"Health & Medical News"

Washington — To treat or not to treat has long been a puzzle in prostate cancer, with studies lending support to both options. Now comes a new, large study of older men with early-stage cancer that points to “watchful waiting” rather than treatment as the better option for this population.

The study, presented Feb. 14 at the 2008 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco, found that a conservative approach that included monitoring for increasing levels of prostate-specific antigen and other signs of the cancer’s growth was a successful strategy for the majority of the older men studied who had stage I or stage II prostate cancer.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: unranked [?]

Since their rise more than three decades ago, hospital ethics committees have sought to help physicians, patients and their families resolve ethical disagreements and navigate the treacherous terrain that so often accompanies medical care at the end of life.

The role of these committees was cemented in 1992 when the Joint Commission mandated that health care organizations come up with some way of addressing ethical concerns. Ninety-five percent of general hospitals surveyed in 1999 and 2000 offered ethics consultation or were starting up a consult service.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: unranked [?]