Gov. Bobby Jindal in July 2010. (Photo by Gerald Herbert, The Associated Press archive)
"The outcome of the election largely will determine what Jindal will or can do with health care in general and the Medicaid expansion especially."
Their responses are in, or not, and our state legislators have spoken: They will leave solving the current health care crisis to the governor rather than take responsibility for it themselves. A solid majority of the House, 66, and a super majority of the Senate, 30, did not sign the petition for a special session to deal with the sudden loss of federal Medicaid dollars and the governor's plan to close a mental health hospital and to gut public hospitals, turning some into glorified out-patient clinics.
Most of the non-signers were Republicans, but a fair number were Democrats. By their inaction, some are saying they support Gov. Bobby Jindal's plan for this massive, historic and rapid change in public health care. Others have misgivings but do not know what else to do. Their overriding fear would be to spend $80,000 a day in special session and to not come up with a better solution. That would only serve to shift the growing public anger over the hospital cuts and layoffs from Jindal to themselves.
They have a point. If the main obstacle to the special session was the lack of a consensus plan, the main obstacle to a consensus plan was the governor's flat opposition to raising taxes or repealing exemptions. (While he cannot veto the temporary suspension of a tax exemption, most suspensions would still require a two-thirds vote.) For the governor to limit legislators' options so much gives them all the more reason to let him deal with the problem himself.
So, his administration and LSU health care officials move ahead, in fire-drill fashion, to try to arrange partnerships with community and private hospitals or to explore the possible sale or lease of some of the stronger state hospitals, particularly in north Louisiana. The downsizing of public hospitals creates a further budget hole in the graduate medical education program for training new doctors, as the LSU Board of Supervisors seemed surprised to learn last week.
The governor and many legislators have long recognized that the state network of public hospitals is unsustainable within the federal Medicaid system. The long-term plan, which Congress abruptly shortened, was to move gradually toward more public-private partnerships, like the one still being developed in Baton Rouge. But that has taken three years and millions of dollars of new construction, by the state and Our Lady of the Lake. The time and money are not available to do the same in other south Louisiana cities.
There is much interest and willingness on the part of private and community hospitals to help, but the big missing piece is adequate funding to take over the care of the uninsured, who make too much money to be on Medicaid and not enough to afford private insurance. Federal payments to hospitals that care for a disproportionate share of low-income patients is being reduced under the Affordable Care Act, which would cover many of the uninsured through the expansion of Medicaid.
But that is another option Gov. Jindal has taken off the table by declaring the state would not participate in the Medicaid expansion. Critics, even some supporters, say he's dead wrong on this, especially with the feds picking up the whole tab for three years, after which the state's share gradually rises to 10 percent.
It galls supporters of the special session even more that one man would block what they see as a big part of the solution to the current health care crisis. Yet Jindal's role in setting the future course of public health care in this state is small compared to that of the prime mover, the next president of the United States.
With the Medicaid expansion not taking place until 2014, the governor's opposition is a political statement, like with other Republican governors, in the national debate over health care. That was supposed to be a major issue in the presidential election, but it hasn't been.
Nevertheless, the outcome of the election largely will determine what Jindal will or can do with health care in general and the Medicaid expansion especially. If Mitt Romney wins, the new president might decide to keep the Medicaid expansion but to give the states more flexibility to run their systems, which Jindal wants. If Barack Obama wins, this governor, doing the math, might not have much choice. That's one more reason the Legislature is leaving it up to him.
John Maginnis is an independent journalist covering Louisiana politics. He can be contacted at www.LaPolitics.com.
New findings on men's genes could alter interpretation of PSA test Public release date: 30-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman Yvonne.Giwercman@med.lu.se 46-705-977-904 Lund University
By studying a specific part of the male DNA, it may be possible to refine the interpretation of PSA tests. This would reduce the risk of men being treated for prostate cancer unnecessarily.
The findings have been presented in a thesis by Christel Bjrk at Lund University, Sweden, who has carried out the study with her colleague Hannah Nenonen, supervised by researcher Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman.
A PSA test measures the level of PSA (prostate-specific antigen) in the blood, and raised PSA can signal an increased risk of cancer; however, this is not the case for everyone. The problem is that there is no good way to separate those with naturally high levels of PSA from those at increased risk of prostate cancer.
"If we know that a man has a naturally high level of PSA, this can be taken into account in a PSA test, and the patient may be able to avoid arduous treatment with a risk of side-effects", says Christel Bjrk, a doctoral student at the Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University.
The present study shows how a man's genetic characteristics can affect the androgen receptor, a protein that has an important function in the male reproductive system. It regulates the effect of testosterone and controls production of prostate-specific antigen.
The researchers studied healthy men in different age groups and discovered a connection between PSA levels in the blood and DNA structure of the androgen receptor. The highest PSA levels were found in the men with the most common variant of the androgen receptor, i.e. the largest group of men.
"Both the PSA level and the genetic characteristics can be identified with a blood test", says Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman, Associate Professor at the Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University.
The study is based on samples from around 400 men from Sweden and Norway. Before the results can be implemented for PSA tests in the health service, the study must be repeated on a larger group.
"We have access to material covering around 3 200 men from seven European countries and the idea is to investigate whether our preliminary findings can be verified on this group in the near future", explains Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman.
###
Christel Bjrk defended the thesis Genetic, environmental and life-style effects on androgen receptor function on 26 October.
http://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=3126399&fileOId=3126406
About the androgen receptor
The androgen receptor is a protein that has an important function in the male reproductive system. The male sex hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone bind to the receptor, which then conveys the hormonal effect further by regulating other genes. Defects in the receptor can, in their most serious form, cause individuals with a male set of chromosomes to develop into females in the womb, while milder defects can lead to illness and infertility.
For more information
Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman, Associate Professor in Molecular Genetic Reproductive Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences in Malm, Lund University, +46 40 39 11 03, +46 705 97 79 04, Yvonne.Giwercman@med.lu.se
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
New findings on men's genes could alter interpretation of PSA test Public release date: 30-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman Yvonne.Giwercman@med.lu.se 46-705-977-904 Lund University
By studying a specific part of the male DNA, it may be possible to refine the interpretation of PSA tests. This would reduce the risk of men being treated for prostate cancer unnecessarily.
The findings have been presented in a thesis by Christel Bjrk at Lund University, Sweden, who has carried out the study with her colleague Hannah Nenonen, supervised by researcher Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman.
A PSA test measures the level of PSA (prostate-specific antigen) in the blood, and raised PSA can signal an increased risk of cancer; however, this is not the case for everyone. The problem is that there is no good way to separate those with naturally high levels of PSA from those at increased risk of prostate cancer.
"If we know that a man has a naturally high level of PSA, this can be taken into account in a PSA test, and the patient may be able to avoid arduous treatment with a risk of side-effects", says Christel Bjrk, a doctoral student at the Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University.
The present study shows how a man's genetic characteristics can affect the androgen receptor, a protein that has an important function in the male reproductive system. It regulates the effect of testosterone and controls production of prostate-specific antigen.
The researchers studied healthy men in different age groups and discovered a connection between PSA levels in the blood and DNA structure of the androgen receptor. The highest PSA levels were found in the men with the most common variant of the androgen receptor, i.e. the largest group of men.
"Both the PSA level and the genetic characteristics can be identified with a blood test", says Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman, Associate Professor at the Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University.
The study is based on samples from around 400 men from Sweden and Norway. Before the results can be implemented for PSA tests in the health service, the study must be repeated on a larger group.
"We have access to material covering around 3 200 men from seven European countries and the idea is to investigate whether our preliminary findings can be verified on this group in the near future", explains Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman.
###
Christel Bjrk defended the thesis Genetic, environmental and life-style effects on androgen receptor function on 26 October.
http://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=3126399&fileOId=3126406
About the androgen receptor
The androgen receptor is a protein that has an important function in the male reproductive system. The male sex hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone bind to the receptor, which then conveys the hormonal effect further by regulating other genes. Defects in the receptor can, in their most serious form, cause individuals with a male set of chromosomes to develop into females in the womb, while milder defects can lead to illness and infertility.
For more information
Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman, Associate Professor in Molecular Genetic Reproductive Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences in Malm, Lund University, +46 40 39 11 03, +46 705 97 79 04, Yvonne.Giwercman@med.lu.se
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
www.e-com.com Hi, I?m Jack Shaw. The good people at DynaSis have asked me to put together this series of brief videos discussing Cloud Computing and its implications for small businesses. This video explains what Cloud Computing is. Others in this series discuss the benefits of Cloud Computing, address concerns you may have about Cloud Computing, and describe the ITility Cloud Solution which DynaSis offers to help your business gain the full advantages of Cloud Computing. So let?s talk about Cloud Computing. Simply put, Cloud Computing is the ability to access data, software applications, storage, communications capabilities, and computer processing power from a ?Cloud? of online resources. The idea of calling remotely located resources a ?cloud? goes back to the early days of the Internet and, even before that, to the public telephone network. Engineers would draw a picture of a cumulus cloud to represent a network whose complexity was far more than needed to be diagrammed in detail. Somewhere out there in the cloud were all the resources needed. In concept this is really nothing new. As far back as the 1960?s, there were solution providers called ?Service Bureaus.? Mainframe computers, the only ones that existed at the time, cost millions of dollars. Service bureaus allowed small businesses to share the costs of computing by letting those companies submit their data or run their programs on the service bureaus? computers. The media may have been punched cards and ? Video Rating: 0 / 5
Cloud computing covers a wide range of different services, and has become a bit of a buzzword. On NCIX Tech Tips Linus explains some of the advantages and disadvantages of this paradigm shift that has occurred over the last couple of years. CA: ncix.com US: us.ncix.com
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 31st, 2012 at 1:35 am and is filed under Cloud Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an event to announce new products, including the iPad mini, in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. Apple Inc. is refusing to compete on price with its rivals in the tablet market, it's pricing its new, smaller iPad well above the competition. On Tuesday, the company revealed the iPad Mini, with a screen that's about two-thirds the size of the full-size model, and said it will cost $329 and up. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an event to announce new products, including the iPad mini, in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. Apple Inc. is refusing to compete on price with its rivals in the tablet market, it's pricing its new, smaller iPad well above the competition. On Tuesday, the company revealed the iPad Mini, with a screen that's about two-thirds the size of the full-size model, and said it will cost $329 and up. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Apple Inc. shook up its executive ranks Monday, saying the head of its store operations is leaving after just six months on the job and the long-serving head of its iPhone software development operations is exiting next year.
Apple didn't say why retail senior vice president John Browett and iOS software SVP Scott Forstall were leaving, but both have presided over missteps this year.
Browett cut staffing hours at Apple's retail stores, a move the company reversed and acknowledged as a mistake. Forstall's division launched a software update in September that replaced Google Maps with Apple's first mapping application. It quickly drew unfavorable comparisons to the software it was replacing, and Apple apologized.
Browett's departure is immediate, and the company is looking for a replacement. Forstall will act as an advisor to CEO Tim Cook until he leaves, Apple said. His responsibilities will be divided among other Apple veterans.
Forstall joined Apple in 1997 with the company's purchase of Steve Jobs' NeXT startup. Apple credits him as one of the original architects of Mac OS X.
Craig Federighi, who is now in charge of the Mac OS, will add iOS development to his responsibilities, Apple said, but Jony Ive, the chief designer behind the distinctive look of Apple hardware, will take responsibility for the look and feel of Apple's software.
Eddy Cue, head of Apple's online services and iTunes, will assume responsibility for Maps and Siri, the "virtual assistant" application on the iPhone and iPad.
Browett took over the store operations after Ron Johnson, who helped create the Apple stores, left to become CEO at J.C. Penney Co. in November.
Apple has more than 360 stores, and they're unique in several ways. They sell more per square foot than any other chain in the U.S., yet they account for just 12 percent of Apple's overall sales. They're ambassadors of Apple's brand, and provide customers with an easy way to access in-person technical support.
At the time Browett was appointed, commentators wondered what an executive from a traditional retail operation would bring to Apple. Browett's move to cut staffing appeared to be motivated by a desire to improve profits, but Apple divisions don't have their own profit-and-loss accounts; they're supposed to support the company as a whole.
As we head into the season that encompasses the traditional American Big Four ? Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year ? and a number of other ethnic, religious, and cultural holiday festivals, let us reflect on the words of psychotherapist Stefanie Barthmare, as quoted in ScienceDaily:
If you use food as a crutch, this time of year could be troublesome.
Barthmare says a holiday-season gain of 7 to 10 pounds is not unusual. Like Dr. Pretlow and many others, she advocates getting to the root of personal problems and learning to cope with stress in more productive ways than comfort eating. Barthmare is further quoted as saying:
If it was just a matter of knowing the calorie difference between a piece of cake and broccoli, we would all be all be our ideal weight. Maintaining a healthy weight requires a disciplined approach mentally and physically? Unfortunately, it?s complicated and there is not a one-size fits all solution.
Barthmare, in other words, affirms and validates the very same lesson Dr. Pretlow has learned from the voices of children and youth, via his Weigh2Rock website: information is not enough. And while there is no one-size-fits-all solution, a useful approach to a solution is to look at the childhood obesity epidemic through the ?psychological food dependence-addiction lens.?
Dr. Barnard of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine takes the occasion of Halloween as an opportunity to voice his year-long concerns, such as children as young as five whose physical exams show signs of preventable disease and early demise. He says:
What really scares me are the meat and dairy products lurking in children?s diets every day and everywhere ? from fast food to school lunches. Unfortunately, some parents don?t share this fear? Meat and dairy products are loaded with fat and cholesterol that lead to childhood obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
It?s probably too late to do anything about this Halloween. Most likely, the candy is purchased and ready to distribute. Maybe the kids have already gone to some parties. If a family has not set boundaries and introduced limiting rules by this time, it?s probably too late to make any changes this year.
Just in case you still have hope, plug the word ?Halloween? into the Childhood Obesity News search box, and pick up a few quick ideas. Here?s another suggestion: Even if this year?s celebration isn?t everything you would like it to be, observe carefully and make mental notes in a file called ?What to do differently next year.?
Of course, it goes without saying, that you should limit the actual consumption of candy on October 31. An agreement should be made beforehand, that only a certain amount is allowed, once the kids are back home. But what about while they?re out in the neighborhood, going from house to house? A mask that obscures vision is bad, but here?s an in idea to consider for future Halloweens: a mask that covers the mouth.
Post trick-or-treating, let the child sort, fondle, categorize, gloat over, and otherwise enjoy the swag. It?s the only time of year when it?s okay to play with the food! Give the child a chance to realize that a lot of the contributions are not even close to being favorites.
Meanwhile you, the parent, estimate the caloric value of the haul, then pack it up and stow it away out of sight. Next day, when the supermarket puts all the candy on sale, offer a trade: Will the child give up the Halloween collection, never to see it again, in return for a much smaller amount of a favorite brand? Some kids will go for this bargain. It?s worth a try.
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: ?Using Food for Comfort and Coping Leads to Unwanted Holiday Pounds,? ScienceDaily, 10/15/12 Source: ?It?s Not Just Candy Causing Childhood Obesity this Halloween,? PCRM.org, 10/17/12 Image by ninahale (Nina Hale).
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has a rosy outlook for their new Windows 8 operating system, saying Monday that "we're seeing preliminary demand well above where we were with Windows 7." But other measures indicate that this statement may be somewhat misleading.
Ballmer was speaking at a San Francisco event where Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8?hardware were being showcased. Windows 8 itself officially launched last Friday, but has been available in preview form for more than a year.
Comparing the new OS to its predecessor is natural, but could Windows 8,?which has been intensely polarizing in the tech community, really be more in demand than the incredibly popular Windows 7, which famously fixed what Windows Vista had broken??
To find out, I spoke with?Jay Chou,?senior research analyst at IDC's Worldwide PC Tracker.
While he cautioned that Ballmer may be privy to some statistics not yet publicized, Chou suggested that Windows 8 probably isn't going to move PCs the way Windows 7 did ? but that this has as much to do with the broader PC market as it does with the desirability of the OS.
"Our outlook on Windows 8 is that it will bring somewhat of a boost on the consumer side, but really, its full impact won't be felt till much later. We don't see it as a significant factor that will help the hardware business to recover."
He compared the circumstances of the release to those in 2009, when Windows 7 launched. At the time, millions of consumers and businesses were waiting eagerly for a chance to upgrade, having skipped the poorly?received Windows Vista. Not only that, but netbooks were still selling at high rates, and Windows 7 was a great fit for that type of PC. Windows 7, in other words, arrived just when people wanted to buy into both new hardware and a new operating system.
Now, however, the economy has slowed PC shipments, tablets have replaced netbooks as the best?option for casual computing, and for many people, the upgrade to Windows 7 is still fresh in their minds. Furthermore, Windows 8 isn't a cheap upgrade:
"Cost is a factor," said Chou. "To really take advantage of Windows 8, you need the hardware, the touch capability. You might have to upgrade your mouse or get a multi-touch trackpad."
And while sales of the Surface RT device appear to be fairly brisk, the bulk of consumers running desktops and laptops do not appear to be convinced; Windows 8 likely won't be spiking hardware sales the way its predecessor did.
So how can Ballmer make the statement that demand is higher? The fact is, while sales might not pick up for a year or so, Windows 8 has driven a huge amount of curiosity: the consumer preview of the OS was downloaded more than a million times on the first day.
If Ballmer's statement is interpreted as meaning they've seen unprecedented interest in the OS, then it can be considered factual. But interest does not always translate to sales.?What people could test for free they may not want to pay to own, especially when reviews of the OS are mixed, and?the best experiences rely on new, often costly hardware.
No sales statistics have been released thus far, but it has only been a few days since the official release. Microsoft will be obligated to make some official sales statements soon in order to satisfy investors and build consumer confidence.?We will report any such news, which should appear over the next few weeks.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC?News Digital. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.
I just signed up for Original Medicare and I need to get physical therapy. Does Medicare cover outpatient physical therapy?
?Nick
Dear Nick, Yes, Medicare will help pay for outpatient physical therapy as long as the following requirements are met:
? The service is medically necessary; ? Your doctor or therapist sets up a plan of treatment; and ? Your doctor periodically reviews the plan to see how long you?ll get therapy.
Generally, Medicare will only cover physical therapy if your condition can improve or if your condition will get worse without therapy.
You may be able to get physical therapy as an outpatient of a participating Medicare hospital, skilled nursing facility, home health agency, outpatient rehabilitation facility, or public health agency. Also, you may be able to get physical therapy from a privately practicing, Medicare-approved physical therapist in the therapist?s office or in your home.
Keep in mind that in 2012, Medicare will cover up to $1,880 for physical and speech therapy costs combined. After you pay the annual Medicare Part B deductible ($140 in 2012), Medicare will pay up to 80% of the approved amount for each service. You will be responsible for the remaining 20% coinsurance. After the $1,880 limit has been reached, you will have to pay the full cost of any physical therapy you receive. However, you may be able to get Medicare to cover additional physical therapy.
If you are approaching the $1,880 limit and need more therapy, your doctor can tell Medicare that it?s medically necessary for you to get more therapy. Remember, if Medicare denies the claim, you can always appeal.
?Marci
Dear Marci,
I am thinking about changing my drug coverage during the Fall Open Enrollment Period. What are some things I need to know before making any changes to my drug coverage?
?Constance
Dear Constance,
You can make changes to your health or drug coverage during Fall Open Enrollment, which spans from October 15 to December 7 of each year. During this time, you can make as many changes to your health or drug coverage as you?d like, and the last change you make will take effect January 1 of the following year. When you are choosing prescription drug plans, it might be helpful to ask the following questions:
Are my medications listed on the plan?s list of covered drugs (formulary)?
What are the premium, deductible and copay amounts I must pay under the plan?
Are my pharmacies in the plan?s preferred network so I pay the lowest amount?
Does the plan have any rules I need to follow in order to get my prescription drugs?
Keep in mind that if you have a Medicare private health plan that provides health and drug coverage (Medicare Advantage plan), switching drug plans will affect your health coverage. However, if you have Original Medicare and a separate Part D plan that just covers drugs, you can switch Part D plans and keep your current health coverage.
You may also find it helpful to use Medicare?s PlanFinder tool, which can give you a comprehensive list of Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, the drugs they cover, and their costs. You can access PlanFinder by calling Medicare at 800-633-4227 or online at www.medicare.gov.
?Marci
Dear Marci,
I recently signed up for Medicare and my Part B premium is being taken out of my Social Security check each month. I cannot afford to pay my premiums. Are there any programs that can help me pay for Medicare Part B?
?Darrell
Dear Darrell,
Yes, you might qualify for a Medicare Savings Program (MSP), which is an assistance program that helps people with limited income pay for the Medicare Part B premium. There are three common MSPs, and each one has different eligibility limits. The three main MSPs are:
Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB)
Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB)
Qualifying Individual (QI).
To qualify for an MSP, you must have Medicare Part A and meet income and asset state guidelines. MSP eligibility limits vary by state, so you should contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to see if you qualify for an MSP.
?Marci
?
The Medicare Rights Center is dedicated to helping people with Medicare get the health care and medications they need and make the most of their Medicare rights and options. They also offer comprehensive services to help people with Medicare and their caregivers fully understand the options and sources of support that are available to them. Learn more on the website at MedicareRights.org
FILE - This is a March 25, 2008 file photo of Sir Jimmy Savile, who for decades was a fixture on British television. A year after he died, aged 84 and honored as Sir Jimmy, several women have come forward to claim he was also a sexual predator and serial abuser of underage girls. The child abuse scandal that has enveloped the BBC, one of Britain's most respected news organizations, is now hitting one of America's, as the incoming president of The New York Times is on the defensive about his final days as head of the BBC. Mark Thompson was in charge of the BBC in late 2011 when the broadcaster shelved what would have been a bombshell investigation alleging that the late Savile was a serial sex offender. (AP Photo/ Lewis Whyld/PA, File)
FILE - This is a March 25, 2008 file photo of Sir Jimmy Savile, who for decades was a fixture on British television. A year after he died, aged 84 and honored as Sir Jimmy, several women have come forward to claim he was also a sexual predator and serial abuser of underage girls. The child abuse scandal that has enveloped the BBC, one of Britain's most respected news organizations, is now hitting one of America's, as the incoming president of The New York Times is on the defensive about his final days as head of the BBC. Mark Thompson was in charge of the BBC in late 2011 when the broadcaster shelved what would have been a bombshell investigation alleging that the late Savile was a serial sex offender. (AP Photo/ Lewis Whyld/PA, File)
LONDON (AP) ? The Catholic Church of England says it has contacted the Holy See to ask if the papal knighthood awarded to late television star Jimmy Savile could be removed following sexual abuse allegations.
Police say some 300 potential victims have come forward with abuse allegations against Savile, a well-known BBC children's television host who died last year. Most of them say they were abused by Savile, but some say they were abused by other people, police said Friday.
The church said Saturday that Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichol wrote to Vatican officials last week, asking the Holy See to investigate the possibility of posthumously removing Savile's honor in recognition of the "deep distress" of the alleged victims.
He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and the Vatican for his charitable work.
Multifocal/multicentric breast cancer connected to a patient's risk of local recurrencePublic release date: 28-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Diana Quattrone Diana.Quattrone@fccc.edu 215-728-7784 Fox Chase Cancer Center
BOSTON, MA (October 28, 2012)Not all women diagnosed with operable breast cancer present with a single tumor; some have multifocal disease appear in the breast, which means multiple tumors found in the same breast quadrant, while others have multicentric disease, where multiple tumors are found in separate breast quadrants. Multifocal or multicentric disease is not a standard indication to receive radiation after mastectomy. For patients who undergo lumpectomy, radiation dose and extent is not altered based on multifocal or multicentric disease compared to patients presenting with a single tumor.
Though previous researchers have analyzed data on patients with this type of breast cancer, "there is not a strong consensus on whether or not having multifocal or multicentric breast cancer leads to higher recurrence rates," says Tiffany Tam, MD, an attending physician in the Radiation Oncology Department at Fox Chase Cancer Center, who will present new findings about this on October 30 at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 54th Annual Meeting.
Tam led a team of Fox Chase physicians in a retrospective study designed to investigate for possible differences in outcomes. They found no statistically significant difference in overall survival or distant recurrence, where the cancer spreads to other organs or tissues. However, local recurrencehaving cancer return to the same area from which it was surgically removedoccurred more than 2.5 times more often among patients with multifocal/multicentric disease, compared to patients with a single tumor.
Tam and her colleagues analyzed the medical records of 112 women who were treated for multifocal or multicentric breast cancer at Fox Chase between 1983 and 2010. They compared outcomes data from those patients with data from 263 women treated for unifocal disease during the same period. Patients from the two groups were matched by age, gender, and stage at diagnosis. The researchers incorporated data on hormone-receptor status, type of surgery, age, grade, stage, and other therapies into their analyses. Males and patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), inflammatory breast cancer, or metastatic disease were all excluded from the study.
Overall survival rates and rates of distant recurrence were roughly equal between both groups. When the researchers accounted for all the variables, they found that multifocal or multicentric breast cancer patients were diagnosed with local recurrences about 2.6 times as often as patients with unifocal disease.
Tam says she was motivated to do the study after treating patients diagnosed with multifocal or multicentric disease. "For those patients who do not have any other indications for post-mastectomy radiation, I wondered whether or not multifocal or multicentric disease should be considered in the decision to offer radiation," she says.
The new study won't change clinical practice guidelines, Tam says, but it suggests that the number of tumors found in the breast perhaps should be consideredalong with other risk factors when considering radiation therapy.
"Even though this study suggests having multifocal or multicentric disease leads to increase local recurrence, we cannot draw definite conclusions, as this is just a single institutional small retrospective study. It's an additional factor that oncologists can consider," Tam adds. It's not clear whether or not patients with this type of disease have a more aggressive form of cancer or if they have some other risk factor that makes them more susceptible to developing multiple tumors.
Those patients may benefit from radiation therapy following mastectomy, for example, to reduce the likelihood of local recurrence, though larger studies are needed to weigh the possible benefits against possible harms.
###
Tam's coauthors include Penny Anderson, Tianyu Li, Lori Goldstein, Richard Bleicher, Marcia Boraas, Elin Sigurdson, Paula Ryan, and Shelly Hayes from Fox Chase.
Fox Chase Cancer Center, part of the Temple University Health System, is one of the leading cancer research and treatment centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation's first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center's nursing program has received the Magnet status for excellence three consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. For more information, visit Fox Chase's Web site at www.foxchase.org or call 1-888-FOX CHASE or (1-888-369-2427).
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Multifocal/multicentric breast cancer connected to a patient's risk of local recurrencePublic release date: 28-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Diana Quattrone Diana.Quattrone@fccc.edu 215-728-7784 Fox Chase Cancer Center
BOSTON, MA (October 28, 2012)Not all women diagnosed with operable breast cancer present with a single tumor; some have multifocal disease appear in the breast, which means multiple tumors found in the same breast quadrant, while others have multicentric disease, where multiple tumors are found in separate breast quadrants. Multifocal or multicentric disease is not a standard indication to receive radiation after mastectomy. For patients who undergo lumpectomy, radiation dose and extent is not altered based on multifocal or multicentric disease compared to patients presenting with a single tumor.
Though previous researchers have analyzed data on patients with this type of breast cancer, "there is not a strong consensus on whether or not having multifocal or multicentric breast cancer leads to higher recurrence rates," says Tiffany Tam, MD, an attending physician in the Radiation Oncology Department at Fox Chase Cancer Center, who will present new findings about this on October 30 at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 54th Annual Meeting.
Tam led a team of Fox Chase physicians in a retrospective study designed to investigate for possible differences in outcomes. They found no statistically significant difference in overall survival or distant recurrence, where the cancer spreads to other organs or tissues. However, local recurrencehaving cancer return to the same area from which it was surgically removedoccurred more than 2.5 times more often among patients with multifocal/multicentric disease, compared to patients with a single tumor.
Tam and her colleagues analyzed the medical records of 112 women who were treated for multifocal or multicentric breast cancer at Fox Chase between 1983 and 2010. They compared outcomes data from those patients with data from 263 women treated for unifocal disease during the same period. Patients from the two groups were matched by age, gender, and stage at diagnosis. The researchers incorporated data on hormone-receptor status, type of surgery, age, grade, stage, and other therapies into their analyses. Males and patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), inflammatory breast cancer, or metastatic disease were all excluded from the study.
Overall survival rates and rates of distant recurrence were roughly equal between both groups. When the researchers accounted for all the variables, they found that multifocal or multicentric breast cancer patients were diagnosed with local recurrences about 2.6 times as often as patients with unifocal disease.
Tam says she was motivated to do the study after treating patients diagnosed with multifocal or multicentric disease. "For those patients who do not have any other indications for post-mastectomy radiation, I wondered whether or not multifocal or multicentric disease should be considered in the decision to offer radiation," she says.
The new study won't change clinical practice guidelines, Tam says, but it suggests that the number of tumors found in the breast perhaps should be consideredalong with other risk factors when considering radiation therapy.
"Even though this study suggests having multifocal or multicentric disease leads to increase local recurrence, we cannot draw definite conclusions, as this is just a single institutional small retrospective study. It's an additional factor that oncologists can consider," Tam adds. It's not clear whether or not patients with this type of disease have a more aggressive form of cancer or if they have some other risk factor that makes them more susceptible to developing multiple tumors.
Those patients may benefit from radiation therapy following mastectomy, for example, to reduce the likelihood of local recurrence, though larger studies are needed to weigh the possible benefits against possible harms.
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Tam's coauthors include Penny Anderson, Tianyu Li, Lori Goldstein, Richard Bleicher, Marcia Boraas, Elin Sigurdson, Paula Ryan, and Shelly Hayes from Fox Chase.
Fox Chase Cancer Center, part of the Temple University Health System, is one of the leading cancer research and treatment centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation's first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center's nursing program has received the Magnet status for excellence three consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. For more information, visit Fox Chase's Web site at www.foxchase.org or call 1-888-FOX CHASE or (1-888-369-2427).
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Public release date: 30-Oct-2012
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