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Cancer Patients
Can Beat Depression
(Wednesday, 28th
May 2003)
Source:
clinnixpro.net/news/article.php?id=2098
Plus
scientists want men with prostate cancer, & doubts over foundation hospitals
More patients with
advanced forms of common cancers will be able to treat themselves at home rather
than undergo chemotherapy in hospitals. 'Smart pill' alternatives to
conventional treatments are already licensed for use in Britain, but the
endorsement given yesterday by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence is
likely to see a massive increase in their use. The recommendations on their
usage in the fight against breast and bowel cancer throughout England and Wales
were welcomed and could mean fewer hospital visits for patients. This would
allow NHS staff more time to combat other cancers.
REF: Cancer 'smart pill' endorsed. Guardian Unlimited; 28 May 2003
Scientists yesterday appealed for men with prostate and testicular cancers to
come forward to help them find the hereditary genes thought to be responsible
for an increased risk of contracting the diseases. The researchers are seeking
men with three or more relatives who developed prostate cancer before they were
70 or two or more family members with testicular cancer. Professor Colin Cooper
of the Institute of Cancer Research in London said about 15% of prostate cancers
and up to 30% of testicular cancer might be due to an inherited predisposition.
REF: Scientists appeal for men with prostate cancer. Guardian Unlimited 28 May
2003
Tony Blair’s plans to create an elite group of foundation hospitals are
flawed, the chairman of the Audit Commission said yesterday. James Strachan, who
is responsible for checking that public money is spent properly, said the
Government was planning to give certain hospital managers greater freedom
without being sure that they had the ability to make proper use of it. Although
he said that the Audit Commission 'strongly supports' the devolution of
responsibility and funding to the frontline, he cast doubt on the way in which
ministers were achieving their aim.
REF: Doubts over foundation hospitals. The Daily Telegraph; 28 May 2003: 2
The World Health Organization's annual assembly will today give the body a role
in advising its member governments how to ensure that pharmaceutical patent
protection policies do not harm public health. The move urges members to adapt
their national intellectual property laws to make full use of the provisions in
the World Trade Organization patent rules that allow countries to give priority
to public health and nutrition. Many developing countries have adopted patent
laws that are more restrictive than necessary.
REF: WHO adopts advisory role. Financial Times; 28 May 2003: 13
Combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be associated with an increased
risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to US research. Scientists say women
aged over 65 who are taking a type of HRT called Prempro TM – similar
formulations are sometimes prescribed in the UK – have twice the average rate
of dementia. The conclusion comes from the continuing analysis of the US
Women’s Health Initiative, a study stopped three years ago after the US
National Institutes of Health ruled the risks of continuing outweighed the
benefits.
REF: HRT linked to dementia. BBC News Online; 28 May 2003
A survey suggests that GPs on personal medical services (PMS) contracts earn
almost £92,000 – around a third higher than the supposed average salary. The
figure, which has been disputed by GP leaders, arises from a survey of 5,000 GPs
conducted by the Association of Independent Specialist Medical Accountants. A
spokesman for the organization said, 'The results of this year’s survey are
more crucial than ever as the whole issue of GPs’ pay is in a state of flux.'
REF: GPs’ pay higher than thought. BBC News Online; 28 May 2003
Some stroke patients react well to treatment with tissue plasminogen activator
(tPA), but blood clots redevelop in as many as one in five patients, according
to research from South Korea. Scientists at Yonsei University in Seoul say the
new clots dissolve on administration of abciximab, another blood-thinning
medication. Study author Dr Ji Hoe Heo says, 'This study is promising because
simple but careful observation for occurrence of reappearance of clots may
improve the rate significantly by giving abciximab in those patients.'
REF: Alternative for stroke patients. HealthScout; 28 May 2003
AstraZeneca has launched two large clinical trials for its new stroke treatment,
Cerovive. The studies, which will involve 3,000 people, are the final stage of
trials before the drug is sent to regulators for approval. The studies will look
at whether Cerovive prevents some of the side effects of a stroke, such as
difficulty in speaking.
REF: New AstraZeneca stroke treatment. Financial Times; 28 May 2003: 24
Surgery can reduce the risk of cardiac death arising from restriction in blood
flow to the heart further than treatment with medication, according to
researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Coronary artery
bypass or angioplasty is associated with a death rate of 2%, compared with 6.7%
for drug therapy. The effect is particularly marked in women, especially the
elderly and those with diabetes.
REF: Heart death 'better averted by surgery'. HealthScout; 28 May 2003
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