A round up of today's other health stories in brief...
Consultant deal goes down to the wire
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) and the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) will meet HSE management today and tomorrow to try to agree a comprehensive document on the new consultant contracts.
The parties will also seek to reach a deal on a number of outstanding issues, such as payments for academic consultants, new disciplinary procedures and the issue of private practice.
The timing for the talks is crucial, as the IMO will consider the contract issue at its annual conference this weekend. The IHCA will do likewise at a national council convention on Saturday.
Surgery removes six organs
A US surgeon has removed six organs from a woman's body and then replaced them, as part of an operation to remove a cancer tumour.
Dr Tomoaki Kato removed the 63-year old woman's stomach, pancreas, spleen, liver and small and large intestines. The organs were chilled and preserved outside Brooke Zepp's body during a 15-hour operation at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
They were re-implanted in their normal position after the tumour.
Few aware of cancer link
Around half of people are unaware that being overweight or obese can cause cancer, according to a new poll. Researchers have estimated that excess weight causes around 4 per cent of all cancers. Being overweight or obese is linked convincingly to cancer of the oesophagus, bowel, pancreas kidney and breast.
The poll of 2,178 British adults, was carried out for the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). It found that 48 per cent of people were unaware of the link between excess body fat and cancer risk.