Thousands of Australians will avoid a premature death thanks to $50 million in new funds for bowel cancer screening announced in the lead-up to the federal budget, Cancer Council Australia said today.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows a serious complication of ERCP, a procedure commonly used to diagnose and treat problems of the bile and pancreatic ducts, may be eliminated with a single dose medication.

The vast majority of Australians (80%) experience heartburn at some stage in their lives, which might imply that heartburn is ‘just heartburn’ and not a serious disease requiring medical treatment. But heartburn is a symptom of a range of diseases, and while most are not particularly serious, prompt medical treatment is often needed to prevent serious complications in the ...

The safety and efficacy profile of aspirin for preventing esophageal and other cancers is likely to limit its use to people at highest risk, said Dr. Janusz A. Jankowski in a presentation at a meeting on gastrointestinal cancers sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Decisions made by government today will greatly affect how Australia handles a 40% increase in cancer incidence projected for 2020, according to Cancer Council Australia.

Cancer Council Australia has published new clinical guidelines to help the medical profession prevent, detect and manage bowel cancer.

In people with coeliac disease the immune system reacts abnormally to gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats), causing small bowel damage. The tiny, finger-like projections which line the bowel (villi) become inflamed and flattened. This is referred to as villous atrophy. The surface area of the bowel available for nutrient absorption is markedly reduced which can lead to ...

Not feeling like you? Approximately 160,000 Australians have coeliac disease but don't yet know it.

Medical guidelines recommend that where the family history is strong enough, family members should be having more intensive screening than the usual faecal occult blood test that is recommended for everyone over the age of 50. They should be having a colonoscopy every two to five years.

The incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are increasing with time and in different regions around the world, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.