Despite the uncertainty about what the gene defects mean, some women, particularly those with family histories of cancer, are already getting tested for the mutations and electing to have healthy breasts and ovaries removed to reduce the risk of disease later. Dr. Bernadine Healy, former director of the National Institutes of Health and now dean of the medical school at Ohio State University, said in a journal editorial that the studies demonstrate that doctors just don't know enough in most cases to use gene testing to diagnose individual patients. Without the facts about other variables, the fortunetellers are reading a pretty cloudy crystal ball. Tens of thousands of Americans, many of them in the military, were given nasal radium treatments years ago, a treatment that may increase their risk of developing cancer and other medical problems today. One scientist's quest to bring this to light has finally led to government promises to investigate and help those affected.
Anxiety disorders can wreak havoc with family life, but help is available.
Molecular biologists at the University of Colorado have developed the first map of human chromosome 18, including genes associated with several forms of cancer. There's new evidence about the harm of second-hand smoke. In the near future, stitches for most wounds could be a thing of the past. Doctors find an adhesive closes wounds more quickly and helps them heal as well. Researchers identify a defect in heart cells that may explain why the muscle loses its ability to pump blood in people suffering from hypertension and perhaps other types of heart failure.