Three genes which account for 70% of cases of a painful bone condition have been identified by Scottish scientists. It is hoped the finding could lead to a screening test for Paget’s disease, which affects up to one million people in the UK, Nature Genetics reported. The genes are...

No-one will wait more than one week for the results of cancer tests under a future Labour government if they are re-elected, Gordon Brown has said. Speaking to the Royal College of Nursing congress the prime minister said too many people were waiting more than a month for their results....

Death rates are a poor measure of hospital care and should not be used to trigger public inquiries, experts say. The British Medical Journal analysis argued the figures were a "poor test of quality" and urged inspectors to rely on other measures instead. It contrasts with the...

Women should be tested for chlamydia every time they have a new sexual partner to cut their chances of pelvic disease, UK researchers say. A study of 2,500 students found that annual screening is not enough to prevent cases of pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause infertility. In...

Men should be warned that testing for prostate cancer can lead to unnecessary distress, researchers urge. While the test is not routinely offered in the UK, men over 45 may request one. If a man has high levels of the protein prostate specific antigen, a biopsy is carried out, which in most...