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August
21, 2009
News
Headlines
Adding Tamoxifen to Letrozole Does Not Improve Breast Cancer Survival
Gefitinib Superior to Carboplatin-Paclitaxel for Some with Lung Cancer
Palliative Care Intervention Improves Cancer Patients' Quality of Life
Quality of Life Better with Brachytherapy for Endometrial Cancer
Antioxidants Not Linked to Melanoma Risk
Doctors' Views on Treatment Futility Often Doubted
Cancerpage news is updated daily, Monday
through Friday, and on the weekends as
warranted. More than 25 new
articles have been added to cancerpage news since the last newsletter.
To see ALL the latest stories, go to the
cancerpage.com search page and click on Submit (but
leave search field black.)
Coping with Changed
Appearance
Brian Nelson writes in
the New York Times this week about coping with the changes head and
neck cancer treatment have made to his appearance. The condition he is experiencing is called
moon face. It developed after cancer surgery and radiotherapy
disrupted the lymph system in his neck resulting in the buildup of fluid.
You
can read his funny and moving account in the NYTimes here. (Free registration required to read articles in the NY Times
. You can use the
cancerpage login - user name - cancerpage PW -
visitor.)
About Face -
Organization that seeks to facilitate emotional, peer and social support,
resources, educational programs and public awareness for individuals with facial
differences and their families. Site offers "Connecting with Others"
function. Requires application. Click on Support Services dropdown.
Changing Faces- Web site offers information and
resource links for people dealing with facial disfigurement. The
organization is headquartered in Great Britain.
Non-$ Donations
to Defeat Cancer
The tough economic times
have taken a bite out of charity donations. The MD Anderson Cancer Center
is reminding people you can help a cancer patient even if you can't donate
money. You can donate blood,
volunteer at a hospital, get your hair cut for Locks of Love, donate an old car.
Find
the full list of suggestions here.
New Cancer
Run
Another marathon has
been announced to end cancer. All in the running and walking community are
invited to join the first ever Half Marathon, 5K Fun Run and Walk to end
gynecologic cancers. Every year about 80,000 American women hear that they have
a cancer of the reproductive system. The event is to be held in Washignton DC,
Sunday, November 8. For more information, check out the web site.
Following Healthcare
Reform
What's true, what's not? Public Option?
Co-ops? Who's trying to "kill granny?" If you want to know where to find
REAL facts, try
this link.
Cancer Mortality
Dips
The Centers
for Disease
Control reports between 2006 and 2007, deaths declined and life expectancy increased
to an all-time high in the United States. For the first time,
life expectancy for black males reached 70 years of age, while for the population
as a whole life expectancy is 75.3 years for men and 80.4 years for women.
Part of the drop in deaths can be attributed to a decline in cancer death
rates, which dropped 1.8%. Some other findings of the report
include:
Overall, 8% of adults 18 years of age and over had ever
been told by a health professional that they had some form of cancer. That
percentage increases as age increases. White non-hispanic adults were more
likely to have ever been told they had cancer when compared with black adults
and Asian adults. Find more
here.
In the Lab/In the
Clinic
Some doctors don't understand that the
off-label use of drugs is often not supported by scientific evidence.
The results are being published this week by Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety.
Find out more about the research here.
Talking to a cancer nurse on the phone really does help.
That's the conclusion of a report published this week in the Joural of the
American Medical Association. The researchers found that the intervention
"demonstrated higher quality of life, lower depressed mood, but limited effect
on symptom intensity scores and use of resources in intervention participants
relative to those receiving usual cancer care." Researchers at the Norris Cotton
Cancer Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center studied patients between
2003 and 2008. Read
more here
.
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