August 2, 2002 

In This Issue: 
Funders Influence Research, Metal Implant Leads To Strip Search, Computers and Prognoses, Breast Cancer In Black Women, More On Mammograms, Morphine On Tumor Growth, and Voices For End-Of-Life Care

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NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Funding Source Influences Clinical Trial Conclusions
Computer Helps Predict Prostate Outcomes

Breast Cancer in Young Black Women

Swedish Study Says Mammography Saves Lives

In Mice, Morphine Acts As Tumor Growth Stimulator

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PATIENT'S METAL BREAST IMPLANT SETS OFF ALARM, THEN STRIP-SEARCH AT AIRPORT
Airport security staff strip-searched a woman with metal ports in a temporary breast implants after her double mastectomy. "There is a little metal port inside the implant that my plastic surgeon uses to fill the implant. He uses a magnet to locate the port. Without this metal port, the ongoing reconstruction process would be impossible," according to the woman. "The statistics on breast cancer lead me to believe I cannot be the only person who has gone through this." Read the entire dramatic account on cancerpage in section on Personal Stories and Experiences. http://cancerpage.matria.com/stories/


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US NEWS PUBLISHES "AMERICA'S BEST HOSPITALS"
U.S. News published its annual edition of "America's Best Hospitals." They rank 205 medical centers, after reviewing information from 6,045 hospitals and 17 medical specialties. To meet their initial selection criteria, a hospital had to meet one of three standards to be considered: membership in the Council of Teaching Hospitals, affiliation with a medical school, or availability of at least nine of 17 specified items of medical technology. Then US News compiled data from a hospital association and surveyed doctors and hospitals to meet their criteria for the final 205 facilities. Readers may want to consider how the rankings were determined in making their own decisions. As indicated on the US News website, "How a particular hospital fares in these rankings should not be taken as the final word-but it is a good place to start the search." 
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/nycu/health/hosptl/tophosp.htm


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PARTNERSHIP FOR CARING: AMERICA'S VOICES FOR THE DYING 
Partnership for Caring operates a national crisis hotline dealing with end-of-life issues and provides specific legal documents related to living wills and medical powers of attorney --also called Advance Directives. The nonprofit organization's website offers free downloads of state-specific advance directive documents and instructions in PDF (Portable Document Format). The group also offers information for the person accepting the role of medical power of attorney for a patient. According to the Partnership for Caring, people assuming the responsibility of health care agents have the power to make medical decisions if the patient loses the ability to decide on their own. Since this authority may vary from state to state, they suggest that family members with power of attorney read carefully the state-specific form. The issues surrounding end-of-life decisions are all about talking, according to the Partnership, talking to loved ones and talking to the doctor about options. "Talking before a crisis can help you and your loved ones prepare for any difficult decisions related to health care at the end of life." 
Hotline: 800-989-9455 
Email: pfc@partnershipforcaring.org 
Website: http://www.partnershipforcaring.org/HomePage/index.html