Some interesting news related to Memorial Sloan Kettering…..

• Currently, the position of a number of organizations is that guidelines for population-based screening for melanoma are not needed since there is no clinical trial evidence of a benefit.  However, at a meeting of the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar, Dr. Allan C. Halpern, Chief of the Dermatology Service at MSK, reported that there is an increase in the demand for screening for melanoma.  There has been a dramatic increase in new cases of melanoma.  Dr. Halpern says there may be a million people in the US. who have had melanoma who need follow-up  visits and their family members need to be tested as well.
• Dr. Robert J. Hamilton of MSK and his colleagues conducted a study to learn the effects of statin medications on the progression of renal cell carcinoma.  They found that 27% of patients who were surgically treated for renal cell carcinoma were statin users.  At a follow-up of 36 months, it was determined that statin use is associated with a significant decrease in the risk of progression of localized renal cell carcinoma.
• A study has shown that most women who receive false-positive mammography results go on to have breast screening in the future. The researchers learned that the false-positive experience caused women to be more likely to say they would undergo future screenings.  Dr. Carol Lee, an attending radiologist at MSK, suggests that false-positive results may make women more cognizant that breast cancer is a possibility.
• Smoking electronic cigarettes is now banned in New York City wherever smoking regular cigarettes is prohibited such as bars, restaurants, offices, parks and beaches.  Although not as harmful as regular cigarettes, they are not safe because they emit cancer causing chemicals and could appeal to children who may start smoking.  Dr. Jack Burkhalter, director of MSK’s Tobacco Cessation Program, says there are too many unknowns to determine the health risks of electronic cigarettes.