April 5, 2002

In This Issue: 
Medicare Cuts, HRT Risks, Genes and Prostates, Lung Cancer In Women and Minorities, Feds Find Fraudulent Treatments, "60 Minutes" On Brain Cancer

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THE LATEST NEWS
Doctors Say Medicare Cuts Undermine Patient Care

New Gene Test May Help Detect Prostate Cancer

Lung Cancer in Women, Minorities, And Poor

African-American Women Show Highest Pap Test Rate

Hormone Therapy Linked To Slight Risk Of Ovarian Cancer

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CONTROVERSIAL BRAIN CANCER TREATMENT ON "60 MINUTES" SUNDAY
Cameras follow three brain cancer patients in treatment at Duke University with oncologist Dr. Henry Friedman on Sunday's "60 Minutes" show. All three patients had been told their brain cancer would kill them within months, when they decided to try an unproven treatment offered by Friedman. Dr. Friedman's work is especially intriguing because he is not following the usual path of clinical trials. He uses certain drugs on his 2,000 patients, often before these medicines have been put through the traditional steps toward FDA approval, including clinical trials. The double-length report will be broadcast on 60 Minutes Sunday, April 7 from 7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT on CBS Television.

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DON'T BE FOOLED BY FRAUDULENT CANCER TREATMENTS CLAIMS
The Federal Trade Commission asked a court to stop David L. Walker from using the internet to imply standard cancer treatments are unnecessary if patients use his "CWAT -Treatment: BioResonance Therapy and Molecular Enhancer" at a cost of $2,000 to $5,000. The FTC says the claims are unproven and may potentially harm cancer patients. The FTC has also asked the court to order consumer redress.
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/04/spam.htm

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SUPPLEMENTS AND POTENTIAL FRAUD
The Food and Drug Administration wants people to know how to evaluate health claims associated with vitamins and dietary supplements. One of the FDA's websites helps explain what the feds can and can not do to regulate manufacturers and protect the public. Consumers need to evaluate the "buzz" around certain supplements as cancer treatments, according to the FDA . For information about the FDA's role, see
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-faq.html

For a list of published results from studies of supplements and other alternative medicines, see
http://nccam.nih.gov/databases.html