Dr. Leif Sourander and his colleagues from the University of Turku studied 7,844 women born between 1923 and 1930 who were screened for breast cancer, and followed up from 1987 to 1995. No increase in breast cancer was associated with hormone replacement therapy, but there was an increase in endometrial cancer. Questioning Sunscreen's Protection Level Sunscreen use may not provide as much protection against skin cancer as researchers had previously believed, according to a new study. In fact, the use of sunscreen may encourage children to spend more time in the sun and thereby increase their risk, the study found. Dr. Philippe Autier and his colleagues from the European Institute of Oncology in Milan studied 631 Caucasian children and reported in Wednesday's Journal of the National Cancer Institute that those with the highest use of sunscreen had the largest number of sun-caused moles.
Moles are a good predictor of later skin cancer.
Officials of the National Cancer Institute cautioned that the study should not discourage use of sunscreens when children are outside. Rather, it should encourage the use of protective clothing. Outweigh Risks Flu shots can slightly increase the risk of a rare nerve disease called Guillain-Barre disease, but the benefits far outweigh the risks, researchers reported in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Tamar Lasky and his colleagues at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that one case of Guillain-Barre occurs for every 1 million vaccinations, meaning that about 60 to 70 Americans will develop it every year as a result of flu shots. Guillain-Barre can damage nerves, cause weakness in the limbs and, in some cases, produce paralysis.