Gastroenterology

Fecal Blood Test Cuts Colon Cancer Deaths
Annual fecal occult blood screening reduced the mortality associated with colorectal cancer by one-third, with benefits persisting over 30 years, a researcher said here.

In a large study that began in 1975, the relative risk for colorectal cancer mortality was 0.68 (95% CI 0.56-0.82) for individuals screened annually and 0.78 (95% CI 0.65-0.93) for those screened biennially compared with those not screened, which translated into relative risk reductions of 32% and 22%, respectively, Aasma Shaukat, MD, of the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, reported at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. MedPage Today

Antibody Test Spots IBS
Testing for antibodies to the protein vinculin may offer a serologic means of diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a researcher said here. MedPage Today

Measurement of anti-vinculin antibodies in serum demonstrated higher levels of these autoantibodies in IBS patients, compared with those without the disorder, with positive predictive values between 90% and 100% depending on the cutoff values used, reported Mark Pimentel, MD, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and colleagues. MedPage Today

Remicade Beats Humira for Colitis (CME/CE)
For patients with ulcerative colitis considering treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy, infliximab (Remicade) may be a better choice than adalimumab (Humira), a researcher said here. In a meta-analysis of studies that compared each of these anti-TNF agents with placebo, odds ratios for remission after 8 weeks of induction therapy were 5.26 (95% CI 2.94-9.99) for infliximab and 2.22 (95% CI 1.23-3.98) for adalimumab, according to Kristian Thorlund, PhD, of McMaster University in Ontario, and colleagues. MedPage Today

Steroid Foam Works in IBD (CME/CE)
Patients with distal ulcerative colitis had significantly higher rates of remission when treated with a rectally administered steroid, results of two randomized trials showed.

Almost twice as many patients with proctitis and proctosigmoiditis attained remission with budesonide foam as compared with placebo, reported William Sandborn, MD, of the University of California San Diego, and colleagues at the American College of Gastroenterology meeting. MedPage Today