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ATLANTA-Mouthwash containing a modified virus that kills cells lacking p53 (a common deletion in many cancerous and precancerous lesions) may prevent development of invasive squamous cell head and neck cancers in smokers, researchers reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC-After 6 years of research and 2 years of review, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reported to Congress that the evidence that low-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can cause cancer and other human diseases is weak, but added that EMF exposure “cannot be recognized as entirely safe.”

NEW YORK-The Gillette Company has launched an initiative called The Gillette Women’s Cancer Connection to provide emotional support to cancer patients and their families. The program is specifically targeted at women with breast or gynecologic cancer.

CHICAGO-The new Children’s Oncology Group, which will include and replace four major pediatric cancer research groups, is expected to be up and running soon after the end of the year. The new cooperative group will include most researchers working on pediatric cancers and will initially comprise those currently associated with the Pediatric Oncology Group (POG), Children’s Cancer Group (CCG), National Wilms’ Tumor Study Group, and Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Group.

NEW ORLEANS-Brachytherapy as the sole method of radiation treatment for patients undergoing breast-conserving therapy provides excellent local control, a cosmetic outcome comparable to external beam radiation therapy, and a low complication rate, according to several speakers at the American Society of Breast Disease meeting.

ORLANDO-Persons genetically at risk for colon cancer appear enthusiastic about participating in prevention trials, but researchers at Johns Hopkins had to recruit a large number of potential participants over a span of 2 years to find 41 people who qualified for their study and were willing to enroll, Linda Hylind, RN, said at Digestive Disease Week.

The most frequent pattern of pain related to cancer and cancer treatment consists of continuous pain punctuated by episodes of worsening pain. The cancer pain guidelines developed by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR)

The malignant lymphomas are among the most responsive of neoplastic disorders. Objective tumor shrinkage has been seen after therapy with virtually all classes of chemotherapeutic agents, including alkylating agents, antimetabolites, vinca alkaloids,

Recombinant interferon-alfa (Intron A, Roferon-A) has been under investigation as a therapeutic agent for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) for 25 years. It has antitumor efficacy in a number of histologic subtypes but has not

Drs. Haase-Statz and Smalley review the role of interferon-alfa (Intron A, Roferon-A) in the treatment of lymphomas. As they point out in the introduction to their article, lymphoma is a very heterogeneous disease with more than 10 different entities and

Predicting the survival of terminal cancer patients is a difficult task. To better understand this difficulty, we divide prognostication into two distinct elements: foreseeing and foretelling. Foreseeing is a physician’s silent cognitive

NEW YORK-Clinical trials of the experimental oral agent exisulind (Prevatac) are underway for chemopre-vention of a variety of cancers, according to a report at Current Concepts in Cancer Therapy II, a scientific symposium sponsored by Long Ridge Associates.

NEW YORK-Two mornings a week, women who have had mastectomies or lumpectomies dip into the blue and white tiled pool at The Sol Goldman Young Men and Women’s Hebrew Association in Manhattan to laugh and splash, to reduce postoperative complications, and to feel alive and accepted. Beth Israel Medical Center and St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center offer the Renewal Pool Program free to any woman who has had breast cancer surgery.

NEW ORLEANS-Steps can be taken to reduce the number of false-positive results with screening mammography, W. Phil Evans, MD, said at the American Society of Breast Disease annual meeting. “But false positives may not be such a catastrophe. Reducing the false-positive rate should never overshadow the fundamental goal of screening mammography-the early detection of clinically occult breast cancer,” said Dr. Evans, medical director, Susan G. Komen Breast Center, Baylor University Medical Center, and clinical associate professor of radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas.

Few of us enjoy performing a task if we feel that we are not very good at it. Furthermore, the simpler the task appears to be, the more embarrassed we feel about our perceived lack of ability. As a result, we tend to avoid the whole situation

ASCO-In a phase II trial, more than one-third of patients with AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma responded to self-administration of a nasal solution containing the small antiangiogenic peptide IM862, Parkash Gill, MD, of the University of Southern California, reported at the ASCO annual meeting.

Fluorouracil (5-FU) is one of the most extensively investigated chemotherapy agents in medical oncology. Generations of medical oncologists have equated this agent with the optimal treatment of colorectal cancer, both in the advanced and

In November 1996, residents of Oregon approved a $0.30 increase in the cigarette tax (to $0.68 per pack). The measure stipulated that 10% of the additional tax revenue be allocated to the Oregon Health Division to develop and implement a

PHILADELPHIA-It has been shown that the fetus may be damaged by maternal smoking. Now, new research finds that even maternal exposure to second-hand smoke may harm the fetus. The findings were presented in two studies at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC-The National Toxicology Program (NTP) plans to review the three wavelength groups of ultraviolet light-UVA, UVB, and UVC-for possible listing in the federal government’s Tenth Annual Report on Carcinogens. The three wavelengths occur in varying amounts in sunlight and in some forms of artificial light, such as that used in sun lamps and tanning beds.

BETHESDA-For many oncologists, the term “complementary and alternative medicine,” or CAM, brings to mind laetrile and other worthless cancer “cures.” Last October, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) established the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine and named Jeffrey D. White, MD, as its director.

PHILADELPHIA-Several phase II clinical trials are now underway to test chemoprevention of colon cancer through selected cyclooxygenase enzyme (COX2) inhibitors.

BALTIMORE-A series of colon cancer case studies presented at a meeting on clinical cancer genetics at Johns Hopkins University illustrated the complexity, medical and otherwise, that accompanies genetic testing for cancer.

BALTIMORE-“However unfamiliar the territory, physicians, nurses, and other health care providers must understand the murky region surrounding genetic testing where legal, ethical, and social questions overlap science,” said Karen H. Rothenberg, JD, MPA, director of the Law and Health Care Program, University of Maryland School of Law. She spoke at a program on clinical cancer genetics held at Johns Hopkins University.

Stanford researchers have devised a novel approach for delivering a clot-busting gene to blocked leg arteries in animals, effectively restoring blood flow to the damaged vessels, according to a new study presented at the 24th scientific meeting of

Members of Congress are trying to assure coverage of cancer screening tests under private insurance plans that Congress equired Medicare to cover as part of the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and

The physician-patient relationship is based on effective communication. In oncology, higher expectations for communication are driven by increased media attention to cancer, patient-directed pharmaceutical advertising, and

BALTIMORE-Physicians must help patients sort through the many diagnostic, predictive, and therapeutic alternatives raised by genetic testing, a trio of genetic specialists from Johns Hopkins said at a meeting on clinical cancer genetics and genetic testing.

New research shows that women who smoke menthol cigarettes may be more likely to inhale deeper and potentially inhale more nicotine than do smokers of nonmenthol cigarettes. The study also showed that menthol cigarette smokers tend to have

PHILADELPHIA-A simple new test can detect which individuals may be at risk for hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC), or Lynch’s syndrome, and therefore should undergo genetic screening for HNPCC mutations.