Stand Up To Cancer

This week brings more news on controversial new prostate cancer vaccine Provenge. The company producing the vaccine said Tuesday that it "significantly" prolongs patient survival according to the results of a new clinical trial; this finding contradicts that of the FDA, which declined to approve the drug after a previous trial. Now patient advocates and three congressman are calling for a probe of the agency, claiming its decision may have been colored by conflicts of interest.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/04/prostate-cancer-vaccine-significantly-prolongs-survival.html

I loved this story out of Edgewater, Florida, where over 700 elementary school students and their parents held a "mini" Relay for Life to raise money for cancer research. During the one-hour event, the kids stood in formation on the school's athletic field to spell out the word "HOPE." In the end the school's team raised $700 for cancer research. "I'm very happy that they're trying to help all the sick kids in the world to not have pain anymore," said a student who had survived bone cancer the year before.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/EastVolusia/evlEAST04041609.htm

In this CBS News article, medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook urges readers to get routine screening for skin cancer. "Early detection is the name of the game when it comes to curing melanoma," LaPook writes. And he emphasizes that routine screening includes a complete head-to-toe inspection by a dermatologist: "This means looking from head to toe at every millimeter of your body, including where the sun doesn't shine."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/16/health/cbsdoc/main4949884.shtml

Fresh research out of Tennessee indicates that sleep problems can lead to increased pain in cancer patients. More than half the sample group studied had trouble sleeping, and one in four reported moderate to severe trouble sleeping; statistical analysis indicates that the sleep problems led to increased ratings of pain in these patients. "We believed we would find a bi-directional relationship between insomnia and pain, but instead found that trouble sleeping was more likely a cause, rather than a consequence, of pain in patients with cancer," said the study's lead author.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090415075046.htm

Meanwhile, this New York Times article profiles a familiar issue in the cancer community: the high cost of cutting-edge treatment. One patient interviewed in the piece was prescribed oral medication - which free patients from having to go to a clinic to receive treatment - only to find his insurance wouldn't pay for it. The price tag on a 42-day supply of the pill? $5,500.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/business/15pill.html?hp

Regular Weekly Links readers know how much I love food-related stories, and this week's is a great one: a new study in the International Journal of Cancer has found that women who drink a few cups of coffee or tea each day have a lower risk of developing endometrial cancer. The reasons aren't exactly clear, but scientists hypothesize that it's either the antioxidant compounds present in both beverages, or simply the dose of caffeine.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/health&id=6765119

That's all I've got for this week, but I'll be back next Thursday with more!

--Cat