Missing its own self-imposed December 22 deadline, the agency said it needed more time to evaluate the extensive amount of research that has attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of antioxidants in preventing cancer. Back in 1990, as part of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, Congress asked the FDA to determine the validity of the claim that antioxidants reduced the risk of certain cancers. The agency soon ruled that there wasn t enough scientific agreement that antioxidants indeed had a significant impact on risk. However, immediately after the FDA ruling, a consortium of dietary supplement makers filed suit, alleging that the FDA didn t evaluate the scientific data correctly. The FDA was subsequently ordered by a federal appeals court to go back and re-examine the antioxidant claim.
PET scans use a radioactive tag that can show how much glucose cells are using.
In the case of cancer, tumor cells use extra glucose, meaning that PET can spot tumors very early in their development. PET can also tell a doctor how a tumor is responding to treatments. Because PET technology is so new, Medicare has been cautious about giving its approval. However, after considerable lobbying from cancer advocates and industry specialists, HCFA relented. Its decision will enable tens of thousands of patients on Medicare to finally have access to the technology.