In the Lab/In the Clinic

Finnish researchers have concluded that people who get liver transplants are almost 3 times more likely to develop cancer than the general population."Based on our data, one out of six liver transplant patients is estimated to develop some form of cancer by 20 years after transplantation." The authors report. "This study points out the importance of cancer surveillance after liver transplantation," the reserarchers concluded. Read more here.

New post-prostatectomy procedure could do away with need for urethral catheter and the pain and discomfort for some patients. That's what doctors at the Weill Cornell Medical College report in the British Journal of Urology International. The new approach re-routes urine directly from the bladder by way of a narrow tube that exits through a small needle puncture below the gut, and also serves to support the internal urinary structures as the patient heals. The doctors warn this won't work for overweight patients. Read more about it here.

Too many Lumpectomies? UC Davis researchers worry that too many women who may have  appropriately been treated with breast conserving surgery  get a second lumpectomy if the cancer recurs in the same breast, despite  current treatment recommendations that such recurrences be treated with mastectomies.  Their findings are published in the October issue of the American Journal of Surgery. Read more about their work here .