Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Breast Reduction Patient Screening Discovers Cancer Risk
An unexpected benefit from screening all candidates for breast reduction surgery: A significant percentage was discovered to have a high risk for developing breast cancer, and this could lead to earlier and more successful treatment.
These findings were presented today at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) 2005 conference in Chicago.
According to a news release from the society, 12 percent of the 300 breast reduction patients in the study showed abnormal pathologies. This put them at an increased risk for developing breast cancer, the study concluded.
The researchers also found that screening breast reduction candidates of all ages -- not just those over 40 -- was effective because it could find breast cancer in its early stages. Two of 10 patients considered high risk for developing breast cancer were under 40, the study found.
"In the end, we found that although it may cost more up-front to screen each breast reduction patient for cancer, we saved money and helped patients to get treatment sooner," said Dr. Kristin Stueber, co-author of the study.
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Interim FDA Chief Also "100 Percent Committed" To Cancer Institute Job
Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach isn't ready to give up his job as director of the National Cancer Institute.
That wouldn't be particularly noteworthy, except that President Bush named von Eschenbach over the weekend as the interim replacement for Lester M. Crawford as head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Crawford resigned suddenly Sept. 23, without explanation.
In an interview with the New York Times, von Eschenbach said he had a "100 percent commitment" to both positions. He was particularly proud of his time spent working with cancer patients, he told the newspaper, and he would use that experience at the FDA to make sure there was swift access to approved new drugs. He has been director of the National Cancer Institute since 2002.
The Times quotes von Eschenbach as saying that promising new drugs should be made available "as rapidly as possible." This was especially important, he said, for people with life-threatening diseases, ready to accept greater risks with drugs that hadn't yet stood the test of time.
However, the newspaper cited some experts as having misgivings about von Eshcenbach's dual role, because the National Cancer Institute is often a sponsor of the very drugs the FDA has to consider for approval.
Crawford had been confirmed two months ago by the Senate after serving as deputy and acting FDA commissioner for the last three years.
His tenure was marked by the withdrawal of several high-profile drugs, including the painkiller Vioxx, over safety concerns, the Associated Press reported. He also faced accusations that the agency has held up over-the-counter access to the Plan B emergency contraceptive for political reasons.
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VP Cheney Has 'Successful' Artery Surgery on Both Knees
Originally scheduled to have surgery to repair an aneurysm on the back of his right knee, Vice President Dick Cheney had operations on both knees Saturday, a procedure that took about six hours.
The Associated Press quotes the vice president's spokesman as saying the operations were successful. "He will remain in the hospital for up to 48 hours to monitor his recovery," the wire service quotes Steve Schmidt, counselor to the vice president, as saying. "He is expected to resume a regular schedule when he is released to [go] home."
Schmidt also said the decision to operate on the back of both knees instead of only the right one came when the doctors at at George Washington University Hospital examined him before surgery, the A.P. reported. The condition was discovered during Cheney's annual physical in July.
A news release from his office said that Cheney, 64, was "awake, alert, and comfortable" immediately after the surgery had been completed.
Aneurysms, if left untreated, could lead to a ballooning artery that is at risk of bursting. Typical surgery involves sewing a fabric patch on the weak spot to reinforce it, the wire service said.
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Health Emergency Declared From Rita's Landfall
Learning from the mistakes of hurricane Katrina, U.S. health officials prepared to head into southeast Texas and southern Louisiana Sunday to assist victims of hurricane Rita, whose 120 mile per hour winds slammed into an area 32 miles southeast of Beaumont early in the morning.
Even before the winds had died down and the first emergency crews appeared, officials declared the area a health emergency, establishing the procedure for providing aid to victims who may have become homeless, have health emergencies or need other assistance.
While early reports of flooding, power outages and some property damage were reported Saturday morning from Rita's landfall, there was no indication that there was devastation similar to that caused by Katrina when it hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast just a few eeeks ago.
Additionally, the Associated Press reports that government crews, already part of the New Orleans cleanup from Katrina, were being further challenged because new rains from Rita had caused breaches in two of the city's levees, and part of the city had become flooded again. The Army Corps of Engineers said it would need at least two weeks to pump water from the most heavily flooded neighborhoods, the A.P. reported.
The wire service reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stockpiled four days' worth of food, water and ice in Texas and Louisiana, and the Pentagon had added 13,273 active-duty troops to the 36,108 National Guard personnel already available.
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Medicare Taps 9 Insurers for Drug Coverage
Nine insurers across the United States have been approved to provide Medicare's prescription drug coverage beginning New Year's Day, the Associated Press reported Friday.
"Scores" of other companies have been approved by the Bush Administration to provide coverage on a regional basis, the wire service said. All beneficiaries will have at least 11 drug plans to choose from, and in larger states, up to 20 plans, the AP said.
All of this competition represents good news for consumers, officials said. "Forty-nine states will have a drug plan with a premium below $20," Dr. Mark McClellan, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told the wire service.
Fewer than half of those eligible for the coverage have submitted the required application forms, however, the Pittsbugh Post-Gazette reported.
Companies can begin marketing their plans to millions of elderly and disabled Medicare beneficiaries on Oct. 1, and enrollment will begin Nov. 15, the AP said. McClellan said Medicare would try to help eligible beneficiaries select a plan that's best for them.
According to the AP, companies approved to offer drug coverage nationwide are: Aetna Life Insurance Co., Connecticut General Life Insurance Co., Medco, Memberhealth Inc., Pacificare Life and Health Insurance Co., Silverscript Insurance Co., Unicare, UnitedHealth Group Inc., and Wellcare Health Plans.
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