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NEW YORK-In an age when hospital stays are shorter and acute diseases more chronic, family caregivers are increasingly seen as extensions of the health care system. Yet often they receive scant preparation from health care providers and little support or understanding from their employers. Establishing programs to help caregivers was the subject of a Cancer Care, Inc. teleconference.

SAN DIEGO-Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing in the United States, while survival rates have not improved substantially, Andrew Mason, MD, of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, said at the annual meeting of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), held during the Digestive Disease Week conference.

WASHINGTON-Mutations of the BRCA1 gene occur in a different region of the gene among black and Hispanic carriers than in whites and Ash-kenazi Jews, researchers said at the Intercultural Cancer Council’s 7th Biennial Symposium on Minorities, the Medically Underserved, and Cancer.

CHICAGO-Although the addictive nature of nicotine appears obvious, it is only in the last few years that studies have provided a scientific understanding of nicotine addiction, Alan Leshner, PhD, said at the Eleventh International Conference on Tobacco or Health. Such information provides a firm scientific basis for smoking prevention campaigns, treatment strategies, and tobacco policy development.

WASHINGTON-Two new government surveys present a portrait of tobacco use in the United States in 1999 in which cigarette smoking by high school males appears to be declining but more than 30% of the population age 12 or older still smokes, chews, or sniffs tobacco products.

NEW YORK-The markedly improved safety profile of selective COX-2 inhibitors over conventional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has spurred a number of new studies aimed at demonstrating their value as preventive agents among populations at high and moderate risk for a variety of cancers, Andrew J. Dannenberg, MD, said at a media briefing. Dr. Dannenberg is professor of medicine and surgery, Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Surviving cancer is in itself a joyous thing. A new awards program will spotlight that joy and share the stories of 12 survivors who are “everyday heroes,” in an effort to help others who are struggling with the disease.

BETHESDA, Md-An independent committee studying the status of the National Cancer Program plans to release its report in January, the month that a new Congress and a new President take office. It will likely recommend legislative changes to revise the National Cancer Act of 1971 and restructure parts of the program.

WASHINGTON-Under proposed new Medicare rules, routine care costs for beneficiaries participating in clinical trials funded by a number of federal agencies would be automatically covered. Trials conducted under investigational new drug applications (INDs) or that are exempt from an IND would also receive automatic coverage status. Other trials that meet eligibility requirements (to be established) would also be covered.

WASHINGTON-Size matters, especially in epidemiologic studies. The European Prospective Investigations into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) was founded on that principle in 1992, said Elio Riboli, MD, ScM, MPH.

A study of smoking habits in 681 seventh graders (12 to 13 years old) in Massachusetts suggests that addiction to nicotine can occur very fast. The study was published in the British Medical Association journal Tobacco Control (9:313-315, 2000).

MINNEAPOLIS-The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) has reached a new milestone: 10,000 unrelated donor transplants. “At our 10-year anniversary in 1997, we celebrated 6,000 unrelated transplants, but in just 3 years, we have increased that number to 10,000,” Dr. Dennis Confer, chief medical office, said in a news release. The program, which has a volunteer registry of more than 4 million potential donors, facilitates transplants for more than 120 patients each month, he said.

Serial dynamic RODEO (Rotating Delivery of Excitation Off-resonance) magnetic resonance images (top left to bottom right) generated at approximately 1- to 2-minute intervals during the course of interstitial laser photocoagulation treatment of a small breast cancer. Prior to laser treatment, pre- and post-gadolinium contrast RODEO images were generated to allow accurate placement of a needle tip into the lesion. A bare-tip laser fiber was then inserted into the needle and connected to the laser. The laser tip was pre-charred; then 3 watts of continuous power were applied for 10 minutes. The top left image is before initiation of laser treatment. The next image (to the right of the top left image) depicts the zone of pre-charring. As the laser ablation progresses, the hypointense zone increases in size. The final dynamic image on the bottom right shows an approximately 1.4 cm zone of ablation. Images courtesy of Dr. Steven E. Harms, professor of radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

NEW YORK-For the bereaved caregiver, the workplace can be a distraction from worries, a structure amidst chaos, and a place for healing. During a Cancer Care, Inc. teleconference for employers, managers, and medical and human resource departments, Amanda L. Sutton, CSW, program coordinator of bereavement services at Cancer Care, outlined some steps a supervisor can take to promote a grieving employee’s healing.

BETHESDA, Md-Less than 3% of adult cancer patients take part in clinical trials. In an effort to increase patient enrollment in phase III studies, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) launched a pilot program last year-called the Expanded Participation Project (EPP)-to allow greater physician participation in its cooperative research groups.

PAVIA, Italy-In a retrospective study of children with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-positive ALL), bone marrow transplantation from an HLA-matched related donor proved superior to other types of transplantation and to intensive chemotherapy alone in prolonging initial complete remissions.

For 27 years, the Children’s Art Project at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has made life better for children with cancer. Each year, the project offers holiday, everyday, and Valentine collections of note cards and gift items.

WASHINGTON-With one third to one half of all Americans now using some kind of dietary supplement, the need is greater than ever for scientifically valid ways of testing and comparing the enormous range of substances now sold with minimal FDA oversight, Vay Liang W. Go, MD, said at the American Institute for Cancer Research conference on nutrition. Dr. Go is associate director, Center for Human Nutrition, UCLA.

The final numbers are not in yet, but there is no doubt that Congress will fund the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at a considerably higher level than the $3.505 billion the Clinton administration asked for. That fiscal 2001 request was already nearly 6% above the actual 2000 budget.

ATLANTA-Pediatric cancer patients often have anxiety before scheduled treatments or procedures, and treatment often requires normally active children to remain nearly motionless for extended periods of time. At the AFLAC Cancer Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, young cancer patients may find their treatment a little easier to bear thanks to an innovative program currently under way to examine the effects of virtual reality as a “distractor” for painful or uncomfortable medical procedures.

Physicians will have to use the “ANSI ASC X12N” electronic transmission format whenever they do computerized billing.

PORTLAND, Oregon-Two large studies of colonoscopy as a primary screening tool for colon cancer show that the procedure detects advanced proximal neoplasias that would not be found with sigmoidoscopy.

AMSTERDAM-A pain monitoring program for nurses implemented at three Dutch hospitals not only raised the nurses’ knowledge of pain and its treatment but also led to improvements in nurses’ attention to patients’ pain complaints.

AMSTERDAM-A Dutch study suggests that physicians can safely skip step 2 of the World Health Organization (WHO) 3-step analgesic ladder and start opioid-naïve patients directly on transdermal fentanyl (Duragesic), a so-called strong opioid.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing clearance for bexarotene (Targretin) gel 1%, a novel therapy for the topical treatment of cutaneous lesions in patients with early-stage (IA and IB) cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) who develop refractory or persistent disease after undergoing other therapies or who have not tolerated other therapies.

BETHESDA, Md-Nine organizations that fund cancer research have agreed to adopt a newly created standardized coding system, which is designed to make it easier to compare research papers and coordinate their scientific efforts. No common coding system existed previously.

For 27 years, the Children’s Art Project at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has produced and sold holiday cards and gifts created by young cancer patients. The sales have funded more than $12.7 million in programs benefiting children treated at the center. The 2000 Holiday Collection offers holiday cards, stationery, ornaments, and gift bags, plus a 2001 calendar and a series of board books for children. A record 48 young artists are part of this year’s collection. Santa, below left, was created by 13-year-old Ozzie from Houston, Texas. Shalom, below right, was designed by Eric, age 15, from Amarillo, Texas. For a free catalog, call 1-800-231-1580 or visit www.childrensart.org.

Many patients misunderstand when their healthcare providers use terms such as “high” or “low” to explain their cancer risks, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the August 2000 issue of the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology.

The article by Schwartz and colleagues is important and timely, and brings into focus an essential component of the practice of oncology. Posttreatment follow-up is not often emphasized in the training of our residents and fellows, and is often based on

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. The health consequences of smoking impose a substantial economic toll on persons, employers, and society. Smoking accounts for $50 billion to $73 billion in annual medical-care