Hot Topics
If you're like most people, making heads or
tails of the latest cancer information reported
in the news, and now on the Internet, can be
difficult.
Fortunately, there's help.
By simply dialing 1-800-4-CANCER, you can talk
to a Cancer Information Service (CIS) health information specialist and get information on
the "hot topics" in cancer news.
The following cancer briefs are just a sampling
of the "hot topics"
that have lit up CIS phones recently.
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- Hormone Replacement Therapy Is it Safe for Cancer Survivors?
- In the past, endometrial (uterine) cancer survivors have avoided hormone replacement
therapy (HRT) because many experts feared it could bring about a recurrence of the
disease. Recently, some have been changing their minds.
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- Cancer experts have traditionally believed that HRT increases the risk of recurrence of
endometrial cancer. Other qualified experts believe that the benefits of HRT outweigh the
risks to cancer survivors. HRT reduces the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis which
are much more common in some women and can be more detrimental to their health.
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- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is sponsoring a clinical trial designed to resolve
the HRT controversy. The HRT trial will compare estrogen replacement therapy to a placebo
in approximately 2,000 women. Women will be followed every six months for three years and
then annually for two more years to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of the therapy.
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- To qualify for this trial, women must have at least one symptom or risk warranting the
need for HRT. These symptoms include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, a high risk of
developing cardiovascular disease based on age at menopause, or a high risk of developing
osteoporosis. In addition, patients must be entered on the trial within 12 weeks after
surgery for endometrial cancer.
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- Endometrial cancer is most common in women between the ages of 55 and 70. Obese women
and women who have had few or no children, who began menstruating at a young age, who
began menopause late and who are of high socioeconomic status are at increased risk of
developing this disease.
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- Nuclear Fallout and Thyroid Cancer Risk
- From 1952 to 1957, 90 nuclear bomb tests were conducted at the Nevada Atmospheric
Nuclear Bomb Testing Site. As a result of these tests, Iodine-131 (a radioactive form of
iodine) was released into the air, exposing much of the United States to potentially
harmful nuclear fallout.
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- Because Iodine-131 accumulates in the thyroid gland, concerns have been raised that the
fallout could cause thyroid cancer in people who were exposed to high doses. When
comparing the amount of Iodine-131 exposure during these tests to the amount received in
some medical procedures, however, there doesn't appear to be a significant difference.
Oddly enough, Iodine-131 is used to treat some types of benign thyroid conditions and
thyroid cancer.
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- Today, a thyroid scan given at a hospital would administer about 0.4 to 4 rads
(radiation absorbed dose) of Iodine-131 to the thyroid, compared to the 2 rads Americans
were exposed to during the testing. Because of this reassuring comparison, NCI urges the
public not to panic, but to keep in mind that the study did not directly address the
question of cancer risk from exposure to Iodine-131 it only confirmed the actual
presence of it after the tests.
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- To investigate further, NCI scientists are working with other government agencies and
organizations to study thyroid cancer incidence among persons exposed to fallout from the
1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident in Russia. A clear increase in thyroid cancer has been
seen in this population.
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- If you are concerned about your level of exposure to Iodine-131, request a thyroid
examination at your next doctor's visit.