cancer

Vitamins E, C ineffective in preventing heart disease

Dan Bowman — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:24:04 -0500

Two commonly used vitamins--E and C--apparently do nothing to stop heart disease in men, and may in fact, have negative affects according to a study by Drs. Howard Sesso and J. Michael Gaziano of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston called "The Physician's Health Study." It was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In the study, just under 15,000 male doctors age 50 and older were put into four groups and given either vitamin E, vitamin C, both, or "dummy pills." Five percent of the men suffered from heart disease at the time of the study's launch in 1997.

While no difference was seen in the rates of heart attack, stroke or heart-related deaths, 39 men who took vitamin E had bleeding strokes, while 23 of those who did not take vitamin E experienced bleeding strokes. This means that those who took the vitamin had a 74 percent greater chance of suffering from a bleeding stroke.

For men who took vitamin C, it was discovered that such a practice might actually aid cancer rather than fight the disease. Barbara Howard, a nutrition scientist at MedStar Research Institute of Hyattsville, MD, talked about the study this past Sunday at an American Heart Association conference. She believes that it could help out in more ways than one.

"In these hard economic times, maybe we can save some money by not buying these supplements," she said.

For more information:
- check out this Boston.com article

Related Article:
How effective are B vitamins against cancer?

How effective are B vitamins against cancer?

Dan Bowman — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:07:36 -0500

In a study of women who took vitamins B-6, B-9 and B-12 daily for slightly more than seven years, researchers found that the vitamins had neither a positive nor a negative affect on their subjects in regards to cancer when compared with a similar group who took placebos, according to an article on Boston.com. The study is a contrast to previous research that suggested that a lower risk of cancer was associated with taking those vitamins.

Some 5,442 female healthcare professionals with an average age of 63 participated in the study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Of those women, 187 women from the vitamin group developed cancer, while 192 from the placebo group developed cancer.

"This study shows that supplementation with the combined B vitamins provided no beneficial effect and no harmful effect," said the study's leader, Dr. Shumin Zhang of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical school. "So in terms of cancer risk, this may not be an effective approach."

Women 65 and older who received daily B vitamins were found to be 25 percent less likely to develop any kind of cancer, and 38 percent less likely to develop breast cancer.

For more information on the study:
- here's the article from Boston.com

Cancer institute warns of cell phone use

Sterling Meyers — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:46:20 -0400

Although many studies have not established any link between cell phone use and an increased risk of cancer, Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, issued a faculty- and staff-wide warning about excessive cell phone use. Herberman's warning comes from early unpublished data, and he especially urges parents to limit their children's use of the phones, suggesting limiting calls to emergencies because a child's brain is still developing.

In 2008, researchers at the University of Utah looked at nine studies and concluded that they found no increase in brain tumors among cell phone users. Researchers said that they'd have to wait to study the impact of long-term cell phone use. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the most extensive study on the subject in 2006, which looked at over 400,000 Danish cell phone users. The study included some people who had used cell phones for more than 10 years, and found no increased risk of cancer among the participants.

Herberman wrote in a memo, "Although the evidence is still controversial, I am convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cell phone use." He recommends using the speakerphone option or a wireless headset instead of holding a cell phone close to the head.

To learn more about the warning:
- read this Boston Globe article

Michigan mulls new $160M proton beam cancer centers

Abby Christopher — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:23:42 -0400

While some communities wonder if they can afford to build just one proton beam cancer center, providers have proposed roughly five such centers in Michigan. Final rulings on state certificate of need applications later this year will determine just how many centers may be approved.

Two rival providers--William Beaumont Hospitals and a cancer treatment consortium established by the University of Michigan--originally planned to jointly fund a single center and applied for a certificate of need to get state approval of the plan. Last week, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm changed all that when she vetoed the now former partners' Certificate of Need application that had already won approval from the Michigan CON Commission. In her veto letter to the commission, Granholm stated that a single collaborative approach could violate antitrust laws under the federal Sherman Act and that the U.S. Department of Justice had raised similar concerns.

Each of the former partners plans to re-apply for a separate certificate of need approval. In fact, Beaumont Hospitals has already re-applied, having teamed with Indiana-based ProCure Treatment Centers to build its new for-profit proton beam cancer center. The University of Michigan Health Center's proton beam consortium has only filed a letter of intent, and plans to make a presentation to the state to make its case for the center in early September. The state is expected to rule on the Beaumont application by July 1. Other providers have also submitted applications that the state is expected to rule on by the end of July and the end of September.

State business and labor leaders worry that two or more multi-million dollar cancer treatment centers could drive up health care costs for employers and individuals. Many oncologists, cancer centers, carriers and policymakers around the country also are evaluating the pros and cons of making such high-ticket investments. Proton beam therapy is a relatively new alternative to aggressive cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and more established uses of radiation. Each facility can cost as much as $200 million.

For more information:
- check out the article at Crain's Detroit Business

Congress passes bill banning genetic discrimination

Fri, 02 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

In a landmark action, Congress has approved a bill banning genetic discrimination. The bill, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, forbids employers and insurance companies from using genetic tests that demonstrate a risk of conditions such as cancer or heart disease to reject their applications or set premiums. Employers also are barred from using such information to hire, fire or determine who gets promotions. President Bush is expected to sign the bill promptly. While 41 states already have enacted similar laws related to health insurance, and 31 rules regarding genetic discrimination at work, there's never been a federal law on this subject. Researchers are applauding the measure's progress, as they're worried that Americans won't participate in genetic studies unless they're confident the data won't be used against them.

To learn more about the bill:
- read this Associated Press piece

Related Articles:
Genetic discrimination ban gains support
Fearing insurer backlash, patients avoid genetic tests
Genetic testing advances as insurers balk

ALSO NOTED: FDA investigates Roche, Novartis transplant drugs; Maryland hospital fined for radiation errors; and much more...

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> The FDA has started to investigate whether Roche's CellCept and Novartis' Myfortic, similar drugs used in transplants to prevent organ rejection, cause an often-fatal neurological disease. FiercePharma

> A Maryland hospital has been fined by the state after two separate incidents in which cancer patients got the wrong doses of radiation. Article

> A Wisconsin village is asking a local hospital to pay more than $1.6 million in sewer connection fees, continuing to fight a legal battle that has raged for years. Article

> With mumps becoming an issue despite existing vaccinations, some physicians are calling for the industry to create a new vaccine--and calling for people to get a third dose of the current vaccine in the meantime. FierceBioresearcher

And Finally... Yes, you're reading this right; it breathes, but it has no lungs. Article

ALSO NOTED: Canadian group releases major safety guideline update; Tainted heparin was deliberately altered; and much more...

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:59:50 -0400

> The Canadian Patient Safety Institute has issued new guidelines which observers have called a major step forward in quality of care. Article

> The main ingredient in the recently recalled heparin batch wasn't tainted by accident--it was actually altered on purpose, though officials don't know if it was intended to cause harm or deaths. Article

> A cancer patient had the wrong kidney removed at a Minnesota hospital this week. Article

> HealthSouth has gotten a credit upgrade from ratings firm Moody's, but there's still a lot of questions hanging over its future. FierceHealthFinance

And Finally... Why go to all of that trouble just to get a free taco? Article