Government is in no rush to study thousands of veterans who received nasal radiation therapy
Article Abstract:
The U.S. government is not responding to calls for investigation of the effects of nasal radiation therapy used on veterans and others from 1943 to about 1965. A scientist estimated that more than 20,100 Air Force veterans, submariners, and dependents of veterans may have received this treatment to prevent otitis media, an inflammation of the middle ear. These veterans often experienced ear pressure problems that resulted in otitis media, and radiation treatment of the adenoids near the eustachian tube appeared to reduce otitis media from 100% to 20%. Some children also received the treatment to shrink adenoids. The total doses of radiation were estimated to be high enough to destroy tumors. These veterans may be at risk for head and neck cancers, brain cancer, Graves' disease, and other diseases. Currently, physicians no longer use nasal radiation therapy. Opponents to the proposed investigation assert that epidemiological studies would be too expensive and difficult to conduct.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1995
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Gynecologic oncologists optimistic about diagnosis, therapy gains from reported research
Article Abstract:
Promising new therapies for treating ovarian cancer and new methods for determining the prognosis of patients with cervical cancer were among the topics discussed at the 26th annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists. Most of the results presented at the meeting were only preliminary results. One group of researchers found that retinoic acid appears to boost the effectiveness of two chemotherapeutic agents, cisplatin and paclitaxel, against ovarian cancer. Other research appears to indicate that testing the lymph nodes of cervical cancer patients for human papillomavirus DNA may provide an indication of disease aggressiveness. Laparoscopy appears promising in classifying ovarian cancer tumors. The inventor of RU486, Etienne Baulieu, believes that the drug may be useful in preventing ovarian cancer cells from reproducing.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1995
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Radiation therapy for "wet" type macular degeneration shows promise in early trials
Article Abstract:
Several research studies have shown that external beam radiation can stabilize or improve vision in people with macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is a degeneration of the macular, which is the central part of the retina responsible for clear vision. In wet macular degeneration, blood vessels proliferate in the macula that often leak or bleed. External beam radiation has been used in several studies and has stabilized or improved vision in many patients. However, none of the studies had a control group and the natural course of macular degeneration is variable.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1997
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