,100 beds this year, reduce hospital admissions and to treat more patients through GP and community services.The HSE data, however, puts a question mark over whether the community infrastructure yet exists to pick up the slack as services are transferred from hospitals.DACC invite you to read full article by clicking on this link www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=17643

HSE plans 300 job cuts - Impact

Martin Wall Industry Correspondent Courtesy of The Irish Times

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is proposing to cut up to 300 jobs held by staff on temporary employment contracts in the mid west as part of a new drive to tackle a €35 million financial deficit in the region, the trade union Impact has maintained.Impact has warned of a serious industrial dispute if the HSE proceeded to terminate temporary contracts. The union has referred the issue to the Labour Relations Commission.Impact said that HSE proposals for tackling the deficit in the mid west were set out at a meeting with management on Wednesday evening.Impact official Andy Pike said: “One of the proposals was the dismissal of staff employed on fixed term contracts of employment. We estimate that there are between 200 and 300 such contracts in the Mid West. The HSE said that each contract will now be reviewed with a view either non-renewal of the contract when it expires or terminating the contract if the post is no longer determined to be a clear and pressing priority.”He said such a measure would affect many different staff groups and that it was impossible to know exactly how many staff could be affected.“It might be very few, but potentially could run into the hundreds across the three counties. We have referred the issue to the Labour Relations Commission for urgent conciliation” he said.Mr Pike said the union had informed the HSE today that if it proceeded with the termination of contracts “we would be in a serious industrial dispute very quickly”.“Impact has a collective agreement with the HSE that states no temporary employee with more than 12 months' service will be dismissed. The Croke Park agreement clearly states the Government will not make public servants compulsorily redundant. Yet before the ink has dried on the pages of the agreement the HSE appears to be intent on breaching one of the most crucial elements of the new national agreement by dismissing staff.”

Impact said that other cost- saving measures proposed by the HSE Mid West included:

* Closure of the orthopaedic operating theatre and an orthopaedic ward at Croom Orthopaedic hospital;

* 25 in-patient beds will be closed at Ennis General and Nenagh General Hospitals;

* Ward closure at St Joseph’s Hospital;

* Ward closure at the Mid Western Regional Hospital Limerick;

* Staffing will be cut through the elimination of overtime and a reduction in the use of agency staff;

* NCHD medical posts will be reduced through the reduction in locum cover;

* ENT services will be suspended completely;

* Charges in staff canteens will be increased by over 50 per cent (local price rises of 30 per cent are compounded by the imposition of VAT bringing the total cost increase to over 50 per cent).

* Car parking charges will be increased;

* The closures will be reviewed every 12 weeks until the end of the year.

On Wednesday evening the HSE said that it had provided trade unions with a briefing on its financial position. However it made no reference to the proposed cutbacks.

New marker predicts ovarian cancer risk

[Posted: Thu 22/07/2010 by Deborah Condon - www.irishhealth.com]

Scientists have identified a genetic marker that can help predict the risk of developing ovarian cancer.Ovarian cancer can be difficult to detect because the symptoms can be similar to more common conditions, such as digestive and bladder disorders. Around 330 new cases of the disease are diagnosed in Ireland every year, however those diagnosed only have a 15% chance of surviving beyond the first five years if the cancer is detected at an advanced stage.If it is detected at an early stage, the five-year survival rate jumps to 80%.Now, scientists at Yale University in the US have shown that a variant of the KRAS gene was present in 25% of all ovarian cancer patients. In addition, this variant was found in 61% of ovarian cancer patients with a family history of breast and ovarian cancer. This, the researchers said, suggests that the marker may be a new marker of ovarian cancer risk for these families."For many women out there with a strong family history of ovarian cancer who previously have had no identified genetic cause for their family's disease, this might be it for them. Our findings support that the KRAS-variant is a new genetic marker of ovarian cancer risk," explained Prof Joanne Weidhaas of the Yale Cancer Centre.

The scientists first searched for the KRAS variant among ovarian cancer patients and found that one in four had the gene variant, compared to just 6% of the general population.To confirm that the KRAS variant was a genetic marker of ovarian cancer risk, they studied women with ovarian cancer who also had evidence of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome. All these women had a strong family history of cancer, but only half in their study had known genetic markers of ovarian cancer risk - BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.Six out of 10 women without other known genetic markers of ovarian cancer risk had the KRAS-variant. Furthermore, unlike women with BRCA mutations who develop ovarian cancer at a younger age, women with the KRAS-variant tend to develop cancer after the menopause, the researchers said.They added that because ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose and is therefore usually found at an advanced stage, finding new markers of increased ovarian cancer risk ‘is critical'.Details of these findings are published in the journal, Cancer Research.

Uptake of 80pc for teen girls' cancer jab

• By Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent Wednesday July 21 2010 Courtesy of The Irish Independent

EIGHT in 10 of the teenage girls offered the cervical cancer vaccine in schools last term availed of the jab, new figures revealed yesterday.The Health Service Executive (HSE) confirmed that 1,300 first-year girls received the first dose of the vaccine in May, as part of the limited rollout before it is extended in the autumn.It protects against the types of HPV infection that cause seven out of 10 of all cervical cancers, and was offered to first-year girls in 21 secondary schools last term.Parents were sent out information packs and consent forms in advance of the vaccination beginning. Some parents have expressed reservations about vaccinating their daughters against a sexually transmitted disease at such a young age.The rest of 30,000 first years, who will be going into second year this September, will be offered the vaccine next term as part of a catch-up programme.

Girls who enter secondary school in September will also be vaccinated.The girls who received the vaccine last term will have to go to a health clinic this month for the second of three doses, which are part of the vaccination programme. A spokesman for the HSE said appointments had been given for the second dose and the vaccinations would take place in clinics before the end of this month.A spokesman for the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) said it had received 11 reports of suspected adverse reactions associated with cervical cancer vaccines. One of these was linked to Cervarix, and 10 with Gardasil.The majority of those reports received to date relate to expected adverse reactions for the product, and include cases of hypersensitivity, enlargement of the lymph nodes, fainting and an allergy-related skin rash.The studies so far show that protection lasts for at least five years after a full course.

There are 250 new cases of cervical cancer diagnosed every year, and 80 die of the disease.The full impact of the vaccine will take many years to be seen.The rollout of the vaccine was controversially delayed due to funding problems, but a deal was reached with drug companies earlier this year, which saw the cost cut from €16m to €3m.

Study

Meanwhile, a new study published in the 'British Medical Journal' today shows the vaccine is helpful in preventing warts and low-grade lesions related to HPV.The vaccine for some types of HPV has the potential to prevent about 70pc of cervical cancers and 90pc of genital warts, but what contribution the vaccines make to low-grade growths was still uncertain. So an international group of investigators set out to find how useful the vaccines were in preventing low-grade disease.They studied results from 17,622 women aged 16 to 26 enrolled into two studies between December 2001 and May 2003. Results showed that amongst previously unexposed women who had received the vaccine, it was highly effective for preventing low-grade lesions attributable to those types of HPV for up to four years.

The Irish Times - Tuesday, July 20, 2010 JOANNE HUNT

Study finds painters are 30% more likely to develop cancer of bladder

PAINTERS ARE at significantly increased risk of developing bladder cancer and the danger increases the longer a person works in the trade, a new study has found.

The research, published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine , is based on almost 3,000 cases of the disease in professional painters reported in 41 separate studies.The study found that plasterers, glaziers, wallpaper hangers, artists and decorators were exposed to the same risk.Author of the study, Dr Neela Guha, said the risk arises not solely from exposure to paint but to factors that can occur in the environment in which painters work, such as the stripping of old paintwork, sanding or exposure to asbestos.The study also found that those who had worked in such roles for more than 10 years were more likely to develop bladder cancer than those who had been doing so for less than that time.The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has estimated that bladder cancer is the ninth most common cancer worldwide and accounts for 130,000 deaths annually.While smoking is a key risk, the authors of the study found that after taking tobacco use into account, painters were still 30 per cent more likely to develop bladder cancer than the general population.The findings are the result of bladder cancer studies carried out from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Dr Guha said that while harmful chemicals like benzene and lead had been reduced or removed from paints in developed countries, it was too soon to say whether new, “greener” paints would reduce the risk of bladder cancer as the disease takes between 10 and 50 years to develop.

Dr Guha advised those working in high-risk environments to wear gloves and keep skin covered, to wear a mask or respirator, not to eat in the area and to ensure the buildings were well ventilated.

Health budget to be slashed by €600m

18 July 2010 By Pat Leahy Political Editor Courtesy of The Sunday Business Post

The budget for the health service is likely to be cut by up to €600 million next year, The Sunday Business Post has learned.
Health minister Mary Harney and other ministers have discussed the planned reduction in health spending, which would be a cut of almost 5 per cent in the health budget.
Achieving this reduction without some impact on frontline services will be extremely difficult.
The Health Service Executive has already drawn up plans to close or limit opening hours at hospital emergency departments across the country to stay within budget for this year.
Health budgets were cut by more than €1 billion last year, bringing total health spending for this year down to €14.8 billion this year.The Croke Park deal with the public sector unions eliminates the possibility of cutting payroll costs through further pay reductions.

This significantly reduces the options available to health service management, as payroll makes up some 70 per cent of the health budget.Government and health service officials hope that significant savings can be made through greater flexibility in working arrangements, which would allow reductions in staff overtime and the redeployment of some staff.
However, it is not clear if public sector unions will agree to specific arrangements to cut overtime or redeploy staff.
Liam Doran, the head of the Irish Nurses and Midwives’ Organisation, recently said that his members would seek compensation for any loss of earnings under new working arrangements. The health cuts are coming into focus as the next round of public spending cuts is prepared.
The cabinet will shortly consider the Department of Finance’s annual budget strategy memo, which will outline the general budgetary framework in which the December budget will be agreed.
The budget strategy memo is to be discussed by ministers at next Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, when the entire morning will be set aside for discussions on the budgetary and financial framework.
It will require cuts across all departments, and sources involved in the process have suggested that a general cut of 5 per cent in all current spending will be required.
Spending departments have made proposals for some cuts to the Department of Finance, though finance is likely to seek more severe reductions in spending. Next week’s discussions will concentrate heavily on proposed cutbacks in the big-spending departments of health, education and social welfare.
Ministers are also due to approve the capital expenditure review, which will re-order the priority of capital projects. Informed sources say that early drafts of the plan did not include the Western Rail Corridor as a priority, though this is sure to cause political tensions between the Department of Finance and the Green Party.
 

Cancer sufferers wait nine months to see consultant

By Lisa Smyth Friday, 16 July 2010 Courtesy of The Belfast Telegraph

A growing number of cancer patients in Northern Ireland are waiting up to nine months after their scheduled appointment date to see a consultant, a leading GP has revealed. Branding the hospital waiting list system “a mess”, Dr Allen McCullough said the situation has been deteriorating in recent years. But he has become particularly incensed after being told there is a seven to nine-month backlog for cancer patients to get a review appointment.

However, it has emerged a number of consultants have been employed to address the lengthy waiting times for cancer patients and are expected to take up their new posts by September. Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has been forced to implement a range of cost-cutting measures, including limiting overtime and agency staff. While he said this would have a knock-on effect on waiting lists, he gave an assurance specialties, such as oncology, would not be affected. At the same time of announcing his plans for efficiency savings earlier this year, Mr McGimpsey also announced the introduction of a new target for review appointments. However, it emerged the target only states that a patient should be seen as close as possible to the date set by the clinician.

Dr McCullough, a member of the British Medical Association Northern Ireland General Practitioners’ Committee, said: “It’s a mess. It has been a problem for the past couple of years but it is getting even worse. “One of my patients has been treated for cancer and was waiting for their 12-month review. I rang the consultant and his secretary told me there is a backlog of up to nine months. This is a life or death situation for this patient. People cannot afford to wait in these situations.”

A spokeswoman from the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety said: “While most patients will continue to have their surgery within the 13-week target, inevitably some patients will wait longer in 2010/11, for example in orthopaedics and urology, we may expect a proportion of people to wait up to 36 weeks.”

Urgent assessments delayed

EITHNE DONNELLAN The Irish Times - Tuesday, July 13, 2010

MORE THAN 470 women with breast cancer symptoms who required urgent assessment at one of the State’s eight specialist cancer centres had to wait more than two weeks for appointments during the first five months of this year, new figures show.

In addition, 252 women requiring routine or non-urgent assessment had to wait more than three months to be assessed.This is in breach of standards set by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) which state urgent referrals should be seen within two weeks and routine referrals within 12 weeks.New figures from the HSE in relation to the performance of the designated cancer centres and the first to be produced so far this year show that 95.6 per cent of urgent referrals across the State were seen within two weeks in May, up from 93.6 per cent in January, and 98.1 per cent of routine referrals were seen within 12 weeks in May compared to 96.9 per cent in January.The HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) aims to ensure 95 per cent of patients are seen within the target timeframes set down by Hiqa.

The two designated centres which fared worst in terms of meeting Hiqa’s targets during May were Waterford Regional Hospital and Cork University Hospital (CUH). Waterford saw 89 per cent of urgent referrals within two weeks and 88 per cent of routine referrals within 12 weeks, while CUH saw just 81 per cent of urgent referrals within two weeks in May.Prof Arnold Hill, deputy director of the NCCP, said while two cancer centres were slightly below the target of 95 per cent adherence to Hiqa standards during May, he was satisfied urgent referrals to those centres not seen within two weeks “were prioritised and seen within three weeks which remains within acceptable clinical norms”.

Cancer jab 'could save more lives'

Wednesday, 14 July 2010 Courtesy of The Belfast Telegraph

A jab which protects against cervical cancer could save more lives than previously thought, research suggests. A school vaccination programme is ongoing to protect young girls against sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of the disease.The jab guards against two strains of the HPV virus - 16 and 18 - which previous research has shown cause around 70% of cases of cervical cancer.Now, however, experts believe the jab could prevent between 73% and 77% of cases, and could offer cross protection to other strains of HPV.This means the number of cases of cervical cancer across the whole of the UK could fall from almost 3,000 at the moment to fewer than 700 a year.

With almost 1,000 women dying from the disease every year, more lives could also be saved.The latest research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, was carried out by scientists at the Health Protection Agency, the University of Manchester and Manchester Royal Infirmary.Their study focused on England and involved analysing which types of HPV women had, taken from more than 6,000 samples.The women were from all age groups and were at various stages of disease, from normal to advanced cancer.The study also showed how many cancers in England are due to HPV types other than 16 and 18

.Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/health/cancer-jab-could-save-more-lives-14875647.html#ixzz0teSuXenR
 

Scientists discover how broccoli fights cancer

• · By Rebecca Smith Tuesday July 13 2010 Courtesy of The Irish Independent

Scientists may have discovered why eating broccoli seems to reduce the chance of developing prostate cancer. Broccoli has been hailed as a 'superfood' after several studies suggested it had anti-cancer properties. Now scientists have identified a chemical in the vegetable which interact with genes involved in cancer development. The chemical called sulforaphane seems to counteract a fault with the gene called PTEN which is involved in prostate cancer.

The gene normally stops cancer from developing but in certain cells it is missing and this is when the disease can begin. However sulforaphane seems to dampen the effect of these cells that are missing PTEN and prevent them from triggering cancer growth. The study was conducted by a team at the Institute of Food Research at the Norwich Research Park, using prostate tissue from men and cancerous cells from mice. The discovery could lead to new treatments for the disease which affects thousands of men each year. The findings are published in the journal BioMed Central, Molecular Cancer.

HPV infection may up skin cancer risk

[Posted: Mon 12/07/2010 by Deborah Condon - www.irishhealth.com]

Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is already known to cause most cases of cervical cancer, also increases the risk of developing certain types of skin cancer, particularly in people taking immunosuppressive drugs.

Immunosuppressive drugs inhibit or prevent activity of the immune system. They are used, for example, to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs or to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus and Crohn's disease.Research has already identified increased risks for people with skin HPV types called beta HPVs, particularly among organ transplant recipients and people with epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) - a rare genetic disorder, which leads to warts and malignant skin lesions.However scientists wanted to find more conclusive evidence of a link between beta HPVs and common skin cancers found among the general population.The team, led by Prof Margaret Karagas of the Dartmouth Medical School in the US, studied 2,366 people made up of 663 people with squamous cell carcinoma, 898 people with basal cell carcinoma - the most common types of skin cancer - and 805 healthy controls.As well as interviewing the study participants, the researchers measured HPV antibodies in blood samples of newly diagnosed and confirmed basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma patients from two periods - July 1993 to June 1995 and July 1997 to March 2000 and matched population controls.The study found that people with several types of HPVs were more than one and a half times as likely to develop certain skin cancers compared to people with no HPVs.It also found that people who were long-term users of immunosuppressant drugs had more than a three-fold risk of squamous cell carcinoma in relation to HPV.

"Given the widespread and growing occurrence of these malignancies, our results raise the possibility of reducing the health and economic burden of these cancers through prevention or treatment of human papillomavirus infection," the researchers concluded.

Details of these findings are published in the British Medical Journal.

Poor allocation of resources in health system

[Posted: Mon 12/07/2010 by Deborah Condon - www.irishhealth.com]

An independent expert group has said that while disease prevention is often cheaper than a cure, there is no incentive for this in the current Irish health system.

In a report to the Health Minister, Mary Harney, the Expert Group on Resource Allocation in the Health Sector recommended a number of changes to the current system, including the introduction of a graduated GP and drugs payment scheme to replace the current medical card system.

The group, which was established by Minister Harney in April 2009, was tasked with reporting on how current levels of resourcing in health could be better allocated to deliver the objective of health policy.

It found evidence that some current methods of resource allocation undermine these policy objectives, for example:

• Disease prevention is often cheaper than cure but there is no incentive for this in the current health system.
• Stated HSE policy promotes the transfer of care from expensive hospitals to primary and community settings, yet incentives for hospital doctors, GPs and patients often lean towards institutional rather than community care.
• Cost effective management of chronic disease requires integrated care across the whole health sector, but there is no governance or funding mechanisms to meet this demand.
• The high levels of ‘pay-as-you-go' financing ignore the ability to pay and give those who can afford it faster access to care.
• Safe and cost effective hospital care is a key policy objective, but the current resource allocation systems reward neither.

The group said that in its view, what is needed is a structure of resource allocation which ‘explicitly and transparently supports stated policy objectives'. To this end, it made 34 recommendations, including:

• By the end of 2011, the Department of Health and the HSE should establish a common framework for health and social care expenditure, based on the best available evidence, that sets out current and future health needs.
• The department and the HSE should agree priorities for a 5-year planning cycle to provide a stable foundation for development.
• The immediate development of a resource allocation model to underpin the 5-year plan that systematically distributes financial resources by predictors of health need such as age and social deprivation across the country.
• The immediate commencement of a project that would specify in detail a framework for graduated GP and drug payments, which would take account of individual income and healthcare need. This would replace the medical card scheme.

The following framework is proposed as an illustration of this:

•The Standard Card: Capped GP and prescription drug fees for all who register with a GP
• Standard Plus Card: Reduced capped fees and cheaper prescription drug fees for those with a chronic illness and incomes between 40-50% of the average
• Enhanced Primary Card: Further reductions in fees and the cost of prescription drugs for those with chronic illness and incomes between 30-40% of the average
• Comprehensive Card: No fees or prescription costs for those with incomes under 30% of the average. This is identical to the current medical card.

"Our aim in this report is to assist in advancing our health system to a level where our limited resources are clearly targeted to achieve the best possible health for the population as a whole, and the best outcomes for all patients, irrespective of their means," commented the group's chairperson, Prof Frances Ruane.

Financial impact of cancer highlighted

[Posted: Wed 07/07/2010 by Deborah Condon - www.irishhealth.com]

More needs to be done to alleviate the many financial costs associated with undergoing cancer treatment, a major new report has found. According to The Financial Impact of a Cancer Diagnosis, which was produced by the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) and the National Cancer Registry of Ireland (NCRI), patients in every socio-demographic group can be vulnerable to experiencing financial problems as a result of a cancer diagnosis.

The report pointed out that most patients and their families will incur additional costs as a result of a diagnosis. These can include direct medical costs, such as seeing GPs and consultants, as well as the cost of medications to alleviate the symptoms and side-effects of treatment.However the majority of patients also have additional out-of-pocket expenses in relation to travelling to hospital appointments and increased utility bills, as patients tend to be at home more often than before their diagnosis.

The majority of cancer patients who are working need to take time off around the time of their diagnosis and treatment ‘and a substantial proportion' do not receive any sick pay from their employer. This means that household income decreases for many patients and their families."In addition, the process of obtaining medical cards and HSE and social welfare payments, can be complex and demanding for patients, and may involve a long wait," the report noted.

The combination of this reduction in income with the additional costs involved has ‘wide-ranging consequences' for those affected.

"Some have to use savings and some borrow money from financial institutions, friends, family or employers. Some have more difficulties in meeting financial commitments, such as mortgage payments. Some have to reduce general household spending, as well as spending on ‘extras' like clothes, holidays and leisure activities."Many also experience increased worries about their household's financial situation. This increased financial stress and strain is associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing depression, anxiety or emotional stress," the report said.It contained details of in-depth interviews that were carried out with 20 cancer patients. From this it was found that:

-Almost half had paid fees for a consultation with a hospital consultant, while more than one-third had incurred costs for seeing a GP. The average amount spent on consultants was €450, while the average amount on GP fees was €250.

-Almost one in three had incurred average costs of €300 for prescription medications.

-Among women with breast cancer, 40% had incurred costs for wig or hairpieces, spending, on average, €400.

-Almost eight in 10 patients had costs in relation to transport to hospital appointments - 71% paid for travel while 52% paid for parking.

-Of those who were working at the time of the diagnosis, 83% took some time off. Of those who took time off, half received some sick pay.

-Almost one-quarter of patients had claimed a new HSE or social welfare payment because of their diagnosis, while 38% had obtained a medical card.

-Almost one-third said that their household income had decreased since their cancer diagnosis. This percentage was higher among women, younger patients, those who were working at the time of diagnosis and those with dependants.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Dr Linda Sharp, an epidemiologist with the NCRI said that this financial vulnerability ‘is a function of both their own financial and employment circumstances and the support available from family and friends'.

"Our research also suggests that some groups of people may be particularly susceptible. This includes those with dependants, those who were working at the time of diagnosis, including the self-employed, and those who live in remote areas and have to travel long distances for treatment," Dr Sharp said.

The report makes four main recommendations:
• Great attention needs to be given to alleviating the financial costs of undergoing cancer treatment.
• Specific initiatives are needed to minimise the cost of travelling to hospital appointments.
• The self-employed should be encouraged to take out permanent health insurance and income protection.
• Employers should be encouraged to be more supportive of staff affected by cancer and to be clearer about their staff policies and provisions.
•
According to ICS head of services, Mairead Lyons, the findings of the report show that families are ‘struggling to meet basic needs'.

She pointed out that in 2009, the number of people seeking financial help increased by 20%, while in the last 10 years, the ICS has seen a doubling in demand for financial assistance, paying out €3.5 million in grants in the last five years alone.

"The results of the report have shown an urgent need to review the supports and provisions available to cancer patients and families and we look forward to working with the Departments of Health and Finance, the HSE, the NCCP (National Cancer Control Programme) and other supportive agencies such as MABS, in delivering on the recommendations contained in the report," Ms Lyons added.

To contact the National Cancer Helpline, call 1800 22 700.

Faulty gene ups breast cancer risk in men

[Posted: Tue 06/07/2010 by Deborah Condon - www.irishhealth.com]

Men who carry a specific faulty gene have a one in 15 chance of developing breast cancer by the time they reach the age of 70, the results of a new study indicate.

Women who carry a faulty BRCA2 gene have a significantly increased risk of developing breast cancer and often at a young age. However until now, it has been unclear whether men were susceptible too.This latest study, the largest of its kind, looked at data from 321 families with a faulty BRCA2 gene. Among these families, 20 men had developed breast cancer between the ages of 29 and 79 and there were 905 first degree male relatives (parent or sibling) of known BRCA2 carriers.

Among these first degree relatives, 16 men (2%) had developed breast cancer. Eight further cases of the disease occurred in second degree relatives, two of whom were also BRCA2 carriers.According to the researchers from St Mary's Hospital in Manchester, on the basis of these figures, the lifetime risk of developing breast cancer for men with this faulty gene was one in 15 by the age of 70 and one in 12 by the age of 80.

Furthermore, on the basis of all the research published on the risks of breast cancer in men with a faulty BRCA2 gene, the researchers suggested that men in the West have a lifetime risk of 6-9%."These risks are sufficient to increase awareness of breast cancer among men in BRCA2 families and to stress the importance of early presentation with breast symptoms," the team said.

Details of these findings are published in the Journal of Medical Genetics.

New drug could shrink inherited breast and ovarian cancers

• Courtesy of THe Irish Independent By Rebecca Smith Tuesday July 06 2010

A new drug could offer hope to thousands of women with inherited breast or ovarian cancer after research shows it reduced the size of tumours significantly.

Research conducted by a team at King's College London found that the drug, called olaparib, targets cancer cells caused by faulty genes. These genes are known to cause around 1,500 cases of breast cancer a year and about one in ten ovarian cancers.

The findings of the trial, published in The Lancet, showed that in about 40pc of breast cancer patients and a third of ovarian cancer patients the drug reduced the size of tumours and stopped them progressing for around six months. The patients had already been through standard chemotherapy and had advanced disease.

The drug is still in the experimental stages and is not widely available yet.

Cannabis drug may be given to cancer sufferers in Ireland

By Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent Monday July 05 2010 Courtesy of The Irish Independent

THE first pain-relieving medicine containing cannabis extract may be licensed here for patients with cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS) and a number of other conditions.The drug Sativex is different from other similar pharmaceutically produced medicines because it is derived from botanical material rather than a solely synthetic process.But although thousands of patients may benefit from it, the drug cannot be prescribed by doctors because it would breach the Misuse of Drugs Act.It cannot be sold, supplied or distributed because it would amount to possession of cannabis, which is unlawful except for research purposes.Health Minister Mary Harney revealed yesterday that she was reluctant to loosen controls that could lead to more use of cannabis, the most widely abused drug in the country.However, she was now seeking expert medical advice on the drug and said she would be open to making a change to the Misuse of Drugs legislation for the use of cannabis-based drugs if the experts deemed it warranted. Patient organisations such as MS Ireland have campaigned for this and similar drugs that are currently banned from being granted licences here.A spokesman for the Department of Health confirmed that "as part of the legislative process to amend the Misuse of Drugs legislation, officials are seeking advice from clinicians with expertise in this area".

He told the Irish Independent they were also in talks with organisations with a role in the authorisation of medicines or the enforcement of the Misuse of Drugs legislation, such as the Irish Medicines Board, the gardai and the Customs Service as well as other relevant bodies.However, he said: "It is not possible to put any timeframe on when the process will be completed and a decision made on how it will proceed."There are around 7,000 people in Ireland with MS. UK authorities recently licensed the drug for MS patients who suffer from spasticity, which leads to muscle stiffness and involuntary movements causing spasms and sleep disturbances.The medicine is also believed to be used for people who have AIDS or anorexia.It is administered by spraying on the under-side of the tongue. Although it is unclear how it works, it is thought it can mimic natural pain relievers in the body. It costs around €13 a day, based on eight sprays daily.