CHICAGO
Breast-cancer study called good news
Women with early-stage breast tumors can undergo a shorter course of radiation without a greater risk that their cancer will come back years later, a new study suggests.
The results are good news for women who must quit work or travel far to receive the daily treatments usually given over five weeks, doctors said.
Most of the 180,000 breast cancers diagnosed each year in the United States are the type this study addressed – still confined to the breast. The usual treatment is surgery plus chemotherapy or hormone therapy, followed by radiation.
In a two-part study of nearly 4,500 women in the United Kingdom, women received either the standard 50 Grays, the unit used in measuring radiation, in 25 treatments spread over five weeks, or roughly 40 Grays given in 13 treatments every other day for five weeks or in 15 treatments over three weeks.
Five years later, cancer recurrence rates were low for all groups, ranging from 2 percent to 5 percent. So few recurrences occurred – 158 – that doctors believe the treatments are equivalent but cannot say so with certainty.
WASHINGTON
Flynt offers reward for D.C. sex tales
Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt offered $1 million Sunday to anyone who could provide proof of an illicit sexual encounter with a high-ranking government official.
In a full-page ad in The Washington Post, Flynt asked for “documented evidence of illicit sexual or intimate relations with a Congressperson, Senator or other prominent officeholder.”
He said he would pay up to $1 million for material that could be verified and published.
Flynt ran a similar ad in October 1998, snaring Rep. Bob Livingston, R-La., who admitted he had had extramarital affairs after word got out that Flynt was investigating him.
CHICAGO
Wheeled-sneaker injuries mounting
Trendy wheeled sneakers that let kids zip down sidewalks could also send them rolling into emergency rooms, doctors say.
Doctors from Ireland to Singapore have reported treating broken wrists, arms and ankles; dislocated elbows; and even cracked skulls in children injured while “heeling” in the popular shoes with wheels in the heels.
From September 2005 through December 2006, one death and at least 64 roller-shoe injuries were reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, a spokesman said last week.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons this week is issuing new safety advice that recommends helmets, wrist protectors and knee and elbow pads for kids who wear the shoes.
