Mayo Clinic Health Matters

Colorectal cancer is a term that includes colon and rectal cancers, both of which originate in the lower portion of the large intestine and into the rectum. "The vast majority of the time, we don't know exactly what causes any specific cancer," says Dr. Jeremy Jones, a Mayo Clinic oncologist. "But there are a number of factors that can increase the risk of developing colon or rectal cancer." Dr. Jones says one risk factor is increasing age. However, he adds that over the last 30 years younger patients have seen a 50% increased risk of developing colon and rectal cancers. In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Jones talks about risk factors, symptoms, treatment, health care disparities and the latest in colorectal cancer research. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Smaller incisions, less pain and faster recovery are just a few reasons minimally invasive heart surgery can be a good option for patients with heart disease. "I would define minimally invasive heart surgery, or robotic-assisted surgery as essentially performing a standard surgical operation through smaller incisions, without going through the breastbone," says Dr. Phillip Rowse, a Mayo Clinic cardiovascular surgeon. Treating mitral valve disease is one example of how often robotic-assisted heart surgery is performed at Mayo Clinic. "Mayo treats about 120 cases, or more, robotically each year," Dr. Rowse says. "We have dedicated cardiologists who are in the room performing the echo tests at the time of surgery and right afterwards." In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Rowse discusses who's eligible for this surgery and what's involved with minimally invasive heart surgery. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

People may be curious, confused or critical of what seem to be changing messages related to the COVID-19 pandemic.Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, reminds folks that messages change because data changes and the science evolves."As we learn new science, we use that science to modify our recommendations," says Dr. Poland. "It's not that scientists are flip-flopping. It is that new data allows us to begin expanding those recommendations."For instance, COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S. are currently declining. But, Dr. Poland says, there are new data predicting the possibility of another surge of COVID-19 infections in March because of U.K. variant transmission.In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast Dr. Poland talks about several issues, including the U.K. variant, vaccine development and the public’s COVID-19 fatigue.Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ that sits just beneath the liver, on the right side of the abdomen. Slender tubes that carry bile fluid also are also located in that area. Because of the relatively hidden nature of the gallbladder and bile ducts, cancers can grow without being detected. Late detection can mean a poor prognosis. Dr. Kabir Mody, former co-chair of the Hepatobiliary Disease Group at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, says February is the awareness month set aside to educate people about these rare cancers. In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Mody talks about symptoms, detection, surgical interventions and treatments for gallbladder and bile ducts cancers. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Cardiac amyloidosis is irreversible thickening of the heart muscle that typically presents as a form of congestive heart failure. It is overlooked often because the symptoms can masquerade as other conditions. Unfortunately, there aren't any preventive strategies for cardiac amyloidosis, says Dr. Melissa Lyle, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist. "So the key, really, is early detection," says Dr. Lyle. "We want to make sure that we can detect these patients earlier, to get them on the right treatments." She says it's important that patients bring any concerning symptoms to their health care provide, as soon as possible. In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Lyle explains what those symptoms might be and talks about new therapies for treating cardiac amyloidosis.   Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Medical research reveals new information about COVID-19 daily. While scientists and medical experts focus on virus spread, new variants, improved therapeutic treatments and more, it's sometimes difficult for the public to keep up with evolving information.In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, helps by answering a number of common questions and addressing these COVID-19 topics: Antibody tests after having a COVID-19 vaccine.  Monoclonal antibodies. COVID-19 variants. Side effects, especially after the second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccinating children and attending school in person. Whether COVID-19 vaccines an be interchanged. Mask-wearing recommendations. Appearance of long-hauler symptoms are more often in women. Pregnant, breastfeeding mothers and the COVID-19 vaccines. Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Almost half of all people in the U.S. are at risk of developing some form of cancer in their lifetime, according to the National Cancer Institute. For women, it's often breast cancer. For men, it's prostate cancer. For both populations lung cancer and colorectal cancer are common. Dr. Paul Limburg, a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist and cancer researcher with the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, says you can lower your risk of cancer by knowing your personal and family medical histories, as well as developing a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise. He also says researchers are studying healthy people to see whether medications or supplements could help modify cancer risk. "It's called chemo prevention," says Dr. Limburg. "It goes back to the biologic development of cancers, precancers. For example, inflammation seems to be an important contributor to the development of cancer, so could anti-inflammation medications help reduce cancer risk?" In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Limburg talks more about cancer research at Mayo, including new technologies and the possibility of a single blood test to screen for multiple cancers. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Grief is a natural reaction to loss, but it can be a strong, sometimes overwhelming emotion for people. Grief can be confusing for children, and they may show grief in many ways, depending on their age. When parents are dealing with their own grief, helping their children cope with death and loss can be challenging. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, a special edition of "Ask the Mayo Mom" will focus on helping children cope with grief and death. Host and Mayo Clinic pediatrician, Dr. Angela Mattke is joined by Jenn Rodemeyer, a child life specialist and manager of Child Life at Mayo Clinic Children’s Center and  Dr. Daniel Hilliker, chair of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology at Mayo Clinic. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As new COVID-19 variants spread and more people are vaccinated for COVID-19, people have more questions about COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, says that's understandable with new information released every day.For instance, people are wondering what type of medications they can take if they're being vaccinated for COVID-19. There are also concerns about whether a person who has been vaccinated for COVID-19 can transmit the virus. And some are asking why they need to wait 14 days, before and after being vaccinated for COVID-19 vaccine, if they are scheduled to be given a different vaccine, such as a shingles vaccine.In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Poland answers these questions and a variety of other listener questions.Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Mayo Clinic International is taking health care to the world in new ways. Expanding abroad through virtual, hybrid and on-the-ground patient care. "I think we have a moral obligation to take the Mayo model of care to the world, particularly as it pertains to serious and complex diseases," says Dr. Anton Decker, president of Mayo Clinic International. In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Decker explains how Mayo is delivering health care to patients around the globe and discusses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy