Performing a repeat surgery for patients with peritonitis (severe intra-abdominal inflammation or infection) only when clinical improvement is lacking may have some advantages compared with having the repeat procedure routinely scheduled after the operation, according to a study in the August 22/29 issue of JAMA.

To prevent colon cancer, the second leading cause of United States cancer deaths, the American Cancer Society recommends that after age 50 people undergo colonoscopies every ten years to detect signs of that disease - either actual tumors or precancerous polyps.