March 22, 2002

In This Issue: 
Privacy Rules, Minorities, Endometriosis Treatment Linked to Cancer, New Breast Cancer Reports, How To Read Any Medical Research, Leukemia Drug Shortage, Medicare and Cancer-Drug Coverage, and NEW CANCER DRUG CENTER

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THE LATEST NEWS
Researchers Say Privacy Rules Threaten Clinical Trials

Minorities Shortchanged In US Healthcare System

Treatment for Endometriosis Linked To Ovarian Cancer

GlaxoSmithKline Alerts Doctors Of Leukemia Drug Shortage


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RESULTS OF NEW BREAST CANCER STUDIES
Scientists at the European Breast Cancer Conference met this week to announce the results of a number of new studies involving thousands of women over many years. See all the news stories in our Breast Cancer info pages, under Latest News, http://cancerpage.com/articles/latest.asp?id=1


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IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE MOUSE?
HOW TO BE AN EXPERT READER OF MEDICAL STUDIES
Before changing your life or your treatment after reading a report of a clinical trial or research study, you may want to decide whether the researchers used valid methods. The British Medical Journal has published "How To Read A Paper" to help people understand "statistical significance" and other aspects of optimal and not-so standard medical research. The authors list questions to ask in evaluating the validity of any scientific study. 
http://bmj.com/collections/read.shtml


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NEW CANCER DRUG CENTER
Are you getting BOMP or CHOP? These are abbreviations for combination chemotherapy treatments and our new Cancer Drug Center lists each of the ingredients in the combo. Then you can look up the individual ingredients to see a patient-friendly description of the medicines including precautions, and side-effects. Our Drug Center lists virtually every drug given to cancer patients by generic and brand names, in the following categories. Anemia, Anti-Fungal, Anti-Microbial, Anti-Nausea (antiemetics), Appetite Stimulant, Chemotherapy Agents, Anti-Diarrheal, Hormonal Therapy, Immunotherapy, Organ Protectant (cyto-protectants), Pain, and Transplant-related. See New Cancer Drug Center: http://cancerpage.matria.com/centers/Drug/index.asp


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MEDICARE COVERAGE FOR OUT-PATIENT CANCER DRUGS
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, National Prostate Cancer Coalition and most other cancer advocacy groups are calling on Congress to pass legislation providing Medicare coverage for oral anti-cancer drugs. The proposed legislation, known as The Access to Cancer Therapies Act (H.R. 1624 & S.913), would improve Medicare coverage to include all oral cancer drugs. Medicare, which covers most healthcare costs for 39 million American senior citizens, covers only cancer drugs administered in a doctor's office, but not oral drugs taken as an out-patient. See the announcement at the updated website for the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship:
http://www.cansearch.org/events/releases.html