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Fifty One Genes Predict Breast Cancer Survival
It may be possible in the future to use a specimen from the tumour to determine which patients with breast cancer have a good chance of overcoming the disease, and which patients should be given more intensive treatments. Fifty-one genes may together provide information about the prognosis for an individual patient. These are the conclusions of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Many In Congress Hold Stakes In Health Industry
"Almost 30 key lawmakers helping draft landmark health-care legislation have financial holdings in the industry, totaling nearly $11 million worth of personal investments in a sector that could be dramatically reshaped by this summer"s debate," The Washington Post reports. The list of members includes "Congress"s most powerful leaders and a bipartisan collection of lawmakers in key committee posts." For example, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., "has at least $50,000 invested in a health-care index" (fund), and Sen. Judd Gregg, R-NH, "a senior member of the health committee, has between $254,000 and $560,000 worth of stock holdings in major health-care companies, including Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck." The data was part of a "release of financial disclosure forms for the House and Senate" on Friday.
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Massachusetts Lawmakers Seek To Expand Insurance Services
"Massachusetts legislators this year have filed a flurry of bills - more than 70 in all - that, if passed, would substantially expand the medical services insurers are required to cover for patients but also potentially raise healthcare costs," The Boston Globe reports. "The cascade of proposals to mandate coverage is up 50 percent from last year, and comes amid unprecedented scrutiny of healthcare spending. Among the bills are proposals to mandate coverage of hearing aids for children, treatments to fix cleft palates, wigs for patient who suffer "hair loss from cancer and other illnesses," and aquatherapy." Some say this level of activity may be caused by patient advocates "racing to get their health concerns covered by law before the state"s system for paying doctors and hospitals is overhauled." But given the state"s current budget difficulties, "it"s uncertain how many of the bills will make it into law" (Lazar, 7/27).
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Link Between Pancreatic Cancer And Dietary Fat

High intake of dietary fats from red meat and dairy products was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a new study published online June 26 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. This study was undertaken because research relating fat intake to pancreatic cancer was inconclusive. To examine the association, Rachael Z. Stolzenberg-Solomon, Ph.D., of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues analyzed a cohort of over 500,000 people from the National Institutes of Health - AARP Diet and Health Study. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire in 1995 and 1996 and were followed prospectively for an average of 6 years to track a variety of health outcomes, including pancreatic cancer. Men and women who consumed high amounts of total fats had 53% and 23% higher relative rates of pancreatic cancer, respectively, compared with men and women who had the lowest fat consumption. Participants who consumed high amounts of saturated fats had 36% higher relative rates of pancreatic cancer compared with those who consumed low amounts. "[W]e observed positive associations between pancreatic cancer and intakes of total, saturated, and monounsaturated fat overall, particularly from red meat and dairy food s. We did not observe any consistent association with polyunsaturated or fat from plant food s," the authors write. "Altogether, these results suggest a role for animal fat in pancreatic carcinogenesis." In an accompanying editorial, Brian M. Wolpin, M.D., MPH, of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Meir J. Stampfer, M.D., DrPH, of the Harvard School of Public Health, call the study well-performed and a good addition to the understanding of pancreatic cancer. They do note, however, that there is insufficient epidemiological and laboratory evidence to confirm the importance of animal fats or even that meat is the important factor, as opposed to other dietary or lifestyle preferences associated with meat consumption. "[W]ith further investigation, this work has the potential to provide interesting clues to the mechanisms underlying pancreatic tumorigenesis," the editorialists write. Citations: Article: Theibaut et al. Dietary Fatty Acids and Pancreatic Cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. J Natl Cancer Inst 2009, 101: 1001-1011. Editorial: Wolpin B and Stampfer M. D. Defining Determinants of Pancreatic Cancer Risk: Are We Making Progress. J Natl Cancer Inst 2009, 101: 972-973. Steve Graff Journal of the National Cancer Institute


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