The Missouri State Tumor Registrars Assocation: Professionally we serve...Personally we care.
 

 

February

Right vs. Left-sided Colon Tumors

According to a German study published a year ago, there is growing evidence that right and left-sided colon cancers may be different.

Some factors that appear to be more common in one side than the other:

 

Right (ascending and transverse)

Left (descending and sigmoid)

Microsatellite instability

Aneuploidy

K-RAS mutations

p53 mutations

Locally advanced

Obstructive symptoms

Peritoneal carcinomatosis

Lung & liver metastases

Sessile when early stage

Polypoid when early stage

Poorly differentiated

 

Spread to LNs

 

Poorer survival

 

Mucinous carcinoma

 

 

The following reference and citations associated with it were used in compiling this summary: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20010352

 

January

What percent of the annual cases received by Missouri Cancer Registry are from CoC-accredited hospitals?

 

 

Multiple Primary & Histology Rules still a mystery?

Brush up quickly on a particular site by using the training modules provided by SEER at http://seer.cancer.gov/tools/mphrules/training.html .  You can review at your own pace using either ppt or pdf formats.   Or watch free webcasts (basic and advanced) there at your convenience.  The webcasts include practice cases with answers, which is often the best way to measure your understanding.  Avoid the extra work involved with over -reporting breast and lung cases by reviewing the recurrence rules!

 

What is the single best thing you can do for your health?   

This creative video has an answer:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo

 

December

NCCN Announces New Addition to Library of Guidelines: NCCN Guidelines for Lung Cancer Screening
The first NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) for Lung Cancer Screening were recently developed and published. In an effort to help detect lung cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage, the NCCN Guidelines® detail the expert recommendations of the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Lung Cancer Screening. http://www.nccn.org/about/news/ebulletin/2011-11-14/lung_screening.asp

 

25 Worst Passwords of 2011

Here’s a fun article - hopefully they didn’t cite your password!

http://gcn.com/Articles/2011/11/28/25-worst-passwords-of-2011.aspx?s=gcndaily_281111&p=1

Brachytherapy

http://health-information.advanceweb.com/Features/Articles/Brachytherapy-Coding-Now-and-Then.aspx

This article gives an informative history on the use of radioactive materials for cancer treatment and explains how coding limitations at one point (in the 1990s) actually stopped the use of brachytherapy for prostate cancer.

Molecular Imaging

What is PSMA? RIT? Find out more about imaging procedures used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer by accessing short descriptions aimed at the general public: http://discovermi.org/diseases/cancer/