The groundbreaking CREST trial resulted in an expansion of carotid artery stenting (CAS) to patients at standard risk for adverse events during surgery. While the results were mostly positive, there was a higher risk of stroke after CAS and a higher risk of MI after carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Researchers have now reported that both MI and biomarker+ were more common with CEA and although these levels were modest, these events were independently associated with increased mortality, according to a substudy of the CREST trial published June 21 in Circulation.

Texas Governor Rick Perry signed into law HB 2102, which requires mammography facilities to provide women information about breast density, on June 17.

An updated analysis of studies evaluating the clinical and biochemical outcomes of radiation therapies for clinically localized prostate cancer revealed a lack of high-quality evidence regarding the efficacy of radiation treatment compared with no treatment, according to a review published June 6 in Annals of Internal Medicine. The authors called for additional research to demonstrate or disprove the effectiveness of radiation therapy versus no treatment.

A small study has indicated that patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer can safely take an experimental oral drug intended to protect healthy tissue from the effects of radiation, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. The study, published in this month's Human Gene Therapy, supports further clinical testing of manganese superoxide dismutase.

The New York Times reported June 17 that hundreds of U.S. hospitals unnecessarily conducted two CT chest scans in succession in 2009, based on the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) claims data expected to be released next month.

Starting July 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin using predictive modeling technology from Nothrop Grumman, a provider of advanced information tools, to fight Medicare fraud.

Gail Darling, MD, of Toronto General Hospital in Ontario, has been appointed thoracic surgery co-chair of the lung cancer committee for the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG).

A steady reduction in overall cancer death rates translates into the avoidance of about 898,000 deaths from cancer between 1990 and 2007, according to the latest statistics from the American Cancer Society (ACS).