Prion diseases are caused in people when an aberrant form of a protein that is already in our bodies infects us, and causes the normal protein to fold like it, resulting in neurological disease. A new study found that one …

What is a prion and how does it cause disease? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

The rare brain disorder abbreviated CJD, for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, can be diagnosed with two or more skin biopsies, a recent study shows. Johns Hopkins neurologist Ted Dawson says the fact that what causes the disease, a particle smaller than a virus …

Why is it that a disorder that affects the brain can be diagnosed with a skin biopsy? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Skin biopsies have proven better at diagnosing the rare brain disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob, abbreviated CJD, than doing a spinal tap to obtain cerebrospinal fluid, a new study reports. Ted Dawson, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins, says this new test has multiple advantages. …

Making the diagnosis for a rare brain disease may now be easier, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or CJD is a rare neurological condition that may initially look like dementia and that is ultimately fatal. It’s caused by something called a prion, which is smaller than a virus. Now a new study demonstrates that a skin …

Diagnosing some neurologic diseases may now use a skin biopsy, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

The skin cancer melanoma has historically been associated with difficulties in treatment and survival, but that picture is changing rapidly. Now the results of a ten year trial support use of two agents to manage this disease, according to Kimmel …

Treatment of the skin cancer melanoma continues to improve, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

So called triple negative breast cancer is associated with increased rates of spread, recurrence and death than other forms, but now long term results of a clinical trial offer better odds against this disease, William Nelson, director of the Kimmel …

There’s good news for a difficult to treat breast cancer, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Women who’ve had a false positive mammogram may be at increased risk for developing breast cancer later, a recent study shows, so regular mammography is a good idea. Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson concurs. Nelson: If you …

Even if you’ve had a false positive mammogram you should still have regular screening, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

No woman likes to undergo mammography, and when results seem to show a problem when there isn’t one, many will choose to give subsequent studies a miss. That’s according to a recent study Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson at …

Just how often do mammograms turn up false positive results? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

If you are a woman who’s had a mammogram to screen for breast cancer, you may be reluctant to come back again for regular screening if you’ve gotten a positive result that turned out to be false. That’s the conclusion …

What happens when a woman gets a false positive mammogram? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

While not perfect, colorectal cancer screening tests known as FIT tests are not just likely to be used more often, they’re poised to become the go to method for most. That’s one way of looking at efforts by Cologuard and …

What is the role for fecal screening tests for colorectal cancer? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »