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NEW YORK-Life expectancy in the United States fell slightly between 1992 and 1993 and did not improve in 1994. The increase in overall mortality stems from increases in the number of deaths caused by the major killers (heart disease and cancer), as well as respiratory diseases (COPD, pneumonia, and influenza) and diabetes mellitus.

MONTREAL-The emergence of resistant microorganisms is a worldwide threat, Robert C. Moellering, Jr, MD, said at a plenary session of the 19th International Congress of Chemotherapy. While the balance is still on the side of the clinician, he warned that "we are coming perilously close to running out of targets for new antibacterial strategies."

Congenital vascular lesions are often misdiagnosed and, for the most part, left untreated. The absence of a uniformly accepted classification of these lesions and confusion over their natural history are partly responsible. A new classification of these lesions recognizes two distinct groups of lesions, hemangiomas and vascular malformations.

WASHINGTON-Phytochemicals are naturally occurring substances found in plants. They differ from vitamins and minerals in that they have no known nutritive value, but many have been found to have a protective effect against cancer, according to reports from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) annual research conference.

BETHESDA, Md-Robert W. Day, MD, told fellow members of the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) that a brief survey he sent to teaching hospitals across the country showed that reimbursement per case has dropped, and the likely culprit is managed care.

This is part 2 of a two-part article that provides a behind the scenes look at the workings of the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee. Part 1, which appeared last month, described the committees' duties and how members are selected. This article outlines a typical meeting and tells how the FDA uses the recommendations.

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill--Vysis Inc. has announced the availability of the Locus Specific Identifier (LSITM) bcr/abl translocation probe, a dual-color probe mixture that detects gene fusion of the bcr and abl genes.

This two-part article provides a behind the scenes look at the workings of the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC), based on interviews by Washington Bureau Chief Margot Fromer with the ODAC administrator, current chairman, and immediate past chairman. Part 1 describes ODAC's duties and how members are selected. Part 2, to appear next month, outlines a typical meeting and tells how FDA uses ODAC's recommendations.

DETROIT--The Michigan Cancer Foundation has received a $15 million gift from Peter Karmanos, Jr., chairman and CEO of Compuware Corporation, Farmington Hills, Michigan.

A previously unrecognized biochemical mechanism by which the immune system reins in the tissue-destroying activities of T

GAITHERSBURG, Md--Genetic Therapy, Inc. has begun phase I testing of a gene therapy protocol designed to protect patients' blood from the destructive effects of high-dose chemotherapy. The trial, headed by Kenneth H. Cowan, MD, PhD, of the NCI, will include approximately 18 metastatic breast cancer patients being treated at the NIH.

BETHESDA, Md--Of the more than 30 million African-Americans in the United States today, fewer than 60 are board-certified oncologists, according to an NIH research report on minority health.

This column is the first in a series of articles in Oncology News International that will focus on the impact of managed care on oncology practice. The series will discuss aspects of managed care that need to be considered by oncologists, either in communities or in academic centers, to remain state-of-the-art into the 21st century.

MANHASSET, NY--North Shore University Hospital-Cornell University Medical College has announced the start of a phase I study of continuous infusion interleukin-2 given with a circadian modified pattern (CORN 9476).

LA JOLLA, Calif--Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has received FDA approval to extend its phase II clinical trials of AG1343, conducted in England, to the United States. Under an investigational new drug application, researchers at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, New York, and Conant Medical Group, San Francisco, will evaluate alternative daily doses of the oral agent in approximately 30 patients.

WASHINGTON--In a surprise move, the House Labor, HHS and Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee voted to increase NIH funding by about $642 million for FY 1996. NCI's 1996 budget of $2.25 billion represents a $31 million increase over the current budget.

BETHESDA, Md--Carol Mans-field, MD, professor of radiation oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, has been appointed chief of NCI's Radiation Research Program. She is former president of the American Radium Society and the American Cancer Society, Philadelphia Division.

MONTREAL, Canada--Combining neoadjuvant chemotherapy and liver transplantation appears to be a very encouraging approach for patients with advanced stage primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), Brian I. Carr, MD, FRCP, PhD, said at the 19th International Congress of Chemotherapy.

CRYSTAL CITY, Va--Pain due to cancer or cancer treatments or procedures can present special problems in pediatric patients, making life more difficult for everyone who must deal with the children, including the oncologist, Jo Eland, RN, PhD, said at the 25th Anniversary Conference of the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation.

As last summer's tale of failed miracles, heroics, and redemption played itself out at Baylor University Medical Center, I struggled to explain to my teenage daughter why Mickey Mantle's liver cancer (and the bottom-of-the-ninth transplant that pushed the game into extra innings) was front page news.

GALVESTON, Tex--W. Stratford May, Jr., MD, PhD, has been appointed the first director of the Sealy Center for Oncology and Hematology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He was also named the Bill and Louise Bauer Distinguished Professor in Cancer Research and director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Internal Medicine.

DUBLIN, Ohio--Pharmacia Inc. has received FDA approval to market Zinecard (dexrazoxane for injection), a new agent for reducing the incidence and severity of cardiomyopathy associated with doxorubicin (Adriamycin) administration in women with metastatic breast cancer. The indication is for patients who have received a cumulative doxorubicin dose of 300 mg/m² and, in their physician's opinion, would benefit from continuing doxorubicin therapy.

MONTREAL, Canada--The centerpiece of efforts to develop gene therapy to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease at the University of California, San Diego, has been the use of ribozymes, Flossie Wong-Staal, PhD, said at the 19th International Congress of Chemotherapy.

HR1725, a bill introduced by Sen. Mink (D-HI), to amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to remove the requirement that exposure resulting in stomach cancer occur before age 30.

The University of Pittsburgh registry of pregnancies exposed to cancer chemotherapy now has more than 260 cases on file. The registry, a summary of published and unpublished outcomes of such pregnancies, is available to expedite counseling for concerned patients and clinicians who may face dilemmas in weighing the benefits of cancer therapy against the risks of teratogenicity.

LONG BEACH, Calif--The Office of Technology Assessment recently gave a rather harsh assessment of the performance of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), stating in its report that the agency has been largely unsuccessful in evaluating treatments, in preparing practice guidelines, and in saving significant health-care dollars, said Samuel Turner, an attorney with Fox, Bennett & Turner, Washington, DC.

WASHINGTON--Medicare coverage for diagnostic mammography has been extended to include men. The Federal Register published a correction to the regulation that had inadvertently omitted men from coverage, but it should be noted that men are not included in coverage for screening mammograms.

CRYSTAL CITY, Va--Candle-lighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, met to celebrate its 25th anniversary, to update the 550 parents and children with cancer who attended the meeting, and to honor individuals and organizations making a contribution to childhood cancer research.

SEATTLE--A mixture of neutron radiation with conventional photon radiation, using a custom tailored pelvic template for each patient, appears to provide more effective therapy for prostate cancer than photon radiation alone (eg, external beam or I-125), while reducing the complications caused by neutron radiation alone, said Jeffrey Forman, MD, of Wayne State University, Detroit.

An outpatient therapy for malignant pleural effusions can improvea cancer patient's quality of life while reducing hospital costs