Word: cancer
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Women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer are faced with a tough choice - either to have parts of the affected breast removed, a procedure followed by several weeks of potentially toxic radiation therapy, or to opt for a mastectomy, removing the entire breast and contending with the disfigurement that entails. The decision typically rests on where and how widespread the tumors are. It's no wonder, then, that more and more women are relying on high-tech MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans to help them examine their cancer and choose the right treatment...
...that may not be such a good idea, say researchers in a commentary appearing in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, a publication of the American Cancer Society. The authors looked at studies pitting preoperative use of MRI, which relies on magnetic waves, against mammograms and similar tests that use radiation to take pictures of breast tissue. Researchers found that women choosing MRIs often ended up with more aggressive surgery - much of which wasn't necessary - than women who did not use the scans. What's more, employing the newer and more sensitive MRI technology did not improve a woman...
...evidence to support it led doctors to take a conservative approach in recommending excess activity. "Because we didn't have strong data one way or another, there was this dictum that translated to, Don't lift anything, or only minimally use your arm," explains Dr. Brian Lawenda, a breast-cancer-radiation specialist at Naval Medical Center San Diego, who was not involved in the new study...
...merit of the weight-lifting program - beyond its health benefits - is that it could be affordable and accessible for breast-cancer survivors, says Schmitz. The classes used in her study were designed to be easily replicated; they were offered at community locations like YMCA centers and taught by fitness coaches who underwent a short training period to learn to spot problematic symptoms...
...cuts, for the war in Iraq, support for the Patriot Act." There's also an undercurrent of worry about Specter's age and health, Madonna says, although voters tend to say so only in whispers. Specter is 79 and has suffered two bouts of Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the blood...