CA-125

Two California doctors have waged war against the Internet chain-mail, which has been circulating for 10 years, that urges women to demand that their doctors screen them for ovarian cancer with the CA-125 blood test. As we have written many times on cancerpage.com, the CA-125 blood test is not a reliable screening test. Now Dr.s Beth Karlan of UCLA and Jonathan Berek of Stanford have started their own chain-mail, which they hope will replace the original that is still making the rounds. One UCLA doctor quoted in the NY Times today says 5 to 6 patients a week ask about the CA-125 test after seeing the original alarming email. "I don't mind educating my patients, but it's based on bad information," he told the NY Times.  You can see the replacement email here.. http://www.ovaryresearch.com/email.htm and help spread the word.

Scholarships for Young Cancer Survivors

There's no getting around the increasing cost of a college education  -- unless you get a scholarship or grant.  CancerforCollege.org is a West Coast organization that  awards college scholarships to cancer survivors under the age of 35.  Cancer for College has donated $67,000 in scholarships to 50 students since 1993. In 2006, however,  a huge donation from comedian Will Ferrell - a friend of the organization's founder - lead to larger awards.  In 2007 scholarships went to students in the following states: CA, WA, MN, TX, CO, NY, IL, VT, GA, AR, TN, and ME!) Read more about the organization and how to apply for a scholarship here.