Amazing innovations and intriguing research about state-of-the-art therapies for a wide range of medical conditions—from ovarian cancer to multiple sclerosis and a blood vessel disease that goes undiagnosed in millions of Americans—were showcased at the International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET 2012), held in Miami from January 16 to 20.
“Despite difficult economic conditions, there has been dramatic innovations and progress in treating blood vessel disorders with less invasive, catheter-based techniques,” says James F. Benenati, MD, Medical Director of the Non-Invasive Vascular Lab at Baptist Cardiology & Vascular Institute, in Miami, which hosted the conference. “For cancer patients, there is also an entire revolution in using cutting-edge, less invasive techniques to deliver radiation or chemotherapy directly to the tumor and the blood vessels that feed it.
Especially for cancer patients with advanced disease and few other treatment options, adds Dr. Benenati, “endovascular therapies may give people more time, or in some cases, extend life significantly.” Noteworthy research results presented at ISET 2012 include:
* Freezing tumor cells may help women with advanced ovarian cancer live longer. Women whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body and who can’t be treated surgically may gain significantly longer survival time being treated with a minimally invasive, cost-effective and often-overlooked treatment called cryoablation, a study of 21 women with advanced ovarian cancer reported. The treatment involves placing a small needle through the skin to deliver high-pressure argon gas, creating a powerful chilling effect to freeze and kill tumor cells.
* Microscopic sponge-type particles can halt severe nosebleeds. Nonstop nosebleeds can be scary and serious, sending patients to the emergency room. Typically, treatment involves packing the nose with gauze, but if that doesn’t work, another option to halt the bleeding is injecting microscopic, sponge-type particles into arteries that supply the nose. In a study of 84 patients who underwent the treatment, recurrence of bleeding was reduced as more vessels were treated, with the best results in those who had four arteries treated, compared to patients who received the injection in one to three nasal arteries.
* A controversial multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment may improve quality of life. More than 65 percent of MS patients in a new study reported improvements in their quality of life – from no longer needing a cane to walk to less “brain fog” – three months after being treated with angioplasty to open blocked vessels in the neck and chest. A controversial theory suggests that MS symptoms may be triggered by narrowing in veins leading away from the brain, a condition called chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI). More studies are necessary to explore the value of treating CCSVI in MS patients, the researchers reported, and benefits appeared to wane after six months, though the patients in the study continued to have higher quality of life scores than they did before treatment.
* An artery disease may go undetected in millions of Americans, particularly women. A common disease that most people have never heard of, fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) frequently goes undiagnosed and may lead to high blood pressure, stroke and aneurysms. More than 5 million Americans may have FMD, and 90 percent of sufferers are women, according to data from a FMD registry presented at ISET. The researchers report that the most common symptoms are high blood pressure, headaches, rhythmic ringing or whooshing in the ears, dizziness and neck pain.
CONNECT THE DOTS
For more news about studies released at ISET, click here. For more heart related Healthy Outlook Blog posts, check these out: “An Early Warning System for Cardiac Arrest,” “Heart Rate Variability Monitors May Aid Stress Reduction,” and “New Treatment for Stubbornly High Blood Pressure.”
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