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Healthline

By TIMES STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Published December 13, 2005

A NEW STUDY has shown that giving two chemotherapy drugs to women with advanced endometrial cancer after surgery reduced the risk of recurrence by 29 percent and extended survival by 32 percent, compared with women who received whole abdominal irradiation. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that 40,880 women will be diagnosed with the disease in 2005 and 7,310 will die. Researchers from the Gynecologic Oncology Group compared the rate of recurrence and overall survival between 194 women with advanced endometrial cancer who received chemotherapy with the drugs doxorubicin and cisplatin over a period of five months and 202 women who received radiation therapy to the entire abdomen over about a month and a half. After five years, half of patients who received chemotherapy were estimated to be free of disease, compared with 38 percent of those who received whole abdominal irradiation.

EVER HEARD THE TERM "cauliflower ear"? Here's what it is: a deformity of the outer ear that happens as a result of repeated trauma to the ear. Boxers and wrestlers are the poster boys for this acquired condition. When the ear is struck, a blood clot (hematoma) forms under the skin. Cartilage depends on the blood supply of its skin covering, and repeated trauma deprives the cartilage of blood's oxygen and nutrients. The combination of blood clots and shriveled up, dying cartilage results in a deformity that looks something like a head of cauliflower. There may be associated hearing loss if the outer part of the ear canal is markedly reduced in size. Wearing protective earwear will reduce the chance of injury.

"THE GOOD CARBOHYDRATE REVOLUTION' is another book about the "right" carbohydrates to eat to lose weight quickly. Author Terry Shintani, a physician, doesn't recommend diets that eliminate carbs in favor of protein-rich foods. Some of those "good" carbs he promotes are whole-grain pasta, brown rice, pita bread, sweet potatoes and vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables. Those carbs should be combined with lean proteins to form healthful eating plans that limit potentially harmful animal protein and excessive fats. Shintani writes that by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure to normal levels, osteoporosis, cancer, strokes and other serious illnesses can be delayed or prevented. The easy-to-read book also contains several charts and graphs.

[Last modified December 12, 2005, 15:34:03]