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Upfront

April - May 1999
Round & About This Issue

Bunches of Fresh Evidence on Anti-Tumor Power of Veggies
   "Our findings strengthen the idea that a diet rich in plants is beneficial because of the large array of plant compounds rather than the singular action of one kind of plant or one compound in plants," say Wisconson researchers. Fiber and micronutients are key. Full story

Does Pollution Make Prostate Cancer More Aggressive?
Some scientists suspect that environmental pollutants such as heavy metals, cigarette smoke, pesticides, and diesel fumes speed up cell growth in prostate cancer. Wisconsin researchers are checking it out. Full story

Treating "Hidden" Prostate Cancer Pain
Medicalpike News has a report on Actiq^®, a new narcotic for treating "breakthrough" cancer pain. We look also at a recent US study of cancer patients in nursing homes, which exposed a dirty secret -- hidden untreated pain.
 
More on Medicalpike

UK Prostate Cancer Survival Among Lowest in Europe
    Days after Oxford scholar Michael Aris died of prostate cancer in London at age 53, an international conference organized by the Prostate Cancer Charity hammered home the poor survival and high incidence rates for UK patients compared with the rest of Europe. Organizers stressed urgent need for screening. Full story
US Senators Urge Progress on Prostate Cancer
The US Senate has taken a major step toward recognizing the impact of prostate cancer on the lives of millions of American men and their families.May 4, the Senate introduced Resolution 92, which states that "finding treatment breakthroughs and a cure for prostate cancer should be made a national health priority." Jay Hedlund, President of the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, is very pleased. Full story

NIH Stalls Meeting with NPCC April 21, 1999. A two-month, last minute delay in a Senate meeting on prostate cancer provoked a strong reaction from National Prostate Cancer Coalition's Jay Hedlund. The meeting was supposed to hear from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) on progress in prostate cancer research so money to close a research gap can be quickly allocated.
     Senator Robert Dole and Michael Milken for CaP CURE invited six months ahead and stood up without explanation.
     NPCC's president, Jay Hedlund, calls the delay "unacceptable." "During this two-month delay," he said, "more than 6,000 American men will die from prostate cancer."
     Hedlund urged prostate cancer patients, families and supporters to protest to Dr. Varmus and Senator Arlen Specter (Republican, PA) Chairman of the Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. Hedlund's Letter