Center launches employee colorectal cancer screeninig

Getting a colonoscopy was not at the top of Lynne Telfair's list of favorite things to do. So she put it off, despite a strong family history of colon cancer. Her father had died of the disease, and her mother had a colon resection at age 40 to remove a tumor.

"Nurses do a very good job at promoting wellness and taking care of patients and families," said Telfair, case coordinator and a 28-year Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH) employee. "We don't always do such a good job of taking care of ourselves."

At the urging of her internist, Telfair finally had a colonoscopy five years ago at 44. It probably saved her life. Her gastroenterologist discovered and removed a cancerous polyp. Luckily, the cancer was confined to the polyp and had not spread. A follow-up colonoscopy one and a half years later showed Telfair was cancer-free. "My doctor told me: 'You don't know how lucky you are,'" she said. "The procedure was a piece of cake. I should not have put it off."

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Chole is new American Board of Otolaryngology director

Richard A. Chole, M.D., Ph.D., the Lindburg Professor and head of otolaryngology, has been named a director of the board of the American Board of Otolaryngology (ABO).

The 25-member board oversees accreditation of doctors who have trained in otolaryngology. It has certified about 14,000 residents who currently treat conditions of the ear, nose and throat. Chole is one of 21 directors on the ABO's board.

Chole studies the cell biology of osteoclasts, which are bone cells that influence bone strength. Overactive osteoclasts can damage bones in the middle ear that transmit sounds to the inner ear. He works with experimental models of middle-ear conditions that result from inappropriate osteoclast cell activity. For example, he studies how osteoclasts are activated by cholesteatomas, cyst-like growths on the eardrum that impair hearing if left untreated.

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Center looking for egg donors to help older couples have children

When a woman older than 40 finds herself unable to have a child, the problem often lies with her eggs, which age more rapidly than the rest of the body. Therefore, her best option is to use donated eggs. Nearly half of women who take this route become pregnant after one round of treatment, and the proportion rises to 90 percent after four rounds. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of egg donors.

Washington University's Reproductive Endocrinology Center is looking for healthy young women to serve in this capacity. "There is a huge need for donor eggs," said Sarah L. Keller, M.D., director of the center's egg donor program and an instructor in obstetrics and gynecology.

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Radiating thyroid cancer patients poses little risk to others

You're told you have thyroid cancer. The gland located just below your vocal cords needs to be surgically removed, preventing your body from producing hormones that elevate your mood and keep your metabolism vigorous. Two weeks later, when lack of thyroid hormones has you blue, you have to drink a radioactive cocktail and spend up to several days isolated in a hospital room in which the furniture, phone -- and even the toilet seat -- are covered in protective plastic.

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